Beginner Course Day 4 - Practicing D and A Together | ChordBank
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Beginner Course Day 4

Practicing D and A Together

15 minutes, 2 videos

OK, you've been practicing your chords on their own. You've learned two. Let's put them together.

What You'll Learn

1 Moving between D and A — Easy

OK, let's practice a modified version of that on / off drill.

But instead of just picking your fingers up in one shape, you'll be moving between the D and the A chord.

2 Moving between D and A — Intermediate

The next drill—this one is a little trickier.

We are going to move between our D chord and our A chord. But. No stopping.

This is really difficult, and will take some practice.

Don't get discouraged, just keep going.

3 On your own, Part 1

Today, you're going to spend 8 minutes practicing on your own.

First, take out your phone. Set your timer for four minutes.

  1. Put your fingers on the fretboard, in the D major shape.
  2. Strum for four beats.
  3. Take your fingers off the strings, still counting. This gives you time to think about your next chord, A major.
  4. Put your fingers on the fretboard, in the A major shape.
  5. Strum for four beats, then remove your fingers.
  6. Repeat. Don't stop until your timer goes off. It's only four minutes, you can do it.

Now, we're going to try to do the same thing without stopping.

4 On your own, Part 2

Take out your phone, and reset the timer for four minutes.

  1. Put your fingers on the fretboard, in the D major shape.
  2. Strum for four beats. While you're strumming think hard about the A major shape.
  3. Quickly move your fingers into the A major shape.
  4. Strum for four beats. Now, while you're strumming, start thinking about your next chord.
  5. Repeat. Don't stop until four minutes is up.

Next Lesson

In our next lesson, we'll keep practicing moving between chords, and learn a new strum pattern.

Anna Freitas holds a B.A. from Berklee College of Music 
and performs throughout New England as a guitarist and vocalist. She continues to teach students, both in-person
 and online via Skype.