faster chord changes

I had the same problem. I kept practicing and before you know it much faster chord changes. I also have the problem whenever I learn a new chord. Fairly slow changes to the new chord for a few days.

I actually found out I was overthinking the chord changes. If I just lest muscle memory take over I have an easier time of it.

double post deleted

You neither have a mental block nor slow hands (and there is no such thing) :)

I am afraid you are expecting too much in too little time!

Here are a few things that you should keep in mind while changing chords.

1. Avoid unnecessary movements.
Look for pivot fingers. If you are changing from C to Am, you only need to move your ring finger.
Don't lift you fingers too far off the fretboard between changes. Keep em hovered over the strings.

2. Play slowly to learn the initial movement of a change but once you have it, increase the tempo.
If I can change a chord at 60 BMP, 1/4 notes; I would raise it to 65 and try again ... You are playing with a metronome, ya?

3. Have patience and stay motivated. Practice daily for another month and then come back to this post.
You will wonder what the fuss was about.

Cheers,
Vic

Hi Velsing,

I'm a beginner too, so I try to explain you my own experience. In the first month I only played six or seven chords and tried to play them (first) well and (second) fast. I usually played easy progressions such as A-D-E, Am-Dm-E and C-Am-Dm-G7. The third one was very interesting because in some changes you maintain some fingers in the same positions and also is the basis for a lot of melodic songs. I followed a book and skiped to a new lesson when I played reasonably well the exercises proposed in the current. Each lesson included new and more complex chords, finishing with the barre chords. I only used strumming patterns with downstrokes.

Then I started to play some easy songs with three or four chords, practicing the chord changes and memorizing the chord secuences. When I want to practice a new chord I look for a song that includes that chord and others that I know, in a progresive way.

I hope this info was useful for you.

Nuno

The easiest as well as fastest( albeit the most painful) way to make quicker chord changes is to slow it down. You've got a lifetime to learn so don't take it to fast and learn bad habits.

One thing to note is that it's important not to pause while you're changing chords. Perfectly strummed chords with a broken rhythm grate a lot more than a couple of fluffed notes played at a nice even rhythm. If you find you're pausing, slow down your playing. Ideally you want it to be a challenge to change in time and smoothly at the tempo you're using, but not impossible.

I also found it helpful to not look too much at the fretboard when I was practicing chord changes - that forced me to rely more on touch than sight. (I'm guessing that it helped because that aspect is quickly picked up by your subconscious and taken out of the equation, but who knows? :)). YMMV on that one!

I have an article on chord changes. I use this method to clean up mine.
https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=561

Well...I guess it bears repeating...practice, but practice slowly. When I first started I had problems with the C-F-G switches and thought I would never be able to do them smoothly or quickly. Now, after a few months, I wonder what I was worried about..the dreaded C-F-G cord progression comes both quickly and smoothly. Just keep up the practice, but practice accuracy first and worry about speed later, or dont worry about speed at all...it will come.

I found that changing my hand to the exact chord shape before plunking it down on the strings helps (especially with some funky chords like the intro chord on Under the Bridge). It's going to be difficult in the beginning, but you'll soon start automatically making the shape with your hand and improve your chords changes. So, hold your hand in the air over the chords and make the shape, then plop it down.

I agree with GVH. Now I know you want to get better faster but put it into perspective. In a year do you think you'll have it down like ridin' a bike? In fiver years? I was the same way when I first started 4+ years ago. We all were. We all tried to learn better/faster only to find out it's not a race or a competition.

Turn your printer on and print out this thread. Put it in a drawer and read it in a couple of months. I did that with some of the problems I had early on and read them a year later and laughed at what I was so worried about. With time/practice comes familiarity/speed.

When I was beginning to play all of the open chords and barre chords I would just play them over and over at a slow speed that i could handle. Then I would turn it up and if i had a problem i would just keep going and when i switched to a lower volume it would be so much easier. I guess I was just tricking myself. Thats what helped for me, hope it helps you. Good luck with whatever you choose to try.

Thanks for all the input guys. With so much of similar input from everyone, I am convinced that all it takes is time and practice. Another thing I realise from reading these posts is that I seem to be practicing correctly (slow tempo, without any breaks in the rhythm as well as using greybeards visualisation technique.) The only thing I'm missing is a metronome - I'm using the old fashioned counting method for now.

I feel so much better now :)

You can also ask your 12 year old niece's strategy on 'how she tackles fast chord changes' :wink:

Or else, keep the playing going.One day, you will hit it.

Also, relax and think musically instead of logically. My teacher used to get on to me about this. I would try to play the song (whatever song) and it was like I was logically about each strum, each chord, etc... But when you relax and feel the rhythm of it all it becomes easier to make music.

Jim