Topic: chord changing

hello chordie friends.

can someone please answer my question. what is the best way to speedup chord changing.

regards.

john

Re: chord changing

Play the song slow enough to enable you to make the changes on time.
Play through the whole song. If you miss a change, okay, be on time with the next change. Repeat as many times as necessary until you get it to your satisfaction. Go back and repeat/drill any trouble spots you miss regularly.
Gradually bring the song up to original speed as you improve.
By the time you are so sick of that song, you never ever want to hear it again is about the time you know it and know it right.
Play it for your friends. It's new to them. They never heard you do it even once.
Keep a-rockin',
toots

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Re: chord changing

Repetition and small increases in speed.

Dm

"Talent instantly recognizes genius,
but mediocrity knows nothing more than itself."

-Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle

Re: chord changing

hello.

i would just like to thank both of you for your answers i am getting a bit bogged down with my playing and i wasgetting so slow that after a couple of chords i was packing in playing or i would go onto something else to see if that was. quicker.

many thanks.

john

Re: chord changing

Guides and pivots are also handy.... Here's a very basic video on it to give you the idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJd4y33v3E

Keep in mind that chords have several voices/fingerings and with a little ingenuity you can apply this technique to most progressions.

[b][color=#FF0000]If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something.
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Re: chord changing

guitarpix.

many thanks for your reply.

i have looked at the video great.

Re: chord changing

The correct answers are above, but keep practicing.  That is the only way.  Take two chords, for instance, and play them back and forth.  Do this several times each day and then add another chord as you get better.  Keep adding and keep practicing.  Your fingers will eventually automatically remember where they are supposed to go next without thinking.  I believe this is called muscle memory.  It works.  It just takes time.  And good luck.

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Re: chord changing

many thanks bensonp for your reply and many thanks to all of you who answerd my call.

kindest regards.

john

Re: chord changing

Welcome John!!

You didn't mention how long you've been playing. As the others said, practice is key. You must take it slow so you do it right. If you just blast thru it you will not learn the right way. Slow repetition builds muscle memory.


Good luck!!!!!

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: chord changing

hello zguitar.

i have been playing now for over twelve months but when i try to speedup i get really bogged down.

regards..john

Re: chord changing

Z is right, muscle memory is a big part.  You can't just think too much.  For example, think skipping rope or dancing or riding a bike... you don't really memorize with your brain.  Your muscles learn.  So devote some of your practice to movements that go between chords without too much emphasis on playing a song or perfect chord.  It'll be a little sloppy at first.  Loosen your grip on the guitar neck.  I'm sure you grip it tightly at first.  Notice the same strong grip trying to get clean notes works against you on changing positions.  If you get through the song one good time, might want to stop right there.  You don't want your muscles to "remember" a bad practice.

Re: chord changing

accoustiknoyz.

many thanks for your support.

regards.

john

Re: chord changing

Well I guess my answer is just another form of all the answers above - which come down to practicing (and not just practicing, but practicing slowly enough that you are practicing the right things). 

Here's what I did.  It may or may not work for you, but it has worked for me.  I took a song I wanted to learn and wrote down every chord change.  For instance if the chord progression was D - A - D - G and then repeat, that meant the chord changes were D to A, A to D, D to G, and G to D. 

I practiced each of the chords individually until I could get a good clean sound out of them.  Then I would practice each individual change (D to A, for instance) about twenty times.  Then I'd do the next one (A to D in the example) about twenty times.  I'd do this as long as I could stand doing it.  At this point, I wasn't trying to keep time yet, just get from one chord shape to the next one and get a good, clean sound on each. 

Do that until you become smooth.  It may take a night or may take every night for two weeks.  You're not on a time-table, just do it until it's clean.  Then I introduced time using a metronome.  Downstroke, downstroke, downstroke, downstroke - nothing fancy.  One stroke per beat.  String the changes together IN TIME one per beat as slowly as you need to go to get it clean. 

By this point, you've NAILED those chord changes and can use them in any song that comes along.  Now start worrying about introducing the rhythm.  Do the rhythm and whatever strum pattern you want to use IN TIME.  Slowly as you need to go to get it right.  Accuracy first, speed comes from accuracy. 

Then you're there. 

This is a very, very slow way of learning your first songs.  BUT doing it this way, you absolutely nail down the chord changes that you can use any time you need to change between those chords AND you absolutely nail down your strum pattern and can do it fast or slow or however you need to use it for any given song you do in the future. 

My usual comment is not to be surprised if you have to make chord changes thousands of times before you get it clean.  Twenty times per set, maybe five sets per night, for maybe a couple of weeks when you're first starting.  Some folks want to sound like the record right away, but you have to understand that those guys on the records have been practicing hours per day for decades to sound that good.  It's not something you're going to get in a couple months unless you are absolutely exceptional beyond belief - like Evginey Kissin with piano.  Maybe you are, but I've not met anyone like that in a lifetime around musicians.  That said, nearly anyone can learn to be a good, solid guitar player in time with dedicated and careful practice.  Some faster than others, but as the skills are learned they can be applied to all sorts of songs and styles.  So stick with it and be patient with yourself.  The Eureka! moments when you hear a song and think "I can do that!" will come. 

- Zurf

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Re: chord changing

FG, all the answers above are tried and true methods for chord changes and all are correct. Be sure to learn the pivot points - where you can keep 1 or more fingers anchored - as you change chords. One other very important thing to learn is to NEVER stop strumming. Keep your strumming hand in motion even while you are changing chords. While not correct - at some time or another - the strings will get strummed that are not fretted. Thats OK - you've kept your timing for that pattern and thats whats important. As you gain knowledge so will you become more familar with the chord changes. Learn how to set up the fingering of a chord so it will be easier to form the next chord change - you get this by trial and error. Learn how to use different fingers form chords. Learn the fret board and how to form chords up and down the fretboard. Crawl before you walk.

Nela

Re: chord changing

hello everyone.

i would just like to thankyou all forgiveing me all your advice on the problem that i was going through i have taken it on board and i will be doing things a lot different in the future it appears that i was trying to run before i could walk.

many many thanks for all your advice.

kindest regards.

john.

Re: chord changing

flashgordon wrote:

hello chordie friends.

can someone please answer my question. what is the best way to speedup chord changing.

regards.

john

just keep on practicing! big_smile big_smile big_smile big_smile

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Re: chord changing

Hey, I'm having the same problem you were, I just now began taking my guitar lessons and skills seriously and I am having trouble with the chord changes... all of the answers to your question are great! But do you have any tips for the beginner who cant keep focused on something for more than 3 minutes? smile I love guitar, but I get so frustrated with myself when I can't get it right

                       Thanks, B

18 (edited by zguitar 2011-05-06 03:45:38)

Re: chord changing

Welcome Bren!!!

You have to understand that things do not happen overnight. You must practice alot and you must practice correctly. If you keep at it you will progress and be happy. Don't get too frustrated. If you do then take a little break. Maybe try to learn a few diff things (chords,scales,fingerpicking) at once so when you get frustrated with one you can go to the other.

Keep at it and you will get better.

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!