The goal is to come back tomorrow
You do not need an hour, a new guitar or a favourite song at full speed. For the first week, aim for ten comfortable minutes a day. Keep the guitar somewhere you can reach it. Finish with one thing that sounded better than it did at the start.
Day 1 · Tune and find a clean note
Tune to standard tuning: E A D G B E, from the thickest string to the thinnest. A clip-on tuner works well; our reference partner Chordharbor also has a browser tuner. Put one fingertip just behind a fret, rather than on the metal wire, and pick a single string. Use the least pressure that gives a clear sound. Release, then try again five times.
Day 2 · Meet E minor
Try Em: 0 2 2 0 0 0, reading from the low E string to the high e string. Fret the A and D strings at fret 2. Pick each string separately before strumming. If a string buzzes, move closer to the fret and check whether another finger is touching it. Take a short break if your hand feels tense.
Day 3 · Meet A minor
Try Am: x 0 2 2 1 0. The x means do not play that string. Fret D and G at fret 2 and B at fret 1, leaving A and high e open. Strum from the A string. Compare how Am and Em sound; naming what you hear matters as much as memorising a shape.
Day 4 · Make a slow change
Set a metronome to 50–60 BPM. Play Em for four clicks, then Am for four clicks. Give yourself time to move. Start with a single downstroke on beat one rather than trying to fill every beat. Count a change as successful when the next chord arrives with a relaxed hand.
Day 5 · Keep the pulse
Keep the same two chords and add four steady downstrokes per bar. Count “one, two, three, four” aloud. If changing chords breaks the rhythm, return to one strum per bar. A slower, continuous pulse is a better foundation than a fast pattern that stops at every change.
Day 6 · Make a tiny riff
On the high e string, play open, fret 1, fret 3, then open again. Use one note per click at a comfortable tempo. This is an original exercise, not a song transcription. Leave a bar of silence and repeat. Listen for notes that ring cleanly and end deliberately.
Day 7 · Repeat, record, choose
Repeat the exercise from day 1, the Em–Am change and your four-note riff. Record twenty seconds on your phone if you like. Write down one improvement and one next step. Repeat this week if you need it; a practice plan is a guide, not a deadline.
One Riff One Day editorial guide · Updated 31 October 2026