Chord Changes

Hi, My name is Luke, i come from Hampshire England.

Im new to the site so please excuse my lingo i the words i say iim half hampshire hog and half cockney!

I have been learning the guitar for a little over three years now.
At first i practised for perhaps 2 hours a day and there were some times where i didn't practise two weeks to maybe a month.
After learning to play some easy tracks it insired me to learn more.
Over the past year i very rarely miss a day where i do not play.

The problem is i know the chords and strumming pattern to the songs i want to learn but cannot get the chord shapes fast enough. No matter how hard i try i my fingers do not hold down the chords at the same time.

After playing for a while i have great interest in playing the guitar and would love to play it fantastically, but i'm sure that everyone feels the same or felt the same when learning.

At the age of 21 am i too late to learn? I know the answer is going to be no your never too young, i just get so frustrated that i cannot do something on the guitar.

Can someone please help me? How long would i have to practise before i could get these chord shapes at the same time? perhaps in hours per week or something.

I would also like to know a little more about yourself and how long you have been playing so i can get familiar with a few users.

Hi, My name is Luke, i come from Hampshire England.

Im new to the site so please excuse my lingo i the words i say iim half hampshire hog and half cockney!

I have been learning the guitar for a little over three years now.
At first i practised for perhaps 2 hours a day and there were some times where i didn't practise two weeks to maybe a month.
After learning to play some easy tracks it insired me to learn more.
Over the past year i very rarely miss a day where i do not play.

The problem is i know the chords and strumming pattern to the songs i want to learn but cannot get the chord shapes fast enough. No matter how hard i try i my fingers do not hold down the chords at the same time.

After playing for a while i have great interest in playing the guitar and would love to play it fantastically, but i'm sure that everyone feels the same or felt the same when learning.

At the age of 21 am i too late to learn? I know the answer is going to be no your never too young, i just get so frustrated that i cannot do something on the guitar.

Can someone please help me? How long would i have to practise before i could get these chord shapes at the same time? perhaps in hours per week or something.

I would also like to know a little more about yourself and how long you have been playing so i can get familiar with a few users.

Welcome Luke - always nice to see another Brit on the boards.

To answer your first question: When trying to learn to change chords, (or any other aspect of guitar playing for that matter), the important thing is to take it slow to begin with. "Muscle-memory" is key and by taking things at a slower pace you're able to train your fingers and engrain the movements into them.

One excercise I used when I was learning chords was to pick one (for example C Major) and just practise moving that chord shape up and down the neck. This doesn't sound particuarly musical, I'll give you that, but that's not its purpose. What it does do is strengthen your fingers and help engrain said "muscle-memory". I know you say you can already play the chords, but by doing with with any and every chord you can think it your fingers become more flexible and it becomes much easier to get them to go wherever you want to.

As for changing between chords, you'll find (or at least, I found) that some chords are easier to change between than others. Isolate the chords that you find particularly difficult and practise going from that chord to another and back again.

As for your other questions:

21 isn't too late to start learning at all. Peter Buck, (REM guitarist) didn't learn to play until he was into his twenties, (23 rings a bell, but I might be wrong with that) and he's done alright for himself!

As for how long you'll have to practise, that varies from person to person. Me personally, I'd say it probably took me about 4 months to get to a point where I could go from any chord to any other without missing a beat, but some will take far less and others will take far longer. It's important to practise it and to try and challenge yourself. I'm sure you'll have heard this before, but it is just a matter of practise and patience...it may take time, but it will come if you put the effort in.

As for me: I'm 20, I've been playing guitar for about 7 years or so and dabbling in every musical style I've come across trying to learn something new.

I came across this site several years ago and I honestly believe that without it I wouldn't be anywhere as capable as I am now, (although I'm nowhere near as good as I'd like to be). I'd highly recommend you browse GT's lessons and see what you can pick up.

Also, if you're interested in carrying your playing to new levels, I'd suggest you become a high-bandwidth user, ($5 per month, which work's out at £2.99 at the current exchange rate). There's been a lot of discussion about the fee, but the vast majority of those who have paid it, (if not all), are very satisified with the benefits it brings.

Anyway, enough from me. Look forward to seeing you around the forum - anything you're not sure of ask, everyone's friendly and more than willing to help out as best they can. Best of luck!

Additional:
(Christ! I can go on sometimes, can't I?! Didn't seem so long when I was writing it, honest!)

Hi, welcome to GT dude! I am 31 and I've been playing the guitar for just over a year now. The chord changes are something you just have to practice at. Try switching between two chords, say C and G, over and over slowly. You'll get the feel for it and then you can speed it up. Try the same thing with other chords too.

thank you for your time Willdridge that was some good advice. i will remember that when practising.

welcome dude, i'm 34 and like bigbuda been playin just over a year now, i agree with the big man on this one, start with easy chords, i started with D, A, E, and the best advice i ever got on chord changes was "keep stummin" alot of people stop while they change chords and it sounds s**t, keep strummin dude and pretty soon ya left hand will catch up with ya right hand, worked for me! and my son!

Does Anybody Know How To Do A G2 Chord And A F2????
Anybody.....

You know the chords to the song, as well as finger position; Hell your over half way there. Keep on practicing, every chance you get. What seems hard now will soon be no problem,"whats next." Playing gutiar with a skill level that your not afraid to show off is NOT at all easy, if it was everybody would be doing it. But if a person is detirmined enough, and not afraid of a few soar fingertips now, and then, you could be the next Jimmy Van Clapton.
But thats just me.