In this video, I demonstrate 5 different ways of changing between chords.
1. Chord Building
Chord Building is when you “build” a chord by placing one finger down at a time. It’s OK to do this when you’re learning and trying to get a brand new chord in your head, but you don’t want to practice like this for too long because, in the long run, you want to change chords by placing all the fingers down at the same time (not one at a time). Remember the Muscle Memory concept.
2. Anchor Finger Changes
An Anchor Finger Change is when (at least) one finger stays in the exact same position (with pressure) between two different chords. An Anchor Finger Change is probably the easiest and most efficient way to change between chords because you have at least one finger that stays exactly where it is. This both stabilizes your hand and gives your other fingers a reference point as to where the other notes in the chord lie. The Anchor Finger Change also gives you (at least) one less finger to think about moving.
3. Light Anchor Finger Changes
A Light Anchor Finger Change is the same as an Anchor Finger Change, only now the anchored finger becomes light on the string. This allows it to slightly adjust itself within the fret when needed. The Light Anchor Finger Change is a little trickier than the Anchor Finger Change because you can’t just hold the finger down in place. You have to lighten it enough to adjust it. That said it’s still easier than both a Glide Finger Change and a Jump Change.
4. Glide Finger Changes
A Glide Finger Change is exactly the same as a Light Anchor Finger Change, only now the finger glides up (or down) the string to a completely different fret. The finger has to do a little more work here which makes the Glide Finger Change slightly trickier than the Light Anchor Finger Change.
5. Jump Finger Changes
Jump Finger Changes are when all of the fingers need to leave the strings and jump to the next chord at the same time. These changes are usually the trickiest type because the fingers have less stabilization, fewer reference points, and more work to do overall.