Chord changes in time

A clean change that arrives late still sounds wrong. Here you learn to land changes on the beat by shrinking the gap between chords step by step, using a metronome as the judge.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Use a metronome to place every chord change on beat 1.
• Reduce the change gap from four beats per chord to two.
• Increase tempo only once changes are clean.

A chord change has two parts: the move and the landing. The move happens before the beat; the landing is on it. A metronome shows you honestly whether you landed.

The method is to shrink the gap between chords:

• Four beats per chord: plenty of time to prepare.
• Three beats and a silent change: the last beat is only for moving.
• Two beats per chord: the change happens in a flowing motion.

Two rules keep the practice effective.

The 90% rule. If you land at least nine changes out of ten on the beat, raise the tempo by 5 BPM. If not, stay or drop back.

The pulse never stops. If your left hand is late, the right hand keeps strumming. A late chord is a small mistake. A stopped pulse is a big one.

Each pattern below is one bar of 4/4. The arrow is a strum, a dot is a silent beat.

Am to C at 60 BPM, four beats each.

1. Start the metronome at 60. Form Am and wait for a click on 1.
2. Strum down on beats 1, 2, 3 and 4. On the strum of beat 4, your hand is already moving towards C.
3. On the next click you should hear C ring, not hear the move.
4. Strum C for four beats and return to Am.

If the landing is late, do not rush. Slow the change down until it lands on time, and keep it there for several rounds before speeding up.

At 80 BPM, one change every two beats is 40 changes a minute: the target for this module's checkpoint.

Do these in order. Each one is small. Tick the ones you have practised.

• 1.Four beats, change on one

  4 min · 60 → 80 BPM

  1. Set the metronome to 60 BPM.
  2. Play Am for beats 1 to 4 with a down-strum on each beat.
  3. Use beat 4 to prepare, and land on C exactly on the next beat 1.
  4. Play C for four beats, then change back to Am. Repeat for two minutes.

  You have it when

  • At least 9 of every 10 changes land on the beat.
  I practised this one

• 2.Three beats and a silent change

  4 min · 60 → 80 BPM

  1. Strum on beats 1, 2 and 3. Make beat 4 silent and use it only to change.
  2. Practise on G and D, then on Am and C.
  3. When the silent change is easy, play beat 4 again but make it the shortest strum you can.

  You have it when

  • The changes land on beat 1 without rushing.
  • You can turn the silent beat into a strum without losing the change.
  I practised this one

• 3.Two beats per chord

  4 min · 60 → 100 BPM

  1. Play two down-strums per chord (beats 1-2, then change on 3).
  2. Alternate G and C for one minute at 60 BPM.
  3. If at least 9 of 10 changes are clean, raise the tempo by 5 BPM.
  4. Stop raising the tempo when changes start to be late.

  You have it when

  • You can alternate two chords at 80 BPM, two beats each, for a full minute (about 40 changes).
  I practised this one

Start where you land at least 9 changes out of 10 on the beat. Go up in steps of 5 BPM, and only after three clean rounds. A change drill that is too fast teaches your hands the mistake.

• Speeding up the metronome before the changes are clean. Use a 90% rule: at least 9 clean changes in 10 before the tempo goes up by 5 BPM.
• Stopping the strum hand to make a change. Keep the right hand moving with the beat even when the left hand is late. A late change is better than a stopped pulse.
• Changing on the beat instead of before it. Use the last beat of the old chord to move. The new chord should already be sounding on the beat.

This is the skill behind every song. Sweet Home Alabama (D, C, G) gives you changes at a steady pace, and Knockin' on Heaven's Door gives you a slow tempo with four chords.

Try it in: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Sweet Home Alabama (chord version).

Short version (10 minutes)

Do 'Four beats, change on one' with Am and C at 60 BPM for four minutes, then move up 5 BPM if you can.

Standard version (about 30 minutes)

Do all three exercises with two different pairs of chords. Note the highest tempo at which you were clean in your journal.

• Change before the beat so the new chord lands on it.
• Shrink the gap: four beats, three plus one silent, then two.
• Raise the tempo by 5 BPM only after clean rounds.
• Keep the strumming hand moving even if the left hand is late.

You are ready to move on when you can honestly say:

• I can alternate two open chords at 80 BPM, two beats each, for a full minute.
• My changes land on beat 1 at least 9 times out of 10.
• I keep the pulse going when I make a mistake.