CHORD FRETTING EXERCISES

Get a head start on fretting your chords with the exercises below. The eight chords used in these exercises
are usually the best ones to learn first.

CHORD CANCELATION EXERCISES

C I G I D I A I E I
1 1
2 1 1 2 2 3 4 2 3
3 2 3 4 3

Dm I Am I Em I
1 1
2 2 3 2 3
3

Practice each of the chords above in the following manner:

• Finger a chord using minimal pressure (just enough to prevent the notes from muting or buzzing).
• Release the pressure on the notes you are fretting, but retain contact with the strings.
• Reapply minimal pressure and strum the chord, making sure all notes are clear.
• Release the pressure on the notes you are fretting, and move your fingertips one eighth inch from
the strings.
• Reapply minimal pressure and strum the chord, making sure all notes are clear.
Choreograph the movement of your fingers so that all of the fingertips touch their strings
simultaneously.
• Repeat the previous two steps four times, increasing the distance to one quarter inch, then one half
inch, then one inch and finally two inches.
Now the chord shape should be cancelled, since your fingertips are two inches from the strings. During
the exercise you trained your fingers to the choreographed movement they should make for a simultaneous
touchdown.

© 1998 Jim Gleason. All Rights Reserved.

 SIMULTANEOUS TOUCHDOWN EXERCISES
It is important that all of the fingers used in a chord touchdown and fret the strings simultaneously. The
following exercises will help to insure that.

Retain
When chord changes have fretted notes in common (retained), take advantage of a finger that doesn't
need to move during the change. Some of the easiest chord changes involve notes in common. Practice the
changes below without moving fingers on the notes in common. Be careful that the fingertips that do move fret
their respective notes simultaneously.
Strum each chord once in the example below Don't remove the tip of the ring finger (“3”) on this example.
However, the rest of the ring finger should tilt down slightly.
Cadd9 I G I D I

1 1 1 2
2 3 4 2 3 4 3

Strum each chord once in the example below. Don't remove the tip of the middle finger (“2“) on this example.
However, the rest of the ring finger should tilt up slightly.
Dm I A I
1
2 1 2 3
3

Strum each chord once in the example below. Don't remove the tip of the index (“1”) nor middle finger s (“2“)
on this example.
Am I C I
1 1
2 3 2
3

© 1998 Jim Gleason. All Rights Reserved.

Carry The Shape
When chord changes have shapes in common, take advantage of fingering shapes that move. When part
or all of a chord fingering shape is transferred to other strings, take advantage by retaining the shape. Cancelling
the fingering shape would cause unnecessary movement. Be careful that the fingertips that do move fret their
respective notes simultaneously.
Strum each pair of chords below, retaining the identical shape of the chord fingering.
Am I E I A I E sus. 4 I
1 1
2 3 2 3 2 3 4 2 3 4

Strum each pair of chords below, retaining the identical shape of the fingering made by the middle (“2”) and
ring (“3”) fingers.
C I G I Em I A I
1
2 2 2 3 2 3 4
3 4 3 4

C I F I
1 1
2 2
3 3

Strum each of the four chords below, retaining the identical shape of the fingering made by the index (“1”)
and middle (“2”) fingers.
C I Dm I E I Am I
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 3 2 3
3 3

Glide
When chord changes involve a finger that will be moved on the same string, continue contact with the
string but release the pressure so you glide on the string without pressing it to the fret.

E I D I A I
1
2 3 1 2 1 2 3
3

© 1998 Jim Gleason. All Rights Reserved.

Choreograph Movement From One Chord Shape To Another
The basic fretboard shapes used to fret chords are: diagonal, circle, triangle, u-shape, inverted u-shape,
parallelogram, barré. The barré with may be combined with any except the parallelogram.
As you change from one of these shapes to another, “choreograph” the movement of your fingers so they
all touchdown simultaneously to the new chord.

diagonal
C I F I Gma7 II A7#9 V E II
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 2 3
4 4 4

circle triangle
E I Am I D7 I B7 I
1 1 1 1
2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 4

u-shape inverted u-shape

C#dim7 III E6 VI D II Bb9 sus.4 III
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
3 4 3 3
3 4 4 4

parallelogram barre and circle

D# dim.7 I G9 nr II F I
Bm II
1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1
3 4 3 4 2 2
3 4 3 4

barre and inverted u-shape barre and triangle

Bb13 sus.4 III E IV
1 1 1 1
2
3 2 3
4 4

© 1998 Jim Gleason. All Rights Reserved.