Separate the two problems
A chord change asks your hand to find a shape and your strumming hand to keep time. Learn those skills separately first. Pick Em and Am, or another pair you can already play. Check each chord string by string before starting the change drill.
One minute: silent landings
Form the first chord, release pressure and move to the second without strumming. Keep the fingers near the strings. Look for an anchor finger or a shared shape, but do not force one if it makes your wrist uncomfortable. Repeat slowly enough that the whole hand can arrive together.
Two minutes: one sound per bar
At 50 BPM, count four clicks and strum only on beat one. Move during the space between chords. If you miss the landing, leave the beat empty and continue counting rather than restarting. The goal is to find the next beat without panic.
Two minutes: keep the hand moving
Add quiet downstrokes on the other beats. Reduce tempo if the change causes your strumming hand to freeze. Gradually shorten the gap between releasing one shape and fretting the next. Do not raise the tempo and add a new strumming pattern at the same time.
Write down a useful result
Note the chord pair and the tempo at which you completed several comfortable changes. Next time, begin there. One clean change at a slow tempo teaches more than ten rushed attempts. Stop and reassess if you feel pain; effort should not require holding a painful position.
One Riff One Day editorial guide · Updated 31 October 2026