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chord changes...bad habit?

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(@jonetoe)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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I read that you should keep your strumming rhythm going while changing chords. When I attempt a song I pause strumming till the chord change is made. Of course this unacceptable to me. It seems to slow the chord change down even more when I continue strumming.

I practice the changes with one stroke down and then I change chords, and one stroke down again, just back and forth between several chords hoping to gain speed. I hope I explained this clearly....I guess i'm trying to build chord change speed so that continuing to strum will take care of itself


   
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(@dcarroll)
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Get a metronome and change chords on whole notes at say 40bmp...that should help.

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(@jonetoe)
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I've seen online metronomes, is a whole note 4 taps or beats and do I strum something and change on the 4th beat or do I just not strum and change on the beats?


   
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(@metaellihead)
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I had that problem. With open chords you can often get away with throwing an Em11 while your switching.

It's the easiest chord ever. :P

--0--
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-Metaellihead


   
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(@jonetoe)
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I have been doing the EM11 thing :o I have been playing wish you were here (pink floyd) and noticed I can cheat a bit with that on the intro strum, moving from EM to G you don't have to have those chords completely formed before strummed


   
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(@lotto-king)
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Until you master the changes try a upward strum while you change your fingers that way you keep the ryhthm and your fingers get to know where to go , metronome is a great idea

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(@jonetoe)
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Topic starter  

For some reason I have gotten use to a down stroke before the change. I can hear songs I like...see where the change needs to take place from the chord tab ( lyrics with the chord letters above) strum the same sound of the song, but then the change isn't right, I guess I could try an extra upstroke. I don't really understand how I should use a metronome or how it will help since how I strum a rhythm is by ear


   
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(@greybeard)
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you'll have more success if you can picture the chord, that you want to change to, in your mind - before you change to it.

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(@jonetoe)
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yes, good point...there's so many songs I like that are in my grasp that I try to play them all. It would be wise to memorize one so I don't need to read it


   
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(@josephlefty)
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I agree with what lotto king says...I didn't like the 'pause' in my switching when I was trying to play fluently, so i started to hit an upstroke to give me time to switch to keep the sound fluent with no apparent pause. It worked well and sounded good too! :D

If it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing.


   
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(@jonetoe)
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Yeah that is a good move. I have found thats easier to do with some songs then others....I guess when the chords are shorter moves. I also found different fingerings, for instance you can play D major with two fingers. Also if I put the pick down and strum with my hand that makes it easier


   
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(@pearlthekat)
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try changing chords really slowly until you find the speed at which you can change without a little pause. do that for a while and gredually build up your speed. sometimes i sit around for an hour and just work on a chord change. right now i'm working on A minor to F.


   
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(@ssstrat11s)
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I actually would not encourage you to try that alternate finger of the elementary D chord. While it may be easier to play, if you want to go to D7 or Am you need to completely move your hand. If you master the D chord the way it's charted...

E A D G B E
x x 0 2 3 2

with middle finger on the G-string, ring finer on the high E-string, and pinky finger on the B-string

... if you do it this way then it will make your chord changes much faster as you get better, because you won't move your hand as much.

Improvised chords = no-no's

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(@jonetoe)
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Topic starter  

pearl kat

yes play a song in slow motion, I have been trying that sounds like good practice

ssstrat11s

I have been playing D with ring on the b....middle on the high e...and index on the g, but never liked that. I started doing it as you say except I leave the ring finger off all together (middle on g, pinky on b) and strum all strings except the top and bottom e,s. I'll try both ways just plunk my ring down to


   
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(@tim_madsen)
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I agree with ssstrat11s on the fingering of D, there are a lot of songs that have a D to D7 or D to Am transition. It's a lot easier to make that transition if you use your middle, ring and pinkie to form the D. Makes it easier to go to A7 also. Merle Haggard wrote several songs with only D and A7, guess how he fingers a D.

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