i'm a newbie guitar player and...

[coldplay_is_louve.]

i'm starting to learn how to play songs, but it's really hard for me to change chords. my friends tell me i'll get it eventually, but i need some advice from experienced players. (i'm on an acoustic guitar, by the way)

 

any advice for me?

 

thanks so much.

<3

[FluMTonks]

this probably isn't going to be much help, but...

 

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, lol :D

 

then you could increase the strength of your finger tips. Probably, since you're a beginning, the tips of your fingers hurt like hell after you play that you have a take a break for a little bit. While waiting for your calluses to build up, get a tennis ball or a hand ball and hold it with your thumb and your palm and going one by one press your finger tips into ball like you would with a string. Doesn't always help, but I did it for a while and it eventually helped me. Then there's doing string exercises to increase the speed of your finger movement.

 

-1---------------------------------------------------------------------1--------

-----------2------------------------------------------------2-------------------

---------------------3-----------------------------3----------------------------

---------------------------------4--------4-------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 2 3 4 4 3 2 1

 

is an example, and there's much harder/more fun variations

[alyssa]

Haha, uhm... I don't really know any specific ways to learn how to change chords faster/cleaner, since I really don't know how to properly play guitar (i'm self taught) but yeah... your hands will hurt at first.

 

There's a pretty noticable difference between my left hand and my right hand now--my left hand's finger tips are really calloused :laugh3: but playing guitar hasn't hurt for me in a while. Sometimes it still does, even with the callouses.

 

It helps if you know your chords really well too. If you're not really sure where to put your fingers, you'll change chords really sloppy or slow because you're not completely sure where your fingers go.

 

Just keep practicing. :)

[coldplay_is_louve.]

thanks guys, that really helps!

 

it's good to get some professionals help. even though i have a guitar teacher. :DDDD

 

by the way alyssa, if you see this, i love your avatar.

 

so sexyy.

 

haha thanks guys.

[Space Cadet]

Um... there are two big things my guitar teacher mentioned that begginers have trouble with.

 

The big mistake I was making had to do with how hard you press down on the strings. Be gentle. Acoustic guitars you do have to press slightly harder than electric ones, but in general, you should only press down on the strings just barely hard enough to get the proper note.

 

Try it- just barely touch one of the strings on the fret you want, and start plucking the string, pressing slightly harder each time until the note changes. That's how hard you should need to press and no harder. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it should increase your speed and will help prevent nasty stuff like tendonitis (which I almost got :confused:).

 

Also, the closer to the bottom of the fret that you put your finger, the easier it will be to get a good sounding note, and the lighter you will have to press down.

 

The second big thing is that it is better to play correctly than fast. In fact, play slower than you feel like you can play well. It doesn't matter if it doesn't even sound like the song it's so slow, as long as you are playing it right. What will happen is like everyone said, you'll build up the speed as you practice without even realising it, so that playing faster will feel very natural.

 

Oh, one last thing, keep even the fingers you aren't using close to the fretboard. That way they'll be there faster for your next chord. Some people like to stick the fingers that they aren't using way up in the air, which does work, but it will slow them down in the long run.