• ⏱ Estimated Time: 30 minutes reading + 20 minutes practice = 50 minutes total
• 📋 Requirements: Completed all Lessons 1 through 36
• 🎯 Goal: Fully understand the structure, chords, rhythm and feel of Clocks before playing it through completely

This is What You Have Been Building Toward

Since Lesson 1 every chord, every scale, every strumming pattern, every technique has been pointing toward this moment. Clocks by Coldplay is the destination you set out for when you picked up the guitar. Today you begin the final approach.

This lesson is entirely dedicated to understanding the song before you play it. The most common mistake when learning a song is diving straight into playing without first understanding what you are playing and why. This lesson eliminates that mistake. By the time you finish reading this you will know Clocks inside and out before you play a single note of it.

1. The Story of Clocks

Clocks was released in 2002 on Coldplay’s second album A Rush of Blood to the Head. It won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2004. The song was written largely by Chris Martin who came up with the piano riff that drives the entire song during a late night session at the piano.

The song is in E minor — a dark, urgent, forward driving key. The tempo is approximately 130 BPM — fast enough to feel propulsive but not so fast that it loses its hypnotic quality. The repeating piano riff creates a sense of relentless forward motion — like a clock ticking that you cannot stop.

Understanding the emotional world of a song before playing it changes how you approach every note. Clocks is urgent, slightly desperate, driven. Play it with that feeling underneath everything.

2. The Song Structure

• Intro — the iconic repeating piano riff over Em Bm C G. Sets the driving hypnotic feel immediately
• Verse 1 — same chord progression as intro. Vocals enter quietly over the continuing riff
• Chorus 1 — Am Em G D. Opens up harmonically — slightly brighter and more expansive than the verse
• Verse 2 — return to Em Bm C G with vocals continuing the story
• Chorus 2 — Am Em G D again. Slightly more intensity than chorus 1
• Bridge — a vocal section over a variation of the chord progression. Builds intensity before the final section
• Outro — the famous “home, home where I wanted to go” section. The progression continues as the song builds to its conclusion

3. The Chord Progressions

Verse and Intro — Em Bm C G

This is the heartbeat of the song. It repeats throughout the entire verse and intro sections without variation. In the key of E minor this progression is the i — v — VII — IV — using all natural minor scale chords. The Bm is the barre chord you learned in Lesson 12. If Bm is still difficult use a simplified version — just the top four strings of the barre shape — until the full chord is ready.

Em    Bm    C     G
e|0   e|2   e|0   e|3
B|0   B|3   B|1   B|0
G|0   G|4   G|0   G|0
D|2   D|4   D|2   D|0
A|2   A|2   A|3   A|2
E|0   E|x   E|x   E|3

Chorus — Am Em G D

The chorus shifts the harmonic centre slightly. Am brings a darker minor feel. Em continues the minor world. G provides the major release. D pushes forward with bright energy. Together they create the slightly more open expansive feel of the chorus compared to the driving intensity of the verse.

Am    Em    G     D
e|0   e|0   e|3   e|2
B|1   B|0   B|0   B|3
G|2   G|0   G|0   G|2
D|2   D|2   D|0   D|0
A|0   A|2   A|2   A|x
E|x   E|0   E|3   E|x

4. The Strumming Pattern

The guitar in Clocks follows the piano riff rhythmically — a constant driving eighth note pattern with slight emphasis on beats 1 and 3. This creates the relentless forward momentum that defines the song.

1  +  2  +  3  +  4  +
↓  ↑  ↓  ↑  ↓  ↑  ↓  ↑
>           >
(> = slight accent)

Constant eighth note down up pattern. Every strum even in volume with slight emphasis on beats 1 and 3. Metronome 130 BPM. The pattern never changes throughout the verse — the chord changes are the only variation.

If 130 BPM feels too fast start at 90 BPM. Add 5 BPM every time it feels comfortable. Do not rush to full tempo. A perfectly played Clocks at 110 BPM is far better than a sloppy version at 130 BPM.

5. The Famous Piano Riff — Guitar Adaptation

The iconic three note repeating piano riff that opens Clocks can be adapted beautifully for guitar. You learned a version of this in Lesson 18. Here is the full guitar adaptation:

e |--0-----------0-----------0-----------0---------|
B |----3-----------3-----------3-----------3-------|
G |------4-----------4-----------4-----------4-----|
D |------------------------------------------------|
A |------------------------------------------------|
E |--0-----------0-----------0-----------0---------|

Pick each note individually with alternate picking. Let every note ring into the next — they should overlap creating a shimmering arpeggiated sound. The low E string open note is the bass anchor. The B string fret 3 and G string fret 4 create the characteristic minor second interval that gives the riff its urgent tense quality.

This riff repeats throughout the intro and can be used as an intro or embellishment during the verse. It is not mandatory to play the riff throughout the song — strumming the chords is the primary guitar part. But knowing the riff gives you the option to use it as an intro or whenever you are playing alone.

6. The Tone and Feel

Clocks sounds best with:

• Clean tone — no distortion. The song lives in the clean world entirely
• Dotted eighth delay — set your delay to dotted eighth note at 130 BPM. This creates the shimmering rhythmic echo that fills the space between notes and gives the song its atmospheric quality
• Moderate reverb — adds space and depth without washing out the driving rhythm
• Consistent pick attack — every strum the same volume. The dynamics of Clocks come from the arrangement not from strumming harder or softer

On acoustic without effects — play cleanly with consistent pick attack. The driving rhythm and correct chord changes will carry the song. Effects enhance the sound but the song is strong enough to work without them.

7. Preparing for the Full Playthrough

Before Lesson 38 where you play Clocks from start to finish make sure you can do all of the following comfortably:

• Play Em Bm C G cleanly with smooth transitions at 100 BPM
• Play Am Em G D cleanly with smooth transitions at 100 BPM
• Switch between the verse and chorus progressions without hesitation
• Maintain the constant eighth note strumming pattern for 2 full minutes without breaking
• Play the guitar riff adaptation cleanly with all notes ringing

If any of these feel unsteady go back and drill them specifically before moving to Lesson 38. There is no rush. One more week of preparation makes the full playthrough 10 times more satisfying.

Practice Checklist

Complete every item before moving to Lesson 38.

• ☐ Active listening — listen to Clocks by Coldplay from start to finish with your eyes closed. Follow the structure — intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro. Feel the emotional arc. Target: 4 minutes
• ☐ Structure mapping — listen again and write down the timestamp of every section change — when does verse 1 end, when does chorus 1 start, where is the bridge. Target: 4 minutes
• ☐ Verse progression drill — Em Bm C G, constant eighth note pattern, metronome 90 BPM, 10 times through without stopping. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ Chorus progression drill — Am Em G D, constant eighth note pattern, metronome 90 BPM, 10 times through without stopping. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ Verse to chorus transition — play 4 bars of Em Bm C G then switch to 4 bars of Am Em G D, back and forth 10 times, no hesitation on the switch. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ Guitar riff practice — learn the riff adaptation from section 5, metronome 90 BPM, every note ringing, 10 clean repetitions. Target: 5 minutes
• ☐ Full song structure run — play through the complete structure without music — intro riff, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, outro — using the correct chords and pattern throughout. Target: 8 minutes
• ☐ Bonus — play along at 70% tempo — find a slowed down version of Clocks on YouTube (search “Clocks Coldplay slow”) or use a music player that can slow tracks, play along at reduced tempo to feel the song with the original. Target: 5 minutes

What You Learned This Lesson

• ✅ The history and emotional world of Clocks by Coldplay
• ✅ The complete song structure from intro to outro
• ✅ The verse chord progression — Em Bm C G with chord shapes
• ✅ The chorus chord progression — Am Em G D with chord shapes
• ✅ The driving eighth note strumming pattern
• ✅ The guitar adaptation of the famous piano riff
• ✅ The tone and feel — clean, delay, reverb, consistent attack

Lesson Progress

All Foundation Skills ████████████ MASTERED ✅

All Open Chords ████████████ MASTERED ✅

All Core Techniques ████████████ MASTERED ✅

All Scales & Theory ████████████ MASTERED ✅

All Rhythm Skills ████████████ MASTERED ✅

All Styles ████████████ MASTERED ✅

All Gear & Sound ████████████ MASTERED ✅

Clocks — Song Analysis ████████████ MASTERED ✅

Clocks — Full Playthrough ░░░░░░░░░░ LOCKED — Lesson 38

🎸 Lesson 37 Complete! XP Earned: +600 — The moment is almost here.

Next up: Lesson 38 — Clocks Full Playthrough: The Moment You Have Been Building Toward 🎸