Fast chords

When playing chords on the guitar, you've got to be able to switch between them quickly. Your goal should be to form a chord instantaneously by having your fingers land in the right "shape" on the strings, instead of forming it one finger at a time. Here’s a little trick when first learning them. Make the chord, then lift your fingers up just a little bit, to where they’re still touching the strings in the right place, but they’re not pressing down hard. Then press them back down hard onto the chord again & strum it once. Do this a few times, then, lift your fingers just barely off the strings, hovering right above where they should be for the chord, then press them down again. Strum once. Keep repeating this, but each time lift your fingers farther off the strings, then get them back down onto the chord & strum again. Finally, when lifting your fingers off the chord, wiggle all your fingers out, to where they “forget” where they just were, then as quickly as possible, play that same chord again & strum once. Your goal with this exercise is to get fast at putting your fingers in the right place for the chord. Making a chord, holding it and strumming it for 5 minutes straight is not going to help you learn the chord as much as this will. 5 minutes of this exercise will get you super-fast at making & playing the chord. And you need this speed, because when you’re playing a song & changing chords, the moment you hesitate and have to search for the next chord, you’ve lost the rhythm & the vibe is gone. Then, start alternating between different chords, & try to land each one with all fingers in the "shape" of the chord.

Also, if you want to really get good at changing chords quickly, do the above exercise with your eyes closed. That’s right. Do it by feel. You’ll be absolutely amazed at what your mind & body can learn to do without your eyes getting in the way. I've forced many a student to do this during a lesson, & they're always skeptical & scared at first, then a minute or 2 later, they're stunned & excited at what they can do. Give yourself a chance, now, & only open your eyes when you’re totally off base. Ultimately, you’re going to be trusting your mind, fingers, & especially your ears. So begin now, & trust them & be patient. You'll get it soon enough.

Down below is some intro to music theory also, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. If you're looking for a more thorough explanation & method to learning, you should find someone or something that can educate you. There's a lot of people & resources out there to choose from, & a few I've listed below, if you want to learn quickly from some awesome teachers. It's not the same as having a real person in front of you, but in many ways it's better. And a helluva lot cheaper, each gives you TONS more information than a few months' worth of lessons would get you. And the nice thing about learning from e-courses online is that you can learn at your own pace, & you don't have to wait til next week to find out what your teacher will show you next. It's all well-organized, so you can progress much faster. (I've actually gotten the last one on the list, the Nashville country chicken pickin' style program, & it rocks! It takes a bit of work to get the chops, but it's sweet being able to see all the licks broken down for you.) Be sure to check out the music theory bit & see if that helps you tie some concepts together.

Resources for learning quickly & thoroughly

Unlock The Guitar In One Weekend - how to play any of your favorite songs

Jamorama - excellent guitar course

Ultimate Guitar Lessons - Guitar chords, scales, and picking techniques

Learn 2 Play the Guitar - Play Guitar, read music, tune the guitar, learn chords & tabs, & how to "Make It" as a musician


******** Advanced techniques – if you’re just beginning, you may want to hold off on these until you feel comfortable playing smoothly
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Beyond Bedroom Guitar - Unleash the power of your mind with this practical book of techniques about using NLP & hypnosis to improve your guitar playing

Jamorama Acoustic - How to play acoustic guitar like The Eagles, Jack Johnson, Joni Mitchell, Ben Harper, James Taylor, Jewell...

Jamorama Lead Guitar - How to play lead guitar like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Chet Atkins, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, ...

Guitar Burning Speed - how to play at incredible speeds in 2 weeks

Playing Through the Blues - Secrets to learn killer blues guitar

Hottest, Modern Country Guitar Licks Video - learn the most famous guitar licks and techniques in Nashville today - great for Chicken Pickin'

Music theory in brief

To get on the fast track for learning some music theory, learn 3 things. 1) the notes of music, in order, 2) the format for the Major scale, 3) the format for Major & minor chords.

1) Learn the 12 notes of music up & down. They’re the same for any instrument, & they’re alphabetical (A thru G), with some flats or sharps in between (the / marks represent different names for the same note. A# = Bb. Also, # = "sharp", b = "flat"):

A, A#/Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab

(Notice: B to C and E to F are the only intervals where there is no sharp or flat between them.)

2) Using the notes above, learn the notes of some key Major scales (8 notes long). The form of a Major scale is:

1 - W - 2 - W - 3 - h - 4 - W - 5 - W - 6 - W - 7 - h - 8/1

W = Whole step = up 2 notes from where you are
h = Half step = up 1 note

So, if you want to make the C Major scale, you would start on a C (1), then go up a Whole step (2 notes) from there, which would be a D (2). The whole scale would therefore go:

C D E F G A B C

Do this for C, G, D, A, E, F, & do your best to memorize them forward & back, inside & out. There are 6 other keys as well, but these will get you started.

3) Learn the notes of the Major & minor chords for each of those keys. The form of a Major chord is: 1 3 5, meaning the first, the third, & the fifth notes of the Major scale form the Major chord. For example, a C Major chord is composed of the notes C, E, & G. The minor chord has only 1 difference – the middle note (3) from the Major chord is 1 fret lower. So the form is: 1 b3 5 (b3 = flat 3). The “flat” 3, or “ b3 ” gives the minor chord its characteristic sad/dark sound. In the case of C minor, the notes would be C, E b (E flat), & G.

Once you memorize the notes for the Major & minor chords for C, G, D, A, E, & F, along with their Major scales, you’ll have a strong arsenal of knowledge.

This may seem confusing at first, but knowing this info will prove invaluable when you can put all the pieces together in your mind. Music can just pour forth from you with little or no thought. Obviously, there's more to it than this, but this is a good start. Checkout the above mentioned resources for a much deeper & rewarding experience in guitar instruction. Have fun!