to stare only at the chord I’ m playing in the moment? Probably not, right? I mean, it would be a lot like riding a bike and staring down at the ground right where my front tire meets the road. I may run into something if I’ m not on the lookout. I need to be aware of where I am, but also to look where I’ m going. The same is true of chords.
4. FIND COMMON GROUND BETWEEN THE CHORDS. Believe it or not, some chords have hidden clues that actually facilitate cleaner transitions just by virtue of where you put your fingers. Today, I’ m going to put a set of four chords here in the article( also featured in the video) that have something in common. Can you figure out what it is?
Common ground between chords can make transitions much, much smoother. If you want to go deeper with this subject, in the December 2023 issue of Worship Musician Magazine, I talked at length about the question“ Do Guitar Chord Fingerings Matter.” You can access that article / video here.
5. BRIDGE THE GAP WITH NOTES BETWEEN THE CHORDS. If you’ re a strumming guitar player, you’ ll appreciate this. It actually involves a bit of sleight of hand. Your listener’ s ears are not actually going to pick this up, but the notes between the chords will actually serve as a handoff point. Let the strings between the chords ring out only for a moment on your way to the next chord. Why? Because it’ s much more important to land the next chord on time than to focus on the transition as a musical element and miss the next chord. In the video, I demonstrate the four previous chords with this concept. There’ s a bit if grace built into your listeners’ ears as they hear the transition.
Now, if you’ re thinking to try chord transitions with fingerstyle, which is a more in-depth discussion topic, just make sure the notes you play work for the transitions and don’ t sound out of place, even if you need to add them in as you play. Fingerstyle guitar is a vast field, but it’ s very rich. If you want to break into fingerstyle, check out the December 2022 issue of Worship Musician Magazine for this article / video with a Fingerstyle Crash Course.
Thanks for joining me today with another essential aspect of guitar playing.
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David Harsh David Harsh is a nationally touring worship leader, songwriter and performing artist. He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential. Learn more and join now at www. GuitarSuccess4U. com 50 April 2025 Subscribe for Free...