Lesson 4: Who's ZINKY??
Now that you have been working with hammer-ons and the pentatonic scale, let’s put them together!
Starting on open G, play the pentatonic scale going up and use hammer-ons when you can.
Starting on open G, play the pentatonic scale going up and use hammer-ons when you can.
Last lesson, we learned the notes on the D string. Which notes on the D string are also part of the pentatonic scale?
Open D and E at the 2nd fret.
Add those notes:
Open D and E at the 2nd fret.
Add those notes:
Can you make up your own pattern with the pentatonic scale that uses hammer-ons?
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This exercise combines the hammer-on with the pentatonic scale. Each string has a note that is part of the pentatonic scale that you can hammer-on. We add the D string into this exercise. The notes D and E are part of the pentatonic scale. They are played with the open D and 2nd fret of the D string.
In Awesome Guitar for Kids, we encourage kids to play with musical ideas, so while we learn the scale just playing from the lowest sounding note to the highest, that doesn’t mean you have to be limited to that order of notes.
Scales are sets of pitches that work together, so you should encourage your child to explore all of the possible shapes and combinations that can be made from the pentatonic scale.
In Awesome Guitar for Kids, we encourage kids to play with musical ideas, so while we learn the scale just playing from the lowest sounding note to the highest, that doesn’t mean you have to be limited to that order of notes.
Scales are sets of pitches that work together, so you should encourage your child to explore all of the possible shapes and combinations that can be made from the pentatonic scale.
In lesson 7, we learned about whole notes.
Today, we will learn about dots.
A dot(.) added after a note makes the notes longer.The dot adds one-half the value of the note.
So for dotted half notes:
Today, we will learn about dots.
A dot(.) added after a note makes the notes longer.The dot adds one-half the value of the note.
So for dotted half notes:
or
For a dotted whole note:
For a dotted whole note:
Next time you practice, we will try adding notes together and start fill out the charts on the next page.
STOP here for today and skip to the next unit. The next time you practice, start filling out the chart on the next page.
See if you can use different notes to answer the complete the chart (there is more than one right answer to each row). The first row is given.
STOP here for today and skip to the next unit. The next time you practice, start filling out the chart on the next page.
See if you can use different notes to answer the complete the chart (there is more than one right answer to each row). The first row is given.
Each time you practice try a different way to complete the chart.
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Adding a dot to a note adds one half of the note’s value. So if you add a dot to a half note (which gets two counts), you are adding one count (1 being ½ of 2). This means a dotted half note gets 3 counts. Depending on how comfortable your child is with fractions, this may be a tricky concept. The concept of sharing can be helpful when teaching children about ½.
If I had two cookies and we shared them we would each get one, for example. For now, it is most important that your child know that a dotted half note gets three counts. The one thing we really want to avoid, is thinking that the dot always adds one count. The value added by the dot is directly related to value of the note being dotted. So if we dot a quarter note, it gets 1 & ½ counts, not two. This is an important distinction to make.
The first time through this section you should just read about what dots are and how they work. After reading, move on to the next unit. Then the next time you practice review the dots section and fill out one of the note charts. There’s a number of ways to get each number of beats, so check to make sure there are the right number of beats in the section by looking at the chart and adding the numbers. Continue filling out and checking one chart each practice session.
Here is what a practice schedule for this unit looks like this:
If I had two cookies and we shared them we would each get one, for example. For now, it is most important that your child know that a dotted half note gets three counts. The one thing we really want to avoid, is thinking that the dot always adds one count. The value added by the dot is directly related to value of the note being dotted. So if we dot a quarter note, it gets 1 & ½ counts, not two. This is an important distinction to make.
The first time through this section you should just read about what dots are and how they work. After reading, move on to the next unit. Then the next time you practice review the dots section and fill out one of the note charts. There’s a number of ways to get each number of beats, so check to make sure there are the right number of beats in the section by looking at the chart and adding the numbers. Continue filling out and checking one chart each practice session.
Here is what a practice schedule for this unit looks like this:
Even though you are supposed to stop in the middle of the lesson on the first day, the practice tracker for this unit is at the end. You should go ahead and review the idea of dots each day you practice.
You can also take some time to fill out the following pages and then go back and check them the next day.
You can also take some time to fill out the following pages and then go back and check them the next day.
Let’s keep practicing Sunrise.
Play all the way through the song.
Play all the way through the song.
Which parts did you play well?
Which parts could be better?
Pick the part of the song that you think needs the most work. Make it a small part, no more than four measures.
ZINKY is going to help us get this part better.
Here is how ZINKY works:
-Play the part so slowly that you are sure to get all of the notes right.
-Once you play the part perfectly, give yourself the letter Z. Z _ _ _ _.
-Do it again. Make sure to take your time and get it perfect and give yourself the next letter Z I _ _ _.
-Keep doing this and adding letters until you have spelled the word ZINKY.
If you make a mistake when practicing, start all the way back at the beginning, so be sure to go so slow that you can’t make a mistake.
If you don’t like ZINKY, pick your own five letter word. It could a food, a name, even a word like CHAMP. You can use the chart on the next page as you go.
ZINKY (or other five-letter word) Practice Sheet
Fill in the blanks as you play each song perfect.
Note: There are three sections for each day because you have to get five perfect times in a row. If you don’t need that many tries, just leave those sections blank.
Which parts could be better?
Pick the part of the song that you think needs the most work. Make it a small part, no more than four measures.
ZINKY is going to help us get this part better.
Here is how ZINKY works:
-Play the part so slowly that you are sure to get all of the notes right.
-Once you play the part perfectly, give yourself the letter Z. Z _ _ _ _.
-Do it again. Make sure to take your time and get it perfect and give yourself the next letter Z I _ _ _.
-Keep doing this and adding letters until you have spelled the word ZINKY.
If you make a mistake when practicing, start all the way back at the beginning, so be sure to go so slow that you can’t make a mistake.
If you don’t like ZINKY, pick your own five letter word. It could a food, a name, even a word like CHAMP. You can use the chart on the next page as you go.
ZINKY (or other five-letter word) Practice Sheet
Fill in the blanks as you play each song perfect.
Note: There are three sections for each day because you have to get five perfect times in a row. If you don’t need that many tries, just leave those sections blank.
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This is a very effective practice technique, but it will require some cheerleading from you in the beginning. The goal is to find a section that needs detailed practice. The smaller the section the better.
To start, it is usually easiest to pick a line or half a line. You want to play the section perfectly five times in a row. You should go slowly; in fact, you should go so slowly that there is no way to get it wrong. When you do this kind of practice you are coding the brain, so it is important to get the information in right the first time. That is why we slow down and really strive for perfection.
We use spelling a five letter word, in this case ZINKY, to keep track of how many times we have played it. Possible words could include: champ, dandy, fancy, vigor, zippy, pizza, sushi, dinky, miles, or horse (the game from which this exercise was derived). So just to review, here is what to do:
-Pick the section you will focus on (one-half to one full line).
-Play the section so slowly you can’t make a mistake.
-Give yourself the first letter - Z.
-Play the section slowly againGive yourself the second letter - I.
-Keep doing the two steps above until you have spelled the word ZINKY.
After you have spelled ZINKY, move on to the next page! Don’t keep working on the song! Let your work sink in and come back to it at your next session.The chart provided can help organize your practice. For each day there are three attempts given, but you may not need all of them.
Remember, the goal is to play so slowly that you can’t make a mistake. While writing a letter down can help you keep track of where you are, many students eventually find it easy to keep track in the head, so don’t feel obligated to always write the letters down.
We have learned a lot about reading music. We have seen how we can hear how the music goes up and down as we follow the staff.
Now we are going to start adding skips.
Now we are going to start adding skips.
- Find the four-note group labeled “1)”.
- Say the name of the first note: Open G.
- Play the four notes
- Take as much time as you need to play each note perfectly
Then try the next group labeled “2)”.
Now pick 2 other four-note groups to play.
Pick different groups the next time you practice.
Now pick 2 other four-note groups to play.
Pick different groups the next time you practice.
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We are starting to read skips in the music. This is a big step up in complexity, so for this exercise we take out the element of rhythm. While it looks a little strange to see just the note heads (ovals) without any stems, this type of notation is common in music. It is used to show sets of pitches.
For this exercise, the notes are grouped by fours and each group of four has a numbers—1), 2), etc.
When doing this exercise, it is important that the student do the following:
For this exercise, the notes are grouped by fours and each group of four has a numbers—1), 2), etc.
When doing this exercise, it is important that the student do the following:
- Say the name of the first note in the group before they start
- Play each note in the group of four in order perfectly.
They can take as long as they need between note within the set. For now, it is better to have a large gap in between notes within a group, then mistakes and strike-overs. Since this may take longer for some students, the student only needs to play four groups each time they practice. If they are open to doing more, great. But four is a good number. Be sure to mix up practice so that after three or four sessions they have played all of the four-note groups.
All of the note names are provided below, but as always, these are for your reference and should not be written in the music.
1) G A G B 2) A B G B 3) C E D E 4) A B C A
5) A G B C 6) G B A C 7) B D C E 8) D B C A
9) C E D E 10) E C E D 11) C B D C 12) E C D B
What about Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge?
You might have learned the mnemonic Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, to learn the lines of the treble clef staff: E G B D F
Or that the spaces spell the word face : F A C E
While these mnemonics are helpful in identifying a note in isolation, they disconnect what is on the staff from the motion of the music, so they don’t really help the student read fluently. While you may teach these to the student to help them find individual notes, it is best to focus on remembering the landmark notes and thinking of notes as in relation to one another. You can also make flash cards for notes if the student is really struggling remembering where notes are on the treble clef staff.
All of the note names are provided below, but as always, these are for your reference and should not be written in the music.
1) G A G B 2) A B G B 3) C E D E 4) A B C A
5) A G B C 6) G B A C 7) B D C E 8) D B C A
9) C E D E 10) E C E D 11) C B D C 12) E C D B
What about Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge?
You might have learned the mnemonic Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, to learn the lines of the treble clef staff: E G B D F
Or that the spaces spell the word face : F A C E
While these mnemonics are helpful in identifying a note in isolation, they disconnect what is on the staff from the motion of the music, so they don’t really help the student read fluently. While you may teach these to the student to help them find individual notes, it is best to focus on remembering the landmark notes and thinking of notes as in relation to one another. You can also make flash cards for notes if the student is really struggling remembering where notes are on the treble clef staff.
Last lesson you wrote a one-sentence song using the pentatonic scale.Try to play it.
Now, let’s add to your song.
You might remember the musical form A-B-A. We saw it in “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Let’s make the one sentence you have the A section and come up with a new sentence for the B section. If you are going through this book with someone else, you could even put your each of your two sections together. The worksheet on the next page will help. Once you have your song together practice it until it is good enough to record!
Now, let’s add to your song.
You might remember the musical form A-B-A. We saw it in “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Let’s make the one sentence you have the A section and come up with a new sentence for the B section. If you are going through this book with someone else, you could even put your each of your two sections together. The worksheet on the next page will help. Once you have your song together practice it until it is good enough to record!
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Today we take the one-sentence pentatonic song from last week and add to it. You will make the section from last lesson the A section, and then come up with a new single sentence song for the B section. If both of you wrote a single sentence song last week, you could put them together. The form will be A-B-A. Writing the notes and words on the page provided will help you organize and practice your song.
Let’s learn a new note on the guitar.
-Start by playing the open D string.
-Now play the string above the D string.
-This is the A string. It is the lowest sounding string we have played so far.
-Now press down with your 3rd finger at the 3rd fret on the A string, this is C.
-Start by playing the open D string.
-Now play the string above the D string.
-This is the A string. It is the lowest sounding string we have played so far.
-Now press down with your 3rd finger at the 3rd fret on the A string, this is C.
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Today, we are adding a couple of notes to the list of notes that we know: the open A string and C on the A string.
Counting up from the bottom, A is the fifth string you come to and the note C is found at the 3rd fret of the A string. The simple melody included in this exercise will help you get used to playing on the A string. As discussed earlier, there’s more than one of each letter pitch available on the guitar.
In this case, the open A string is a lower version of the A found on the G string, and the C on the A string is a lower sounding version of the C found on the B string.
When practicing this page, review where the A string is and where the note C is, play the simple song a couple of times, and then move on.
Counting up from the bottom, A is the fifth string you come to and the note C is found at the 3rd fret of the A string. The simple melody included in this exercise will help you get used to playing on the A string. As discussed earlier, there’s more than one of each letter pitch available on the guitar.
In this case, the open A string is a lower version of the A found on the G string, and the C on the A string is a lower sounding version of the C found on the B string.
When practicing this page, review where the A string is and where the note C is, play the simple song a couple of times, and then move on.
Now that we know C on the A string, we can add it to the C chord. For the C chord, we are going to add C on the A string and E on the D string.
So now the C chord looks like this.
Remember to strum your thumb down, across the strings.
So now the C chord looks like this.
Remember to strum your thumb down, across the strings.
Try playing the chord so that you can hear each string.
You will have to get on the tips of your fingers!
You will have to get on the tips of your fingers!
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This is the full version of the C chord. You will notice, we still don’t play the top string on the guitar.
All the rest of the strings are strummed by moving your thumb down and across the strings.. This chord will take some time to be able to play well. It requires strength and flexibility.
For now, work on placing the fingers properly and getting some kind of sound out of the guitar. We will work on getting each string to ring clearly as we go forward.
All the rest of the strings are strummed by moving your thumb down and across the strings.. This chord will take some time to be able to play well. It requires strength and flexibility.
For now, work on placing the fingers properly and getting some kind of sound out of the guitar. We will work on getting each string to ring clearly as we go forward.