LESSON SERIES - SKILL LEVEL 1

Changing Chords Smoothly

Changing between guitar chords smoothly can be difficult for new guitar players. In this series, we'll go over some helpful tricks and tips that will help you overcome this challenge.

Series Overview

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In this series, we will be going over one of the biggest problem areas for new guitar players. Changing between open chords is a hurdle that just about every guitarist will need to overcome. We’ll cover a number of tips and tricks in this series that will help you to make your chord changes sound as seamless as possible, and get your guitar playing to sound more musical.

First, we’ll start off by looking at the crucial chording techniques. A huge part of changing between your chords is making sure that the individual chords themselves are performed correctly. Then, we’ll go over some tips for changing between your chords. Finally, you’ll get two jam tracks to use to practice the chord changes we will be working on in this series.

In the next lesson, we’ll talk about basic chording technique.

Chording Technique

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Many people struggle with changing between chords because they are having issues with their chording technique. Making sure that you are positioning your body correctly can make a huge impact on performing guitar techniques correctly. In this series, we’ll learn some fundamental techniques that will get your chords sounding great.

First off, you’ll want to imagine you’re holding an apple with your fretting hand. Then, bring that hand up to the neck of the guitar, place your thumb on the back of the neck and bring your fingers down on the fretboard. Bring your elbow in, and make sure you’re coming down on the tips of your fingers and right behind the frets. Don’t kink your wrist too far one way or another or you could experience pain or discomfort. 

In the next video, we’ll go over the first tip for smooth chord transitions.

Knowing The Chords First

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The very first thing you can do to positively affect your chord transitions is know the chords first. You’ll find that this is probably going to have the largest impact on changing between your chords. In this video, we’ll go over a few tricks for memorizing the chords you might be changing between in a chord progression.

When you’re first learning a chord, try placing your fingers down on the strings in the shape of the chord, leave it on for about 20 seconds, then take it off. Shake it out, and repeat the action. Do this over and over, and get it to a place where you don’t need to place your fingers down one at a time and can put down all your fingers in one motion. Really think about what the chord looks like and feels like, and you’ll find it will make things drastically easier.

In the next video, we’ll go over some tips for switching between your chords smoothly

Tips For Changing Chords

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In this video, we’ll go over some tips for changing between open chords. Before jumping into the tips for changing between chords, you need to be sure that you have every chord shape you plan on using memorized. You may need to go back to the previous video and work on the exercise we went over there for a while before starting on this lesson.

When you’re changing chords, think ahead. Visualize the next chord that you’ll be changing to and you’ll be more prepared to move to the next shape when it’s time. You’ll also want to think about how that chord feels. The more you play a chord shape, the more your hand will remember that shape. This is called muscle-memory, and it gets built up as you practice. Go back and forth between the two chords you’re working on while keeping these tips in mind.

In the next lesson, we’ll take a look at some different chords.

The Open G & C Chords

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In this lesson, we’re going to take a look at changing between the G major and C major chords. These two chords are commonly used together, and are a little more difficult to switch between than the A and D chords. Make sure to keep all the tips we went over in mind while working on switching back and forth between these two chords.

A trick for making transitions to and from your G chord easier is to use your second, third, and fourth fingers instead of your first, second, and third. This version is a little harder to do, but it puts your and in a perfect position for switching to a C chord. The C chord is one of the most challenging chords for new guitarists. It requires you to stretch your hand quite a bit. Remember the tips we went over: Keep your elbow in, and come down right behind the frets with the tips of your fingers.

Once you’ve got the individual shapes down, you can start working on changing between these two chords. Remember to practice going from G to C, and also from C to G. Don’t worry if it takes you some time to get these changes down. Try incorporating it into your daily practice time.

In the next video, we’ll do a practice along using these chord changes.

Practice Along

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n this video, we’ll be doing a practice along. It should help clear up any issues you might have changing between your A major and D major chords and your G major and C major chords. Start off by remembering all the tips for making clean chords. Bring your elbow in, and make sure you’re coming down right behind the frets and right on the tips of your fingers.

Play along as Nate goes through the chords and changes between them. Remember that bringing your elbow in can make the C chord a lot easier. Work on these chord transitions in your practice time, and if you can, try and work on them a couple of times per day. Your chord transitions don’t have to be perfect before you move on.

In the next lesson, we’ll play along to some simple jam tracks.

Musical Application

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In this lesson, we are going to apply what we’ve learned to music. This is a really fun way to work on techniques that you’re working on. Applying things to music can also help your brain to associate the physical actions you’re performing with something musical. This helps accelerate your progress when working on techniques.

There are two different jam tracks that we’ll play along to in this lesson. The first jam track is in the key of A, so you’ll be able to work on transitioning from A major to D major and from D major to A major. The second jam track is in the key of G, which will work for changing back and forth between your G major and C major chords.

At this point, you should have a good understanding of all the things you need to do to get your chord transitions sounding nice and smooth. In future series, you’ll get into learning some new chord shapes to use. Remember to use the tips you learned in this series with the new chords you learn.

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