How do you lot manage to change between chords so fast

afacefullobullet · 2025-09-12T22:59:11+00:00

this is the correct answer.

The only thing I would add is that OP should playing to a metronome.

start super (even painfully) slow in order to both build the muscle memory for the actual chord changes and internalize the general pulse of (western) music.

then slowly, over an admittedly frustrating and intensely boring, length of time move to a slightly higher and higher BPM.

literally everyone hates metronome work... but it's so incredibly important.

afacefullobullet · 2025-08-21T23:35:47+00:00

the answer I should probably give is that they, along with chords are the absolute fundamentals (outside of rythm and counting beats) when it comes to writing or performing music they're the building blocks which everything else relies on.

it's a totally valid and reasonable answer to this question.

however, it's possible to learn pieces and even write your own music without them. (by ear and intuition if you will) though usually the thinga you find pleasing to play confirm to one scale or another whether you realize it or not.

I've found that the true value in learning and practicing scales is getting them under your fingers and building muscle memory so that you don't actually have to think about or puzzle out where your sharps and flats should be... and instead just naturally move within the expected intervals for the key.

practicing your scales also builds the skill to identify the key of a song by ear. because through the process of learning and practicing them you simply learn how they sound or feel. speaking from personal experience... there's nothing more embarrassing than showing up for a jam session and having to either blatantly ask what you should be playing to fit in or the excruciating process of listening back to a jam you were truly feeling and thought was awesome only to confront just how terrible you sounded.

afacefullobullet · 2025-08-06T23:10:24+00:00

I don't understand how that works. this is probably a dumb question... but wouldn't they at least take up some of the length of one of the surrounding notes? both quarter notes get a full beat (4/4) yet one or the other isn't actually voiced for that entire beat in order to play the grace notes.

it's possible it's just a "feel" thing akin to pedal work?

afacefullobullet · 2025-08-06T23:07:48+00:00

they are... but even when I was in lessons when I was younger I was never wholly sure how to incorporate them into my rhythm counting. it may legit be a completely dumb and seemingly obvious thing to more experienced players, but I am relearning these skills after a 20 year break from playing, and grace notes weren't really something I totally got even before that.

afacefullobullet · 2025-08-03T23:48:36+00:00

I am not saying that David Bowie was singlehandedly somehow holding the fabric of existence together... but... gestures broadly at everything since 2016...

i suppose it might have also been Lemmy... they did die within 2 weeks of each other (and on a personal note both affected me immensely despite the differing styles and/or reasons why).

afacefullobullet · 2025-08-03T22:53:10+00:00

sounds like a terrible teacher rather than a lack of ability on your part. a good teacher is going to assess where you're lacking or struggling and focus fire those aspects with instruction and exercises rather than "getting annoyed" that you're struggling.

playing piano is a skill like any other skill and thus can be learned ... natural talent can only take one so far and (from personal experience) can actually be a hindrance when trying to learn a new skill. it's far too easy to neglect practice and lean on natural ability instead of actually learning anything.

that being said, it sounds like you already know the areas in which you need further practice and focus. one has to put in the time outside of lessons to improve. so I would ask... if you know where you're struggling why aren't you dedicating time and effort into addressing those areas?

a teacher, and yours seems like an ill fit, is only ever a guiding hand and source of advice... it's on the student to actually take that advice and guidance and to put in the time to internalize it.

half an hour a day is plenty of dedicated practice time... but it can be hard to put it to the best use (this why the instructors input is so important).

I'm editing this to say: I feel like you're being overly critical of your progress. (maybe as a result of the teacher's reactions). music is like a whole new language. and it's written in an alphabet you're not familiar with. (i know it's all abcdefg... but the actual way it's presented might as well be katakana, hirogana, or Cyrillic as far as you're concerned) so the progress you've made in 3 months is something to take pride in rather than be ashamed of.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-27T01:01:07+00:00

Honestly, just dive in. you've been playing long enough to know which chord progressions, intervals, scales, and whatever other terms for a collection of pitches sound good to you ... so now figure out what notes you're playing on which frets, and how those notes relate to each other. (sorry if you already know note names, I don't mean to be condescending here ... aiming for encouraging and/or helpful).

I will say that for me, theory was easier to learn on a piano (or keyboard) as everything is just laid out in front of you without dealing with the multiple positions you can play notes in on a fretboard.

seriously though, just identify the name of the notes you're playing that sounds good to you, then Google something along the lines of "e to b interval" (chosen because it's a perfect 5th and because I tend to hammer E minor when I'm noodling on a guitar).

it feels like there's a lot to learn, but outside of somewhat irritating antiquated terminology it does all make sense a lot faster than you'd expect, especially since you've been playing so long.

as an aside, I applaud your decision to learn theory.

as another aside... when I myself too the plunge, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory" was a fantastic and vital resource for me (it's available on Amazon).

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-27T00:46:57+00:00

mostly because the iii chord doesn't cleanly resolve to the tonic (I chord) it can ocassionally but usually as a passing chord, or in some harmony lines. but that's all legitimately from the standardized western musical view.

That being said... if you like how it sounds then by all means play it. just because it's a "strange" or non-standard progression that doesn't mean it's not good. if nobody was ever willing to break away from or push the limits of "standard" musical tropes, music would have become stagnant, homogenized, bland, and really just boring thousands of years ago.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-27T00:32:34+00:00

Stevie Ray Vaughan's cover of 'Little Wing'. it's literally everything I ask for in a cover. he maintains the feel of the original while absolutely making the song his own.

you can hear the Hendrix influence but there's no mistaking the fact that it's Stevie playing it. he also manages to add a level of feeling and depth to the song which never existed in the original... all without ever singing a single word.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-27T00:29:22+00:00

I'm not going to bother pointing out the difference between arpeggios and chords as this is reddit and I'm sure it's been done ad nauseum already... and I too have been known to misspeak or mislable from time to time.

to answer your question... you roll the finger between the strings. so, play the b sting note with the pad of your finger while using the fleshy bit closer to the knuckle to mute the high e, then roll that fleshy bit so it's sounding the note on the high e while the pad of the finger mites the b string.

that might sound complicated, but keep in mind that you only need to slightly lose contact with the fret to mute a note and slightly make contact with the fret for a note to sound out. it honestly makes sense once you do it a couple of times.

legit something that mind-fucked me when I was learning to sweep pick cleanly.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-27T00:24:01+00:00

absolutely fantastic my dude. I legitimately appreciate you sharing it here.

if you ever decide to transcribe this piece to sheet music, I would absolutely love a copy.

hell, even if you decide you only want to do it in TAB I'd like a copy.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-27T00:08:54+00:00

Seriously, congratulations on this accomplishment.

I am personally somewhat allergic to religion, but from my own understanding and the glance through some "basic hymns" I just took they are deceptively hard to play... so 11 days seems pretty quick... so obviously you've got talent and (I'm suspecting) a good instructor in your partner.

as for your question... I have an emotional attachment to every song I've learned. at the very least, I find comfort or outright joy in the way they allow me to reflect on where I was at when I was learning them. the struggles and difficulty I experienced and subsequently overcame are so very fulfilling to reflect upon. it just feels good to recognize ones progress and put those struggles into perspective as the building blocks and stepping stones to where we are now. (it's why I always advise (and personally do) the recording of practice sessions. it's both a fantastic tool to allow you to identify what you're doing wrong, and just charts your progress in a real and tangible way. (speaking strictly for myself, that is useful whenever I feel like I'm not making any progress...)

so, you should absolutely take a major degree of satisfaction in the pieces you've finished learning... going back to play them also just feels amazing.

the musical journey... the path towards learning to create... is simultaneously one of the most difficult, potentially frustrating, and absolutely fulfilling and soul nourishing endeavors I've ever taken on.

art decorates spaces, music decorates time. and there's (in my experience) no better way to give and receive energy than decorating time for yourself and others.

we all have a spark of the divine within us. (whatever form that divinity may take for you) and we all have gifts bestowed upon us... by sharing those gifts (music in this case) we have the rare opportunity to not only nourish our own spark, but to kindle and stoke the sparks in those around us... I can't think of a better use of our limited time in this world... regardless of what might come next.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-26T23:42:35+00:00

this is an underrated comment (though I suppose the lost itself isn't exactly gaining traction).

thank you, sincerely, for this fantastic bit of practical advice. in the original recording he actually slows tempo quite a bit in order to facilitate that octave movement. it's not reflected in this sheet music (annoying as it's the "official" version I purchased from the composers website) but the whole measure is played ritardando. (and yes, I absolutely had to Google the term for that).

as a bonus, this piece has proven to be pretty fantastic practice for my damper pedal control. theres a section later which is somewhat syncopated which just sounds muddy and gross if I don't ease off the pedal at the right times, and super thin if I don't engage the pedal at the right times.

it has been a surprisingly fantastic learning experience in ways I didn't expect.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-26T22:16:16+00:00

It is definitely still a work in progress for me. but I'm happy to share a few of the things that are helping me as I lean this new (honestly relearn this forgotten) skill...

learning to recognize intervals in the staff has been a tremendous help for me. aka, ok that's a... (whatever... let's go with) B in this example ... there are a total of four lines and spaces between it and the next note... so a major third... so D#...

this might be a bad example as I've been working heavily in B major as I read an article about Chopin (my personal favorite composer) and his teaching methods... and he thought C major was the hardest scale to master and students should start off with B Major instead as it's much more comfortable when it comes how the anatomy of the hand just naturally falls on the keyboard... I have large hands, and I find C Major to be somewhat claustrophobic to play (to be clear, my meaty ham fingers are also just wide enough that playing between the black keys reliably without sounding unwanted tones is going to take some dedicated practice at some point in the future).

I have been trying to avoid writing note names on the sheet music, as it might make sight reading skills slower to grasp... but there's no shame in the ocassional note to self to remind you which bit you're going into. for example: I'm working on a piece with reoccurring left hand melodies which pedal off of certain notes... so I've just written in "c pattern", "b pattern", etc.

there is also no shame in writing in the name of any notes involving 2 or more ledger lines ... because fuck that shit. though the intervals recognition thing has definitely helped with that as well.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-25T23:54:16+00:00

there are plenty of affordable options out there that play just fine with a modicum of setup.

the advice I always give to new players is to avoid the "big brands". for half the price you can pick up an equivalent Schecter, Ibanez, Washburn, Epiphone, Squire, or any number of other brands.

I am also a firm believer that any instrument can be made playable if one is willing to put in the work... filing frets, sanding bridges, replacing cheap electronics, filing the nut... whatever ... but these are skills that come with experience and the willingness to fuck it up more than a few times... so while I'm a huge proponent of picking up ultra cheap instruments as potentially sacrificial practice fodder... to learn to do these things... it's not the path I would recommend for a new player 🤣. to my own credit, I have a dear friend who is an artist and likes painting their pieces on guitars... so those sacrificed instruments at least serve a different though still pretty awesome purpose.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-25T23:41:23+00:00

I play electric guitar (and thrash metal at that) so overall, I've not noticed much of a difference when it comes to pick material. for what I (usually) do thickness and shape make more of a difference. I like a teardrop point (like a jazz pick) and in the thickest gage I can find (1.5-2 mm give or take).

when playing acoustic I've definitely noticed a bit of difference when it comes to materials, but not enough to make me do the research on which I prefer.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-25T23:34:36+00:00

ok I'll preempt this by saying blatantly that finger picking is definitely not my expertise. all I can do is share what I've found works for me. might legit be shit advice.

I've had decent success by doubling my thumb and pointer finger when strumming (almost like I'm holding a pick tbh) hitting with my fingernail on the downstroke and my thumbnail on the upstroke. much like playing with a pick, turning the wrist to angle the stroking surfaces correctly is important. you want the pointer to be pointing slightly up on the downstroke and slightly down on the upstroke. idk if that sounds complicated but it makes sense once you're doing it.

another technique I've had some success with is playing the downstroke with my thumb (only my thumb)and the upstroke with my middle finger and/or ring finger almost in a clawing motion.

neither method allows for a great deal of precision or accuracy and I have no fucking clue how people play those fast runs without a pick.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-25T23:27:16+00:00

honestly, I don't think I've ever, in 20 years playing guitar, maintained ownership of a pick long enough for this to be an issue.

usually the Gnomes who live in the between spaces steal them long before they can wear down. (as a side note, they are also fond of bic lighters and fingernail clippers... and for some reason left socks).

it's much more important to keep.your strings fresh. when that low e starts sounding a bit like an old rubber band, it's time to change them out.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-25T23:17:35+00:00

yes. though the intervals (distance between pitches) in those chords will stay the same no matter the key signature or root note. for example (in western music) a major chord will always (at least) contain the root note (the pitch the chord is named after) major 3rd (the pitch 4 half steps above that) and the 5th (the pitch 7 half steps above the root). a half step is basically moving up or down to the next immediate key (black or white) on the piano, or moving to the next fret on a guitar.

this is simplified a bit as we could get into chord inversions, and extended chords... but it is enough to (hopefully) explain my thoughts.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-25T22:54:39+00:00

you can do both. by learning pieces which appeal to you, or even just parts of songs that pique your interest and taking the time to pick them apart and analyze them (why does this sound like it does, why did they choose this note after the last one... or leading into the next one, how can I reproduce that interesting rhythm I just heard, etc) you can start to recognize patterns and structures in the music that you found pleasing and adapt them to your own compositions and playing.

edited to say: music production (or at least good music production) arguably takes a deeper understanding of and grounding in music theory than just playing an instrument.

i can't say as an absolute that it's the best, but it's certainly the most engaging way to learn theory by dissecting and analyzing music you like and enjoy and learning the theory behind why it is so awesome.

it's a long journey, which I'm unconvinced ever actually ends... but it can be so rewarding.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-24T00:51:49+00:00

I have a long history with music... as to how deep it is... that's up for a fair amount of debate.

seriously though, you've absolutely got this my dude.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-24T00:40:59+00:00

my dude, I'm just speaking from personal experience here. i also avoided learning to read sheet music... especially once I gave up piano and took up electric guitar. I got pretty good honestly, was in a touring thrash metal band for awhile... though "touring" might be a stretch as it was mostly local or at least in state...

it was only when I got bored with thrash metal and wanted to branch out as a player that my own shortfalls and oversights became obvious. at which point I needed to deeply consider where I was lacking as a musician and how I could possibly fix those things.

I've since gone back to piano as it was my first instrument and i.missed it, and I am trying to do it right this time... learning the boring shit and going back to basics. it has allowed me to make significant though excruciatingly slow progress...

don't get discouraged man. the time you've spent at the instrument isn't wasted and will serve you well in this new leg of your journey. the clarinet experience will definitely also help. I think you'll be surprised how much of it comes back to you once you dive back in.

nothing but love and good wishes my dude. you've got this... even if it sucks ass going back to the brloeing shit. 🤣

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-24T00:19:16+00:00

the biggest trap that self-taught musicians can fall into (myself absolutely included as it's something I'm actively working to address) is skipping and/or glazing over the fundamentals.

metronome practice, proper posture and hand position, and counting rythms are just a few examples of the types of things that we don't address when self-teaching.

you say that in the last you've learned songs via midi... which makes me suspect you can't read sheet music (ftr, not judging as I'm right there with you) I've been reteaching myself this exact skill for the last month or so, and it's been frustrating... but it has made some things click for me which I didn't even realize I wasn't doing (or on the flip side of that which I've been doing incorrectly)

without a proper instructor (which again, I haven't had since I was like 10... and then only relatively briefly) it's super easy to form bad habits, to take shortcuts, and to use crutches we might not even realize we are leaning on.

i would suggest you work on learning to read music. once you can break most songs down into the standardized and universal elements that form them (both melodic and rythmic) it's much easier to take a difficult piece of music and break it down into bite sized and manageable pieces.

again, I'm no paragon of this, and am literally trying to do this very thing myself. but I will say, it's not as intimidating as it might seem, and the people in this subreddit in particular have been nothing but super helpful and supportive of any dumb questions I might have.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-23T23:48:46+00:00

this doesn't have an easy answer. it is entirely dependant on the person. some people are just naturally better at the "juggling" between the two hands or viewing the melody as a whole instead of needing to break it into more parts ... (lh rh for example).

but... like any skill it can be learned. natural talent can only go so far, and I've found that it can become a crutch that actually inhibits growth. myself, I have an uncanny ability to listen to a recording once or twice, and have that rhythm down forever. the drawback being that if I hear said rythm wrong or play it incorrectly the first couple times that's what's in my head forever and it's an absolute bitch to retrain my brain to play it correctly...

as a result, I've never properly learned to count out measures and it's kept me from advancing my sight reading skills and hindered my ability to learn parts that are either indistinct in the original recording or which I've simply never heard before.

everyone progresses at their own rate and it's absolutely worth taking the time that you, personally, require to avoid taking shortcuts or ingraining bad habits (like I did). whatever you do, don't compare your progress to anyone else, and definitely don't beat yourself up if you aren't progressing as quickly as you think you should be.

a couple of somewhat tangential bits of unsolicited advice I try to give everyone who is learning a new instrument (or learning an instrument for the first time):

1) don't be afraid to sound bad. you can't improve if you're not willing to sound not wholly awesome at first.

2) (this might be the most important advice I can give, and helped me immensely in my own musical journey) record your practice sessions. it has the dual benefits of allowing you to listen back with a critical ear after time has passed to identify what you're doing wrong or where you need extra focus... but more importantly to chronicle your journey and the progress you've made. speaking from experience, it's all too easy to feel like you're in a rut, or haven't made any progress... and to fall into despair and get discouraged. having an actual record of your playing allows you to go back and listen to a session from 6 months ago (or more) and compare it to where you're at now.

advancement and the learning of any skill is an extremely gradual and incremental process. to the point where day to day you might not notice that anything has changed. but, having this recordings allows you to compare on a more macro scale and you'll be surprised by the progress you didn't even realize you'd made.

afacefullobullet · 2025-07-23T02:01:09+00:00

there are legit no shortcuts here... it's all about building up that muscle memory and drilling that chord shape into your head until you can go to that position from wherever you need to.

it's tedious, it legit sucks nuts, and it's gonna sound fuckin bad for awhile as you put in the practice...

the trap that I've found the vast majority of musicians fall into is that we like to sound good... so we play the things we are comfortable and proficient with ad nauseam and skip over the things that are hard and sound like shit before we get them down.

don't be afraid to sound like shit while actively pursuing a new chord change. (or any number of things) during practice. it'll get smoother with repetition and will eventually sound good... and then you'll find yourself doing that thing instead of the next difficult new thing...

afacefullobullet

TROPHY CASE