Session 3: Adding Am: Two Chords

Duration: 50 minutes

You already know Em. Today you add your second chord — A minor (Am) — and learn the most important skill in guitar: switching between chords smoothly. You will also start using a metronome to keep time while changing chords. By the end of this session, you will play a two-chord exercise using Em and Am.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Play the Am chord cleanly with strings 1–5 ringing clearly
2. Switch between Em and Am with no more than a 2-second pause
3. Strum a chord pattern alternating between Em and Am at 60 BPM
4. Use a metronome to keep steady time while changing chords
5. Play the “Two-Chord Rock” exercise piece

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• Reference: Chord Transitions

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Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

Finger Stretches

1. Finger spread — Spread all fingers wide, hold 5 seconds, relax. 3 times.
2. Wrist circles — 5 circles each direction per wrist.
3. Finger touch — Thumb to each fingertip in sequence and back. 5 times per hand.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE) with your clip-on tuner.

Em Warm-Up

Play Em with 4 downstrokes at 70 BPM. Lift your fingers. Place them back. Strum 4 more times. Repeat 4 times. This warms up your fretting hand and reminds your fingers where they go.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Chord Transitions (10 minutes)

The Secret to Chord Changes

Beginners think chord changes are about speed. They are actually about efficiency — moving your fingers the shortest possible distance. Here are the rules:

1. Anchor fingers — If two chords share a finger on the same string and fret, do not lift that finger. It stays put.
2. Move together — All fingers that need to move should lift and land at the same time, not one at a time.
3. Hover, do not fly — When you lift your fingers to change chords, keep them close to the strings (2–3 mm above). Do not pull them far away from the fretboard.
4. Aim before you land — Look at where your fingers need to go. Move them into position in the air, then press down together.

Em to Am — Shared Structure

Look at these two chords:

Em: Finger 2 on string 5 fret 2, Finger 3 on string 4 fret 2 Am: Finger 1 on string 2 fret 1, Finger 2 on string 4 fret 2, Finger 3 on string 3 fret 2

Notice: Finger 2 stays on fret 2 — it just moves from string 5 (Em) to string 4 (Am). Finger 3 stays on fret 2 — it moves from string 4 (Em) to string 3 (Am). Both fingers stay on the same fret — they just shift one string each. And finger 1 (index) comes down on string 2, fret 1 for Am.

This is one of the easiest chord transitions on guitar.

Transition Drill

1. Play Em. Strum once. Let it ring.
2. Move to Am. Strum once. Let it ring.
3. Move back to Em. Strum once. Let it ring.
4. Continue alternating. Do not rush — accuracy first, speed later.

Do not use a metronome yet. Just focus on clean placement. Each chord should have all strings ringing clearly before you move to the next.

Target: 20 clean transitions (Em → Am counts as one, Am → Em counts as another) in 60 seconds. Time yourself. If you can not reach 20 yet, that is fine — it will come with practice.

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Segment 3 — New Learning: The Am Chord (15 minutes)

The Am Chord

Am (A minor) is another minor chord with a dark, melancholy sound. It uses three fingers and five strings.

Chord Diagram:

Am

XOO

1

2

3

EADGBe

Step-by-step:

1. Place your index finger (1) on string 2 (B string), fret 1. Press just behind the fret wire.
2. Place your middle finger (2) on string 4 (D string), fret 2.
3. Place your ring finger (3) on string 3 (G string), fret 2.
4. Thumb behind the neck, roughly behind fret 1–2.

Important: Do NOT play string 6 (low E) when strumming Am. Start your strum from string 5 (A). This takes practice — you need to aim your pick to begin on string 5 and miss string 6. If you accidentally hit string 6, it will not sound terrible, but the chord sounds cleaner without it.

Sound check: Pluck each string individually:

• String 6 (E): Do not play (muted or skipped)
• String 5 (A): Open — should ring clearly
• String 4 (D): Fret 2 — should ring clearly (finger 2 pressing)
• String 3 (G): Fret 2 — should ring clearly (finger 3 pressing)
• String 2 (B): Fret 1 — should ring clearly (finger 1 pressing)
• String 1 (E): Open — should ring clearly

Common issue with Am: Finger 1 on string 2 fret 1 is very close to the nut. There is less room to position your finger behind the fret wire. Press as close to the fret wire (toward the body of the guitar) as you can. If you are too close to the nut, the note will buzz.

Practice the chord: Place-strum-lift-place cycle, 10 times. Then strum Am at 60 BPM for 8 measures.

Em and Am Side by Side

Em

OOOO

2

3

EADGBe

Am

XOO

1

2

3

EADGBe

Em: Finger 2 on String 5, Fret 2 / Finger 3 on String 4, Fret 2

Am: Finger 1 on String 2, Fret 1 / Finger 2 on String 4, Fret 2 / Finger 3 on String 3, Fret 2

To switch from Em to Am:

1. Slide finger 2 from string 5 to string 4 (same fret)
2. Slide finger 3 from string 4 to string 3 (same fret)
3. Drop finger 1 onto string 2, fret 1

To switch from Am to Em:

1. Lift finger 1 off string 2
2. Slide finger 2 from string 4 to string 5
3. Slide finger 3 from string 3 to string 4

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: “Two-Chord Rock” (15 minutes)

“Two-Chord Rock” — Original Exercise Piece

Tempo: 60 BPM (slow — this is about clean transitions, not speed) Time signature: 4/4 Strumming pattern: All downstrokes (D), 4 strums per measure Structure: 8 measures — alternating Em and Am every 2 measures

Strumming: D D D D | D D D D |

Count: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |

Chord: Em Em

 

Strumming: D D D D | D D D D |

Count: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |

Chord: Am Am

 

Strumming: D D D D | D D D D |

Count: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |

Chord: Em Em

 

Strumming: D D D D | D D D D |

Count: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |

Chord: Am Am

TAB:

Measures 1-2 (Em): 


e|---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
B|---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
G|---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
D|---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2---|
A|---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2---|
E|---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|


Measures 3-4 (Am): 


e|---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
B|---1---1---1---1---|---1---1---1---1---|
G|---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2---|
D|---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2---|
A|---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
E|---x---x---x---x---|---x---x---x---x---|


Measures 5-8: Repeat measures 1-4

How to practise this:

1. Set metronome to 60 BPM.
2. Start with Em — strum on each click for 8 clicks (2 measures).
3. On beat 1 of measure 3, you need to be on Am. The transition happens during beat 4 of measure 2 — start moving your fingers slightly early.
4. Play Am for 8 clicks (2 measures).
5. Switch back to Em on beat 1 of measure 5.
6. Play through all 8 measures without stopping.

What it should sound like: A steady alternation between the dark, full sound of Em and the slightly brighter, more focused sound of Am. Both chords should ring clearly — no buzzing, no dead strings.

Transition tip: The hardest moment is the switch itself. If you cannot switch cleanly in time, mute the strings on beat 4 (lift your fingers slightly to stop the strings ringing) and use that silent beat to move to the new chord shape. Arriving cleanly on beat 1 of the new chord is more important than holding the old chord all the way through beat 4.

Once You Are Comfortable

Try this variation — 2 measures each but with an accent on beat 1:

Strumming: D d d d | D d d d |

Count: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |

Chord: Em Em

 

Strumming: D d d d | D d d d |

Count: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |

Chord: Am Am

The accent on beat 1 helps you feel the start of each measure and makes the chord change feel more intentional.

Steel-string break: Your fretting hand has been working hard with two chord shapes. Put the guitar down for 30 seconds. Shake out your hands. Flex and extend your fingers. If your fingertips are sore but not stinging, pick the guitar back up and play through the piece one final time.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Learned Today

• The Am chord (finger 1 on string 2 fret 1, finger 2 on string 4 fret 2, finger 3 on string 3 fret 2)
• Em to Am transition technique (fingers 2 and 3 slide one string each, finger 1 drops in)
• Using a metronome to keep time during chord changes
• Muting as a transition strategy (lifting fingers slightly on beat 4)
• The “Two-Chord Rock” exercise piece

Common Mistakes

1. Changing chords one finger at a time — Move all fingers together. If you place finger 2 first, then 3, then 1, you lose time and develop a slow habit.
2. Strumming string 6 during Am — Am starts from string 5. Practice aiming your downstroke to begin on string 5. A slight tilt of the wrist does it.
3. Rushing the chord change — Speed kills clean sound. If you cannot switch cleanly at 60 BPM, try 50 BPM. There is no shame in a slow tempo.
4. Lifting fingers too high during transitions — Keep fingers within 2–3 mm of the strings. High fingers mean longer travel time and less accuracy.
5. Forgetting to count — Count aloud: “1, 2, 3, 4.” If you stop counting, you will lose the beat during the chord change.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play Am and have strings 1–5 all ring clearly when plucked individually?
2. Can you switch from Em to Am and back 10 times without any string buzzing?
3. Can you play through all 8 measures of “Two-Chord Rock” at 60 BPM without stopping or losing the beat?
4. Do you remember which strings to skip when strumming Am?

Practice Plan (Daily, 20 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	Finger stretches + tune your guitar
Chord Review	3 min	Em: 8 strums. Am: 8 strums. Check all strings ring clearly
Transition Drill	5 min	Em → Am → Em → Am, one strum each, no metronome. Focus on clean placement. Aim for 20 clean changes in 60 seconds
Two-Chord Rock	7 min	Play the full 8-measure piece at 60 BPM. Repeat 3 times. Once clean, try with accents (D d d d)
Metronome Challenge	2 min	If 60 BPM feels comfortable, try 65 BPM. If 65 is clean, try 70. Find the tempo where you start making mistakes and practise just below it

Steel-string note: Your fingertips are now building calluses — the skin is hardening. Practice daily to keep the process going. Skipping 2 or more days resets the progress and you will feel the soreness again when you return. Aim for at least 15 minutes every day.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

If you find that your Am chord buzzes on string 2 (fret 1), it may be because the nut on your Saga is slightly high. This is common on new, factory-setup guitars. A guitar technician can file the nut slots for a few dollars, which lowers the action at fret 1 and makes fretting much easier. In the meantime, press firmly and as close to the fret wire as possible.