How to play 2 or 3 by The Lemon Twigs

2 or 3 is a fantastic progression for guitarists. Classic retro Pop by multi-instrumentalist brothers Brian & Michael D’Addario (aka Lemon Twigs), this is a great example of song craft that steps outside the predictable Pop formulae. 2 or 3 is the second single from their 2026 album Look For Your Mind and is a rewarding chord example for steel-string guitarists.

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Chords: A D Bm E E4 C#7 F#m C#m Bb C# F F# F#4 B D#7 G#m G C F Em A7 Dm7 G7 (Yes, that’s 23 chords!)

What key is this song in? It’s in A Major up to the end of the ‘middle-eight’ (the solo section). The following two bars modulate the key up a tone to B Major (a difficult key for guitar) for the third verse. This, in turn modulates up another semitone to C Major for the last chorus and the final chord is C major. So, 2 or 3 starts in A major, detours through B major and finishes in C major. You don’t accidentally write progressions this complex; some serious music knowledge is required. If you want to improve your understanding of harmony this song is worth studying.

Pick or Fingers? Use the pick ; the famous ‘60s style Pop ‘jangle’ comes from a pick working on thin steel strings.

Acoustic or Electric? Either will work well. The recording features a blend of acoustic steel and electric guitars. Not practical for nylon-string guitars because of frequent bar-chords.

Can I use a capo? No, a capo wont help you avoid the bar-chords. 2 or 3 uses a wide ranging selection of chords because of the key changes. Progressions like this demand solid chord knowledge and good rhythm technique.

How does the timing work? The rhythms in 2 or 3 are all quaver based and most of the song is the straight “1‍ ‍2 and 3 and 4 and” rhythm. Worth pointing out however is the bars with the consecutive dotted-crotchet accents (look at the first two bars of the fourth stave). Count these accented syncopated bars as “1-and-2 and-3-and 4-and-1 and-2-and 3 and 4“

Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To learn more about the chords and rhythms needed for 2 or 3 see pages 5, 8 -10, 12 - 21, 24, 28 and 34 - 35.

Need a bit of help?

Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 is the perfect companion for our song guides. It will teach you how to read the rhythm slash notation used in our charts (and in professional theatre and studio charts) and is specially designed to help beginners speed up their chord changes, master strumming patterns, and many other techniques.