Hi Everyone,
I joined about 10 days ago and have been practising every day. I'm a beginner, but finding the course very good and I'm already improving. I'm using a Gretsch G2655 in forge glow maple. However, I've hit a hurdle, which is transitioning my fingers from Am to C. I can go the other way easily enough, but it's a real stretch (literally) getting to the A string of the 3rd fret with my 3rd finger. The only way I can do it is to place the 3rd finger first, then stretch fingers 2 and 1 back to the other strings, but it's costing me 1 beat to do that and I know it's not the right way to do it. Anders specifically mentions this transition as one of the easiest, but not for me. No, not at all. Any tips would be appreciated.
My short-term goal is to complete Guitar Fundamentals 1 & 2 and then play Personal Jesus (from Depeche Mode) repeatedly until I'm sick of it.
Anders is right. Am to C (without the G in the base) is one of if not the easiest open chord transitions.
You have everything going for you mechanically with the G2655 too. It's short scale length with Gretsch's thin U neck profile, so arguably couldn't be easier. Rather a nice axe for a beginner. 👍
So to your issue. Unless you're elderly like so many of us here and suffer from arthritis (?), reading your post the most obvious alternative thing impeding your goal is inexperience & impatience. You'll get there. Time, patience, repetitious practice.
How to. Rewatch the individual lessons about forming those respective chords. Then practice forming them over and over individually until you can do so in your sleep - figuratively per the idiom. Then do the same thing changing to and from Am to C to Am until the transition is seamless. Pay attention to where the ring finger lands on the C relative to the fret. Adjust the hand position wrist angle as necessary to achieve it. Initially it'll require conscious effort and will feel a stretch and uncomfortable to have it reach closer to the actual fret unless you have spider like fingers. With time & sufficient repetition, your mind and body will adapt so it'll all be subconsciously automatic.
Don't be in a rush. To quote Tomo Fujita;
Don't Worry
Don't Compare
Don't Expect Too Fast
Be Kind To Yourself
edited
