One-minute changes

Chord change trainer

The quickest way to change chords in time: pick two chords, start the clock, and switch between them as many times as you can, tapping at every change. Do it every day and watch the number climb.

Chords

Or a pair to start with:

G

Mandolin · Standard

0023

3RGDBG

C

Mandolin · Standard

0230

3RGECE
Tempo60
1:00left
0changes

Press Start: a count of four, then the clock runs.

Your scores

Your scores show here after your first minute, kept in this browser.

How to do it

  1. Pick two chords you know but cannot yet change between smoothly.
  2. Press Start, then play the first chord, then the second, then the first again, as fast as you can while still placing every finger properly. Strum once on each chord.
  3. Tap at every change, with a foot on the space bar or a quick tap of the button. Count honestly: a chord that does not ring clean does not count.
  4. Every day, a minute for each of two or three pairs. A score of 30 or more in a minute means the change is ready to use in songs.

Why it works

Changing chords is the hardest part of starting out: each chord on its own is easy long before the move between two of them is. Short, timed, daily practice of just the move builds the memory in the hand far faster than playing songs and stopping at every change. The click helps once the change is quick: set a slow tempo and change on every beat, then speed it up.

Where next

New chords to practise are on the beginner chords page, in the order to learn them. Once a change is quick, play it with a strumming pattern.