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Keep your right hand in-charge
when strumming guitar chords

The next common block to switching chords quickly, is a mental one. Often, beginning guitar players want to make sure everything is perfect before they will strum a chord. Sometimes you have to make a leap of faith that you will make it to the next chord. If you do make a mistake, or put your finger on the wrong string, don't stop. Keep going, and fix any problems with the chord as you are playing. Perfectionists can not stand doing this. But if you have to check and double check every chord that you are playing in a song, it will never sound like a song.

Be sure to check out the following lessons for more information on strumming.

chord strumming 101
4/4 accompaniment strum patterns

Listen to the 2 examples below. They are both the same chord progression. In the first one, I am going to stop and double check my fingering, and then continue strumming. In the 2nd example, I am going to make mistakes on each chord (on purpose). I am not going to stop; I am going to fix those problems as I am playing. You be the judge as to which one sounds more like a song.

To cautious, double checking every chord. (327K) get realplayer

Damn the torpedoes, keep it moving! (145K) get realplayer

You will get more accurate with your chords the more you play. If any particular chords or chord combinations are giving you trouble, by all means stop and work on them. But when it is time to play a song, do the best you can, and keep going.

When strumming a song, I always tell my students that your right hand (strumming hand) should be in-charge. If your left hand is in control, then it will stop, make sure everything is perfect, and then tell the right hand it can continue. If the right hand is in-charge, it will keep moving and not give the left hand time to stop and smell the roses. The left hand will learn very quickly to keep up, if the right hand is in-charge.

Page 2, switching between two different chords

Page 1, placing all of your fingers down at the same time

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