Changing chords

This vid helped me alot when I was starting. http://youtube.com/watch?v=JVJd4y33v3E  If you think about the diffrent ways you can finger a chord and what chord your going to next and apply this technique I'm sure it will help you out. For instance if your playing G and have to change to D. Use a G fingered like this 320033. Then you can use the fretting finger on the b string as a pivot to go the d. Many chords have diffrent variations that will often fit the song your trying to play. It's just taking the time to figure these out, considering what comes next ,and using this technique. It'll help you out at least untill you build up your muscle memory.

Here's how I did it (or am doing it really). Use a metronome, here a link to a free one on-line

http://www.metronomeonline.com/

Just start with 2 chords, say C&G, or C&D. Start slow, say 50 or 60 BPM just changing back and forth between those 2 chords. As you get it, raise your speed. Once you get switching between those 2 at 100 BPM or better, add a chord and go back to 50 BPM. As you keep adding chords, repeat the process staring slow each time. I would do this for hours every night just watching TV, if you find a particular progression that you are struggling with, you might want to scale back to those 2 chords and concentrate there until you get it down.

The key for me was the metronome. Using that allows you to track your progress and see improvement each night. Is 1/2 an hour enough? That's up to you - practice is the only way to improve. I probably play 3 or more hours every day. Practice, practice, practice is the only answer, nobody was born with Clapton skills - he would practice till his fingers bled.

The way I worked on it was found a few chords that were easier for me to finger cleanly. I picked D, A and G and found a song that fit. You can play Social Distortion's Ball and Chain with D, A, G and D again, then repeat, the whole song.

So, I'd just sit there and strum four beats in one chord, then switch to the next chord. The key is to not stop strumming. If you miss the chord, adjust your fingers while you're strumming and then move on. You can start by just going back and forth between D and A until you get comfortable with it. It's only a matter of time and effort. Stick with it! It's not as far away as it can seem sometimes!

I can't help but wonder if maybe you are trying too hard? If you practice slowly and work on doing the changes smoothly until you can get a consistant clean sound of all the strings...the speed will follow. Maybe start with some simple 3 chord progressions and just practice the changes...I bet it will all come togather soon! One of my bad habits (especially with the mandolin) is using way too much force and pressure! When I make myself relax thing really work much better...

Astro there are many chords that have common notes in the fingering that you can leave that finger where it is and just change the shape of your hand. That helped me on changing chords.

Ex. Going from D to G I leave my ring finger on the fretboard and just move the other ones to form the G.

Eddie

Interesting answers. Like ebigham, explaining how he starts with D, and change to G. I think I do this different, and if my very good friend comes, and we play, he is always giving critics that I have to use that finger in stead of another finger. It makes me nervous sometime. I am able to switch very fast, even knowing that I could make it easier by using a different finger. CAN YOU CHANGE SOMEONE WHO PLAYS SINCE YEARS THAT WAY?
Changing strings, it scares me sometimes, I had years ago an incident, the small E string snapped, and hit my face. When changing strings, I am still afraid. ABOUT CHANGING CHORDS, there are many ways, I am almost convinced that everyone who plays guitar, has for some chords a different approach. It's so long ago that I started playing guitar. I remember me my first chord, an E chord, followed by Am. Some days, now, I play 1-2 hours, but it's more like 5 times 10-15 minutes a day. I do know many chords, some of them are really difficult and patience is important.

Thankyou topdown this was really helpfull good idea.....

Gitaardoc,

I was not suggesting that he has to fret a chord a certain way. But I promise you that there are many chords that he plays that have common fingers that he can leave on the fret board to make it easier to change to the new chord. But there are correct ways to fret chords that make them easier to form. That is why you buy a book of chords that has a fingering diagram. Once you cement a bad habit it is hard to correct the problem. For years I would play power chords with my pinky underneath the fretboard. I still have trouble with this years later after correcting it.

Eddie

I'm new to this forum but posted this on a defferent one.  Hope it helps.

If you always arrived late for your destination, logic would say "leave earlier" right??!!  Well, like many newbies I've (mostly) mastered CAGED (Em, Am, E7 A7... the easy ones) but when I played songs I still would have those INFURIATING breaks in my strumming while trying to hit the chord change on the correct word (or even syllable).  I also noticed that when not playing a song, just strumming and switching chords, I could switch very quickly.  WELL, I don't know how or why it occurred to me, but I noticed that I was trying to make chord changes exactly on the word (or syllable).  Something made me realize that even the most accomplished player in the world (Esteban? hehehe j/k) would need SOME time to change chords, a half a second, a quarter of a second, whatever amount of time is required, chord changes are NOT instantaneous.  So, in an epiphany of sorts it occurred to me "if you are always arriving late, leave earlier dummy!".  So I did.  I left earlier.  Then, as often happens, an epiphany led to a eureka!  The chord changes don't happen instantaneously on a word or syllable, the END there.  Meaning, how ever much time you need, you start the chord change a few words before you need to “hit"  the new chord.  It is barely noticeable and improved my song playing maybe 142.93% instantly (and my enjoyment 10 times as much).

There are some caveats.  You need to know the chords, you need to have developed some fairly good chord transition speed, and you need to be able to play most of the chords without looking at the neck (BTW-as a newbie, don’t be afraid to try this.  You will be very surprised how adept you are at it when you just don’t allow yourself to look at the neck).  But, if you can do all that and are still driving yourself insane trying to put it all together playing those songs, always hitting the chord late or after an infuriating delay…..leave earlier!!!!

pjl364,

Funny you posted this and I did not read it before I went to my guitar lesson yesterday. The same thoughe hit me during the lesson. I was always behind on the chord changes even though the instructor is playing the song slowly, I still could not keep up and it was fustrating. Then a light went on and I started the change right before it was neccessary and bam I was keeping up. I have now marked some of my song tabs with a red chord one syllable/word before the change and I start the change when I get to the red chord so I am ready when I need to actually change. Great tip, wish I had read it sooner.