Ex-006 Simple Chord Change Exercise

This is a simple exercise that you can do for about 1 minute. It can easily be fit into anyone’s practice or warmup schedule.  You will need a metronome and two chords that will challenge you a little.

How to Practice Chord Changes

1. Choose two chords to practice.
2. Set your metronome to your target number of beats per minute (bpm).  I recommend starting at 60 bpm, which will click every second.  If that is too fast, slow it down to 40bpm.
3. On a click, play the first chord
4. On the next click, play the second chord
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for one minute

I know this one isn’t complicated, but it works.  One minute a day with challenging chord changes can help you a lot.

Tips

• If you read my article on practicing, you’ll know that you should choose a chord changes and tempo that challenges you without being too challenging.
• If you can’t keep up, slow it down by 20bpm.  If you still can’t keep up, practice playing the same chord but re-gripping it every time.
• If you mastered it at this tempo, speed it up by 20bpm during your next practice session.
• I don’t recommend increasing speed for the same chord change in the same day.  You will train your body better by waiting a day to let the success sink in over night.  Feel free to try a different chord change though.
• In general, I prefer learning new changes to practicing beyond 120bpm.
• If you’re not striking all the chord notes properly every time, you haven’t mastered the change at that tempo.