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Beginner Guitar Chord Change Tips

Learning the guitar can be a daunting goal, especially when it comes to changing between chords. Untrained, unpracticed fingers will have a harder time picking up the combinations and changes, so with the help of these tips, keep at it.
  1. Exercise Your Fingers

    • Both Adam Summers and Guitaristant (clever name, right?), at Guitarists.net, suggest building the strength in your fingers. Their suggestions include practicing scales, using finger weights and doing finger press-ups. Summers reminds you to stretch your fingers and not to forget about the pinky. Guitaristant warns against overdoing it--a few exercises a day will suffice.

    Easy Chord Changes

    • Practice easy chord changes. Your brain will find the right fingering faster, and you'll be less frustrated. Summers suggests trying these combinations: G to A, E to A, D to G.

    Visualize the Chord

    • Visualizing the chord you'd like to change to will prepare your brain and your fingers for the move. Rather than stumbling to get your fingers into place after you've lifted them off the frets, you'll know where they are headed.

    Play in Your Head

    • Take the visualization one step farther and practicing in your head. Imagine yourself holding the guitar, and then imagine playing a chord and where and how your fingers have to move in order to change into the next planned chord.

    Pick the Chord

    • Pick each note of the chord to find dead strings. You'll be able to hear which finger is causing the dead string, and then you can make a conscious adjustment, which will train your fingers deliberately and help them remember for the next time. This will also build strength in the fingers.

    Three Chord Transistions

    • Summers suggests that your brain will retain chord changes faster if you practice changing between three chords at a time.

    Do it Blindfolded

    • Once you've learned how to play all of the chords, practice the chords and chord changes without looking. This forces your fingers to learn where to go without relying on your eyes. Your transitions will become smoother and more natural, like when you write an email without looking at the keyboard.

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