Chord Progressions

Hi, I'm 62 years old and have been playing for about 8 months. What is the best way to increase the speed on chord progressions. For example I can play a progression at 70 bpm using just down strokes but when I play down up it slows me way down. Should I aim for more bpm using just down strokes or should I go slower and learn down up instead.

Also, say I'm at 40 bpm how should I increase the speed. Should I go up to 42, 44, 46 and so on or should I do as my buddy suggested. He said if I'm at 40 to jump to 60 for 2 minutes then back off to 45. I'm not sure how to progress

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: mbleier1

What is the best way to increase the speed on chord progressions.

1. Pick 2 chords, say C & G.

2. Form a C chord. Strum it once.

3. Form a G chord. Strum it once.

4. Repeat.

If you are having trouble with any given chord change, then just focus on that physical skill. don't complicate the process or frustrate yourself by adding strumming & staying in time until you are ready for it!

Hope that helps!

I'm 57 and just started playing last month. I am having the same problem as mbleier1, except mine is worse, due to being even newer to the instrument. A friend of mine just last night said something similar to Christophers response with one caveat, he said to set the metronome to a 70 beats per measure, do one strum on let's say D then start switching to C before the metronome gets to that 4th beat. As you get that down, start progressing by doing two strums before switching to the next chord, this only gives you two beats to switch, then 3 strums. If you fail as you progress, step back to the previous step before moving back up to the additional strums.

I haven't tried this yet, but I am going to give it a go today. I mention the C chord because it seems to be my problem chord to switch to at my current level. I'm not even going to mention F chord at this point LoL.

I hope this helps and not stepping out of line being so new myself.

Originally Posted by: jarhead75023

I'm 57 and just started playing last month. I am having the same problem as mbleier1, except mine is worse, due to being even newer to the instrument. A friend of mine just last night said something similar to Christophers response with one caveat, he said to set the metronome to a 70 beats per measure, do one strum on let's say D then start switching to C before the metronome gets to that 4th beat. As you get that down, start progressing by doing two strums before switching to the next chord, this only gives you two beats to switch, then 3 strums. If you fail as you progress, step back to the previous step before moving back up to the additional strums.

I haven't tried this yet, but I am going to give it a go today. I mention the C chord because it seems to be my problem chord to switch to at my current level. I'm not even going to mention F chord at this point LoL.

I hope this helps and not stepping out of line being so new myself.

Always follow Chris' advice. You can't lose.

Something useful is to just feel comfortable with the chord you're playing. Often players ant to get right to the chord change. How confortable are you with the chord to begin with. Part of a comfortable change is to be confortable with the chords you are using. Want your fingers to go to the right string/configuration, get used to playing that chord. Jut pick a chord you're learning and strum that bad boy for a while. Then pick another chord and strum that for a while. Don't worry about the speed of the change, you're just getting used to playing a chord first. Once you have a little more comfort with the chords, then you can spend some time drilling on the changes. Slow and the getting faster.

At its core, chord changes are not about the change but about how confortable with the chord you're playing.