chord transitioning

Tips:

1. Look for common fingers. If you're fingering Em using 1-2 and G using 1-2-3, your first finger is already in the right place - don't pick it up! If you're fingering Em 2-3, then you should be using 2-3-4 fingering for the G - same idea, one finger is already there.

2. If you have a finger on the right string, but in the wrong fret, don't lift it - just slide it to the next position. If you're moving from E to D, your first finger is already on the third string... so just slide it up.

3. We've only got so many fingers, so shapes repeat. If you're moving from C to F, fingers 2 and 3 already have the right relationship to each other (on string apart on the 2nd & 3rd frets). Pretend they're glued into position, and don't separate them as you move to the new chord.

4. Practice "landing" chords. Form a chord, lift your fingers slightly, and put them all back down at the same time. If you have to move your fingers one by one, you'll never be quick enough for most songs, so you need to develop the muscle memory for finger shapes. Once you can do it from a fraction of an inch away consistently, increase the distance.

5. DON'T STOP STRUMMING! Many beginners will pause the strumming hand while they get their fingers into position. When you do that, you're removing the deadline. If you're not ready, strum anyway! It usually wont' sound awful, and it will force your fingers to get quicker.

The type of g chord she us teaching me is using all four fingers, with my pinky on the first string, third fret. Do you think I should try and learn a slide - pick up fingers maneuver on that paticular chord?

Well im a long time begener... Ive been playing for about 4 years and never realy went far... One of my major issues were the chord changes. Well after starting lessons, I sat down and spent that first week picking up the guitar any free min I had, and hammering them out. Taking the time to go real slow... see how the fingers were moving, and how the hand would fallow... and braking down what the hand wanted to do... from there I could see what had to be done, and slowly work up the speed. It was a lot of work, but after that week, and MANY hours, it started to click. I still struggle once in a wile, and miss one, and the C still gets me once in a wile.... But taking that time, and realy digging in, and just doing it is what it takes. It was a long hard week... and more then a little boring.... but it did more for my playing then anything else I did the last 4 years.

The type of g chord she us teaching me is using all four fingers, with my pinky on the first string, third fret. Do you think I should try and learn a slide - pick up fingers maneuver on that paticular chord?

The smoothest transition techniques always depend on context - what chord you're coming from, and what you're going to.

I typically teach a three-finger G voicing before the four-finger one, simply because there's less to worry about. But the four-finger one you're learning will make the transition to/from D easier, because your third finger is already in the right place. To go to/from Em, your first finger is in the right place (I'd finger the Em using 1-2 in that situation).

Other changes can be made more manageable too. With a four-finger G, try playing a 4 finger C voicing (x32013); your third finger can stay put. And if you're moving to an A chord, you can slide the third finger down to the 2nd fret.

You'll want to experiment with different fingerings. Just keep in mind the general rules I posted above.

Hello my name is Abel. I just started taking guitar lessons back in August of this year & am having some issues with transitioning between chords. My teacher started me off on boulevard of broken dreams by Greenday. Going from Em to g chord is what I am having issues with, I tend to pause too much. Any suggestions on how I can improve? I know practice, practice, practice, which is what I have been doing. It just seems I am not getting anywhere & am starting to get frustrated....help!!

Hi Abel,

You're definitely right when you say that practice is the key, but there are some useful tricks to make it easier along the way. Noteboat has outlined some great general tips.

Here's another suggestion for your particular situation - going from Em to G:

Assuming that you're using 1 and 2 fingers on the Em then, as Noteboat said, you can leave the index (1) in place and just swing the 2nd round onto the low E string. That's not hard to do. Getting the ring and pinky in place is what you will probably be having trouble with.

The good news is that you can play a G chord without using fingers 3 and 4 at all. Just strum the low (in sound) four strings and stop before you get to the B and E strings. The four notes you have played will be G, B, D and another G. When you play the final two strings you're just adding another D and G. The sound 'colour' will be different, but it will still be a valid G chord if you only play the first four strings.

So, if you can get your fingers set on the strings that you need to strike first, you can buy some more time by doing a shorter strum on the first pass and getting fingers 3, and 4 set and ready for the second strum.

In general, you can often get away with slightly reduced chords if fingering is too hard. But knowing that you can buy some more time by landing the essential fingers first can often have the effect of taking some of the tension and anxiety out of trying to get it all perfect at the same time. And sometimes that more relaxed approach can allow you to nail it anyway... :)

So I'd try this for practice. Work it backwards. Put all 4 fingers in place on the G chord. Leave 1 and 2 in position and just work on lifting 3 and 4 on and off the B and E strings for a while. As that gets easier, move backwards through the chain and start moving 2 back up to the Em position as well. Do it slowly and if you feel that 3 and 4 haven't landed correctly then pull your strum short and it will still sound OK anyway. Get them set again for the next strum. In time you'll be landing them right nearly all the time. But if you do muff it you've still got an out - just play the shorter chord and your mis-fingering won't be heard. :)

Just build it up slowly and one day you'll just be landing the whole lot with no thought at all. Good luck.

Chris

Well, personally I believe you're probably just stressing too much. You said the only thing stopping you were the pauses, so try to "just do it". Don't worry about making sure you will put your fingers in the right position and just play it. In the beginning I had something similar, but trusting yourself that you will do it properly will get you over that bump.

I appreciate all the info & will try all y'all have told me.....thanks again. :D

I needed several weeks for playing the G chord with four fingers correctly. I'm sure that if you follow the above tips you will be able to play. In the beginning, play as slow as you can and increase the speed when you play well. And keep practicing.

Welcome to GN!

my 2 cents: there's nothing wrong with you or what you're doing. you're just frustrated with your progress.
i see this over and over. i went through it myself. practice is frustrating. the more you practice, the more frustrating it can get, until you realize it's kind of like lifting weights. the way it is now, it's like you want to bench 250 pounds, so you grab the bar, put on what you can do, and start benching, but the more you do, the harder it gets. your tenth rep is even harder than your first one, and you're getting tired and sore, and you think you'll never get there and that practice is a waste of time.
just stick with it. once you get it, it's easy.

Try not to think about it too much and "just do It" as was said before. Sometimes our brains get in the way and prevent us from doing what we want. Just feel it and keep strumming. Your fingers will find their way. Before long, you will be looking at your fingers and saying "How did you get there?"

I appreciate all the support & suggestions you guys have given me...thanks again!

Other than the good advice just given...pay some particular attention to co-ordinating each movement of your pick with how you drop in between chordings. You do play with two hands, after all. Just get them working closer in unison...

Cat

When changing chords, we want to use guide and pivot fingers. This helps to minimize extra motion and maximize accuracy. An online guitar lesson of guide and pivot fingers can be seen at Free Guitar Videos. Best of Luck!