{"id":59895,"date":"2019-09-20T06:00:55","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/?p=59895"},"modified":"2024-07-22T23:25:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T06:25:03","slug":"chord-shift-formula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/chord-shift-formula\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chord Shift Formula: How to Shift Cleanly to a Chord"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Have you ever missed a chord shift in a piece of music? You\u2019re playing along fine. Then the music demands you jump to a higher position on the guitar neck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be like threading a needle in the dark &#8211; very tricky to get right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"centerc\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y-xEzPNSeLI?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autohide=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-the-problem-shifting-to-a-chord-on-guitar\">The Problem: Shifting to a Chord on Guitar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Shifting up to a higher position on the guitar while also grabbing a chord &#8211; this is the challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we do this well, we can boast the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a aria-label=\"timing (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/metronome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">timing<\/a> stays steady &#8211; no slowing down to make the leap <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All the notes of the chord are clearly audible. No buzzed notes. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our left hand lands in its <a aria-label=\"ideal form and position (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/basics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ideal form and position<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <a aria-label=\"volume (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/dynamics-phrasing-classical-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">volume<\/a> of the chord is appropriate for the music<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a tall order. Many things can go wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One way we can stack the deck in our favor is to separate the issues and practice them one by one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-the-different-ingredients-of-the-chord-shift\">The Different Ingredients of the Chord Shift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Divide and conquer. That\u2019s the age-old advice. So let\u2019s take it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To shift up or down to a chord, we have two separate issues. First, the fingers must make the chord shape. Next, we must shift the hand to the new position. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-guitar-fingers\">The Guitar Fingers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The left-hand fingers must be able to move gracefully to the notes of the new chord. Each finger must land squarely in its place. We much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/practicing-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"switch chords (opens in a new tab)\">switch chords<\/a> with accuracy and precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If any finger is out of place, notes will buzz or thump. Strings will mute. Our chord will be a mess and we\u2019ll know the bitter taste of defeat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-guitar-shift\">The Guitar Shift<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from the chord, we must successfully <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/guitar-shifting-positions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"shift to the new position (opens in a new tab)\">shift to the new position<\/a>. Shifting is an arm and shoulder movement. We use big muscles to move the entire hand from one position on the guitar neck to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-take-it-one-half-step-at-a-time\">Take It One (half-) Step at a Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our strategy? To take these two elements (fingers and shift) and practice them first one then the next. Then, combine them (more on this in moment). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-one-fingers-only\">Step One: Fingers Only<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First, practice playing the notes before the shift, and then the shift-chord. But do not make the shift. Stay in the same fret position on the guitar. This will likely sound terrible. But it\u2019s all in the name of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal at this step is to train the fingers to move smoothly to the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/learn-guitar-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"chord shape (opens in a new tab)\">chord shape<\/a>. And to do this, we remove the distraction of the shift. The new chord lands in the same position as the old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doing this, we can maintain lovely form in our left hand. We can find the ideal wrist position, finger curvature, everything. We can make it all as effortless and elegant as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can also note the tension in our arms, wrists, hands and face. We can train this transition to be as gentle as a balloon on the breeze. No excess tensing, grabbing or jerking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the fingers can play through the section without the shift, we can then re-introduce it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-two-add-the-shift-fret-by-fret\">Step Two: Add the Shift, Fret By Fret<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of adding the shift back in all at one time, we can take it in smaller steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First we can play the left-hand notes and new chord, landing just one fret up from the starting point. This will still sound unpleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can practice keeping our hand position, form, muscle-tone, etc. moving just one fret. Then two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-trust-the-process-relax-and-do-the-work\">Trust the Process, Relax and Do the Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, going as slowly as need be, we can work our way up to the <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/music\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"written note (opens in a new tab)\">written note<\/a>s. Fret by fret, we get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we practice this way, we should be able to calmly and reliably shift to the new position. And when we\u2019re done, chord will be beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If anything ever backslides or comes undone, we can return to the process. We can take it one small step at a time. This takes practice and attention. And that means patience and focus. But it lets us play lightly through the most treacherous of chord shifts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever missed a chord shift in a piece of music? You\u2019re playing along fine. Then the music demands you jump to a higher position on the guitar neck. It can be like threading a needle in the dark &#8211; very tricky to get right. The Problem: Shifting to a Chord on Guitar Shifting up to a higher position &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/chord-shift-formula\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,434,20],"tags":[148,362,369,387,314,302],"class_list":["post-59895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technique","category-main-content-parent","category-practicing","tag-chords","tag-left-hand-technique","tag-practice-methods","tag-practice-techniques","tag-problem-solving","tag-troubleshooting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Change Chords More Cleanly and Comfortably on Guitar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how to land tricky chords cleanly after shifts and leaps on classical guitar. Using this formula, you&#039;ll shift cleanly up or down to chords.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Chord Shift Formula: How to Shift Cleanly to a Chord\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how to land tricky chords cleanly after shifts and leaps on classical guitar. 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