How To Change Chords Faster On Guitar ( Perfect & Fast Chord Changes The Right Way)

In this lesson James gives you nine tips for changing chords faster and clean on Acoustic Guitar. With over 15 years teaching experience James has taken many players through this stage. It is a grind but it is so worth it. Hang in there!
Pick a handful of chords and focus on those - This is really important. Rather than trying to learn every chord in a book just pick 3 or 4 that coincide with songs you would like to learn to play. For example Brown eyed girl would be G, D, C & Em - Sweet home Alabama is G,D & C. Focus your efforts on less chords so your practice time and efforts are more focussed and yield better results!
Little and often - Rome wasn’t built in a day! Every time you pick up your guitar I would recommend starting and finishing with chords that you find challenging wherever you are in your playing. If you practice for 30 min per session you should be devoting at least 10 mins total (5 each side) time to exclusively changing chords.
One minute changes / Perfect changes - Quality vs Quantity - Practice changing fast and also changing clean. Both are important and should eventually meet in the middle. Practice both modes consciously and you should start seeing progress. 1 minute changes is a great barometer to track progress if you are numbers driven.
Remove strumming patterns - If you are struggling to get the chords together in time why are you making it harder on yourself? Sometimes you have to take a step back to take 2 steps forwards. Use downstrokes to play on the beat to music or a metronome to work on your timing at the same time. Two birds, once stone and all that..
Use the tips of your finger and the pencil trick - Ensure you are using the tips of your fingers to get the chords to sound clear. I should be able to take a pencil and place it between the bottom of the neck and your fretting hand to avoid catching the High E string.
Visualize the shapes - Visualizing shapes and being able to sketch them out is a great mental exercise to do away from the Guitar. Can you not only write out the correct notes but also what fingers to use and where?
Avoid leading fingers but utilize pivots - Leading fingers are great when first learning the shape but we should aim to eventually move to placing the chord down in one swoop. Pivots are a really useful tool such as Am to C with the Index finger or Em to C with the Middle finger.
Stay close to the fretboard - Have you ever watched a guitarist play and their hands are barely moving? That’s because they are! Try to minimize unnecessary movement to gain those precious milliseconds back.
PRACTICE - This is the pill no beginner wants to swallow! Keep showing up and it will happen. Lots of internet personalities promise the world with overly complicated intricate systems to get to the goal but i find students always come away from those kind of lessons under the impression that they are doing something wrong as they haven't got it instantly. In my experience of playing and teaching for 20 and 15 years prospectively a good attentive student that practices regularly and does what is prescribed will get to change chords competently within the first 12 months of playing. This is VERY variable on many factors but a good milestone to aim for and trust the process.
I hope these tips help you on your playing journey. Godspeed!
What would you like to see from us in our next guitar tutorial? Let us know in the comments!
#Howtochangeguitarchordsfaster #Howtoplayguitarchordsfast #Acousticguitarlesson #fastguitarchordstutorial #chordguitartutorial #Guitarchords #Kirkleesguitarschool
Let us know in the comments if this helped you and what you would like to see from us next!
Kirklees guitar school is a music school based in Denby dale in Huddersfield UK. We specialize in string instruments but also provide Piano, Drums & woodwind lessons.
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00:00 Introduction
00:33 Pick just a few chords
01:55 Little and often
02:36 Quality vs Quantity
04:31 Remove strumming patterns
05:18 Use the tips of your fingers
06:16 Pivots
07:32 Avoid Leading Fingers
08:30 Visualise the shape & Drawing out chords
09:27 Stay close to the fretboard
10:43 The P word
12:54 Final thoughts

[@user-sp1xh8hc8f]

Great tips! Youve told me most of this in our lessons but a realy useful summary and reminder.

[@kirkleesguitarschool6847]

Glad you enjoyed it. Ill see you Monday!

[@robthewaywardwoodworker9956]

I love that you make this real. It takes 12 months. NO online course wants you to believe that. I also like that you mentioned people come out of those courses, not knowing how to play 50 chords in 50 minutes or whatever it is, feeling like they are the problem. Well said. I'm just at week 7 now and all I can think is, I need to keep practicing, and eventually it will get better and easier and more enjoyable. Really good video. New player, new sub! Cheers.

[@kirkleesguitarschool6847]

Hi Rob, Thanks for checking my stuff out. I do think its a massive problem. I'm not saying i wont do any courses in the future but if i do they will be packed full of content with a no bs approach and make no promises i can't keep.
This part of learning to play is really hard! stick with it keep showing up and it will all fall into place when its supposed to. Keep at it dude!