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→Strumming
So admittedly this isn't the most entertaining chord progression or strumming pattern, but it adds more variety. The chord changes each measure. The first measure is just 4 quarter notes - there is no rhythmic variation, just a direct on-beat strum. The 2nd measure mixes it up a little, using a half note for the first two beats, then 2 quarter notes to finish the measure. This gives a bit more emphasis to the downbeat.
The third measure has a note duration we haven't talked about yet. This is a ''<u>dotted half note''</u>. '''Any note that has a dot behind it gets 1.5x its normal lengh.''' So a dotted half note lasts as long as one half note + one quarter note. A dotted quarter note lasts one quarter note + one eighth note. In this case, the dotted half note takes up the first 3 beats of the measure. The final measure is just a whole note on the C Major chord.
''NOTE: I'm saying quarter '''note''' and half '''note''', but really you are strumming multiple notes that make up the chord. Saying "quarter note" is really just short-hand for saying "each note of the chord is has the same duration as a quarter note in length".''
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Sometimes to make simple rhythms a little more interesting, musicians employ a ''<u>swing feel''</u>. Basically, it takes two notes of equal duration and makes the first one a little longer and the second one shorter. The most typical rhythm uses a triplet, which we will cover [[Applying Rhythm to Chords|later]]. However, a swing feel does not have to be strict. For now, consider a swing feel as though two quarter notes sound more like a dotted quarter note and an eighth note. This creates a rhythm similar to an accented downbeat with a leading upbeat rhythm, but it does so for ''every'' beat.
There are no strict rules to a swing feel. You may choose places where you abandon the feel and play strict time. You may overemphasize or underemphasize the swing feel by making the first note far longer than written or just a touch longer.