Practicing chords, but not improving?

Hello guys.

I am in a bit of a pickle, hence I need some help.

I am just a beginner, and I mean, REALLY, just a beginner, and I have been trying to get the hang of chord changing. To do this, I chose 2 chords, C and G, and then practiced those individually, to the point where I could just land those chords without looking, and have all three fingers in the correct position at the same time.

After that, I have been trying to change between the two, VERY slowly, and have been trying that for the past 1 and a half weeks, but I see little to no improvement...I am able to change between them sometimes, but my fingers land wrong a lot of the times!

So my question is, what could I possibly do to make sure I am not doing anything wrong, and how much time on average should one take to at least change those 2 chords successfully, albeit slowly?

Practice practice n more practice.... A lill bit of professional help wil do... But to pick it up... Its upto u...

Originally Posted by vendettarevived

Hello guys.

I am in a bit of a pickle, hence I need some help.

I am just a beginner, and I mean, REALLY, just a beginner, and I have been trying to get the hang of chord changing. To do this, I chose 2 chords, C and G, and then practiced those individually, to the point where I could just land those chords without looking, and have all three fingers in the correct position at the same time.

After that, I have been trying to change between the two, VERY slowly, and have been trying that for the past 1 and a half weeks, but I see little to no improvement...I am able to change between them sometimes, but my fingers land wrong a lot of the times!

So my question is, what could I possibly do to make sure I am not doing anything wrong, and how much time on average should one take to at least change those 2 chords successfully, albeit slowly?

play these chords with a metronome
on a slow beat like 60bpm
and if u get it right
then increase the speed by 10bpm and try it again
and dont try to do it all in one day
keep practicing and sleep well
because ur brain works on the work u do that day

Originally Posted by vendettarevived

Hello guys.

I am in a bit of a pickle, hence I need some help.

I am just a beginner, and I mean, REALLY, just a beginner, and I have been trying to get the hang of chord changing. To do this, I chose 2 chords, C and G, and then practiced those individually, to the point where I could just land those chords without looking, and have all three fingers in the correct position at the same time.

After that, I have been trying to change between the two, VERY slowly, and have been trying that for the past 1 and a half weeks, but I see little to no improvement...I am able to change between them sometimes, but my fingers land wrong a lot of the times!

So my question is, what could I possibly do to make sure I am not doing anything wrong, and how much time on average should one take to at least change those 2 chords successfully, albeit slowly?

Join a good guitar class.....

Originally Posted by vendettarevived

Hello guys.

I am in a bit of a pickle, hence I need some help.

I am just a beginner, and I mean, REALLY, just a beginner, and I have been trying to get the hang of chord changing. To do this, I chose 2 chords, C and G, and then practiced those individually, to the point where I could just land those chords without looking, and have all three fingers in the correct position at the same time.

After that, I have been trying to change between the two, VERY slowly, and have been trying that for the past 1 and a half weeks, but I see little to no improvement...I am able to change between them sometimes, but my fingers land wrong a lot of the times!

So my question is, what could I possibly do to make sure I am not doing anything wrong, and how much time on average should one take to at least change those 2 chords successfully, albeit slowly?

you are approaching it wrong...
have you practiced chromatics?
scales?
at least do chromatics before chords
it'll help you build dexterity

also i didnt relly undertand your Q... are you having problems with chord transition?
your first transition practice should be from A minor to C major and back so that you dont have to move all three fingers...

Originally Posted by guitarplayer729

play these chords with a metronome
on a slow beat like 60bpm
and if u get it right
then increase the speed by 10bpm and try it again
and dont try to do it all in one day
keep practicing and sleep well
because ur brain works on the work u do that day

Dang! I never thought it could be sleep. Between studies, some freelance programming work, guitar, hookah and friends, I have been sleeping for only about 4 hours at most. You are right though, so I will try and get some good sleep from now on!

Originally Posted by mymusicmyguitar

Join a good guitar class.....

Thanks mate! In an ideal world, I would have, but I am an out of a job student (see post above), and barely afloat thanks to some work! Good classes cost about Rs 1500/month, and honestly, I can't afford any atm, so I am trying to do it on my own!

Originally Posted by Vader

you are approaching it wrong...
have you practiced chromatics?
scales?
at least do chromatics before chords
it'll help you build dexterity

also i didnt relly undertand your Q... are you having problems with chord transition?
your first transition practice should be from A minor to C major and back so that you dont have to move all three fingers...

I do practice chromatics for about half an hour before I start practicing my chords, and yes, you got it right, I am facing trouble in chord transition, and I never knew that the first transition I should be practicing is Am to C? Is there any theory available where I could read what am I supposed to be practicing regarding transitions as the difficulty levels go up?

I just selected two random chords, i.e C and G and started practicing transitioning between em, and currently I can easily change from C to G, but the high E string gets muted when I try changing the position from G to C.

Thanks!

Free Guitar Lessons - Learn how To Play Guitar - Justin's Beginners Guitar Course v2

and its fact that if you struggle to play all the notes in a song just before sleeping(but play all the notes right)
then you'll find it much easier in the morning to play

Originally Posted by vendettarevived

Dang! I never thought it could be sleep. Between studies, some freelance programming work, guitar, hookah and friends, I have been sleeping for only about 4 hours at most. You are right though, so I will try and get some good sleep from now on!



Thanks mate! In an ideal world, I would have, but I am an out of a job student (see post above), and barely afloat thanks to some work! Good classes cost about Rs 1500/month, and honestly, I can't afford any atm, so I am trying to do it on my own!

Sorry for that..but i didnt notice anything of that sort in ur previous post...

A good class atleast in my area in mumbai costs around 750 - 1000/-..

Well here is sumthing that i tell all my students:

Number ur fingers as 1,2,3 and 4. 1st is ur Pointer finger

Suppose if u r playing CMaj Chord i.e. 5th String 3rd Fret, 4th String 2nd Fret, 2nd String 1st Fret with 3, 2 and 1 finger respectively.

The technique is
Always Start placing ur fingers from the top strings going below. So in this case put 3rd finger first then 2 and then 1.
OR Else
Always start placing the notes which fall under the higher numbered fingers first. So in case of G u wud put ur 4th and 3rd on 2nd and 1st string respectively first and the the rest...

Check if this trick helps..

I am assuming that u r trying to place all the fingers at once while making a jump to another chord. Do do that. PLace the fingers one by one based on above statements.

And how much do u practice..Coz i was amazed when u said that even after a weeks practice u were stuck at the same level.....

are you talking of c and g basic chord shapes...or the barre ones...first forget about chord transitions... play one chord at a time ...and once you master it then try different combinations of chords...dont press your fingers too hard over your fretboard...apply as much pressure as needed to just ring the note clearly ...i dont think chromatics will help especially in this case...one more thing i figured out is maybe you are practising chromatics alot thats why your hands are getting tired and you are not able to hold the chords properly.rather than playing chromatics try arpeggios ...that is playing one chord tone at a time...and go as slow as possible maybe 20 or 30bpm i.e per beat 2 sec. Gap...

Originally Posted by mymusicmyguitar

Sorry for that..but i didnt notice anything of that sort in ur previous post...

A good class atleast in my area in mumbai costs around 750 - 1000/-..

Well here is sumthing that i tell all my students:

Number ur fingers as 1,2,3 and 4. 1st is ur Pointer finger

Suppose if u r playing CMaj Chord i.e. 5th String 3rd Fret, 4th String 2nd Fret, 2nd String 1st Fret with 3, 2 and 1 finger respectively.

The technique is
Always Start placing ur fingers from the top strings going below. So in this case put 3rd finger first then 2 and then 1.
OR Else
Always start placing the notes which fall under the higher numbered fingers first. So in case of G u wud put ur 4th and 3rd on 2nd and 1st string respectively first and the the rest...

Check if this trick helps..

I am assuming that u r trying to place all the fingers at once while making a jump to another chord. Do do that. PLace the fingers one by one based on above statements.

And how much do u practice..Coz i was amazed when u said that even after a weeks practice u were stuck at the same level.....

reps
i didnt know that
i think your advice is always one of the best if not the best on IGT

Originally Posted by mymusicmyguitar

Sorry for that..but i didnt notice anything of that sort in ur previous post...

A good class atleast in my area in mumbai costs around 750 - 1000/-..

Well here is sumthing that i tell all my students:

Number ur fingers as 1,2,3 and 4. 1st is ur Pointer finger

Suppose if u r playing CMaj Chord i.e. 5th String 3rd Fret, 4th String 2nd Fret, 2nd String 1st Fret with 3, 2 and 1 finger respectively.

The technique is
Always Start placing ur fingers from the top strings going below. So in this case put 3rd finger first then 2 and then 1.
OR Else
Always start placing the notes which fall under the higher numbered fingers first. So in case of G u wud put ur 4th and 3rd on 2nd and 1st string respectively first and the the rest...

Check if this trick helps..

I am assuming that u r trying to place all the fingers at once while making a jump to another chord. Do do that. PLace the fingers one by one based on above statements.

And how much do u practice..Coz i was amazed when u said that even after a weeks practice u were stuck at the same level.....

Yeah, I didn't include that, because it was not needed in respect to the question I asked, but yes, I can't afford the classes atm. I did however did go to classes for a month or two, to pick up the basics, because starting out from square one, I had no idea about the basics, and I did not want to develop any bad habits, because it's really easy to play the guitar badly! =)

Your assumption is correct. I am trying to land all three of my fingers in the correct position, but I've always read that one should practice that way only? I will try your suggestions, thanks for replying! I am practicing at least 1 hour daily, and sometimes even for 2 hours!

Originally Posted by Sumanovo razor

are you talking of c and g basic chord shapes...or the barre ones...first forget about chord transitions... play one chord at a time ...and once you master it then try different combinations of chords...dont press your fingers too hard over your fretboard...apply as much pressure as needed to just ring the note clearly ...i dont think chromatics will help especially in this case...one more thing i figured out is maybe you are practising chromatics alot thats why your hands are getting tired and you are not able to hold the chords properly.rather than playing chromatics try arpeggios ...that is playing one chord tone at a time...and go as slow as possible maybe 20 or 30bpm i.e per beat 2 sec. Gap...

As mentioned, if not practicing transitioning, I can land my fingers in the correct position for the chord I want to play. Am I still not at the level where I should start trying to transition between them? I mean, if I can successfully hold any (open) chord I can think of without making a mistake, should I not try to get to the next level? I am not trying to ask rhetorical questions here, if it sounds like that, so please tell me?

I don't necessarily hold the neck too tightly, but I guess it does happen with me when I get frustrated. I will try to not let it happen, and yes, I am trying to change chords at 30bpm.
Thank you.

@Vader: Thanks for the link mate. I will check out their lessons now.

Try to play along with an actual song being played.
That will force you to change the chords quickly and accurately!
Also it will keep the fun in learning/training/practising.

You know the best way to learn typing - chat online. You will be forced to type fast and correct - in order to keep up with the conversation and your thoughts.
The same thing applies here.

Originally Posted by alpha1

Try to play along with an actual song being played.
That will force you to change the chords quickly and accurately!
Also it will keep the fun in learning/training/practising.

You know the best way to learn typing - chat online. You will be forced to type fast and correct - in order to keep up with the conversation and your thoughts.
The same thing applies here.

good example alpha

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start changing the chord with counting. Like count 1 2 3 4(on C chord, all with down stroke,don't strum, just simple down stroke) and then count as 2 2 3 4( change to G chord with down stroke ), count 3 2 3 4 and change to C and then 4 2 3 4 change to G. Then start again. Once you are comfortable with that using counting as "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" and so on and change at the end of counting. Also when you are playing the C chord don't destroy the C shape, I mean just lift you finger just a bit above the string and move towards G shape. you can also look on youtube on how to change chord from C to G. Keep practicing and stay raw