Chord & FretChoro · Guitar
Choro, 6-string 'centro' (thumb on the beat, chord in between)
Sound summary
For the guitar, Choro uses a bass-and-chord figure, in 2/4 straight (even subdivisions): the thumb plays the bass (B) and the chord (A) answers right after. In practice it sounds: B A — A B A — A.
How to count it
The meter is 2/4: 2 beats per bar, counted in sixteenth-notes (four per beat). Speak the count: 1 e & a, 2 e & a. Tap your foot on the strong beat and read the grid above: each cell is one subdivision.
The rhythm grid
B = bass (thumb) · A = chord block (i-m-a together, no sweep) · — = rest
The thumb bass and the i-m-a block follow the two-voice violão notation (Silva & Madeira 2021).
How to play it
Right hand
Bass and chord take turns: the bass (B) on the thumb first, then the chord (A) answering — always in that order, never colliding. It is a pinch: the thumb stays on the bass strings and i-m-a pull the three treble strings together — never sweep across all the strings. On the rests, let the thumb and fingers settle on their next strings — ready, without cutting the sound early.
Left hand
The left hand gives the harmony: hold the whole shape clean from start to finish, leaving the right hand to the rhythm. Make the change on the last beat, the hand already heading to the next chord.
Example in A7
Take an A7A7A7A7: the bass (B) is the low E, and the A7 chord (A) answers next. Play it slowly, following the diagram and the sound.
Common mistakes
- Bass and chord landing together. The bass (B) comes first; the chord (A) answers after. If they collide the groove disappears — separate the two hands in time.
- Running the subdivisions. The faster the pattern, the easier to push ahead — lock the tempo on the metronome before speeding up.
- Stopping the arm on the rests. The hand never stops — it keeps swinging in the air and only touches the strings on the next hit. That’s what holds the time.
Guided practice
- Start from the low end. Play just the B with the thumb, slow, watching each one land in place.
- Isolate the chord. Drop the bass and play only the A hits, feeling where they answer.
- Put the hands together. Bass first, chord after — slowly, until the alternation is automatic.
- Take it up on the metronome. Start slow, keep the pattern clean, and add a few BPM at a time.
You’ve got the theory; now the time has to enter the body. Play along with the audio, follow the count and raise the metronome bit by bit until the bass and the chord sit apart in time — Chord & Fret runs that drill with an adjustable tempo.
Train with the metronome →Variations & related patterns
Once the strum is steady, play the same pattern over real Choro progressions. That trains rhythm, chord changes and voice-leading in one exercise — the Progressions by Rhythm feature in Chord & Fret.
Apply to progressions →Understanding the groove is the first step; the full practice — repetition, metronome, audio, progressions and review — happens in Chord & Fret. There this pattern stays saved in your study, to revisit later, play offline and track your progress.
Start training →