How to Switch Between Chords

One difficulty many beginners experience is that they have trouble switching chords. They can strum the first chord just fine, but they need time to build the second chord. And so when they switch from strumming the first chord to the second chord, it’s a bit of a stop-and-start, like a car with a stalling engine.

Do Lots of Chord Pushups

A “chord pushup” is when you form the shape of a single chord, play it, and then completely release your hand from the guitar fretboard, returning to a neutral position, and repeat.

This exercise can teach your fingers to quickly form the shapes of the chords.

When working on switching between several chords, as in a chord progression, one important step is that you can quickly form the chord shape—so start here.

Switch Chords Efficiently, Using the Least Motion

For example, common open chords like C and A- might both involve the index finger pressing down on the I^st fret of the 2^nd string. This finger does not need to move to switch from one chord to the other.

Give Yourself Space in the Strumming Pattern

One simple solution is to adjust the strumming pattern so that you have more time to switch from chord A to chord B.

The first pattern, if repeated, may be a stumbling block. If the last strum is removed from the pattern, there’s more time to get back to the C chord.

Instead of strumming a complex pattern which leaves you only the duration of an eighth note or less to switch chords, stick to strumming patterns that offer more time. Consider playing block chords, which give up to a whole measure of space after the chord’s attack to switch to the following chord.

More and more, society is beginning to accept the use of block chords.

Some beginners express doubt at this concept. “Isn’t that cheating?” they ask. “Don’t I have to be able to switch chords effectively? Shouldn’t I be able to play anything and not just easy patterns?”

But the thing is, all guitar players limit themselves to playing within their abilities. Strumming 64 times per measure is impossible—so nobody does that. And if you’re having trouble switching chords right now, your abilities may need time to develop. So it’s a good idea to make some minor adjustments to the difficulty of the patterns you’re playing in order to enable yourself to push forward. That way you can keep learning other stuff on guitar while your abilities grow.

64 strums per measure? Uh, no thanks.

When you encounter a roadblock, don’t stop. Push through it, or go around it. There’s no such thing as cheating. Get out of your own head, be practical, and do whatever is needed.

Adjust the Chord

Here’s a thought: if you’re having trouble switching from one chord to another, change one or both of the chords to make them easier.

No, this is not cheating. Smart learners adapt the music to fit their abilities and their needs. There is no angry god of music demanding that you play everything exactly as written or else offer a goat.

Besides, if you are failing the switch between an E⁷ and an A^-7, that’s not good practice. Falling on your face is bad practice. Making the chords easier enables you to practice switching chords that are actually at your level. This will pay off, and soon you’ll be ready to play (and switch between) harder chords.

In order to know what chords you can use in substitute of others, you may need to learn a bit of music theory. Alot of learners act like they’re allergic to theory, which is ironic because it’s one of the few things that can make their job a little easier.

Switch Part of the Chord

Another way to to improve the switch is to switch part of the chord at a time—and keep strumming while you finish the switch. Or change the strumming pattern so only the correctly switched parts of the chord are strummed until the switch is completed.

Either way, you buy yourself extra time to make the switch.

Practice the Switch Aggressively

This is the most important tip.

Let’s imagine you’re playing a tune that has one single hard chord switch that you always mess up.

The tune is three minutes long. Each time you play the tune, you fail the switch.

Let’s also imagine that mastering that switch will require 500 repetitions.

If you only practice the switch while playing the song, you’ll need to play the song 500 times to master the one chord switch that’s giving you trouble. Since the tune is three minutes, you spent 25 hours learning one chord switch. Not a very effective strategy, is it?

Now, imagine you practice switching back and forth between the two chords over and over again. At first it takes a few seconds to do each switch, but soon you can do more than 50 per minute. By the time you’ve reached that level, you can practice those 500 repetitions in just 10 minutes.

Take the difficult parts out. Dissect them. Play them over and over again. And then put them back.

Coda

If you’re having trouble switching chords, try adjusting the chord or the rhythm to make it easier. And focus on practicing switching back and forth between them until you’ve got it down.