The Skill of Going From Chord to Chord Efficiently

[AlsoRan]

I have long been drawn to the special musical place chord melody can take you. It truly is able to set an entire mood and scene as the musician controls all the various aspects of the song, such as rhythm, harmony, etc..

I finally started trying to work it into my playing schedule and I have found that the ability to rapidly and cleanly go from chord to chord, at least in my mind, is as daunting as it is to fly along at high tempos with single-note improvisations.

I don't think people in general realize just how special and difficult this skill is. There are so many books and courses out there that teach fast playing, but none that I know of that really focus on being able to change chords.

If anyone knows of such a course, please inform me.

[christianm77]

I like Pasquale Grasso's exercises.

For example - practice chords with a metronome, but actually synchronise your chord changes as well as the chords to a click, so:

1. play chord
2. get to the next fingering
3. play that shape
4. get to the next shape

When it comes to chords and polyphony, a classical guitar perspective is often useful.

[bako]

One exercise that I feel has helped me address the issue that you raise is to practice awkward chordal moves repetitively at the quarter note. Tempo is set based on how fast I believe to be in the range of possible. My focus is on staying relaxed even if I miss. It could be 2 chords, 4, 8 or an entire song, wherever the challenges lie.

[matt.guitarteacher]

Great posts.

One thing I notice from watching players who play CM really well is that they don't always play block chords on every chord. In my mind, fast chord moves and block chords for every note is the guitar-equivalent to playing piano without a sustain pedal. It's very possible, and the kind of skill that MUST be developed at some point, but honestly, it's one of the more difficult ones as well. Breaking things up is somewhat "smoke and mirrors", but it also teaches you a lot about music itself and playing more pianistically.

I think there are basically three fundamental, really important articulations for CM: 1. Simultaneous block chord, 2. bass-first, and 3. melody-first. I think most of us do a lot of work on the first one, in the beginning , and again, it's probably the most difficult. #2, planting (the bass-note finger) and picking the bass note of each chord before "finishing out" is probably the easiest. Play it on the "&" of the beat, and "swing" into the full chord. You'll notice most real players doing this constantly, almost imperceptibly, sometimes as a gracenote.

#3 is a little trickier to execute in real music, without some pretty good rhythmic understanding and the right type of tune at first, but is probably the most important, as well, for really breaking through to the next level of CM playing. But it can be practiced from the beginning. I mean, what are you going to do anyway, in the early "slow days"? It's also harder to hear in others playing, because it isn't perceived as what it really is: an inverted arpeggio of sorts.

When you see/hear excellent players using this technique, it's perceived as a sort of magical ability to comp after any given melody note or improv passage. It definitely IS that, for THESE players, but I also think that working on this one technique is the fastest way to get there in your own playing. Kind of found this out by accident.

Once you've got the chords worked out for a tune , simply practice playing each chord - by first, planting the "melody finger" then, picking the melody note, and finally, picking the rest of the chord. It feels funny at first, because your ear hears unintended accents which are implied by the full chord following, but just practice it rubato or whatever.

Eventually, these may best be practiced with up-tempo tunes with long pitches, like Cherokee . Melody note on the beat, rest of the chord on beat 2. In my mind, that's one of the easier melody-first feels to pick up. Long-term, there are myriad ways to articulate these rhythmically.

Anyway, sorry to bloviate. Ironically, I personally believe that practicing these variations is one of the best ways to learn to play block chords "faster" as well. Unlocks something in the brain. Can't explain it.

[TommyCorsica2]

I like the suggestions above.
My approach to CM is to see if a particular set of chords works for a particular phrase, but if at tempo the chords are too cumbersome to execute cleanly, I usually don't sweat it and just play single notes or octaves/thirds/sixths or partial chords that carry the melody note(s). Partial chords are legit.
.

[Spalo]

What's frequently ignored in all styles of guitar playing is 'no tempo' practice. In this case it means simply going from one chord to the next in however long it takes you to get there. And doing it again and again. When you're struggling with something new a metronome ticking away, no matter how slowly, is just too much additional pressure. Just get your hands used to the correct physical movement. You can get the timing sorted out later once you can actually perform the move slowly and smoothly. If your technique fails going dead slow, forcing yourself to play against a metronome won't improve it. You'll just play badly faster.

Just my few cents!

Sp

[Guitarzen]

I don't think a book needs to be written specifically on the topic of switching chords, although certainly more could be mentioned about it in the already existing types of books on chords. I'd say it's more like a small chapter in a book ;o)

I never really had an organized system for practicing chord changes other than simply practicing chord changes ;o) You do chord changes enough and it simply gets better and you are able to do it faster and faster the more you have practiced it. It's no mystery how to get one's chord chops up.

The one thing that I have always done with my students, that I have never really heard anyone else address before is have them focusing on getting the shape of the chord in their fretting fingers before they touch the strings. Now if you have been playing guitar for a long time, you probably already do this, without thinking about it. But beginners don't do this, and in some cases even if you've played guitar for a while you may notice that your fingers aren't fully forming the shape of the chord before you press down and instead you are trying to place each finger one at a time or landing them sloppily and fixing them afterwards. A little exercise I do with my students is to have them hold down a chord, any chord, and then tell them to lift their fingers up off the strings without losing the shape of the chord (few beginners can do this). Keep doing this with your student or yourself ;o) and you will notice you get better at this very quickly, just from focusing on it, and will be able to hold the chord shape in your fingers for longer and longer periods of time. The eventual goal is to be able to just think of a chord and be able to make that shape in your fingers before your fingers even hit the strings. That's what you really need to do in order to play fast changes cleanly, at least, that's what I see myself doing. I never did any exercises or read any books though to develop this, it just developed naturally over time. I don't see any harm though in bringing it someone's attention early in their learning because they can start to purposely control their fingers a bit better instead of having them be all over the place.

[mr. beaumont]

It's really all about economy of movement. Watch yourself in a mirror, record video on your phone...if your hands look like they're flying around when you switch chords, there's the issue.

[Nate Miller]

something I do, and I think I got this from playing classical music, but I tend to use a "guide finger" if I can. If a finger is going to stay on the same string, when I make my shift I leave that finger contacting the string to guide my hand to the new chord

the real hang-up in shifting chords is when you don't know EXACTLY which finger has to go where

that brief moment of indecision is what screws you up


I think the best practice is to simply comp through the changes of tunes you play.

but where you have trouble changing, take that change out of context and work going from that one chord to the other and be mindful of where your fingers have to move BEFORE you move them.

[matt.guitarteacher]

A little exercise I do with my students is to have them hold down a chord, any chord, and then tell them to lift their fingers up off the strings without losing the shape of the chord (few beginners can do this).

Jody Fisher has a video of an exercise very similar to this.

[AlsoRan]

Great stuff!

[gmek]

What's frequently ignored in all styles of guitar playing is 'no tempo' practice.

Joe Pass encouraged playing rubato as well!

[ronjazz]

Classical guitarists learn to shift to the next chord a little on the early side so that there is no rushing; check John Williams playing a chordal piece such as Barrios, he's never rushed. The idea of rubato is good for a first step, but the metronome will be helpful in learning how not to rush; rather than letting it pressure you, let it tell you when to change (before next click!), and this will also strengthen your natural time. It's never easy, though, it's always rife with potholes and glitches; even Ted Greene paints himself into corners from time to time.

For those serious students, the things discovered in sports medicine and the new research into the brain and nerves show in a universal way that slow-motion practice (purely for developing technique) is best because it prevents mistakes. What is for sure is that practicing mistakes leads to mistakes, conversely, practicing perfectly leads to perfection. If one develops a "perfect" technique, then speed becomes easy and natural, and you can go for it without worrying about metronome speeds.

There is an lot of time needed for all of this, really. None of the great masters practiced any less than any of us today, they practiced better. Most recommended between 3.5-5 hours a day, no more, with an occasional day off. Ironically, almost all of them practiced 8-10 hours a day when first realizing what they wanted to do: play music. It's probably unnecessary knowing what we know now, but, as I recall, it was a way of life for me for a few years. In any event, the experts are in agreement that good, attentive, mindful slow practicing brings about great results, including the ability to play very fast and stay relaxed, either single lines or chords.

[smokinguit]

To smoothly switch chords, you need to firmly ingrain them into your mind separately. So much so that you can form the chord in the air before they touch the strings. I know we all want to just play the tune from start to finish right off the bat, but you have to work out the mechanics first; and this may take some time.

So to lock the chord shapes into your mind, practice them separately through the cycle of fifth/fourths. It's also good to move in seconds and thirds. That way your muscle memory will speed up real fast.

[Thumpalumpacus]

The one thing that I have always done with my students, that I have never really heard anyone else address before is have them focusing on getting the shape of the chord in their fretting fingers before they touch the strings. Now if you have been playing guitar for a long time, you probably already do this, without thinking about it. But beginners don't do this, and in some cases even if you've played guitar for a while you may notice that your fingers aren't fully forming the shape of the chord before you press down and instead you are trying to place each finger one at a time or landing them sloppily and fixing them afterwards. A little exercise I do with my students is to have them hold down a chord, any chord, and then tell them to lift their fingers up off the strings without losing the shape of the chord (few beginners can do this). Keep doing this with your student or yourself ;o) and you will notice you get better at this very quickly, just from focusing on it, and will be able to hold the chord shape in your fingers for longer and longer periods of time. The eventual goal is to be able to just think of a chord and be able to make that shape in your fingers before your fingers even hit the strings. That's what you really need to do in order to play fast changes cleanly, at least, that's what I see myself doing. I never did any exercises or read any books though to develop this, it just developed naturally over time. I don't see any harm though in bringing it someone's attention early in their learning because they can start to purposely control their fingers a bit better instead of having them be all over the place.

An exercise I used to do with this was hammering chords -- no picking allowed, simply shape your fingers and press 'em home. Run through a song or two like this, aiming for clarity in each note. Use the cleanest tone you can fetch from your rig, too.

something I do, and I think I got this from playing classical music, but I tend to use a "guide finger" if I can. If a finger is going to stay on the same string, when I make my shift I leave that finger contacting the string to guide my hand to the new chord.

Yep, pivots are very, ahem, handy indeed. It's one of the things I look at when examining how I voice a progression, because it will inform my choice of fingering for those chords which have suitable alternatives.

[Jonah]

It could be good also to check how you hold a giutar... this point is often ignored.

When you play lines you shift more or less smothly and you may not notice that your left hand supports teh guitar...
when we play chord we have to drop it and if the neck goes down a bit - it could be a problem...

at least most guys I met with the problem had usually these two technical issues...

- left hand (wrist) is not firm/fixed enough - while changing position they begin to turn the wrist, strech the fingers and all
- left hand holds the giutar and while changing position just drops it

After you have it all done actually - you can play even lying on the sofa and keep it uder control

[DaveF]

something I do, and I think I got this from playing classical music, but I tend to use a "guide finger" if I can. If a finger is going to stay on the same string, when I make my shift I leave that finger contacting the string to guide my hand to the new chord

the real hang-up in shifting chords is when you don't know EXACTLY which finger has to go where

that brief moment of indecision is what screws you up


I think the best practice is to simply comp through the changes of tunes you play.

but where you have trouble changing, take that change out of context and work going from that one chord to the other and be mindful of where your fingers have to move BEFORE you move them.

Another effective Classical Guitar practice technique is to play each measure at least three times and chain two measures together at a time. So play measure 1 three times, then measure 1 & 2 three times, then measure 2 & 3 three times, etc. It really helps the mind to learn which fingers need to move and which can stay down.

[diminix]

A drill that helps me to change faster between two chords, with finger pre-formation similar to Guitarzen's description:

1. grab chord 1, strum to check if every note is fretted correctly,
2. drop fretting hand to your thigh,
3. return to the fretboard to grab chord 2, on the way to the fretboard your fingertips are aiming for their final position (visualize each fingertip to be a little plane, alltogether in formation flight changing their positions), so your hand lands on the fretboard with fingers in the formation needed,
4. strum fretted chord 2 to check if every note is fretted correctly,
5. drop fretting hand to your thigh, go back to point 1 the same way, repeat endlessly.

Start as slowly as needed to make no errors. Speed up and drill it into your muscle memory.

Robert

[Ricmolina]

There are so many great players chiming in with solid strategies to get off the ground on this topic.

One thing I see is the idea of playing slowly. I'd like to add a concept taught to me by Michael Lorimer.

Set the metronome to 40bpm.
Subdivide into 16th notes and hold the chord for a dotted 8th.

Arrive at the new chord on the last 16th silently and execute the chord on the next downbeat.

If there is trouble, slow the tempo. The idea is not to play slowly but instead to play at a slow tempo which implies solid meter and creates the imperative to play in time.

Move the fingers in "teams."

A great source for explaining the concept of team movement is found in George Van Eps's remarkable book Harmonic Mechanisms.

Hope this bit of advice helps in the noble pursuit of making music on the solo guitar.

Regards to you all.

R


There's no traffic on the extra mile.

[SwingSwangSwung]

Here is a technique I learned when studying classical guitar. Works great for chord solos. This video lesson I created starts with beginner chords, but the second half shows some jazz chords.

[MarkRhodes]

Les Wise had a lesson on playing the changes of a tune one after the other. That is, one beat per chord (regardless of the chord's duration in a tune.) The exercise is to learn the changes of a tune but the exercise is the same: switching from chord to chord.

[matt.guitarteacher]

Here is a technique I learned when studying classical guitar. Works great for chord solos. This video lesson I created starts with beginner chords, but the second half shows some jazz chords.

Wow, David. Great video.

[MarkRhodes]

Here is a technique I learned when studying classical guitar. Works great for chord solos. This video lesson I created starts with beginner chords, but the second half shows some jazz chords.

Thanks, David. That's a good lesson.

[Binyomin]

Sonetimes you can use the same shape and change chord qualities by changing string sets. For instance, G7 on the 5th fret, top four strings, root on bottom, third on top. Resolve that to the same shape on the middle four strings, third fret, which is C Major 7.

[whiskey02]

Some voicings that are difficult or "impossible" to play, or they're pretty easy to "play" but difficult to get to from the chord before. In these cases the exact order in which you lay your fingers on the board will determine whether or not you can play it. A common Cmaj voicing I use on strings 5,4,3,2(from bottom going up) is e 7th fret of string 5, then
b 9thfret , c 5thfret, g 8th fret. The easiest way to play this is to drop your 3rd finger on that g on the 2nd string first. Depending on "where you're coming from", you may need to lay your pinky on the b at 9th fret first, then lay down on the 3rd finger on the g. If you try to play this voicing by placing your index on the c on the 3rd string first it will be much more difficult. Any time you are having trouble grabbing a chord, slow way down and focus on precisely how you are laying your fingers down on the board; many chords can be grabbed en mass but others, usually when stretches are involved, require more specific technical work. In general if your ring finger and/or pinky is stretched further up the neck than your index finger, and especially if one of those those fingers is playing the highest note in the chord, you will benefit by placing those finger on the board a fraction of a second before placing your index or middle finger. If you can't just effortlessly grab a chord then you need to stop and systematically break down and figure out a specific way that you can play it, how you can get to the point of just grabbing it. Once you do that, you need to practice getting to it from the chord before, followed by getting from it to the next chord.