How long should I expect learning chords to take?

I'm about a week in, and I realize this is a process that you can't rush. I'm not being impatient . . . I'm just trying to develop reasonable expectations.

I'm trying to learn my first 3 chords in Guitar fundamentals 1 (A, D and E chords). Finding it very awkward and difficult, though at least my fingers are starting to callous enough that practicing isn't super-painful.

Anyway, it instinctively feels impossible to get the precision of the finger placements right consistently, let alone to switch between them with any kind of timing and rhythm . . . how quickly does that tend to come, assuming you're practicing daily?

One other question -- I'm having a major problem with "Buzz" on my A major chord, coming chiefly from the D string (index finger). When I remove my other fingers, I can kill the buzz by moving my index finger closer to the fret, but if I'm cramming 3 fingers into the second fret this is difficult to do. Am I missing something obvious?

Hi, I started about 2/3 months ago and had the same problem and my fingers are only just starting to think for themselves. I have "fat fingers" and getting them all into one fret can be a nightmare but I've started to notice that for certain chords that they push the strings a little to make way for the open strings naturally. As for the chord change times these will develop in time and practice, just don't get frustrated with it

"To completely Master the chords sincerely and play like a pro will atleast tke a year....bt being a beginner u'll face sme real problms bt soon it will start working fr u so jst practise and practise fr atleast 2 hrs a day with a metronome and play 3 chrds at a time in diffrent patterns ' to play the basic chords without any difculty will tke atleast 3months so kip playng nd nEVER GIVE UP...AND THE BUZZ pblm is jst commom fr dat

1..put ur fingers in correct position /struming is nt a big deal so make sure ur fingers r in the right position and pointed

2.u might ve finger strength pblm bt u'll come dis wen practise mre mre ..

Originally Posted by: shazol20"To completely Master the chords sincerely and play like a pro will atleast tke a year....bt being a beginner u'll face sme real problms bt soon it will start working fr u so jst practise and practise fr atleast 2 hrs a day with a metronome and play 3 chrds at a time in diffrent patterns ' to play the basic chords without any difculty will tke atleast 3months so kip playng nd nEVER GIVE UP...AND THE BUZZ pblm is jst commom fr dat

1..put ur fingers in correct position /struming is nt a big deal so make sure ur fingers r in the right position and pointed

2.u might ve finger strength pblm bt u'll come dis wen practise mre mre ..

Wow.....Are you typing by rolling your face around the keyboard?

@HUNTER.........I gUESS SO IS DERE ANY PBLM

Fact is, it will take a long time. It does for everyone. One thing I did that I would recommend to anyone is to practice transitions through an easy I-IV-V progression for different keys.

For example, in the key of E major you have E(I) - A(IV) - B(IV). What I did is I would place my fingers on the E major chord and so an 8 count strum. Then, very slowly, I would raise my fingers and move to the A chord and do an 8 count strum and then the same for the B chord. Repeat this for 10-15 minutes.

Slowly over time, my transitions to the different chords got faster. Do this in all keys. The I_IV_V progression is so common in music that you will find this extremely useful as a practice method.

As a disclaimer, this is boring, and arduous, and it might frustrate you. I did this for months and still couldn't play a song. But, like you will often hear, one day, it all clicked.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by: hdoran...One thing I did that I would recommend to anyone is to practice transitions through an easy I-IV-V progression for different keys...

...The I_IV_V progression is so common in music that you will find this extremely useful as a practice method.

The I-vi-IV-V progression concluded with I-IV-I-V7, A-G, is about 25 minutes of my daily practice. I run through each key twice; 16 measures with open chords, 16 measures with barre chords - always with a metronome (C and F keys get a another run through using a third voicing).

Over time I use different strum patterns/rhythms.

learning your first open chords can seem pretty slow. I had a tough time and it took a few weeks to change smoothly without muting or buzzing strings. It really just takes practice but it gets easier as you go.
also, i had the same problem with my A maj chord. again practice fixed it.

It's amazing how little control we have over our left hand's fingers. The fact is we just don't use them much. Place your left hand, palm down on a flat surface. Curl your fingers so that all four tips of your fingers are pressing down on the surface. Now move your index finger and your middle finger up and down, in an alternating pattern, so that they tap on the surface. Try and do that as fast as possible. That is probably fairly easy for you but if you try the same exercise with your middle finger and your ring finger it becomes more difficult. If you try this exercise with your ring finger and your small finger it becomes extremely difficult.

In order to change chords quickly we need to train our brains to move our left hand's fingers independently. Something we never do. I would recommend practicing the exercise above several times a day. Try it with different combination of fingers and move the fingers forward and back as you tap them. The more you practice gaining control of your left hand's fingers the faster you will be able to learn to change chords.

Best of luck to you and always remember, playing the guitar is a journey with no end.

I liked to just grip a chord shape pick out all the strings and let it go. I would put my hand on my leg and grab a Chord as I put my hand on the neck. It made me see the shape in my head befor I put my fingers on a string. I takes time and is not very musical but it is a place to start.