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Learn guitar 4/5: Fast chord changes and the capo
Fourth lesson: the common-finger technique, the one-minute change drill and using a capo to play hard keys with open chords. Songs that become easy with a capo.
What slows a song down isn't the chords, it's the gap between them. This lesson gives you two habits that speed up changes, and the tool that turns hard keys into open chords: the capo.
Don't lift the common finger
Am → C: fingers 1 and 2 stay, only 3 moves up a string. G → Em: 2 stays. Em → Am: the whole shape slides one string. D → A: 1 stays. Before any change, ask: which finger can stay? Whatever can stay, stays; the change halves.
The one-minute drill
Metronome at 60. Change chord on every click, right hand silent — left hand only. Count the clean changes in one minute, write it down. Tomorrow, one more. Then move the metronome to 70. More in faster chord changes.
The capo: hard keys, easy shapes
Many songs live in keys like F#m, Bm or G#m that call for barre chords. A capo is a clamp on a fret: it turns every string into a new "nut" there. With the capo on fret 2 the Em shape sounds as F#m, Am as Bm, D as E — your fingers play the open chords you already know. The Capo chip on a song page does the maths; if it says "Capo 2", click it and the chords turn into open shapes. More in how to use a capo.
This week's drill
Every day: one minute of silent changes (Am–C, G–Em, C–D), then one of the songs below with the capo, in Lyric mode.
Songs that become easy with a capo
The chords listed are with the capo on — all open shapes. Press the Capo chip on the page to see the same shapes.
- Bruno Mars — Marry You D – Em – G · Capo 3 · 145 BPM
- ROLE MODEL — High Hopes 3000 G – C – Am – A – D · Capo 2 · 114 BPM
- Drake — Back To Back Dm – G – Em · Capo 1 · 86 BPM
- Alex Warren — Before You Leave Me Em – C – G – D · Capo 4 · 120 BPM
- Alyssa Grace — Bloodstream C – G – Em – D · Capo 4 · 103 BPM
- Zara Larsson — Midnight Sun D – Am – C – G – Em · Capo 2 · 151 BPM
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