# Finger Changing



## Renvas (May 20, 2007)

arg!!.. im really having a hard time when changing cords for some reason.. even though i remember the fingering for the cords i cant seem to change it fast enough... or my fingers miss and press on a different string by mistake..

does anyone know how i can improve on my finger transition?


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## Schluppy (Feb 24, 2007)

Practice. That's it. The more you do it the easier it will become.

I suppose you could do some exercises to tune-up your fingers ability to operate independently of one another but there's no particular science to that. Just develop some patterns that run up and down the strings and up and down the fretboard, then mix them up. Be physically creative rather than musically creative.


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

1 - practice slowly. Go in extreme slow motion a few times and make sure that every finger is going exactly where it needs to go with no wasted movement. Look for pivot fingers - the fingers that stay in the same place between two chords - and practice not moving them. Get it clean. Make sure your hand is doing exactly what it needs to every time.

2 - Practice changing in time. I've seen a lot of people just get into the habit of stopping when they change chords when they're learning to play. They hit a point where they know the chords, their fingers are moving well, and they are stopping purely from habit, not because they actually need to. To break that (or avoid it in the first place) choose the easiest two chords you know - the ones with the least actual movement between them - and practice going between those two without stopping. Strum one and keep a steady beat. Keep the tempo slow to start with. The key is that it's steady. Strum that chord and count to four then change to the other chord without missing a beat and keep strumming it. After four change back. Start with a slow tempo so you can get used to getting it and then once you have it gradually speed up the tempo. Repeat with other chords.


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Yep, its all practice. We've all been there.

Gets all whole lot easier when you don't have to think about it.


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## Renvas (May 20, 2007)

k thanks for the tips everyone

i was starting to get pissed at my playing when i saw someone playing a guitar at a guitar store today and she was playing really good..


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## esp_dsp (Feb 27, 2007)

yea there is only one way to fix that... pratice and lots of it... and if your learning a new chord i find that if if you take your fingers off the stings and put them back on where they are suppose to be for the chord over and over again you will learn that chord and be able to move your hand there at anytime needed


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I've tried something that was recommended in a Joe Satriani's book: take completely unrelated chords and play them over and over and over in different unrelated successions - so it doesn't sound musical. Keeps doing this until your fingers remember where the strings are and you can play each chord clean. It worked for me. Chord changes are no longer a problem. Having said that it all boiled down to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Good Luck and keep at it. We've all hit sticking points!:rockon:


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I think muscle memory kicks in at something like 3000 times (?). And it wouldn't mean just playing that chord 3000 times, but changing quickly to that chord.

The nice thing about practicing, is that you will notice improvement fairly quickly.

But yeah, there is no quick way around it. You just have to put in the hours. Stay committed and it'll come.


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## I_cant_play (Jun 26, 2006)

just practice as many different chord changes as you can. One somewhat strange approach that worked for me was closing my eyes when playing. I would feel the strings with my fingers and strum until it sounded OK and then switch and repeat with another chord. Ofcourse, since you're a beginner you may not know what sounds OK so you may want to check if you got it right before you switch to the next one. I rememeber having the same problem and this unorthodox approach helped me so maybe it'll help you...


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