BC-115 • 1 Minute Changes

[Oddo]

I have been practising the A,D,E 1 minute changes for 10 days and lately i seem to get stuck at about 17 changes/minute.Is this a normal thing to happen or my expectations for now are too high?

[Flashmann]

I have been practising the A,D,E 1 minute changes for 10 days and lately i seem to get stuck at about 17 changes/minute.Is this a normal thing to happen or my expectations for now are too high?

Being where you are,just weeks ago,I think I can help.I kind of had the same problem,til I slowed it down and spent 2 days really hitting the strum and pick each string exercise.I found,after doing that,that not only had my fingers loosened up some but that I seemed to have "dialed in" the finger placement on those chords.I also kept track,on paper,what I was working on,A-E,A-D,E-D,and could see measureable progress daily.A week later I was getting 60+ BPMs on those changes.

[Oddo]

Ok,so maybe i should take my time and start to "learn" my fingers the shortest way from one chord to another in order to improve my speed.How much did it take you to start singing songs?

[bradt]

Are you counting A-E-A-E as four changes or two?

If two, then move on to the next stage. You're doing fine.

If you're counting that as four then that is still fine, but a little slow. One thing that helped me was to practice with a metronome. Set your metronome to 40bpm and try to make a change every other beat. That should get you up to 20 relatively quickly since you are so close. Then just speed it up a little bit as you improve.


The early lessons in this course are designed to be moved through relatively quickly. You'll find things in stage 3 and 4 that will make practicing what you learned in stage 1 much easier. If you check the practice schedule on stage 1, you will see at the bottom justin says that you aren't meant to master anything at these stage before advancing. You're just meant to know the material and be able to perform the tasks at a reasonable level.

[Diamond Dave]

Some suggestions that Justin recommends:

-start very slowly--comically slow--and build up speed gradually
-force the changes. Just go to the chord even if you botch it. Get your fingers used to moving quickly.
--air chords. Practice setting your fingers down in the correct positions, all at once. Fix them into place in the air over the fretboard and place them down. Don't strum. Then do the second chord. Then back to the first.
--Try to minimize finger movement and look to see which fingerings the chords have in common. For example, an open C and an open Am chord share the same fingerings for your index and middle finger. The ring finger is the only one that moves; the index and middle should stay planted. Similarly, an open E is just an Am, with everything moved one string over. Easy change.

[TB-AV]

how long have you been playing?

If you are counting A to D to E as 1, A D E as 2, A D E as 3 then as a beginner 17 would not be bad. I just tried it and and did 17 like that in about 20sec or 3x your speed which sounds about right for a beginner.

Now if you are counting  A D E as 3, A D E 6, A D E 9 then that needs some work.

That A D E sequence is not the easiest thing. A D A E A D A E is easier. with the difficulty considered your are getting about 1 per second. It would be nice to see that doubled but that's a good start.

Don't keep practicing the same thing. If you reach a plateau go to something else. come back to it about 5 - 10 days later and you will probably  be a -lot- better at it.  In fact if you have over saturated on a chord or two, I would try not to play those specific chords for any reason for at least two days or more.

[Oddo]

@bradt I count A-E-A-E as two changes.I've already moved on to the next stage but i thought i had a problem with these three chords since i couldn't improve my speed.
@TB-AV I have been playing guitar for about 20 days.

[Flashmann]

Ok,so maybe i should take my time and start to "learn" my fingers the shortest way from one chord to another in order to improve my speed.How much did it take you to start singing songs?

I haven't even tried singing,at least not outside of my own head..Trust me...NO ONE wants to hear that,especially me.LOL...

I'll say this,though,and almost ashamedly:I was stuck where you are,on phase 1 for nearly 2 months.It seemed like I had to put my fret fingers through contortions,to find those first 3 chords...When I first felt I had them down well enough to attempt the minute changes,I measured my BPMs 2 ways...1st,as fast as I could,regardless of how badly it sounded,and boy did it ever sound bad.2nd,as fast as I could while hitting then cleanly..There was a diference of about 15 BPM,until I slowed down and only concentrated on the clean strums.Now I can get 80+ BPM on A-E and A-D..E-D is still in the upper 60s..

When I got all 3 consistantly above 40,(counting A-E as 1)I moved on to phase 2,and was a very happy to see those chords,the minors go MUCH quicker.2 weeks and I was learning the phase 3 C and G,all the while practicing what came before.

Now,probably a month after beginning phase 3,I only am practicing the Phase 1&2 chords while "playing around" after my structured practice time,or with the strumming patterns.I currently devote my minute change practice time to the C,G with each other and the "7" chords from stage 4 and 5...

Sorry for being so long winded,but my point was to show how I was where you are a very short time ago and to stress just KEEP at it....It will come...

[vedderfan94]

Should I be letting the chord ring out like justin does? I tried that at first but there are annoying sounds in between changing chords because I think it's due to pulling off the second and third fingers. So now I strum each chord but mute the strings quickly with my strumming hand, and then move to the next chord. Is this wrong?

[Jimmydreams]

I've been playing about 2 weeks. I'm building up the calluses on my fingers and I'm starting to work on not pressing so hard that the strings come out the back of my fingers. 

My question is this: while attempting the 1 minute chord changes, I find that my #2 finger seems to lose most of it's sensitivity and therefore it's hard to know when it's properly seated on the high E string. Is this common and/or will increased calluses only make matters worse? Perhaps it's a symptom of early callus buildup that the sensitivity is masked by the combo of numbness/finger pain that all beginners have..... Regardless, it makes getting a clean D chord sometimes a hit or miss proposition!! 

If it's a case of simply muscle memory, I guess I can wait for it to become natural.

Suggestions?

[mouser9169]

I've been playing about 2 weeks. I'm building up the calluses on my fingers and I'm starting to work on not pressing so hard that the strings come out the back of my fingers. 

My question is this: while attempting the 1 minute chord changes, I find that my #2 finger seems to lose most of it's sensitivity and therefore it's hard to know when it's properly seated on the high E string. Is this common and/or will increased calluses only make matters worse? Perhaps it's a symptom of early callus buildup that the sensitivity is masked by the combo of numbness/finger pain that all beginners have..... Regardless, it makes getting a clean D chord sometimes a hit or miss proposition!! 

If it's a case of simply muscle memory, I guess I can wait for it to become natural.

Suggestions?

Pretty much its the calluses.  What will happen as your fingers toughen (and you'll actually go through a few sets of calluses) is that your muscle sensitivity in the rest of your hand will increase. So what you lose in your fingertips you gain in your fingers, if that makes sense.

If it doesn't, don't worry about it and just keep practicing - but be sure to do them slow enough that you make the chords perfectly. If you practice making them wrong, you'll get better at making them wrong.

Practice makes permanent.

[TheCasual]

I'm doing around 20 changes per min ATM. Just wonder how many changes I should be on to start attempting the songs? I've been on this section since Thursday.

[bradt]

Start now if you like. Just do the simple strumming that Justin shows. The sooner you get started making music, even in simplified forms, the better

If you try it and feel it's too much, then come back to it later.

[Cal]

I'm doing around 20 changes per min ATM. Just wonder how many changes I should be on to start attempting the songs? I've been on this section since Thursday.

What bradt said.  And just to reinforce that here's a snippet from Justin's book:

When should I move on to Stage 2?

• You should have your One-Minute changes down to at least 20 changes in a minute.
• You should be able to play one or two of the songs from the songbook, even if you have to start and stop a little bit here and there.

[Dana]

ok iam at 60 a min just not every time should i do all three cords next and see how many i can do i have gone over 60 with a few blunders  i also have trouble keeping my fretting hand in an arch my number one finger seem to always touch the high e causing the dreaded  buzz   

[bradt]

If your hitting 60 per minute with only a few blunders, then I'd say you're good to go. Maybe practice a few of the songs if you haven't already, but certainly start on the next stage.

[7255carl]

Hi Dana

i agree with bradt if you are hitting 60 even with a few dodgy changes in there you are probably good to move on, personally i like to hit 60 3 days in a row before i move on but thats probably a bit of over kill, for example below was my number for A-D from way back when:

18, 30, 33, 39, 40, 38, 46, 50, 54, 61, 65, 71, this was practicing the changes every day and counting them every other day, i just checked the date on those changes 03 2010 , and i still look back at the beginners course now if i am not happy with something, in a few months time you will not believe how far you have come

all the best

Carl

[Craig Howard]

Hey George

Think outside the box (fret)

Use what ever fingers it takes to make a chord.

I have thick / short fingers so I often use just 2 fingers to cover  2 or 3 notes (strings)  in the same fret.

eg A,E, D

Look at conventional fingering diagrams.. then see what fingers on which strings  are hidden behind other fingers.  I fyou can cover them..go for it.

[Drubbing]

It's always a good idea to learn the conventional fingering, given any fingering and chords are difficult at first.

Especially with Justin's approach, chords are taught with anchor fingers to other chords in mind, to make them all easier to get. If you use lots of alternatives to conventional fingering, then you miss out on learning easy changes.

After a while you can adapt - I try and do the two version of A as much as possible, and prefer one version of the G over others.

[7255carl]

Hi Georgemoe

i would suggest staying with it on the A chord for now, but there is a version of the A chord justin calls the A mini-barre, coming up later in the beginners course, if you do have bigger fingers you may find this an easier way, but for now stick to the course, you will get there

Best of luck

Carl

[Sundance]

Hi everyone,

Hoping someone could give me a few tips regarding A,E,D 1 minute changes.

I have been learning guitar for just over a week and I'm taking my time going through the lessons but I'm not sure I'm doing the 1 minute changes right. I can do about 20 changes so far for each chord but I'm making quite a few mistakes such as touching other strings with my fingers accidentally.

Do i need to slow down until they are perfect?

I'm also having trouble playing the D chord fast, I find it hard to reach the string on the 3rd fret with my finger.

any help would be great

[shadowscott007]

@sundance

From a different thread, but the same answer applies.

If I recall Justin's instructions correctly, it doesn't have to be perfect but it can't be complete rubbish either.  There is a wide span there.

I would say all the fingers in the correct position but a couple unintentionally muted strings would count as acceptable for the quick change exercise.  Working on getting everything perfect should be done separately at a more sedate pace.

My two cents

Shadow

[bradt]

Yeah, the goal of this is to go as fast as you possibly can. Most strums should sound reasonable, but if you're not making any mistakes at all, then you're not pushing yourself.

The D chord just takes a little time. You'll get there....then you'll get to try the D minor 

[shadowscott007]

ALWAYS be practicing what you learn in songs.

The intent of this exercise is to get you to the point so you can make the changes in songs.

Shadow

[bakajin]

When doing the 1 minute changes,  my left thumb keeps slipping from the 3/4 of the way up the fret board to the point where my palm is almost touching the fretboard.  I am not particularly sure why it's moving. 

Am I squeezing  the fretboard too hard and having a slick thumb it moves? 

How do I stop that while still being confident that I am pressing the strings hard enough for my chord?