Muscle memory?

Hey guys, so I know the answer to this is probably "wait until your muscle memory catches up", or just practicing more. But, I am having a hard time switching between particular chords in songs (where there is a long pause) in particular I have a hard time going from C to G (this might not seem that difficult to you pros!) but is there any other "easier" way to make a G? I have fat fingers so its getting difficult even after practicing all day!

Anyone out there??

hate to say it but a fair amount of it is practice and muscle memory, also are you playing the c with your middle finger? Because if you are you could probably try using your ring, its just a straight drop to the c from the g and vise-versa

Firstly...there is no such thing as muscle memory, the movements of your fingers is a function of the brain. The actions required to place your fingers requires differant parts of your brain communicating via cains of neurons ...."pathways", the more often the path is used, the more "free-er" the path becomes.

Now...to help you become better at placing your fingers in the right spots, take special note of how exactly your hand is placed on the neck, what parts are touching, how your wrist is angled, which parts of your fingers are touching, then what movement is required to get your fingers on the next chord. Consciuosly try to replicate these sensations. Speed is something you will acheive once you have accuracy. I recommend spending a short time before bed practicising, this allows the brain to "digest" what it has just been doing....And drink some water, a starved brain does not function well. Also do not program your brain with mistakes, when you have been practiciing for a period but find you are muffing up, stop and take a break.

That's your neurophysiology lesson for today, thanks for watching, lol

Wow. Thanks Doctor GG. Sage advice. Do you bulk bill? I'd like to make an appointment...

Hi NYG010

What about doing G using your pinky (0 0 0 3 as x x x A) and then G chord (0 2 3 2 using x I R M). I = index, M = middle, R = ring, A = pinky

The G chord with pinky is a bit hard, but the payback is that each of your fingers is used for one chord, not both. So you can form a chord shape *before* you fret a chord, C or G. Then, it becomes simply putting your fingers down while lifting others up.

Your IMR form the G chord, and I would still call it Muscle Memory (even though medically it is not correct, I just learned). Maybe I should say tactile feel......

Sometime it is beneficial to change the "usual" fingerings if you know the chord sequence.

Happy Pickin
Chief

GreatGazukes said:

And drink some water, a starved brain does not function well...

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Well, I prefer a glass of wine.... but not sure how water will feed a brain, since it lacks nutrients. (At least my water does - I can't speak for what comes out of your taps...). It will hydrate, but not feed. An unsweetened, natural juice would seem a better choice, or a tea or coffee for the caffeine, which can (under certain circumstances) improve neural activity. Pop is a bad choice (as it always is) because it gives a sugar rush at first, but then depletes the energy. Not to mention all those harmful acids (colas are more acidic than a car battery!).

The other side to that is the muscle's tone and flexibility from practice. Those muscles being used will strengthen and improve from use, be less prone to stress and stiffness because they get used to being used regularly. They become accustomed to being used in certain ways, to expanding and contracting on demand for specific tasks, and which is not "memory" but feels like it.

And the only solution to playing better or faster is one word: practice.

ichadwick said:

Well, I prefer a glass of wine.... but not sure how water will feed a brain, since it lacks nutrients. (At least my water does - I can't speak for what comes out of your taps...). It will hydrate, but not feed.

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Ian, I don't really have a breadth of musical talent that I can offer this forum, and I admit to being pleased when an occasion arises wherby I can offer a bit of knowledge that I have taken some effort to gain and memorise. Such a rejoinder as that quoted above diminishes my comfort to be an active participant in the UU.

No quick fixes... Learn it right the first time.

With any new chord, your best bet is to practice just going back and forth from chord to chord until it comes quickly. This can be frustrating and boring at times, but it is the best way to get your fingers moving.

I once had the honor of speaking with rhythm guitarist Whit Smith of Hot Club Of Cowtown about this same issue. He uses a lot of difficult chord voicings that are not common in the guitar world today. He gave me the same piece of advice telling me he used to sit and watch a sitcom with the guitar in his lap just going back and forth (no strumming) from chords he already knew to the one he was trying to master.

I know it will take time, but keep at it and you'll be golden!

~DB

When I hit a difficulty like this, I just relax and tell myself that it is simply a natural challenge that comes with trying something new.
With time it will get easier.

But keep in mind, a watched pot never boils.

I would stop worrying so much, just enjoy the music and practice.
Then one day, you just may surprise yourself. All of a sudden, you'll be able to play that transition as easy as breathing.

How do you find the E chord in comparison?
I hate that chord..

You can also play the G chord by barring the C, E, A strings at the second fret using your index finger, and put you middle finger on the E string at the third fret.

Thank you all for your great advice (I know most of it will boil down to just practice and hours spent on the uke). And yes I use my ring finger currently to Play the C then move on to a regular G, which I am having the most "muted" space in between chords!! very frustrating!

Guess this has been said time but really practice is where it's at. For the past month I really needed to migrate up the fretboard to a closed, second position G7, A7, etc. That would be 4,5,3,5 etc. It took a while but with practice I was able "train" my fingers to move to those specific positions to the point where it has become second nature. I kept forcing myself to shoot for that chord position rather than the open 0,2,1,2 even during performances.

Now I'm battling two more A chords. Am7 = 2,4,3,3 and Am = 2,4,5,3 I'm getting there but I do blow it sometimes much to the the chagrin of my Duo partner...

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-muscle-memory.htm

http://news.guitarojam.com/musicians-health/muscle-memory-and-guitar-players-73/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memory

GreatGazukes said:

Ian, I don't really have a breadth of musical talent that I can offer this forum, and I admit to being pleased when an occasion arises wherby I can offer a bit of knowledge that I have taken some effort to gain and memorise. Such a rejoinder as that quoted above diminishes my comfort to be an active participant in the UU.

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GreatGazukes,

Please don't allow the pedantry of a few to diminish your enjoyment of, or participation in, the forums. I'm reasonably certain that I am not alone in finding your posts quite useful and often entertaining; much more so than the posts of some who seem to cross the border from humorous to boorish far more frequently than seems either healthy or entertaining.

John

Two words, "practice" and "rubber stamp." Oops, three words. Think of a chord as being a shape of your hand, like a rubber stamp. So, when you're moving from one chord to another you don't think "this finger at the third fret of the second string," and so on. It's just, "my hand should look like this and I put it here." In other words, you lift your fingers from one chord and as soon as they are clear of the strings they are already moving into the new shape, then you plunk them down at the correct location for the next chord.

Now, initially that probably seems even more difficult - but in practice you'll find it increases your speed and accuracy on chord changes. I was given that advice by a guy in a local guitar shop years ago when I was learning guitar and it was the best musical advice I've ever received, period.

The second technique is almost as important - analyze the song you are going to play in advance. No chord change should ever take you by surprise. While you are playing the C you should be mentally preparing for the move to the G, and so on. Another thing goes hand-in-hand with this - learn multiple forms of chords. Sometimes it makes sense to play a D as 2220 with either two or three fingers (depending on what's comfortable for you) - other times it makes sense to play it as 2220 with a barre over the strings, and sometimes as 2225 with a barre and pinky or ring finger on the 5. It all depends on what other chords are being played before and after the D. Analyzing the phrases of the song in advance will help you to choose the most sensible progression.

The above paragraph can best be summarized as - "think of a song as a sequence of chord changes, not as a sequence of chords.

John

ichadwick said:

Well, I prefer a glass of wine.... but not sure how water will feed a brain, since it lacks nutrients. (At least my water does - I can't speak for what comes out of your taps...). It will hydrate, but not feed. An unsweetened, natural juice would seem a better choice, or a tea or coffee for the caffeine, which can (under certain circumstances) improve neural activity. Pop is a bad choice (as it always is) because it gives a sugar rush at first, but then depletes the energy. Not to mention all those harmful acids (colas are more acidic than a car battery!).

The other side to that is the muscle's tone and flexibility from practice. Those muscles being used will strengthen and improve from use, be less prone to stress and stiffness because they get used to being used regularly. They become accustomed to being used in certain ways, to expanding and contracting on demand for specific tasks, and which is not "memory" but feels like it.

And the only solution to playing better or faster is one word: practice.

Click to expand...

Actually, the alcohol in wine gives it more of an anesthetic effect on the brain than a nutritional one! Just sayin

the same thing happened to me in the very beginning. My hands are actually very small, which in turn isn't the best thing ever (prevents me from learning songs like Just dance, etc.) Try using just your middle finger for the c, while at the same time use put your pointer one fret behind your middle. Then when you switch, the change is not as hard.

Neuropathways are real, positive feedback loops etc etc. I also use an index finger barre with a middle finger on the 2nd string 3d fret for the Gmaj.

PhilUSAFRet said:

Actually, the alcohol in wine gives it more of an anesthetic effect on the brain than a nutritional one! Just sayin

Click to expand...

BWAAA-HAAAA. So very succinct, and so well put; I tip my hat.