Changing Chords

[bbqbob]

Big Malky,

As someone who recently started playing guitar again after nearly a 30 year layoff, I can relate to your problem. At first I felt like I was wearing empty toilet paper tubes on my fingers and felt like I could not get them to do anything.

I would suggest you practice a song with simple chord changes over and over again until it becomes automatic. One of the first I chose was Creedence's "Bad Moon Rising"...the A, E, D structure of the song is very simple and easy to anticipate. I still suck but am getting better!

[Bbach1]

Originally posted by MILLO:

Prepare fingers, in other words, mimic the shape of the next chord as move towards it.

This is a good method. When I first started, I used to hold my fingers above the strings in the shape of the chord and then lower them all at once. As I moved through chord progressions, I would not allow myself to put any fingers on any strings until I had my fingers in position to put them all on at the same time.

[StantheMailman]

Malky...I'm sure this has already been stated, but to make this as easy as possible....

 

Think about what fingers have to move and what fingers do not have to move, when changing a chord.

 

You might be holding the correct finger, on the correct string, for the next chord? In which case this finger should stay put...make this an anchoring point for the next chord.

 

Or maybe you have a finger, on the correct string that simply needs to slide up or down a fret or two...DO NOT lift these "anchoring point" fingers off the fretboard for each chord change.

 

Someone mentioned changing from F to C...if you're playing the basic F chord where your first finger is holding down both the E (1st string) & B (2nd string) at the first fret..this first finger should NOT leave the fret board when changing from F to C!!!! Your finger should simply roll off the 1st string so it now sounds open for the C chord.

 

There are chord changes that may be easier for you at this stage...let's take G to C.

 

Most books will tell you to play the G chord with your 2nd/3rd/ and 4th fingers....ugh! so your first finger can grab that C note on the 2nd str/1st fret, for the C chord...blah!

 

It looks like this 3-2-0-0-0-3 boring.

 

Often, I'll play a G that looks like this..

 

3-2-0-0-3-3 using--

2nd finger-1st finger-0-0-3rd-4th fingers

 

Then...when you switch to a C chord, keep your 3rd and 4th fingers anchored at the 3rd fret, and simply move your first and 2nd fingers to the 4th and 5th strings...looking like this...

 

X-3-2-0-3-3 there's your C chord.

 

Didn't mean to write a novelette here, but the basic premise is....analyze each chord change...are there fingers that don't have to move?

 

Are there fingers on the correct string, but wrong fret, that may have to slide?

 

Are you holding a correct note on the chord change, but need to substitute that position with a different finger?

 

Can your finger find the next note by simply rolling to an adjacent string?

 

Bottom line...if all your fingers are leaving the fret board with each chord change...you're making it too hard on yourself...try to maintain contact with the fret board.

 

And learn those "pro" chords...( that's what we used to call them in the old days..LOL) those first finger bar chords....very important!

 

And play with others...you'll get 10 times as good in a year playing with others, as you will staying and practicing alone in your room.

 

Have fun!