How To Get Faster At Chord Changes On Guitar Using Innovative & Effective Training Methods

Whether you are a beginner or advanced guitarist, getting faster at chord changes is critical for making your playing sound smooth and professional. Most guitarists simply play through patterns here and there until they eventually get a little faster… but this is a very slow way to make progress.

 

You get much faster at chord changes on guitar using a variety of practice methods that train you in different aspects. Doing this helps you improve much faster than simply playing chords here and there, hoping to get better.

 

Use these practice methods to get much faster at chord changes in no time:

 

Play Fast & Smooth Chord Changes Using Inversions

 

Playing the conventional open chord shapes is much easier when you learn how to play chord inversions (which usually involve more complex fingerings). Inversions means using the same notes, but starting from a different note than the root (name of the chord).

 

For example:

 

A minor contains the notes A, C and E with A as the lowest sounding note. A minor 1st inversion contains the same notes, but has C as the lowest sounding note. A minor 2nd inversion is the same, but with E at the bottom.

Guitar Chord Inversions

Playing chords using inversions not only makes open/conventional chords easier, but it also adds a lot of variety to your guitar playing.

 

This gives you more ways to express musical emotion while using the same set of notes.

 

Practice using at least one chord in inversion together with root position/open chords to increase your guitar vocabulary. Since most inversions require more difficult fingering, this makes playing regular chords easier by comparison.

Smooth Out Different Chord Patterns With Laser Focus By Practicing On Different Strings

 

Chord changes on guitar can be practiced much more effectively than how most people do it – playing through the open chords over and over until it clicks. This isn’t a bad idea, but you speed up your progress by narrowing your focus a little more…

 

Using the idea of inversions from the previous point, quickly smooth out chord transitions by practicing chords on specific strings.

Guitar Chords Second Inversion

Here’s an innovative practice approach to smooth out your chord changes on guitar using specific string focus:

 

Before you begin playing guitar, do the following –

 

Map out 3 chords whose lowest note is on the low E string.

 

Map out 3 chords whose lowest note is on the A string.

 

Map out 3 chords whose lowest note is on the D string.

  1.  
  2. For 2 minutes, move freely between the chords that begin on the E string only.
  3.  
  4. For 2 minutes, move freely between the chords that begin on the A string only.
  5.  
  6. For 2 minutes, move freely between the chords that begin on the D string only.
  7.  
  8. Add one more chord to each group.
  9.  
  10. Repeat this process once more with the added chord.

 

In total, this entire process takes only 20 minutes or so. Focusing on specific strings in this manner helps you smoothly move between the chords you choose after practicing for just a few sessions.

 

Alternate between chords of different strings as you begin to get used to this approach to make your overall chord playing even more smooth.

 

Improve Your Mental Processing Speed By Keeping Time With A Metronome

 

You get faster at chord changes by stepping outside of your comfort zone. A great way to do this is by using a metronome to force you to stay in time. This keeps you from getting stuck in the habit of changing chords at a slower pace because it feels easier (holding your progress back at the same time).

 

Practice changing guitar chords freely (without a metronome) if you have never played them before and are completely unfamiliar with them.

 

After this point, use a metronome at a slow to moderate tempo to force yourself to stay in time while switching between chords.

 

Occasionally increase the speed to a faster tempo to challenge your brain to think faster and improve your mental processing speed.

 

This helps you smooth out chord progressions so you sound like a total pro and don’t have to worry about frustrating hesitations/missed notes.

 

Enjoy The Process Of Getting Faster While Applying Chords Musically In Progressions

 

Simply practicing changing chords as an exercise is fine… but practicing this while using them in a musical manner helps you improve much faster. This is because you must think creatively. Using the your skills in actual music also feels good, which motivates you to keep improving (this is a very overlooked aspect of improving at any guitar skill).

 

This short chord progression uses chords of different inversions in the key of E minor:

Practice creating your own 3-5 chord progressions in a key of your choice for just 10 minutes every other day. Focus on using at least one chord in 1st or 2nd inversion within the progression.

 

This simple approach has a huge effect on your ability to switch smoothly between guitar chords, and helps you use chords creatively while training your ear. This means you improve many skills at once, rather than just being able to play the chords themselves.

 

Learn more about how to use the chords in keys to express emotion using this music theory guitar lesson.

 

Break Through Frustrating Plateaus By Challenging Yourself With Your Strumming Hand

 

Similar to using a metronome, you improve your chord changes by forcing yourself to improve in ways you aren’t used to. Another way to do this is to maintain a consistent strumming rhythm in your strumming hand.

 

Keep your strumming hand going while you switch between chords. Even if you miss notes, keep your hand going. Eventually, your fretting hand begins to magically catch up to what your strumming hand is doing!

 

Make Progress As Fast As Possible Using A Specific Practice Schedule

 

You make progress in the shortest amount of time possible by using a practice schedule designed specifically around improving chord changes. Arrange a specific amount of time for switching between guitar chords within your schedule based on your musical priorities.

 

Make your practice time as efficient as possible using this guitar practice generator.

 

Track your progress every practice session by looking for the specific missed notes that occur within the chords you play. Ask yourself why you missed these notes and set practice time to improve this aspect of your playing. This makes your practice more efficient.

 

Before you know it, you are switching between chords effortlessly.