How are you going with the chords for Home Sweet Home.? If you have reached the stage where you can play the chords in sequence, one strum per bar, within the correct timing you are ready to try some variation on the way you strum the chords.

Firstly, as this piece is written with 3 beats to the bar, you should try strumming one downward stroke for each beat, three to a bar.

Once you are satisfied with that try introducing an upstroke to the beat.? To do this break the 3 beats into 6 half beat. Instead of counting 123 start counting 1 and 2 and 3 and 1 and 2 and 3 and while keeping the same tempo.

Try a down stroke strum for the 1st beat then a down and up stroke for beats 2 and 3

Then move straight into the next bar and new chord on the 1 down stroke again.

This should sound like a? - DUM Dum de Dum de - rhythm with more emphasis on the first beat.

You can move your fingers to change chords, revealing the open strings, on the last up stroke which makes for a smooth chord change and actually sounds quite nice.? You do not have to play all strings on the up stroke but certainly pick up strings 1, 2 and 3.? If you are omitting the 1st string, such as with the F chord,? make sure you mute it by brushing another finger against it.? Likewise you are not playing the 6th string with this chord so you can mute that with the thumb.? This techniques helps you to really go for it without sounding bad notes.??