Playing A Chord Progression

A chord progression is a sequence in which a group of chords are played in a song or a piece of music. It can be expressed in words or written down on a chord chart.

Exercise 7 The chord chart below is read from left to right. It shows an Em chord played with four down strums (the arrows pointing down), then an Am chord with four down strums. Listen to Exercise 7 sound file * then try it yourself. .

Obviously most chord progressions last longer than this one. Whoever heard of a ten second song? Most chord charts are written over more than one line and are read left to right, top to bottom like a book. They are divided up into smaller segments of time called bars, and each bar is divided up into still smaller pieces called beats (rhythmic pulses). The end of each bar is shown by vertical line called a bar line. At the start of the progression there is a time signature which contains timing information for the subsequent bars.

Exercise 8 The chord chart below has a time signature at the start which looks like the fraction four quarters. In fact it can be interpreted as that in this instance. The top number represents the number of beats within each bar in the progression, and the bottom number represents the length of each beat. At the moment we're only really interested in the top number which tells there are four beats in each bar. This is called four/four time. In this example an Em chord is played with a down stroke on each beat for two bars, then an Am chord does the same thing. The second line is just a repetition of the first line. Listen to Exercise 8 sound file * and see if you can follow each strum visually on the chord chart (without playing your guitar). You should be able to see and hear the chord changes. You'll notice four clicks before the first chord comes in. This is called the count in. Now try to play the progression yourself. You're probably having a little difficulty changing smoothly between the two chords at the moment so we'll work at that. Count 1, 2, 3, 4 (count yourself in) then continue playing the rhythm (down strokes with your right hand) while holding down the first chord. When it's time to change to the second chord continue to strum in time with your right hand even if your left hand isn't all the way onto the second chord. If you stop the rhythm with your right hand before the new chord is fingered then try the whole process again until you can keep perpetual motion with your right hand whilst changing the chord with your left hand. It doesn't matter if the new chord is not sounding perfect on the first beat of it's bar. With a bit of practice it will.

If you're new to these chords I would suggest practicing the last exercise quite a few times over the next few days before you move on. Remember it's the actual time spent on the instrument which improves your skill. When you think you're ready have a look at the next page.

 
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Copyright ©1997 Kim Wainwright.