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GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
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| BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT" It contains many of Doug's Previous Guitar Technique Tips of the Month |
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The Little-Known Secret of
Connecting Your Chord Changes Smoothly
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Here's a technique you rarely read about in technique articles and is rarely explained in most
guitar methods and books.
This is a technique used to play progressions of chords or intervals in a legato style, legato
meaning connected or smooth. An excellent teaching piece for developing this technique is
found in the original (published by Sherry-Brener--it's not in the new revised edition published
by Hal Leonard) Christopher Parkening Guitar Method Vol. 1, p. 57. It is a short four-voice
arrangement of a choral segment of the "Ode to Joy" from. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The
entire example is given at the end of this article.
The fact that the original music is sung by a choir indicates that the sound produced by the
guitarist should be smooth or legato. Each change of harmony must "melt" into the next. The
sound must be seamless without any silence or sense of space between chords. Most
beginning students and many advanced students play four-note chord progressions in a
"vertical," detached, or choppy manner with very unmusical results. Again, what we want is a
very fluid, unbroken "line" to the music. Here is how to do it.
Let us use this chord change to work with:
Ex. 1
Most players would: (1) play the first chord, (2) lift all four left hand fingers together, and (3)
place the fingers on the strings for the second chord as the right hand fingers pluck the strings.
Playing in this manner will result in a disconnected sound. Because all the fingers are lifted
together in step two, for a fraction of a second there is no sound (save for a possible
extraneous sixth string harmonic ringing the pitch B from sympathetic vibration). This fraction of
a second of silence produces the undesirable disconnected sound. If this is done over and
over in a progression of four-note chords, the progression will be chopped to pieces by
disjointed chord changes.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
The correct way to play this chord change with the most legato sound possible is to: (1) play
the first chord, (2) lift the first, second, and third fingers together leaving the fourth finger down
on the D. (3) While still holding the D (thus continuing its sound) the first, second, and third
fingers prepare themselves in position over the C chord: the first finger above C on the second
string, the second finger above E on the fourth string, and the third finger above the C on the
fifth string. And I mean prepare! Each fingertip should point directly downward at the note it will
press down and hover approximately 1/8 inch above its respective string. (4) As the prepared
fingers of the left hand press down the strings, the right hand plucks and the fourth finger lifts
simultaneously.
Please understand all this happens in one fluid motion in a quick movement of the hands and
fingers. But what makes the change legato is the fact that the little finger "lags behind" holding
the D, thus keeping the sound going while the other fingers are en route to the C chord.
When first practicing this technique, definitely do one step at a time very slowly. At this speed
the chord change will still sound very disjointed but the D will keep ringing. Once you get the
feel of the little finger lagging behind, speed up each step until you do all the steps in one fluid
motion. When you do the movements correctly, to a person casually watching your fingers, it
will appear that all four fingers are lifting off the strings together and being placed back on the
strings together. But if the observer looks very very closely he will see that the fourth finger is
lagging behind the others during the lifting step.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Now of course not all the notes of the first chord progress smoothly to those of the second
chord. In reality only the change from the note D to the note C on the second string is legato.
But the fact that this one change is legato, and especially that it occurs in the upper voice
which is the voice most immediately apparent to our ears, gives the illusion of the entire chord
change being legato. The discussion of this technique assumes the player does not have
problems with basic hand coordination (which will be discussed in the future) or with the right
hand fingers touching the strings (and thus stopping the sound) a fraction of a second before
the fingers make their plucking movements.
Many players may discover they are using this technique automatically without realizing it, and
that is great. If you're a teacher, show it to your students! I have found that beginning guitar
students learn this technique quite easily. It is not for advanced players only.
In conclusion, this technique in chord changing may be stated as follows: any finger or fingers
used to play the first chord but not the second chord "lag behind" as the other fingers prepare
to finger the second chord. If a player uses this technique at every opportunity when playing
chord changes, the result will be a very musical, legato sound. Below is an excerpt from the
Beethoven practice piece mentioned earlier. The circled notes are the notes which are to "lag
behind."
Ex. 2
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Ex. 3
Connecting Your Chord Changes Smoothly
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Here's a technique you rarely read about in technique articles and is rarely explained in most
guitar methods and books.
This is a technique used to play progressions of chords or intervals in a legato style, legato
meaning connected or smooth. An excellent teaching piece for developing this technique is
found in the original (published by Sherry-Brener--it's not in the new revised edition published
by Hal Leonard) Christopher Parkening Guitar Method Vol. 1, p. 57. It is a short four-voice
arrangement of a choral segment of the "Ode to Joy" from. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The
entire example is given at the end of this article.
The fact that the original music is sung by a choir indicates that the sound produced by the
guitarist should be smooth or legato. Each change of harmony must "melt" into the next. The
sound must be seamless without any silence or sense of space between chords. Most
beginning students and many advanced students play four-note chord progressions in a
"vertical," detached, or choppy manner with very unmusical results. Again, what we want is a
very fluid, unbroken "line" to the music. Here is how to do it.
Let us use this chord change to work with:
Ex. 1
Most players would: (1) play the first chord, (2) lift all four left hand fingers together, and (3)
place the fingers on the strings for the second chord as the right hand fingers pluck the strings.
Playing in this manner will result in a disconnected sound. Because all the fingers are lifted
together in step two, for a fraction of a second there is no sound (save for a possible
extraneous sixth string harmonic ringing the pitch B from sympathetic vibration). This fraction of
a second of silence produces the undesirable disconnected sound. If this is done over and
over in a progression of four-note chords, the progression will be chopped to pieces by
disjointed chord changes.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
The correct way to play this chord change with the most legato sound possible is to: (1) play
the first chord, (2) lift the first, second, and third fingers together leaving the fourth finger down
on the D. (3) While still holding the D (thus continuing its sound) the first, second, and third
fingers prepare themselves in position over the C chord: the first finger above C on the second
string, the second finger above E on the fourth string, and the third finger above the C on the
fifth string. And I mean prepare! Each fingertip should point directly downward at the note it will
press down and hover approximately 1/8 inch above its respective string. (4) As the prepared
fingers of the left hand press down the strings, the right hand plucks and the fourth finger lifts
simultaneously.
Please understand all this happens in one fluid motion in a quick movement of the hands and
fingers. But what makes the change legato is the fact that the little finger "lags behind" holding
the D, thus keeping the sound going while the other fingers are en route to the C chord.
When first practicing this technique, definitely do one step at a time very slowly. At this speed
the chord change will still sound very disjointed but the D will keep ringing. Once you get the
feel of the little finger lagging behind, speed up each step until you do all the steps in one fluid
motion. When you do the movements correctly, to a person casually watching your fingers, it
will appear that all four fingers are lifting off the strings together and being placed back on the
strings together. But if the observer looks very very closely he will see that the fourth finger is
lagging behind the others during the lifting step.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Now of course not all the notes of the first chord progress smoothly to those of the second
chord. In reality only the change from the note D to the note C on the second string is legato.
But the fact that this one change is legato, and especially that it occurs in the upper voice
which is the voice most immediately apparent to our ears, gives the illusion of the entire chord
change being legato. The discussion of this technique assumes the player does not have
problems with basic hand coordination (which will be discussed in the future) or with the right
hand fingers touching the strings (and thus stopping the sound) a fraction of a second before
the fingers make their plucking movements.
Many players may discover they are using this technique automatically without realizing it, and
that is great. If you're a teacher, show it to your students! I have found that beginning guitar
students learn this technique quite easily. It is not for advanced players only.
In conclusion, this technique in chord changing may be stated as follows: any finger or fingers
used to play the first chord but not the second chord "lag behind" as the other fingers prepare
to finger the second chord. If a player uses this technique at every opportunity when playing
chord changes, the result will be a very musical, legato sound. Below is an excerpt from the
Beethoven practice piece mentioned earlier. The circled notes are the notes which are to "lag
behind."
Ex. 2
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Ex. 3
BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
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| These are my very detailed, in-depth articles and high-def videos on how to play the classical guitar. It's like getting your own private guitar lesson every month. Need info on classical guitar right hand technique? Guitar scales? How to play bar chords? Harmonics? Looking for a classical guitar practicing routine? Tips on performing onstage? How to tune a guitar? Looking for easy Christmas guitar arrangements? Chances are, I have covered it, or will soon. The tips are by subscription only. |
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Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.