Chord changes

From folky fingerstyle to hard rock, you need a solid chord technique

“So, tell me what’s so important about chord changes? What do I need to know?” Chords are a fundamental part of playing the guitar. It doesn’t matter what kind of player you are, whether you’re into rock and metal, blues, classical or folk, you need a good repertoire of chords at your disposal – the ability to chop and change between them is a vital skill. “I figured as much. I know a few chords already, but I could certainly improve my playing. How can I make progress?” Generally focus your attention on two areas: dexterity and speed. Dexterity covers things like learning new chords and giving your fingers a challenge with shapes that might require a stretch or a little more finger strength than you’re used to. Speed is the acid test of whether you can move quickly and smoothly. “Okay. I can’t say I’m really into the idea of playing really fast stuff though…” It’s not really about playing fast music. Every chord change you play should be quick and fluent – even in more relaxed styles. Flunk the changes and you’ll hear gaps between your chords. Not good! “Got it. Let’s get started then. Hit me!” Take a look at the first tab example below. You probably already know C, Am, Em and G. Each of these chords can be played with at least two finger patterns. There’s not really a ‘correct’ fingering (you can choose any fingering that’s comfortable for you) but we’ve chosen the ‘anchoring’ method, the idea being that you can hold a finger down on consecutive chords. This keeps your hand close to the fretboard and makes it easier to move your other fingers into place on the next change. C and Am are a good example. “I see you’ve suggested playing Em with the first and second fingers. I usually use my second and third fingers…” Using your first and second fingers can make the change to G easier because your first finger stays anchored in place. We’d recommend practising both ways. “Cool. None of this is too hard. What shall I do next?” If you want to see improvements, play through both tab exercises. The second one is a little harder because it forces you to use all four fingers. Aim for seamless changes with no gaps in your guitar’s sound. Once you get the hang of it, you can choose some other chords that challenge you and slowly play them in sequence.