Practicing D and A Together
OK, you've been practicing your chords on their own. You've learned two. Let's put them together.
What You'll Learn
- Two ways to move between the D chord and the A chord.
- A technique to switch between chords easily.
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.
- Put your fingers on the fretboard, in the D major shape.
- Strum for four beats.
- Take your fingers off the strings, still counting. This gives you time to think about your next chord, A major.
- Put your fingers on the fretboard, in the A major shape.
- Strum for four beats, then remove your fingers.
- 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.
- Put your fingers on the fretboard, in the D major shape.
- Strum for four beats. While you're strumming think hard about the A major shape.
- Quickly move your fingers into the A major shape.
- Strum for four beats. Now, while you're strumming, start thinking about your next chord.
- 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.