Having problems with fast chord changes...learning Clapton

[BernardAlbrecht]

before ANYONE says anything, I've practiced and practiced and this is really starting to wind me up.

 

I'm currently working my way to learning 'My Father's Eyes' by Eric Clapton but the fast chord changes are really getting to me. Now this is actually the first song I've learnt on guitar which isn't a church song, and I think here lies the problem: most of the songs I'd learnt in church playing were fairly simple and also fairly slow (least the ones I did were).

 

Anyone got any idea how I can make this easier?

[gennation]

If you're not able to play over it up to speed you might think about playing longer single notes yourself for a while then add in more notes the more you get familiar with it. Like play nothing but whole note, half notes, or quarter notes for a while to help you setup playing over it.

 

The more you start finding your direction you can always add more notes if you want or simply think of it as embellishing what you're already doing to fill in some holes or gaps.

 

I'm not familiar with this tune but it looks like Eric is mainly playing a C# Minor Pentatonic and C# Minor Scale for the bulk of it. Are you having issue playing in the one scale over the changes?

[Alex_DeLarge]

Mike I think you got it wrong. He didn't say that he was trying to play OVER the changes, he's trying to play the chords themselves (at least that's why I understood)

[gennation]

 

Mike I think you got it wrong. He didn't say that he was trying to play OVER the changes, he's trying to play the chords themselves (at least that's why I understood)

 

 

Yeah, maybe. If so, disregard my last post.

 

But still if the chords are played through too fast for you, you can still use the same approach for the chords. Just play the chords with a single strum/strike rhythm pattern and work up to playing the full rhythmic pattern by embellishing the simple rhythm pattern as you get more comfortable with it.

[windmill]

Have you thought about working it backwards ?

Where do you want to land ? Think about the next chord before you move.

Don't forget to keep your strumming hand moving in time.

 

or you can cheat like the rest of us

 

Can you change the voicing so you don't have to move so many fingers or so far ?

 

You also don't have to play all the strings, just the main notes in the chord and mute the rest of the strings.

 

Finally, intense practice on each change, start slow and practice each change 50 times then do the next change. Repeat.

 

Hope this helps

[1001gear]

 

before ANYONE says anything, I've practiced and practiced and this is really starting to wind me up. I'm currently working my way to learning 'My Father's Eyes' by Eric Clapton but the fast chord changes are really getting to me. Now this is actually the first song I've learnt on guitar which isn't a church song, and I think here lies the problem: most of the songs I'd learnt in church playing were fairly simple and also fairly slow (least the ones I did were). Anyone got any idea how I can make this easier?

 

 

I don't recognize the title. Doesn't matter. Keep playing it slow - and STEADY. See if you can speed up the CHURCH tunes. If you can, fine then just keep playing the Clapton tune and don't worry about the tempo. If you can't (speed up the church tunes) then you have a whole bunch of stuff in your hands from which you can formulate a go faster program.

[JonR]

This is a fairly slow tempo tune, but the chords do change every 2 beats, so that can be tough if you're a beginner (or even a little beyond beginner).

 

Sorry to say, but really IS down to practice, over and over.

 

You could try just taking each pair of chords and practice moving your fingers from one to the other and back - without necessarily strumming them, just getting that left hand used to the transitions.

 

But this is a challenging song - why not try some other songs with slower changes?

Or - seeing as most of the chords are barre chords - try using a capo and changing the shapes. Eg, if you put a capo on fret 2, a B chord becomes an A shape and an F# becomes E. (C#m is still a Bm barre shape tho.)

[Stan31]

 

before ANYONE says anything, I've practiced and practiced and this is really starting to wind me up.

 

 

I was in the same boat about half a year ago - no amount of practice seemed to get me to the point where I wanted to be.

 

The answer for me was "Guitar Principles" - the method of practice that GUARANTEES results and continuous improvement. Links are in the siggy.

 

Look into their "Chords and rhythm" book - I believe it will answer your specific question.

 

Cheers!

[jeremy_green]

Sometimes if you reduce full chords down to triads (3 note versions) it can become easier. As you get more comfortable start adding in the larger barres etc. Get the root, 3rd and 5th moving first.

[meganutt7]

Jon and Jeremy wit hthe sagely advice. No surprise.

[Steadfastly]

Just keep practicing as the others have said. Keep it steady.

 

Have you tried practicing it with a metronome so you can measure your progress?

[BernardAlbrecht]

 

Just keep practicing as the others have said. Keep it steady. Have you tried practicing it with a metronome so you can measure your progress?

 

 

 

 

I don't own a physical metronome and wouldn't have a clue how to use the thing even if I did. I've nearly always practiced to a drum track, not a metronome.

[Stan31]

 

I don't own a physical metronome and wouldn't have a clue how to use the thing even if I did. I've nearly always practiced to a drum track, not a metronome.

 

 

 

You don't need a physical metronome... use a virtual one (I do). Google "free metronome download". There are loads of them out there.

[Steadfastly]

 

You don't need a physical metronome... use a virtual one (I do). Google "free metronome download". There are loads of them out there.

 

 

Here's my favorite online one. I hope it is a help.

 

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/metronome.php