finding hand position

[larsthiesson]

Is there any tricks or ways to finde to a new hand position when playing chords. The I shall play many chords (lesson 5 intermediate) I find it hard to go from one position to another without looking at the keyboard. That takes the focuse away from the sheet.
Best regards,
Lars

[Phil_Surtees]

I'm an intermediate user myself and have the same issue. I have found that I do need a quick glance sometimes, but what I try to do is find an 'anchor finger' that is on or near one of the same keys used in the new position. I also use memory tricks like "2 white keys down" or similar. I have found in a couple of cases that the recommended fingering doesn't work as well as a fingering that I have found myself by trying different positions. And as I have found with all the lessons, repetition eventually makes me good at it.
Hope this helps.

[thomas1018]

Hi Lars,

Try this:
Practice the chords without pressing the play button. Just get the shapes into your hand. Play the chord and say the chord name. Don't worry about pressing the play button until you are confident that you can play the chords correctly. There is one downside to doing this in Playground Sessions: you can't measure your progress unless you press the play button...

So you can try this!!!!:
PRACTICE PLAYING AT VERY SLOW SPEEDS...why? Practicing at slow speeds helps you practice your timing and gives you enough time to change in between the chords. I would start at a tempo of 30bpm. If you spend about 5-10 minutes ACCURATELY practicing each day at slower speeds, you will notice that each day you can slightly increase the tempo. Accuracy is crucial, if you need to slow it down so you can play it perfectly, go for it!

I hope this helps you with your practicing!

Thomas

[larsthiesson]

Thanks - I will try it out. To go very low in speed - is a very good advice. I use it already.

Lars