Lots of good advice in here so far.
Another piece of advice that I have heard a few places, and have recently found to be true, is this:
Practice simple 1-2-3-4 down-strumming with chord changes every bar, but if you mangle the chord changes, keep strumming while your fretting hand figures it out. If you are strumming at a speed that is just barely above your chord change comfort level you'll screw up some changes but you will also find that the pressure helps you make some progress.
It's also good practice for getting your fingers down in the right order... Bass notes first.
Lately I have been working on strumming a lot. It has been hard to break the ultra-beginner habit of stopping when I screw up a change, but progress has come more quickly than I expected.
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