Tell them to go as if it were their ABCs.

To go from A to D with the following chords and to count as they go. Remind them that it starts over after G, reverting back to A, often used as a higher octave rather than lower.



A
F#m
D
E

A, B, C, D
F#m, Gm, Am, Bm
D, E, F, G
E, F, G, A

Or just use this chart.

A // B // C // D // E // F // G //
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E    F#   G    A    B    C   D
D    E    F    G    A    Bb    C
F#m G#m Am   Bm   C#m Dm   Em