Metronome speed for chord changes

by Ismael
(Puerto Rico)

Question: I'd like to know what speeds I should be at using the metronome while changing chords. I'm a true beginner but I love these tutorials and I'm really learning a lot. I've only been at it for about 2 weeks. Right now I just finished learning the E, A, C, G and D minor chords. Now I'm gonna train my muscle memory. I'm at 40bpm on each change, how fast should I be before moving on to the next lesson?

Answer

With chord changes, it's more important at this stage that you can change chord cleanly. That means being able to place all your fingers down accurately on the strings in one smooth movement, without having to correct your positioning.

As mentioned in the basic guitar chords series, you should only speed up the metronome when you can change cleanly at the current speed, in one smooth movement.

As for a top speed to aim for, just take a listen to the music that inspires you the most and get an idea for the kind of speed you personally want to be able to play at. Gradually work towards it, but don't jump ahead of yourself. There's no rush. The muscle memory will set in sooner than you think.

I find a good drum machine works far more effectively than a metronome for chord playing. Plus, it's more fun than the "tick, tick, tick" of a metronome!

Hope this helps. Keep practising.