Linger on Gesture Synth: a simplified long-hold study.

01 / A DELIBERATELY SIMPLE BANK

Linger on Gesture Synth: D, A, C and G

This Linger Gesture Synth tutorial is a simplified D–A–C–G chord-holding exercise. You choose four major chords, keep each sounding while counting four complete bars, then move on deliberately. The point is to practise a stable pulse, an audible change and a controlled ending. This is our own beginner study inspired by published teaching material, not an exact transcription of The Cranberries' recording.

The practice link selects Sing & Play, Four chords and 120 seconds. It remains silent until you choose an input mode. Read the loaded-practice banner, start Mouse Mode and listen to the four buttons before trying camera gestures. To configure the instrument manually, use the following roots, qualities and octaves; leave every Inversion at Root position.

The lower A and G bass notes are voicing choices for this study. They do not reproduce a specific guitar part. Listen to the root movement without changing octave or inversion first. Once you can follow the whole sequence, the custom chord guide explains how to experiment with those settings while preserving each chord's quality.

D major and C major are both intentional

D major needs F♯, while the C major chord needs C natural. A key label is not an instruction to rename every chord using only that key's most familiar notes. Changing C to C♯ or D to D minor would create a different exercise. Check all three sounding notes in the table, rather than choosing a root letter and assuming the rest is correct.

02 / WHAT HAS BEEN SIMPLIFIED?

A6 becomes A; the picking part is omitted

Jo Bywater's Linger guitar lesson identifies D, A, C and G for a beginner accompaniment. The public preview of Musicnotes' edition MN0077854 also shows a more detailed part containing A6. Its listing gives D major, 4/4 and quarter-note 88. These sources describe arrangements with details beyond four sustained synth buttons.

A6 contains A, C♯, E and the added sixth F♯. This bank uses plain A major, containing A, C♯ and E. It therefore leaves that F♯ out of the second chord. It does not remove F♯ everywhere: the first D major chord still needs it as its third. Moving the A chord to another inversion would rearrange its existing notes, not supply the missing sixth.

We also omit the guitar-picking introduction, strumming accents and ornamental changes. The long holds below are a counting rule for this page. They are not a claim that every original verse, chorus or social-media version uses these exact change times. If your goal is to follow a particular recording faithfully, use its authorized arrangement and verify its section and rhythm separately.

Treat the count as part of this exercise, rather than assuming it transfers to every version of Linger. Finish all four bars before changing each slot. Once that feels comfortable, you can work on a separate guitar lesson for its picking pattern; sustaining a synth chord does not teach that right-hand technique.

03 / COUNT BARS AS WELL AS BEATS

Four bars per chord means sixteen bars altogether

At 88 BPM, count ONE-two-three-four four times on D before selecting A. Do the same for A, C and G. Each chord receives sixteen quarter-note beats, so one chord lasts about 10.91 seconds. The complete four-chord exercise contains sixteen bars and sixty-four beats, lasting approximately 43.64 seconds. It cannot fit into a 15-second recording.

Use an external metronome or count yourself; the bank has no automatic count-in, tempo control or slot advancement. Start with one silent preparation bar. At a slower 60 BPM, each chord lasts sixteen seconds and a complete round lasts sixty-four seconds. That still fits the 120-second option. Slow the pulse while preserving the number of bars, rather than changing both rules at once.

Use the first beat to remember the bar number

Count “one, two, three, four,” then “two, two, three, four,” followed by “three, two, three, four” and “four, two, three, four.” The opening word records which bar you are in. After that last four, change chord on the next downbeat and restart the bar count. You do not need to press the button again on every beat.

1. One-chord drill: keep D sounding for four bars, then stop. Check whether you rushed the final bar or added a fifth.
2. Two-chord drill: play D for four bars and A for four. Separate the act of preparing a new slot from actually changing it.
3. Return drill: practise G back to D, keeping a steady pulse. Add the two middle chords only when that end-to-start join is comfortable.

For this held-chord task, tap or click a numbered button quickly to latch it. The next slot replaces the current chord. Press the active button again to rest. Holding a button for more than 250 milliseconds makes it stop on release, which is useful for short sounds but can interrupt this longer exercise. Keep your first attempt simple enough that a gap is easy to diagnose.

Camera practice uses slot numbers, not fixed chord names

Stop Mouse Mode before starting the camera. Fold your left thumb, then raise one to four non-thumb fingers for the corresponding slots. Here one is D, two is A, three is C and four is G. Those numbers are assignments in this bank, not universal scale degrees. Keep both hands visible and close the left hand into a fist when you want a rest.

Your right hand shapes volume with height and tone with wrist tilt. Begin with a comfortable, steady position. During a long hold, a changing hand shape can select another slot even though you have not reached the next bar. Watch the highlighted chord. If tracking flickers, reduce movement, improve lighting or switch back to the buttons to isolate the counting task.

04 / A COMPLETE LOOP NEEDS THE LONG OPTION

Record one round using 120 seconds

Leave the microphone off for a first take. Load the bank, start Mouse Mode and confirm 120 seconds. Press Record 2 min before you count your preparation bar. Play one 43.64-second round at 88 BPM, rest after the fourth G bar, then press Stop clip to open the preview. Otherwise the clip ends automatically at the selected time limit. In the free preview, check each transition and listen for a clean ending. A 15-second test can check sound and controls, but it cannot demonstrate the whole loop at this tempo.

Compare a timing error with a configuration error. An early A changes the phrase length; an A minor changes its notes. A missing F♯ in D means the first chord was configured incorrectly, while the missing sixth in A is intentional. Use the recording guide for preview and saving, and return to the table before making a second take.

If adding your own singing, use headphones and request the microphone separately. No vocal recording or lyrics are provided. Playing, recording and full local preview are free without an account. Optional single-recording video export is US$9.99; packs show their current price and included recordings before payment. Paid export requires sign-in and confirmation of the selected recording's private upload, with no subscription and 30-day access to the file.

For quicker chord changes, try the four-bar Hate That I Made You Love Me study. For a major-to-minor contrast, use Creep, or return to song practice. This independent tutorial is unaffiliated with The Cranberries, their publisher or the cited teacher.

QUICK ANSWERS

Linger practice questions