How to Change Guitar Chords

Posted on October 1st, 2009 by Marck

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It takes years of practice to truly master the guitar. It is an instrument that requires advanced manual dexterity and muscle memory. You don’t need to be a Stevie Ray Vaughan or a Carlos Santana to perfect the act of playing guitar and changing chords on the fretboard. Here are some ways to help you change guitar chords on whatever piece you want to play.

Memory Work

Familiarize yourself with tablature. Many people learn how to play guitar by referring to tablature, or guides that refer to the particular chord a part or verse of the song must be played in. For new songs or compositions, the tablature gives you the best idea on the notes and tabs needed to play the song according to the guitar line. You can learn tablature from song books borrowed from the library or bought from the bookstore.
Memorize chord positions. Guitar is all about memory work. Your strumming hand can keep with the beat of the song, but the hand on the fretboard requires muscle memory to properly move through the fretboard and course through the different chords of a song. Even master guitar players need to refresh themselves on proper finger positions when playing chords.

Moving Chords

Relax your arm. One reason why some guitar players experience lock-ups and fatigue during particularly complex chords and shifts through tabs. Instead of “choking” the neck and fretboard of the guitar, you should keep a good distance between the palm of your hand, your thumb, and the neck of the board. Keep your fingers and shoulders slack to reduce stress and prevent lock-ups and fatigue.
Move in pace. One principle of guitar is that fingers are stimulated by attention, but are moved by intention. If you’re playing with other instruments, you may want to use their beat and tempo to pace your own playing.
Let your fingers move naturally. It’s fairly easy to move along chords, but the problem comes when you strain along the chords too artificially. Natural movement is accomplished through muscle memory. Once you get the rhythm right, you do not have to struggle with chords. Even the best guitar players in the world take the time to practice their chords to make for a more natural performance.

Guitar can be a difficult instrument to master, especially when it comes to switching chords. With these steps, you can practice and shift through even the most complicated chords for any guitar piece.