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Lesson 4 of 4

One-minute changes

Knowing chords isn't the same as changing between them in time. This lesson is about speed of change, not new shapes.

The classic drill: pick two chords, set a one-minute timer and switch between them as many times as you can, strumming once each time. Write the number down and try to beat it tomorrow. Do one or two pairs a day.

The exercises then put the changes in time. First every two beats, then every beat, then a G-Em-C-D loop in the key of G that you'll hear in countless pop songs.

Tips for quicker changes:

  • Look for anchor fingers: from Am to C, your index and middle fingers stay put; only the ring finger moves.
  • Move all fingers at once, as a shape, rather than one at a time.
  • Lift fingers only just off the strings.

The most common mistake is stopping the strum while the hand searches for the next chord. Keep strumming on the beat even if the change isn't finished. A few open strings are better than a gap, and your hand will learn to arrive on time.

Exercises

Change every two beats

50 → 90 bpm
  1. Bar 1
    1. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    2. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    3. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    4. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
  2. Bar 2
    1. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    2. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    3. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    4. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
  3. Bar 3
    1. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    2. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    3. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    4. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
  4. Bar 4
    1. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    2. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    3. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    4. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open

Clean 3 times in a row? Raise the tempo by 5 bpm.

Change on every beat

40 → 80 bpm
  1. Bar 1
    1. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    2. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    3. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    4. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
  2. Bar 2
    1. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    2. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    3. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    4. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
  3. Bar 3
    1. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    2. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 2 + high E string, open
    3. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    4. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 2 + high E string, open
  4. Bar 4
    1. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 1 + B string, open + high E string, open
    2. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 2 + high E string, open
    3. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 1 + B string, open + high E string, open
    4. A string, open + D string, fret 2 + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 2 + high E string, open

Clean 3 times in a row? Raise the tempo by 5 bpm.

G-Em-C-D loop

50 → 100 bpm
  1. Bar 1
    1. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    2. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    3. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    4. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
  2. Bar 2
    1. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    2. A string, fret 3 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, fret 1 + high E string, open
    3. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    4. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2

Clean 3 times in a row? Raise the tempo by 5 bpm.

Checkpoint

Move on when you can do all of these.

  • 30 clean G-to-C changes in one minute
  • Every-beat changes at 80 bpm without stopping
  • The four-chord loop at 100 bpm, 4 times through
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