Struggling with chord switching - vent

Just wanted to vent about how frustrating the learning curve is with chord changing. I see why some people give up. I'm struggling with just switching from E minor to A minor. Going form A minor to E minor is pretty easy, but the reverse is what's getting me. My fingers never seem to land in the right place and i've been practicing for days now. At this point, I can't even imagine switching between G major (which I find intimidating since it's quite the stretch) and other chords or actually playing a whole song of different chords. What gives me hope is how badly I used to struggle with switching between just the simple chords, but it's second nature now so hopefully I get to that point with the more advanced ones. I just can't believe how long it's taking. Anyone else relate?

Yup. I can relate. I found two solutions. Guitar Tricks for the in-depth lessons and songs, and Guitar Principles for the in-depth study of how the body relates to the guitar, guitarprinciples.com.

I can't do one with out the other. In other words, the Guitar Tricks are useless without the Guitar Principles and the Guitar Principles are boring without the Guitar Tricks, the two go hand in hand, pun intended!

I was ready to give up many times, but then I was at a Rush concert and said to myself... ..."self, you wont be happy unless you do this." Finally, I can play some songs because I didn't give up!

I know what you mean even though I'm still struggling with the simple chords. But I feel myself getting better with those each day. When I reach full chords I know it'll be the same struggle but it'll be worth it. I found the hardest thing for me to overcome was my mindset that "I'm not a kid learning this so I should be able to do this". That led to a lot of frustration and I quit trying to learn once before. Now I know to have patience and with practice it will come. Like you said, you overcame the simple chords and eventually you will overcome this struggle too.

Chord changes are definitely a challenge. The first thing you need to do is be patient with yourself and know that you will eventually get it down.

There are a variety of things you can do that can help.

- practice changing chords without strumming. Do this slowly. Your fingers need to learn the motions of where they need to go. Sometimes they don't need to go anywhere, or go very far. By practicing this slowly, you can do this purposefully. The beginner lessons here have some excellent tips on this stuff.

- try playing a simple song with the chords you are working on...but play it slowly. Try giving each chord a single strum for each measure. This gives you time to navigate the chord changes with more time and still keep your playing in time. As you get better, speed it up until you are at the appropriate tempo for the song.

If you get to the second point and it's getting frustrating, go back to the first point.

I find the approach of a small amount of time spent every day on something like this is much more beneficial than sitting for hours working on it. Spending hours daily on something like this will only frustrate you and it will be unproductive.

Know this, if you keep at it and be patient with yourself, you WILL get there...

It may be encouraging for you to know that even those of us that have been playing for a good number of years still struggle with this when we encounter a new chord shape. For instance, I learned Taxman recently and there was a chord in there that was new to me that I had to change to VERY quickly. At first I felt like a gimp trying to navigate the change, but used the method I described above and got it down eventually.

Originally Posted by: maggiorChord changes are definitely a challenge. The first thing you need to do is be patient with yourself and know that you will eventually get it down.

There are a variety of things you can do that can help.

I was planning on replying to the original post. But Rich said everything I was soing to say. Well done.

Originally Posted by: 91362Yup. I can relate. I found two solutions. Guitar Tricks for the in-depth lessons and songs, and Guitar Principles for the in-depth study of how the body relates to the guitar, guitarprinciples.com.

I can't do one with out the other. In other words, the Guitar Tricks are useless without the Guitar Principles and the Guitar Principles are boring without the Guitar Tricks, the two go hand in hand, pun intended!

I was ready to give up many times, but then I was at a Rush concert and said to myself... ..."self, you wont be happy unless you do this." Finally, I can play some songs because I didn't give up![/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice. I just visited Guitar Principles and there's a lot going on in that site. Could you specifically recommend to me where on the site I could go that may help with this issue?

Originally Posted by: maggiorChord changes are definitely a challenge. The first thing you need to do is be patient with yourself and know that you will eventually get it down.

There are a variety of things you can do that can help.

- practice changing chords without strumming. Do this slowly. Your fingers need to learn the motions of where they need to go. Sometimes they don't need to go anywhere, or go very far. By practicing this slowly, you can do this purposefully. The beginner lessons here have some excellent tips on this stuff.

- try playing a simple song with the chords you are working on...but play it slowly. Try giving each chord a single strum for each measure. This gives you time to navigate the chord changes with more time and still keep your playing in time. As you get better, speed it up until you are at the appropriate tempo for the song.

If you get to the second point and it's getting frustrating, go back to the first point.

I find the approach of a small amount of time spent every day on something like this is much more beneficial than sitting for hours working on it. Spending hours daily on something like this will only frustrate you and it will be unproductive.

Know this, if you keep at it and be patient with yourself, you WILL get there...

It may be encouraging for you to know that even those of us that have been playing for a good number of years still struggle with this when we encounter a new chord shape. For instance, I learned Taxman recently and there was a chord in there that was new to me that I had to change to VERY quickly. At first I felt like a gimp trying to navigate the change, but used the method I described above and got it down eventually.

Thanks! I noticed great improvement after putting everything you said into practice, especially the part about playing slower. My impatience to get through the fundamentals course and be a great guitarist already tends to make me practice things at a fast tempo, but slowing down and really processing where and how my fingers should land is better in the long run. Like they say: learn slow, forget slow.

[QUOTE=markpetten]I know what you mean even though I'm still struggling with the simple chords. But I feel myself getting better with those each day. When I reach full chords I know it'll be the same struggle but it'll be worth it. I found the hardest thing for me to overcome was my mindset that "I'm not a kid learning this so I should be able to do this". That led to a lot of frustration and I quit trying to learn once before. Now I know to have patience and with practice it will come. Like you said, you overcame the simple chords and eventually you will overcome this struggle too.

Thanks! I've actually improved quite a bit since I made this post. Patience is definitely key. I'm still far from perfect, but I'm getting there. I would practice more but my fingers hurt at the moment. My callouses are still maturing.

Good luck in your training! You'll get there too!

Originally Posted by: janyatonwu

Thanks! I noticed great improvement after putting everything you said into practice, especially the part about playing slower. My impatience to get through the fundamentals course and be a great guitarist already tends to make me practice things at a fast tempo, but slowing down and really processing where and how my fingers should land is better in the long run. Like they say: learn slow, forget slow.


Thanks! I've actually improved quite a bit since I made this post. Patience is definitely key. I'm still far from perfect, but I'm getting there. I would practice more but my fingers hurt at the moment. My callouses are still maturing.

Good luck in your training! You'll get there too!

Awesome...I'm glad those tips helped. Yep, to go faster you have to go slower, it's counter intuitive :). You'll find this principle applies with everything you learn in guitar. Once you get to scales and playing solos and melodies, you'll revisit this.

It's all about economy of motion. Watch any proficient player and you don't seem them flailing about even when playing at blistering speeds.

Developing callouses is yet another reason to be patient with yourself. You don't want to overdo it and cause yourself physical injury.


One last thing to mention about slowing things down...don't forget to occasionally try things at full tempo. You want to get the efficiency of motion down practicing slowed down, but at the same time you need to feel what it's like to go full tempo. When you start to feel you are making progress at a lower tempo, give a run through at full tempo at the end of your practice session. Each time you do that you should see some improvement.

Think of it this way, if you are a sprinter, your practice routine can't be all distance running....you need to actually run some sprints.

Keep up the great work!

This is a good spot for my annual plug ;) of [U]Zen Guitar[/U] by Philip Toshio Sudo. This is not a how-to-play book...there is no technique, no chord charts, none of that good stuff we need and find on GT. This small book is a why-we-play book that addresses how to approach guitar, how to build and control your emotional involvement with playing and practice, how to manage the frustration most of us experience at one time or another. How to set your mindset. :)

Don't be concerned about the title. It is not a boring writing about religion but it does borrow attitudes and approaches and applies them to/for the guitar student. It is a book read over and over by those that know it.

On Amazon, it can be had new for $7, used in 'very good' condition for $4. Take time to read the user reviews...72% give it five stars. And know at least one current GT instructor has encouraged GT members to read it.

Now that I have it down off the book shelf, it's time to read it again. :D

Originally Posted by: john of MTThis is a good spot for my annual plug ;) of [U]Zen Guitar[/U] by Philip Toshio Sudo. This is not a how-to-play book...there is no technique, no chord charts, none of that good stuff we need and find on GT. This small book is a why-we-play book that addresses how to approach guitar, how to build and control your emotional involvement with playing and practice, how to manage the frustration most of us experience at one time or another. How to set your mindset. :)

Don't be concerned about the title. It is not a boring writing about religion but it does borrow attitudes and approaches and applies them to/for the guitar student. It is a book read over and over by those that know it.

On Amazon, it can be had new for $7, used in 'very good' condition for $4. Take time to read the user reviews...72% give it five stars. And know at least one current GT instructor has encouraged GT members to read it.

Now that I have it down off the book shelf, it's time to read it again. :D

You know, I'm about due to give this book a good read also. I've long forgotten who turned me onto this book...it may very well have been you...but I'm so glad somebody did. I know others that have benefited from this book.

I generally read it once a year as a refresher. There are some powerful concepts in there about how to approach playing and practicing. It also helps me keep the expectations I have of myself realistic and to appreciate the process rather than only focusing on the end point.

Originally Posted by: maggior...It also helps me keep the expectations I have of myself realistic and to appreciate the process rather than only focusing on the end point.

Yupper. One of my biggest benefits gained from the book.

I may need to take a look at Zen Guitar

Originally Posted by: janyatonwuThanks for the advice. I just visited Guitar Principles and there's a lot going on in that site. Could you specifically recommend to me where on the site I could go that may help with this issue?

Start here:

http://www.guitarprinciples.com/the-basic/the-principles

Originally Posted by: maggiorChord changes are definitely a challenge. The first thing you need to do is be patient with yourself and know that you will eventually get it down.

There are a variety of things you can do that can help.

I have had the same struggle and the post by maggior said it all. I practiced chord changes from E-Am-C-G-Em-A-D repeat. I would set the metronome and do 2 strums and swtich each day increasing the speed of the metronome or trying to increase the metronome. Once I had that down I thought I was good to go only to find out most songs don't have that chord progressions. First, song I am trying to learn on Guitar Tricks is Kenny Chensey How Forever feels which has a Em to C change which I just cannot get. My attempt to overcome this will be to practice the swtich from Em-C using a metronome daily again trying to get it faster each day. I figure one day I'll get it.

Originally Posted by: maggiorChord changes are definitely a challenge. The first thing you need to do is be patient with yourself and know that you will eventually get it down.

There are a variety of things you can do that can help.

- practice changing chords without strumming. Do this slowly. Your fingers need to learn the motions of where they need to go. Sometimes they don't need to go anywhere, or go very far. By practicing this slowly, you can do this purposefully. The beginner lessons here have some excellent tips on this stuff.

- try playing a simple song with the chords you are working on...but play it slowly. Try giving each chord a single strum for each measure. This gives you time to navigate the chord changes with more time and still keep your playing in time. As you get better, speed it up until you are at the appropriate tempo for the song.

If you get to the second point and it's getting frustrating, go back to the first point.

I find the approach of a small amount of time spent every day on something like this is much more beneficial than sitting for hours working on it. Spending hours daily on something like this will only frustrate you and it will be unproductive.

Know this, if you keep at it and be patient with yourself, you WILL get there...

This is encouraging and quantitatitve. Thank you for that. I'll give it another shot.