Fret practice without strumming good or bad?

I am working on switching between chords i have been at it for about 2 weeks now i seen a video on youtube saying practicing chord switching without strumming will help you learn faster but i dont know if this is true because how would i know if my finger placement is correct if i dont strum and hear clean sounds? what are your guys take?

I think you answerd this already for yourself. Who learns to drive a car just sitting behind the steering wheel and not actually moving?

Herman

Ahh i did didn't i? had to make sure as a beginner i sometimes wonder if im doing this whole practicing thing wrong

Originally Posted by: matt88townsend

I am working on switching between chords i have been at it for about 2 weeks now i seen a video on youtube saying practicing chord switching without strumming will help you learn faster but i dont know if this is true because how would i know if my finger placement is correct if i dont strum and hear clean sounds? what are your guys take?

This is great as an extra exercise once you are sure you know the shapes and finger positions. Caren teaches this in some of her videos, switching through chords without strumming them just to work on the left hand by itself. But it’s only a secondary exercise for switching chords quickly once you feel you’ve got the fingering of each chord figured out. Don’t neglect the basic “both hands together” practicing. Practicing left-hand only (softly just switching chords) is handy when you’re watching TV and don’t want to drive other people crazy. :)

-Carl.

thank you Carl

I want to add to the excellent advice you've already gotten.

Originally Posted by: matt88townsend

saying practicing chord switching without strumming will help you learn faster

Sometimes it's beneficial to only strum each chord once while practicing chord changes. Remove all the other elements: strumming pattern, strumming in time, remembering the chord changes of a song, the form of the song. And then you can keep the focus completely on the physical motions of chord changes.

For example if you are a beginner having trouble moving from a C chord to a G chord, then:

1. Fret a C chord.

2. Strum it once to make sure the notes are ringing clearly.

3. Fret a G chord

4. Strum it once to make sure the notes are ringing clearly.

Repeat as much as needed. This strategy can work for any skill level or set of challenging chord changes. Hope this helps!

thanks a lot Christopher!