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Fretboard knowledge · Core · 5 min

Your First Movable Shape

Find the root on string 6 or 5 for eight chords, the way you would place a power or barre chord.

How to play it
  1. Each cue names a chord. Find its root on string 6 or 5 as shown.
  2. Once each root is solid, play a two-note power chord on it (root plus the note two frets higher on the next string).
  3. The scorer listens for the root, so play the root alone first on each pass.

What the coach checks: Pitch of each root in order. It cannot judge the full chord.

Goal80 BPM · 80% accuracy
Your bestNo result yet
Rating–

Tab player

Hear the line

eBGDAE12

Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.

100% is the goal tempo, 80 BPM. The speed presets climb from Learn to Goal about 10% at a time, and the practice slider below uses the same scale. Build a full ladder to your goal

Your practice room

Find each note

Single-note pitch feedback. Practice waits for each note; Play checks the sequence at your chosen tempo. This does not assess chord quality or fret buzz.

This checkpoint needs 80 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.

Exercise map · 8 targets
  1. 1. G2Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 6 · fret 3
  2. 2. C3Bar 1 · beat 2 · string 5 · fret 3
  3. 3. A2Bar 1 · beat 3 · string 6 · fret 5
  4. 4. D3Bar 1 · beat 4 · string 5 · fret 5
  5. 5. E3Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 5 · fret 7
  6. 6. B2Bar 2 · beat 2 · string 6 · fret 7
  7. 7. F2Bar 2 · beat 3 · string 6 · fret 1
  8. 8. C3Bar 2 · beat 4 · string 6 · fret 8

Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.

Target 1 of 8G2String 6 · fret 3

Play one note at a time.

Tune first. Audio stays on this device.

Why this drill

A movable shape is only useful if you can put its root on the right fret without hunting. This drill is that placement, one root at a time.

Common mistakes

  1. Counting up from the nut every time

    Fix: Use neighbors you already know. G on string 6 fret 3 sits directly beside C on string 5 fret 3: same fret, next string, a fourth higher.

  2. The right name on the wrong string

    Fix: Each cue sets the string. B on string 6 fret 7 and E on string 5 fret 7 share a fret, and C appears twice, on string 5 fret 3 and string 6 fret 8. Check the string before you play.

  3. Building the power chord in the wrong place

    Fix: The fifth goes on the next thinner string, two frets up. G5 is string 6 fret 3 plus string 5 fret 5; C5 is string 5 fret 3 plus string 4 fret 5.

Tempo plan

100% is the goal tempo, 80 BPM. Each rung sits about 10% above the one before it, so every step up is one you can hold. The speed presets in the player above use the same rungs.

  1. Learn 60 BPM · 75%One root per beat, named out loud before you play it.
  2. Build 66 BPM · 83%Away from the coach, add the power chord after each root. In the coach, play the root alone so the score stays clean.
  3. Push 73 BPM · 91%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
  4. Goal 80 BPM · 100%Eight roots, one per beat, with no hunting. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
  5. Stretch 88 BPM · 110%Run a few passes here, then return to the goal. Time above the goal makes the goal feel settled.

Build a full ladder to your goal with holds and back-off sessions, starting from the tempo you can play today.

Make it music

With these roots you can play a song's chords as power chords or barre chords anywhere on the low strings. The drill's A, D and E sit at string 6 fret 5, string 5 fret 5 and string 5 fret 7, which is the I–IV–V in A inside three frets.

Variation

Play the same chords with roots on the other string: G at string 5 fret 10, A at string 5 fret 12, D at string 6 fret 10 and B at string 5 fret 2.

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