My rhythm improved dramatically after I realized that the beat of a song was keyed to the words and their syllables. For example, "You are My Sunshine " is easy to strum to - you strum/emphasize the 2 and the 4 beats. Or, playing "Onward Christian Soldiers", you strum/emphasize the 1 and the 3 beats. But in our blues and jazz based music, there is a lot of syncopation (playing slightly off the beat) which is hard to compensate for.
Watch this segment where Levon Helms explains how to sing and drum at the same time. Don't be put off by the fact that this is about drumming - that's what you are doing on your guitar when you strum - your strum is your percussion section:
Levon is amazing - he seems to put it all together seamlessly - but as he shows in the video, it's a layered approach. He starts with the words and then layers the beat on top of them. In the end, his beat then becomes very regular and the words are syncopated on top of the beat.
When you play guitar, you are doing the same thing. Your strum, or your bass line, is your rhythm/drum section. Your voice and/or your unwound strings pick up the melody.
Keep working at it. As it was mentioned earlier in the post. sooner or later you will "feel" the music - then everything falls into place.
best,
Rick
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