:confused: How to perform（fingerstyle/jazz/blues）chords better on high position

[eimantan]

How to make chords changing on high position（9th Fret+）more quickly smoothly and precisely.
I have played fingerstyle guitar for one and a half years, i can make half note or longer note chords changing on high position quite good, but i can't make a quarter note long chords changing very quickly or smoothly on high position, i can feel that the string on high position is much harder and stubborn than low position（my guitar: martin 00016gt, action is quite good）, when i play jazz fingerstyle or classical fingerstyle it always have so many quick chords changing moving on over more than 7th or 9th Fret position， and i can not handle it very well.
1. WHY？ is my finger strength not good enough，or i just lack of practice.（ I can feel the efficiency of practice is not very good）
2. HOW CAN I GET OVER WITH IT! I figure it out that so many fingerstyle master or jazz guitar master played very well on high position chords changing like Laurence Juber etc. .and they love play chords instead of separated notes. how to train myself master on that.

THX！！！

[mercy]

yep its tough, just keep at it. Really you havent played guitar for very long. It takes 10,000 hrs apx to be a great player like youre wishing to be.

[fishstick_kitty]

It is harder because a) the action is higher up at those frets and b) the distance between frets is smaller. What is your action at the 12th fret?

[AndrewG]

Practise, absolutely. I guess we were all once thinking that the first position barre F was impossible to play!

[Moocheng]

like all things playing guitar, its practice.

most of us work on something for what seems like an eternity then one day it happens. Often when not trying.

How we learn is not fully understood, sometimes I think being too focused on something can have a detrimental effect. hence things work out when not trying too hard. Maybe its about being relaxed

[eimantan]

Originally Posted by fishstick_kitty

It is harder because a) the action is higher up at those frets and b) the distance between frets is smaller. What is your action at the 12th fret?

2.5mm on 6th string & 1.7mm on 1st.

[Howard Klepper]

Practice playing slower--as slow as you need to play to make the chord change cleanly and on time. Never practice faster than the speed at which you can play cleanly and on time. Speed comes from accuracy. Practice the accuracy and don't worry about the speed; it will follow. And be patient.

[min7b5]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Practice playing slower--as slow as you need to play to make the chord change cleanly and on time. Never practice faster than the speed at which you can play cleanly and on time...

I strongly agree. As a teacher for over thirty years, this is almost always the answers to most questions, but few take it seriously. Those that do, get better at every thing. It's really about the ego - not to sound woo woo. But we just want our playing to sound "good" right away, and mostly settle for something closer to pretty good. For my own practice I often will use the visual of people practicing Tai Chi in the park. I work on things freaky slow.

All that said, after only a year and half, playing fingerstyle jazz chords up the neck shows you're working hard. So kudos to you

[WaltH]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Practise, absolutely. I guess we were all once thinking that the first position barre F was impossible to play!

This is still the position I sometimes find myself at after eight months.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Practice playing slower--as slow as you need to play to make the chord change cleanly and on time. Never practice faster than the speed at which you can play cleanly and on time. Speed comes from accuracy. Practice the accuracy and don't worry about the speed; it will follow. And be patient.

This is everything. Patience is one of the hardest things about playing guitar. I'm always telling myself to slow down. Going too fast just teaches you fast mistakes.

When I play through songs I can play at speed, the first 2 or 3 times through the song I will play slow just to reinforce the muscle memory.