Skip to content
Six Strings

Clean chords and fast changes

Clarity first, then speed, then time.

  1. Clean open chordsNext recommendedMake every string ring in the chords you already know.
  2. Efficient chord transitionsUse anchor fingers and shared shapes so changes need less movement.Builds on: Clean open chords
  3. Chord changes in timeLand every change on the beat, with a metronome.Builds on: Efficient chord transitions

Strumming and rhythm

A steady right hand carries every song.

  1. Steady strumming in eighth notesA constant down-up arm, with the pattern decided by what you hit.Builds on: Chord changes in time
  2. Accents and syncopationShape a pattern by emphasising some strums and leaving others out.Builds on: Steady strumming in eighth notes
  3. Sixteenth-note strummingFour strums per beat, kept loose and counted as 1 e & a.Builds on: Accents and syncopation
  4. Muting: palm mutes and chucksControl the length of your sound with the picking and fretting hands.Builds on: Accents and syncopation

Barre chords

Two movable shapes that open up the whole neck.

  1. Barre chord techniqueBuild a clean barre with the index finger, in small stages.Builds on: Chord changes in time
  2. E-shape barre chordsMove the E and Em shapes up the neck and name them by their root.Builds on: Barre chord technique
  3. A-shape barre chordsA second movable shape, rooted on the 5th string.Builds on: E-shape barre chords
  4. Seventh chords as barre shapesTurn the E-shape and A-shape barres into dominant 7, minor 7 and major 7 chords.Builds on: A-shape barre chords

Power chords and riffs

Rock and blues rhythm: power chords, palm muting, riffs and the shuffle.

  1. Power chordsTwo- and three-note root-and-fifth chords that move anywhere on the neck.Builds on: E-shape barre chords, A-shape barre chords
  2. Palm-muted power-chord rhythmChugging eighths, accents and the gallop: the right hand of rock rhythm.Builds on: Muting: palm mutes and chucks, Power chords
  3. Single-note riffsShort, repeating low-string figures, played tight with good muting.Builds on: Power chords, Palm-muted power-chord rhythm
  4. Shuffle and swing feelTriplet-based rhythm and the classic blues shuffle pattern.Builds on: Power chords, Accents and syncopation

Playing songs

Put it together and keep going.

  1. Playing a whole song without stoppingKeep going: pulse first, accuracy second, recovery always.Builds on: Steady strumming in eighth notes, Chord changes in time

Practical checkpoint

Module 1 checkpoint: play a song start to finish

Choose a song from the library with at least four chords (Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Let It Be or Stand By Me work well). Set a metronome to a tempo you can manage, record yourself on your phone, and play the whole song once without stopping.

You are ready for the next module when you can honestly say:

  • I played one complete song without stopping, even when I made a mistake.
  • My chord changes landed on the beat at least 90% of the time.
  • I can switch cleanly between two open chords 40 times in one minute (about 80 BPM).
  • I can play a clean F major or B minor barre chord with every string ringing.
  • I can keep an eighth-note strum going steadily for two minutes at 80 BPM.

16 lessons in this module are not complete yet. You can still attempt the checkpoint whenever you like.