Originally Posted by: bigdragon.ana

Will I learn to use all my fingers at once when training chord transition one finger at a time or should I effectively learn the "form" of the hand before touching the fretboard?

I'm a bit confused as I get mixed responses.

I've been at C to G transition and back for 3 weeks for 1 hour a day but I keep using one finger at a time or maybe 2 fingers of three at once.

To break this down, the first answer is; it's not really worth caring if they're all at the same time or not.

Though I do think in the siutation you explained, that's a little different. As your skill improves, this becomes a non-question. The reality is that your fingers never land on all the strings at one time. But when you develop the ability to do chord changes 'at speed', it doesn't matter.

Something to keep in mind, when you listen to a song that has a consistent strumming pattern, you'll notice that there are small pauses or interuptions or changes in pattern in the chord change. This is because it's the natural flow of a strummed progression.

However, you did say that you are placing them 'one finger/string at a time' and your goal for clean changes is to be faster than one string at a time.

Something to be mindful of; when you are strumming chord changes. Don't just change a chord every stroke of a strum. Strum one chord for something like four or eight beats (or strums), then change to the next chord and do the same (four or eight beats). I'd say for this drill, do it eight beats.

The two things at play here while you're learning changes are not only the chord change but also becoming comfortable with holding the chord. Getting your hand to become used to that chord configuration. Holding it long enough to let it set in for a few seconds, then changes to the next chord and doing the same. Don't rush it either.

The greater comfort you have just holding the chord, the more readily you will be able to change to that chord. This also helps you get a sense of how to hold a clean chord too. If you rush through chord changes, you might end up with flatting out some strings and getting buzziness when a chord that is not held clean.

The real trick in a clean chord change is not the chord change but the comfort with actually holding the chord.

For the record, you may read here at the GT forum with me saying I've been playing for a long time and so on and so forth but when I do mention that it is to let folks know that even when you can play with some skill, these kinds of tools and tricks are always useful. If I run across a chord I've never really played or a configuration I'm not used to, I do the same thing I just told you above. I get used to that chord.

Just some thoughts.