Beginner Guitar - Changing Chords Smoothly
What you'll learn
- Holding the guitar and proper left and right arm and hand positions
- Committing chord formations to memory
- Chord changing efficiencies and muscle memory
- Chord changing on the beat supported by counting
Requirements
- No prior guitar experience needed
Description
In an earlier set of Lessons, we had a look at the common open chord formations for Major Chords, Minor Chords and some Seventh Chords. If you haven’t gone through those videos yet, I really encourage you to check them out on my website because learning your chords and committing them to memory is a basic building block on your journey towards strumming rhythms and playing songs.
Another important step to help get us there is learning to change between your chords smoothly. A term that gets used often in this regard is Transitioning your Chords or Chord Transitions. This set of Lessons is going to focus on just that….helping you Change your chords smoothly.
This skill takes time, so be patient with yourself, but it is an essential one if you have your sights set on accompanying yourself singing or playing music with others in a group. In order to eventually play along to a rhythm and do so “on the beat” as it is called, you must have the ability to change between your chords without hesitation.
In fact, you should know that the Rhythm Guitarist in a group is relied upon, just like the drummer to set and keep the beat going throughout a song. So, this is an important job in a musical group. It’s a leadership position in many ways.
In this set of Lessons, we are going to focus on a simple down strum because I want much of your attention to be on your left hand. I am preparing a separate set of Lessons on teaching you various strumming and rhythm patterns, but before we get there, I really want you to get good at changing between chords so we’re going to keep things more simple with the right hand for now.
I’m going to break this down into 5 main parts:
1) Holding Your Guitar
2) Tips for Improving Your Chord Changes
3) Counting in Music
4) Exercises
5) Practice Guidance
So, go find your guitar, tune it up and let’s begin….
Who this course is for:
- Beginner Guitar Players
- Beginner Musicians
Instructor
- 5.0 Instructor Rating
- 4 Reviews
- 22 Students
- 3 Courses
I’m Deanne Newkirk, the Guitar Teach! I live in Alberta, Canada and began learning the guitar when I was 9 years old. Guitar has always been an important part of my life whether performing or playing for my own enjoyment. My uncles were my musical inspiration. They played and sang together at events far and wide. They had an amazing blend of guitars and voices and their music really connected with people, including me….that’s how I got hooked.
My own guitar journey has taken me on many incredible adventures around the world travelling and playing music at clubs and festivals in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. I’ve met so many amazing people along the way. There is no doubt that music is a language of its own that helps to connect us all.
There is something that I’ve known for a long time that I’d like to share. Playing the guitar is so much more than learning an instrument technically. Our hearts have something very important to say and the guitar helps each of us to express creatively. This is a great gift you can offer to yourself and others. The guitar can be your sanctuary as well as your outlet for creativity. It will help you achieve the flow in life you’ve been looking for.
People tell me so often that they would love to learn the guitar. Let’s do this! No prior experience is needed. Find your guitar and let’s play some music together.