I decided to slow things down when I felt the A & D chords were not sounding clear. I am pleased because now I am changing between the 2 chords without looking at my fret hand. It seems easier to go from D to A–my fingers move as one. Moving from A to D my 3 finger is a bit slower than the 2nd. I am able to do 4 down strums and keep the rhythm between chord changes. I have been watching the nitsuJ practice sessions to play along with the songs. Just wanted to share my progress.
6 Likes
That’s great progress. Keep at it!
thank you
Hi Jocelyn,
Sharing your progress is pretty much the reason for this community 
… well done 
Greetings,Rogier
Well done Jocelyn, very good to be aware of what you need to work on and put the extra time into, that will stand you well as you move forward.
Great to hear your progress! 
Hi @MsJocko
That’s great advice and a superb mindset - adjusting your sights, pausing to reflect and recalibrating your practice and achieving the desired results. Bravo and kudos.
You mention that your third finger lags behind going from A to D.
Try this to see if it helps.
This exercise is designed to improve the ability to place all fingers on a chord simultaneously by actually doing the opposite – placing them one at a time, but in varying sequences. This will build finger independence which is essential for finger cooperation.
- Place each finger sequentially on to the strings to form the chosen chord in the orders 1, 2, 3 then 2, 3, 1 then 3, 2, 1.
- Do four repeats for each combination.
- Repeat but with the sequential placing reversed, now following the orders: 3, 2, 1 then 2, 1, 3 then 1, 3, 2.
- Finish by making four attempts to place all fingers simultaneously.
Perform this exercise with just the D major chord to begin. It will take a couple of minutes of your practice routine. After several days you should be seeing and feeling some improvement.
I hope that helps.
Please let us know if you try it and if it works for you.
Cheers
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Moderator, Guide & Approved Teacher
3 Likes
@Richard_close2u that looks like a great exercise, one that I’ll definitely incorporate in my practice!
1 question though, with “Do four repeats of each combination”.
Do you mean:
1,2,3 x4 ; 2,3,1 x4 ; 3,2,1 x4 or
1,2,3 2,3,1 3,2,1 x 4 (do the 3 patterns one after another and repeat this 4)?
Or does it ultimately not really matter as long as you do enough reps of each combination?
Thanks Aaron.
This is how I meant.
You may get benefit from the second method, itmay be worth trying both.
Thanks for the clarification! I’ll try it out tonight!