Chord Practice

Very often in my teaching I hear from students of all levels that changing chords is a slow and often difficult thing to do in time, especially at faster tempos. Many will give up thinking that it's impossible to move in time.

After discussing a good left hand and arm position and making sure the guitar is being held in a way that doesn't cause the arm to have any excess tension I will often use this ii v7 i exercise.

I have used this with jazz, rock and classical students to help them move chords with fluidity.

Before trying the full exercise it is wise to learn and memorise the following chord forms;

First the root position, 1st, 2nd and 3rd inversion of the ii chord.


D Minor 7



Now the root position, 1st, 2nd and 3rd inversion of the v7 chord.


G Dominant 7


Finally root position, 1st, 2nd and 3rd inversion of the i chord.

C Major 7




While learning each chord it is worth taking a little extra time to name the bass note of each inversion. This not only helps you with your fingerboard knowledge but also reinforces the notes of each chord.

Don't focus on timing until you can play each chord without any hesitation.



Once you feel confident that you can play each chord cleanly it's time to set your metronome to 80 b.p.m and enjoy all of your hard work.


Take your time to master this exercise and you will soon find that chord changes start to feel easier, sound smoother with more consistency no matter what style you play.