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One of the keys to making your guitar playing sound smooth and musical is mastering chord transitions. Whether you're playing R&B or any other style, being able to move fluidly between chords is essential. In this lesson, I'll show you a simple yet powerful exercise that I use regularly to help make my transitions smoother and get the most out of just two chords.
1. Start with Two Chords
The first step to improving your transitions is to focus on just two chords at a time. For this exercise, let’s use the iii and IV chords in the Ab Major scale. These two chords will serve as our foundation for this exercise.
If you're not familiar with the number system, I highly recommend checking out some of my other lessons where I break it down in more detail. The number system is a great tool for understanding chord relationships and making your practice more efficient.
The Number System (Key of Ab):
I (AbMaj7) ii (Bbm7) iii (Cm7) IV (C#Maj7) V (EbMaj7) vi (Fm7) vii (Gm7)**
** technically, it’s a diminished chord, but in R&B, we typically use the minor 7 chord
2. Practice Smooth Sliding Between Chords
A big part of making your transitions smooth is learning how to slide into chords. When moving from the iii to the IV chord, try sliding into the chord shapes instead of just jumping to them. This creates a seamless transition that adds a professional touch to your playing.
- Focus on the upstroke dynamic as you slide into the chord.
- If you're using a guitar with a tremolo bar, you can also incorporate subtle vibrato to make the transition even smoother.
3. Work on Hammer-Ons and Shortened Chords
As you move between the two chords, add some hammer-ons to create variation in the rhythm. This helps break up the monotony and adds more texture to your playing. You don’t always need to play full bar chords—experiment with shortening the chord shapes to focus on specific notes or strings.
- Practice using hammer-ons to embellish your transitions.
- Shorten the chord shapes to emphasize the most important notes and keep your transitions tight.
4. Explore Chord Inversions and Voicings
Once you’re comfortable moving between the two basic chords, start exploring different chord inversions and voicings. This means playing the same chord in a different position on the neck of the guitar, which adds variety to your playing and gives you more options for creating smooth transitions.
- Try playing the same chords in different positions on the fretboard.
- Experiment with different voicings to create new sounds while maintaining the same chord structure.
5. Add a Passing Chord for Extra Spice
To take your transitions to the next level, add a passing chord between your iii and IV chords. One of my favorite tricks is using the vi chord as a passing chord. According to the number system, if your iii chord root is on the E string, the vi chord is located right beneath it on the A string. This creates a smooth, logical progression between the chords.
- Use the vi chord as a passing chord to spice up your transitions.
- Practice bouncing between the iii, IV, and vi chords to get the most "real estate" out of this progression.
6. Make This Exercise Part of Your Routine
The real magic of this exercise comes from doing it daily or at least once a week. By focusing on just two chords at a time and working on their transitions, you’ll notice a huge improvement in your overall fluidity and control.
Take your time with this exercise and try different techniques, like sliding, hammer-ons, shortened chords, inversions, and passing chords. Over time, you’ll see how much smoother and more dynamic your chord transitions become.
Conclusion:
This simple exercise of focusing on two chords and maximizing their potential is a game-changer for improving your chord transitions. Whether you're just starting out or already have some experience, this drill will help you develop smoother, more consistent transitions that will elevate your playing to the next level.
If you're serious about improving your guitar skills, why not join Kerry's Kamp, my online guitar community where I personally help you become a better guitarist? I'm offering an exclusive 14-day free trial where you'll get access to a personalized curriculum, a library of on-demand lessons, and a supportive guitar community. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to join two live group lessons with me every week where you can ask questions and get real-time feedback!