Guitar teachers: how do you help a student improve changing between chords

[bbernardini]

I'm a keyboardist, but I give some basic guitar lessons as well. I've got a student who really struggles to change between basic chords (C, G, D, etc.). She has to pause and place each individual finger in the right spot before playing the chord. Do any of you teachers have any suggestions as to how she can improve her chord changes, other than mindless repetition?

[Bonhomme Richard]

1. Not a teacher (formal anyway) and "mindless repetition"......

seemed the best way for me and others I have played with to learn. They just have to do it over and over again though it helps if it is a tune that they really want to learn. For me personally the chords have to be ingrained in my head because I also sing and when I am doing a vocal that is what I am concentrating on. Not the chords, they have to come naturally without thought.

[johnnie]

2. I'm not a teacher

But one thing that helped me when I first starting playing was using song books of songs I knew. They have the chords on them and I would play the songs I knew well enough.
Depending on what your student likes, they should have a song book out there. For example, they have Beatles song books with big and easy chords. Then she can play the song slowly at first and try to play it quicker and quicker as she goes along. I would play the songs as fast as I could and it helped me learn to change chords quick.
Just a suggestion.

[XNASA]

3. I think the position similarities should be stressed.

The student should run through some chord progressions where the fingering shares common notes.

For example, C and F. Have them play C and F, back and forth, repeatedly. There's really very little movement in your left-hand.

Or E to Am. Virtually the same. Just play them over and over.

Or A to D. Play them over and over and just for the time being, ignore the high E string. Just don't play it. Concentrate on the positioning on the B and G (2nd and 3rd) strings. If done right, it's easy and requires very little repositioning.

It's best to work on positioning in small increments. Following chord charts to the letter is a waste of time. It's better to recognize similarities and go from there.

[one_true_leroy]

5. i agree...

and also add that one finger at a time is not so bad... try this: in C, play C chord, then switch only the ring finger to G root. Then to C, then to F. Then switch only the ring and middle fingers between the chords, keeping the first finger planted on the C note/B-string. Then move to all three fingers. This helps
1)to isolate each finger movement, then combine them to work in unison

2) develop alternating-bass patterns and finger independence(for embellishments) while holding onto a chord

3) teach the middle/ring/pinkie fingering for G chord, which is smoother and more useful, though harder to learn, especially if the 'standard' fingering is ingrained.

The same exercise can be modified for other keys, though obviously the fingers involved would be different.

edit: and if they have any interest in fingerstyle or Carter style playing, these exercises early on will be invaluable! New players tend to freeze up in thinking of chords as single entities and single shapes, and breaking this mentality by teaching the fingers as independent elements working together can help to teach chord embellishments and melodic extensions.

[Ron Green]

4. Another vote for mindless repetition...

She has to train her unconscious mind with her conscious mind, so that her fingers will eventually make the chord automatically. This "mindlessness" is, of course, the key to true musicianship, and those who go through the pain of rote practice will succeed, IMO.

One other idea would be to have her learn a melody within the chords, and sort of play at the melody while she makes the chords. This will effect the connection between melody and harmony, another important "mindless" process.

[bullimiami]

6. exactly. practice is the only solution.

thats why i think you start off teaching somethings they are itching to play. even a simplified version. then they can play for their own enjoyment, entertain the friends and the only reason they stop ((practicing shhhh)) is because their fingers are sore.

[Ron Green]

7. Right, although I think there has to be a balance between playing

what they like and playing what they have to (scales, chords in different positions, etc.) in order to master the fundamentals of the instrument. I mean, if a kid already knows some music from his pop world, then he has that in his unconscious mind: He knows how it makes him feel and what it means to him, so he's already got some music in him, but doesn't have the tools to bring it out.
By learning the boring stuff, the idea is that he will eventually, and gradually, make the connection between his unconscious mind, where his muse is, and the conscious process of practicing scales and chord changes.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Practice, Schmactice!

Just kidding. You're right. It's really the only way. There really are no tricks. Just the repetition to get the muscles trained to move quickly on demand.
The Professor

[toddzilla]

9. have them play "hey joe"

all open chords, best beginner song ever!

[Ron Green]

10. The weird thing about "Hey Joe"

is that it's an entire retrograde progression, going C-G-D-A-E, rather that the other way, which would be a normal iii - vi - ii - V - I, the way jazz and most popular music moves.

I don't know if that is going to teach a beginner, by its reverse example, how chord changes work, or if it would be a total confusion, as far as harmonic theory goes. It's an interesting question.

I like the song; it's a cool way for non-guitarists to make the guitar sound good.

[toddzilla]

11. i just write the chords out...

they don't need to know how the theory works at all.

it's also a good beginning barre chord song because of the ease of switching from root 5 to root 6 chords.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Another Good One Is . . .

. . .All Along The Watchtower. Play it like Hendrix, it's bar chords rooted in Am. Forces the student to use the F barre, which most beginners avoid like the plague.

Then, you can play a more jangly, uptempo version like Dave Mason in Em. Then it's all open chords and the teacher can play light leads over it to make the student feel like they're playing a song, not an excercise.
The Professor

[Al Dente]

13. It isnt so much practice as it is

muscle memory like someone else has already said. For every time you do something wrong, you have to do it 10 times right in a row in order to REALLY know it and be able to play it right. Take it slow at first, and practice it at all tempos. When you can do that, then you really know something, and also try telling them to think of nothing as being difficult. I mean, the notes aren't any easier for you, or anyone who can play it, they are the same and they have always been the same for however long it has been since the excersize (spelling?) or song was written. They don't get easier when you finally learn to play it, it's all a matter of how long and hard you work on it, not difficulty. And one more thing, Curtis Lundy told me that I should never play anything fast if I can't play it slow, and also, never play anything slow unless you can play it fast. Peace

[ComerPerro]

14. I make my students want to play it. I find a progression from a song

they like and want to learn, and maybe transpose it to G (C would be ok, but its hard to barre F as a beginner). There is a Phish song, Wading in the Velvet Sea, that has a general progression of G-D-Em-C-D that is pretty easy to play, and lets your student learn four different shapes.

I also encourage them to work on just strumming those chords, one measure each in whatever progression I give them (usually just a 12-bar pattern) that they can work on. I play it for them, so they can hear the rock and roll sound of the pattern, and then just encourage them to practice it at whatever pace is necessary to make the chnages.

I hate to say it, but repitition is really the best way. Forming chord shapes should be motor memory, something your fingers do on their own without a thought. The only way through that is routine practice, as boring as it may seem.

The thing I stress most is that they can go at whatever tempo they want, as long as they are making sure that they stay with that tempo during the changes. That is what seems to help the most, because it starts them slow, and then with a metronome they can actually see how they are getting faster.

Once the confidence is there, they will get changes more quickly and will have more fun.

12 Bar in G works very well, you can use G, C, and D7. It seems to be the easiest.

[chaska]

15. Sit him down, nail his feet to the floor, and hand him a guitar.

I'm old school.

[chaska]

17. Better yet, give him a bass. Fewer nasty chords.

Everybody wins!

[ComerPerro]

18. "You're kid is good. How hard did you say you had to hit him?"

"Fairly hard"


Futurama....

[chaska]

19. LOL. Yeah, just smack 'im around a little. Works wonders.

[mitchum]

16. muscle memory

[Donailin]

21. comes with mindless repetition

it's no different than any other skill involving muscles.

[chaska]

20. Try this one. Not only is it difficult, it's painful.

G#add9 (4,6,8,3); A#sus4 (x,1,3,3,1); C#sus4 (x,4,6,6,4);
? (x,3,5,3,1); G#add9; A#sus4; G#add9; ? (3,5,6,4,3)

It's best done with a long scale guitar, smallish hands and at a fast tempo. Why am I so sadistic in this thread?

[PittPoliSci]

22. not a teacher but...

just keep practicing. tell the student to keep strumming in time and make them strum until their fingers can catch up. that's how i learned it.

[alarcojon]

23. check hand position

this comes from my background as a classical guitarist, but I think it is helpful for all styles. I had a student with smallish hands who had a lot of trouble changing chords. Her problem was that her wrist would sway a lot when going from one chord to another, making it harder to land the fingers properly. Minimizing the wrist sway helped her a lot.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

24. just tell the student to ignore the most difficult positions

ya know, give em good rock advice, "Oh don't worry about that string, it's shite anyway". I'm a lazy guitarist, if it's difficult I just say fuck it I'm not going to hit that string.

not that you were going to listen to my advice, because I'm in no position to offer it anyway - obviously. I'm self-taught.

[MamaBear]

25. Analyze the movement ...

Analyze the movement to identify which finger(s) she can hold down or slide. That minimizes hand movement, and she's already "planted" for the next chord, and she doesn't have to worry about pickin' up and puttin' down all four each time. Also, have her try small forms and practice selecting which strings to strum. Unless she wants to play Joan Jett power chord rock, this will put her way ahead of the game.

Oh yeah, and practice. Has anybody mentioned that yet? ;)

[ComerPerro]

26. Really good suggestion. I try to remind students of that

on both chord changes and on individual notes for pieces they are playing. I remind them to be conscious of how and where each finger will move, or if any fingers can stay in the same place.

Seems to make it click for them in many cases.

[FreedomAngel82]

27. This is the basic response but

practice. I did a guitar course my first term in college and for a while I had a lil bit of trouble when I got to changing the chords and stuff it would be difficult for me because I have small fingers and my guitar was bigger then what I am. If your person has small fingers and can't reach across very well maybe they need a smaller guitar. My teacher said if I wanted to go on with my guitar lessons and move on up I would've needed a smaller guitar so I could properly reach across the neck and everything comfortably. But if they have the proper guitar for their hands and can comfortably reach across the whole neck and just have problems switching just have them practice until they get it. I used to practice my guitar about two hours a day.