How to Change Chords Smoothly on Guitar: The Empty Chord Trick

You know your chords. You can strum a steady pattern. But the moment you try to put the two together, the song falls apart. You stop between chords, the rhythm hiccups, and it never sounds like the recording. This is one of the most common walls new guitar players hit.

In this lesson, Steve Stine shows one simple trick that fixes it. He calls it the "empty chord." You use the last upstrum of your pattern to move your fingers to the next chord, so your strumming hand never has to stop. It feels a little robotic at first, but most guitar players do this without even thinking about it.

Video: 1 Simple Trick for Smooth Chord Changes, Steve Stine. Watch on YouTube

Why your chord changes stall

Here's the thing Steve wants you to understand first. To get from one chord to the next, you have to lift your fingers off the strings. Sometimes you lift all of them. Sometimes you only lift a couple. Either way, there is a moment between chords where your fretting hand is in the air.

Most beginners try to make that moment as short as possible. They try to jump from chord to chord at lightning speed, right on the beat. When the jump isn't fast enough, the strumming hand waits. That's the pause you hear.

The fix is not to move faster. The fix is to give the move a place to happen inside the rhythm.

The strumming pattern Steve uses

In the video, Steve uses a common pattern: down, down, down, up, down, up. Count it like this:

Count:  1   2   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   D   D   U   D   U
                            ^
                            last upstrum

That final upstrum on the "and" of 4 is the key. It's the last thing you play before the next bar starts on beat 1.

If you can't play this pattern smoothly on one chord yet, get that solid first. The trick only works when your strumming hand is steady.

The empty chord trick, step by step

Steve's example moves from G to D. Here are both shapes in tab form, so you can see which strings you play:

    G         D
e|--3--    e|--2--
B|--0--    B|--3--
G|--0--    G|--2--
D|--0--    D|--0--
A|--2--    A|--x--
E|--3--    E|--x--

If either shape is new to you, see our guides to the G chord and the D major chord.

Now the trick:

1. Hold the G chord and strum down, down, down, up, down.
2. On the last up, lift your fretting fingers off the strings and start moving toward the D shape.
3. Your strumming hand still plays that upstrum. It just catches whatever is ringing, which is mostly open strings.
4. Land on D in time for the first downstrum of the next bar.

Steve calls that last upstrum an "empty chord" because you're not really trying to play a chord there. You're just traveling from point A to point B while your strumming hand keeps time.

Bar 1 (G)                  Bar 2 (D)
1   2   3   &   4   &      1   2   3   &   4   &
D   D   D   U   D   U      D   D   D   U   D   U
                    ^
         lift fingers, move to D

Keep the strumming hand moving

This is the big idea behind the whole lesson. Your strumming hand is the heartbeat of the song. It's what people tap their feet and nod their heads to. Steve's goal for students is that the strum never becomes disjointed, never speeds up and never slows down in a weird way.

Think of your two hands as having two different jobs:

• Strumming hand: keeps going, no matter what. You want to be able to play loud and soft and keep the dynamics interesting, without the rhythm changing.
• Fretting hand: figures out how to get from this chord to the next one, using the time the empty chord gives it.

A great way to feel this is to practice the rhythm on its own first. Lay your fretting hand lightly across the strings to mute them and strum the pattern. This is often called scratching, and Steve mentions he has another video on it. Once that feels steady, bring the chords back in and don't let anything change in your strumming hand.

Don't accent the empty chord

Because the last upstrum hits mostly open strings, you might worry it sounds wrong. Steve's tip: keep it subtle. You hear it, but you're not trying to make it loud or punchy.

If you smack that upstrum hard, the open strings jump out and it sounds odd. Played lightly, something interesting happens as you speed up. The empty chord starts to sound like it belongs in the song. In fact, listeners usually don't notice it at all, or they just accept it because it sounds natural.

Slow tempos vs. fast tempos

Steve is clear that you don't always need this trick. At a slow tempo, you may be able to switch after the last up and before the next down. That's fine.

But at some point, a song will be too fast for that. You'll need a little more time to move, and the last upstrum gives it to you. That's why it's worth learning now, while you're playing slowly, so it's ready when the tempo goes up.

Stay relaxed

Steve points out that this isn't only about what people hear. It's about how it feels to you as a player. If you're rushing to grab every chord right on the beat, you tighten up. Tension creeps into your hands, arms and shoulders.

With the empty chord, everything gets more comfortable. The change has room to happen, so you can let it happen naturally. If you notice yourself clenching, slow down until it feels easy again.

For more ways to make chord shapes feel easier, read how to play guitar chords easier and faster.

A simple practice plan

Do this for a few minutes each session. Move to the next step only when the current one feels steady.

1. Scratch the rhythm. Mute the strings and strum down, down, down, up, down, up. Keep it even and relaxed.
2. Strum one chord. Play the pattern on G only. Make the last upstrum light.
3. Add the move, slowly. Play one bar of G and one bar of D. Lift and move on the last upstrum. It will feel robotic. That's okay.
4. Loop it. Go G to D and back to G without stopping. If the strum stops, slow down.
5. Nudge the tempo up. Once it's smooth, play a little faster. Listen for the empty chord blending into the rhythm.
6. Try other pairs. Use the same idea with other chords you know, like G to C or C to D.

If you want a step-by-step path through chords, strumming and your first songs, the Play Guitar in 8 Weeks course builds these skills in order.

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