Morphis Mailbag: Difficulty with Chord Transitions

Dear Blake:
Ok so I'm a beginner, so if my questions sound dumb, I'm sorry!! So my question is on the first and second string exercises: do you hold down the first fret and the third? or separate? Meaning, do you ever hold down two fingers on the same string? On your video sometimes it looks like you do and sometimes it doesn't. I'm confused because in the directions you say to keep holding the first as you hold on to the third.

I guess my question covers the rest of the strings too...hope to hear from you soon! Thanks.

Blake:
Well you ask a real good question. The reason I tell you to continue holding down the first fret is so you will play it in a fluid motion. I don't want someone to lift their first finger and then play the third fret. That would cause a pause in between, which is not what we want.

So, to answer your question, you should do both! That is, you should hold the first note until you play the second note. After playing the second note you can lift your first finger. Let's note that we are talking a fraction of second when it comes to this. As you learn to transition from string to string your fingers will anticipate their next move!

I know it may seem tricky but eventually, I promise, it will become natural, just keep practicing!