strumming problem

been playing for about 6mths,spent awhile doing notations and then started to do chords and progressions.I also enjoy just printing of sheets of songs i know and playing and singing doing the chord changes with the lyrics and i feel its good practice.
My problem is that as i start to get into the song my strumming starts to sound flat and not ring true.I check my fingering and it looks okay .I tend to strum pretty hard aswell,thought it was the strings but changed them and still the same.got a steel string cort
any ideas

By checking your fingering, you pick one string at a time and see if they all ring well, right? That helps a lot cause sometimes, you just move your finger a little bit without realizing it.

I don't think strumming hard or not has anything to do with it. I might be wrong but for me, if the fingers are at the right place, it will ring true whether or not I strum hard.

When you start to play, does it sound well or only when you get farther into the song?

It seems to get worse as i get further into the song.Maybe i get a little careless as i get into it and try to stay with the lyrics.Good idea checking each finger with the strings individually.Do you think it could only be the fingering,in other words if the chord is placed properly it should ring true

Be patient with your strumming. Take it slow. The way I started is to take each chord...say G-C-D. And then strum each chord 3 times nice and gently so it rings true. If you can do this for these 3 chords and strum it 3 times and have it consistently sound true you should be good to go. Fingering must be correct or it wil sound screwey.

You could also make the chord and pluck one string at a time to make sure you are pressing correctly. Not sure if you are doing open or barre chords. Barre chords are tougher. It just takes practice. Ive been practicing my bar chords for 3 months and just now are they starting to sound solid. Very choppy in the beginning. This stuff takes time, it doesnt happen over night.

Originally Posted by: mick47It seems to get worse as i get further into the song.Maybe i get a little careless as i get into it and try to stay with the lyrics.Good idea checking each finger with the strings individually.Do you think it could only be the fingering,in other words if the chord is placed properly it should ring true

If everything is right with your guitar, normally speaking, if you've placed your fingers correctly, there's no reason for it not to sound true. Maybe you're trying to go too fast? Start slowly. The song won't sound the same, most probably as when played fast but it's better to get the feel of the chords early rather than starting blotchy and then trying to get over the bad fingering you've picked up. Speed will come with practice. I'm not saying you're fingering them badly but it's better to start nice and slow than fast and choppy (though choppy can be nice if it's what you're looking for). So just take your time and figure out what you're doing wrong! Good luck!