Ab13 → G13 — the half-step slide approach

Now let's move the Ab13 you built yesterday. The whole point of an approach chord is that it doesn't stand still. Set Ab13 briefly, then slide the whole hand down a half-step to G13 — that's all of today. On guitar, this gliding move is called a slide.

A slide moves only the fret without lifting your finger off the string. So the two notes don't cut off — they link into a single line. Rather than landing flat on the target, it feels like skating in. That one step where the 6th-string root connects from fret 4 (Ab) to fret 3 (G) is today's star.

First, practice the slide on the 6th string alone. Press fret 4, sound it, then without lifting your finger, push all the way to fret 3. Success is when a single pick stroke links the two frets smoothly.

▶ BPM 70. Hit the 6th string fret 4 and push to fret 3 with the finger kept down. Get the feel of one slide.

Now slide not just one string but the whole chord. Hold the Ab13 grip as one block, push the whole hand down a half-step, and it becomes G13 just like that. All four fingers slide one step at the same time. First, let's put the approach-chord grip back in your eye.

▶ The Ab13 grip. Keep this hand shape and get ready to push down a half-step.

Now the real chord slide. Press Ab13 on the first two beats, slide down a half-step to G13, and it lands smoothly. Following the slide mark (the diagonal line over the string), the whole hand drops one step.

▶ BPM 75. Press Ab13 (6th string fret 4) and slide the whole hand down a half-step to G13 (fret 3).

0–10 min · Warm-up BPM 65. Repeat the fret 4→3 slide on the 6th string alone. Keep the finger from lifting off the string — push with it planted.

10–20 min · Brain training (drawing the glide) Silently draw the Ab13 → G13 slide with the left hand only. Trace with your eyes the path of all four fingers sliding one step at once.

20–40 min · Real slide approach (BPM 75) Repeat the slide approach below. Watch just one thing: whether it links unbroken from Ab13 to G13.

▶ BPM 75. Loop the slide approach twice in a row. Don't miss the sliding landing each time.

40–50 min · Recording / self-feedback (recommended) Record 30 seconds and listen back. Compare whether the two chords cut off abruptly or slid into a single line.

Done when: You can half-step-slide the whole hand from Ab13 to G13 and link the two chords into one unbroken line.

Here are just the mistakes that show up most in the chord slide.

▶ 6th string fret 4→3 and 4th string fret 4→3 are the slide paths that glide together.

• The finger lifts off the string. Releasing pressure mid-slide cuts the sound. Keep it lightly planted all the way.
• You press too hard. Too much force makes it stiff and it won't glide. Press only as much as you need to push.
• The landing overshoots. Stop exactly at fret 3. Slide past to fret 2 and the chord changes.
• The tempo rushes. It's just a half-step, so there's no need to hurry. Learn the glide slowly at BPM 65 first.