The eight-chord workout

The eight chords

Here’s everything you can play. Click a diagram to hear it, and run through them all once before you start.

Four progressions

Strum once per beat and change chords when the orange dot comes back around. Start at 60; go up 5 BPM once a progression loops three times without a hitch.

1. The pop progression: the four chords from the first lesson, in a different order.

2. The A minor progression: three minor chords and one major, E, which leads back to the start.

3. The rock progression: three major chords, the same progression as Twist and Shout, here in A.

4. The grand tour: all eight chords in a row. This is the hardest one: slow down if you need to.

Once a progression holds up at one beat per chord, move to two beats: twice as many changes, as in the lesson Changing chords without stopping.

Ear exercise: major or minor?

A major chord sounds bright, stable, often happy. A minor chord sounds darker, more wistful. The difference comes down to a single note, the third.

1. Listen to the pairs: click C then A minor, G then E minor, D then D minor. Say out loud “bright” or “dark.”
2. The test: start progression 4 above and close your eyes. On each chord, say “major” or “minor.” Open your eyes now and then to check.
3. The two-person test: if someone is nearby, ask them to click the diagrams at random, without telling you which ones.

At first, minor chords hide well. After a few days, they jump right out at you.

You’ve got it when…

• You play all four progressions at 60, one beat per chord, without stopping
• You play the pop progression at two beats per chord at 80
• You can tell major from minor 8 times out of 10 with your eyes closed