Changing chords

Holding a chord is only half of it. Songs change chord every bar or two, and a song only sounds like a song when those changes land in time. This lesson is about moving from one shape to the next without stopping.

Before you change, look at the chord you are going to and notice what stays the same.

• Anchor fingers stay on the same string and fret in both chords. From C to A minor, which you will learn in the next section, fingers 1 and 2 do not move at all.
• Guide fingers keep in touch with the strings as they move, sliding rather than lifting. From D to A, finger 1 stays at the second fret and slides across from the G string to the D string without ever leaving the neck.
• The other fingers have to lift and land. Lift them only just clear of the strings. Fingers that fly off the neck take longer to come back.

This is a drill that works for any two chords.

• Pick two chords, for example G and C.
• Set a timer for one minute.
• Change back and forth as many times as you can, strumming once on each chord. Count every clean change.
• Write the number down. Do it again tomorrow.

Your number will climb quickly. When you can manage thirty clean changes in a minute, that pair is ready for songs.

The best trick of all: never stop strumming. If your fretting hand is not ready in time, strum the open strings anyway and keep counting. It sounds untidy for a moment, but the rhythm carries on, and the rhythm is what a listener follows.

Practise with a steady click. The timing drill lets you play along to a click and shows how evenly your strums land, so you can hear and see where a change is making you late.