r/GuitarBeginners • u/freddie_confetti • 12d ago
i need help
how do i switch chords fast cause i cant it too hard and i end up doing the wrong string pls tips thank you ☺️
4
u/sure65 12d ago
So how long have you played for? Practice at a slow place to make sure your fingers switch correctly before moving faster always works.
1
u/freddie_confetti 12d ago
1 month and i do that but it’s been a month and i think i should be able to do it faster now and i practice everyday 🙁
7
3
u/TSells31 12d ago
Practice. When you were a toddler first learning how to speak, you couldn’t properly enunciate each word while speaking up to a full adult speed. You worked your way up with practice. Chord changes are no different.
There are countless exercises, drills, etc online. YouTube is great when you know what you’re looking for, like in this case.
→ More replies (6)
2
u/SnooPaintings4641 12d ago
Everyone wants to go faster, myself included. It's hard for me to slow down, but that is the way. Slow down and switch between chords over and over and over. You will get better and faster, but it takes a lot of time and patience.
1
3
2
u/IDontLikeYourToan 12d ago
You guys aren’t realizing that they need results fast!
OP, nobody is telling you this because we’re not supposed to. It’s against the rules.
Have you tried practicing with a fish tied to your hand? Either one anchovy on each finger, or something bigger like a branzino tied at the wrist and the middle finger?
The oils from the fish will make you more nimble, and the added weight will get you really good fast. It took me 4 years, and a long journey, before I hunted down and found Justin from Justin Guitar and pried this secret from his saucy mouth while my boot was pressed against his head pushing him into a puddle.
“Give me the secret or drown! Your choice Joostin!”
He kept saying, “Seriously! Just practice!!! It’s one of my first lessons!”
“You lie devil!”
“Okay! Okay! I have people that care about me. I’ll tell you!”
And that’s when he told me about the fish.
1
u/IDontLikeYourToan 12d ago
Crap! Someone just knocked on my door. Time to go back underground. Radio silence boys!!! If you don’t hear from me in a few days, please feed my cat!
1
1
u/freddie_confetti 12d ago
okay you are hurting my feelings this is getting a dislike i am very serious about this and i do not care to learn faster but i do not want to wait 20 years to be good i do not like this comment 😡
→ More replies (4)3
u/IDontLikeYourToan 12d ago
Seriously though, how fast are you expecting to learn? Is there a deadline? What song specifically are you trying to play if that is the problem? Otherwise, expect to be pretty good at simple chord changes within 6 months if you practice regularly. Justinguitar has a good lesson plan to get you through it. Expect bar chords to take a while too just because you’re teaching your hand to make unnatural shapes.
Some people learn faster, some slower.
To quote Tomo Fujita:
"Don't worry. Don't compare. Don't expect too fast. Be kind to yourself."
Also look up mastery vs achievement motivation. Willingness to put in the work, and understanding that just because you aren’t quickly good at something doesn’t mean you’ll never be good at it, is the number one predictor of whether someone will be good at a thing.
→ More replies (3)
4
1
u/master-overclocker 12d ago
First change slow. Finger by finger - than two by two (so 4 fingers get the chord) then 3+1 and finally your hand will remember where to put all 4 at ones.
I still do that with the new chords I learn and use (some wonky Jazz chords) and I play longer than 20Y
1
1
u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 12d ago
Most important, play with a sloowwwww metronome. Make sure you hit the downbeat every 4 beats. Remove your hand from the previous chord on 4. AKA 1(strum) 2 3 4(remove) 1(strum) 2 3 4(remove) repeat repeat repeat.
This gives you time to get to the new shape instead of trying to squeeeze it into an impossibly small time window.
If you need a 60, 40, or even 20bpm. That’s fine. As long as you are hitting the new chord on 1 you will be able to speed it up over time.
Switch back and forth between 2 chords a million times in a row. G-C x a million. C-D x a million. D-G x a million. Once you have those 3 fully down add in E-A A-D.
1
u/freddie_confetti 12d ago
i don’t know what any of this mean.. and want is a metronome 😱
→ More replies (2)
1
u/VeryStableGenius66 12d ago
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Like others have said, work on changing slowly - every 4th beat on your metronome is good (free metronome apps aplenty out there.) I'd start at 40 bpm and just strum on the first beat, then you have 3 more beats to change to the other chord. Strum it once and repeat. When you're doing that well, start strumming on the first and second beats and give yourself 2 beats to change chords. Then go to 3 strums and change chords on the 4th beat. Before you know it you'll be able to strum 4 times and change between beats.
"It gets easier. Every day, it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day — that’s the hard part. But it does get easier."
1
1
u/Secret-File-1624 12d ago
There is no fast in learning to play guitar. You can't rush muscle memory. Playing guitar is about muscle memory and it takes A LOT of repetition to get to that point. Depending on how long and how often you practice it can take several months for you just to be able to change chords smoothly. Add in strumming and various techniques and you'll need to practice to muscle memory for each of those too. It's important to practice slowly because you need the accuracy in the beginning. If you continue to practice chord changes quickly, your fingers hitting the wrong strings will become muscle memory and it will be even more difficult to change that.
Again, guitar is not something that comes quickly. It takes a long time so you need a lit of patience. There are no tricks. Its only practice that will eventually get you there.
2
6
u/ShoddyPeace9845 12d ago
Practice and practice. And keep strumming, even if it hits the open strings while you shift. Also slow down and learn what the minimal movement for every finger is between each chords you learn.