Chord Tips

I started learning last week and i am following the course which i am so far enjoying. I've learnt The C,D,G,Am,Em Chords and can comfortable play them on their own, while i am still getting used to the changes. I'm hoping someone would maybe have some advice or training tips for a good routine in chord changes and also tips for training my fingers to press the strings at the same time instead of one at a time.

Hey and welcome to GT! Glad you are enjoying the lessons.

Originally Posted by: jhaythorne91

I'm hoping someone would maybe have some advice or training tips for a routine in chord changes and also training my fingers to press the strings at the same time instead of one at a time.

That's mostly a matter of repetitious practice. You have to put in enough time that it becomes second nature, your hands & brain will automate the process. So instead of struggling with one finger at a time, thinking, "Put this finger here, don't mute that other string, keep this finger here, hey, keep the other finger where it's supposed to be", with enough repeitition you are thinking, "A minor chord" & your hands & brain take care of the details! It's referred to as muscle memory. You have build the neural pathways & train you hands to get used to the process.

Be patient with yourself! :)

Regarding the specific problem of chord changes, it can help to just focus on the problem area.

Play one chord, for example the A minor chord, make sure it rings clearly. Then switch to the E minor chord, make sure it rings clearly. Repeat!

But just strum each chord once. Don't worry about getting into a strumming pattern until you can get from one chord to the next cleanly. Just focus on making the change. Finger chord, strum once, change to next chord, strum once, back to first chord, repeat. The only reason you want to include the strum at all is just to make sure you are fingering the chord cleanly.

Hope that helps! Best of success.

Originally Posted by: jhaythorne91

I'm hoping someone would maybe have some advice or training tips for a good routine in chord changes and also tips for training my fingers to press the strings at the same time instead of one at a time.

There's an segment within one of Lisa's lessons with focuses upon simultaneous landing of chord forming fingers. That said, the important things to remember when forming chords are (i) anchor finger, and (ii) play root note first. If you don't know what they are or why yet, keep patiently progressing with Fundamentals One.

Practise frequently. Practise forming chords. As soon as have three or four chords, e.g. A,D,E, or G, Em, C, D or C, Am, F, G which you can form from recall consistently, then focus upon chord changes. Once you can perform them to a similar standard, attempt playing songs until you can do so with musicality. With either of those last two chord combinations and permutations thereof you can play thousands of popular songs.

Time. There is no magic button, cheat or secret shortcut. Learning everything guitar just takes time. Have realistic expectations as to the repeticious personal effort (there's a pseudonym for 'that' practise word again) required and time frame it will take to achieve the necessary competence and confidence.

[br]Another member here at Guitar Tricks john of MT has a Chet Atkins quotation appended as the signature line of his forum ID. I agree with it wholeheartedly.

"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time."[br]-- Chet Atkins