Lesson 5: Hammer Jammer
You have been practicing the pentatonic scale with hammer-ons. Now, try adding hammer-ons to the three and four note patterns from lesson 7.
Play the three note pattern:
Play the three note pattern:
Now play the four note pattern:
Finally, try making your own melodies with the pentatonic scale and hammer-ons.
P
R
A
C
T
I
C
E
N
O
T
E
S
←
→
This exercise combines our practice of hammer-ons with the pentatonic scale shapes. You will notice that both of the patterns start on open G and go up; we will need a different technique to go down the scale. You should be able to hear each hammered pitch (A,D, and high G) clearly. You should try to play these as evenly as possible. There is a tendency to rush the hammer-on and take longer on the non-hammered-on notes. All of the notes should have the same rhythmic value. After you have played through the two shapes provided, spend a little bit of time freely exploring the sound of the pentatonic scale with hammer-ons.
So far we have been playing music in 4/4. Today we are going to play in 3/4.
3/4 means that there are three beats (counts) in each measure.
Clap the rhythms below.
Give yourself and count off and keep counting while you clap.
Counts are given for the first line.
3/4 means that there are three beats (counts) in each measure.
Clap the rhythms below.
Give yourself and count off and keep counting while you clap.
Counts are given for the first line.
P
R
A
C
T
I
C
E
N
O
T
E
S
←
→
In 3/4 there are only three beats per measure.
In this unit we are simply counting and clapping the rhythms. As always, be sure to give yourself a count off that matches the tempo that you are playing the example at. You can hear recorded examples of these rhythms on the website.
Note: This will feel different from 4/4. When first learning 3/4, students often make the mistake of leaving a little space between measures, so their counting goes one, two, three, (pause), one, two, three, (pause), one, etc. This is really no different from counting in four. When you are counting in three it should have rolling feel to it, with a slight accent on one: one, two, three, one, two three, one, two three.
Here is a simple song to better learn the notes of the D string.
All of the notes played in this song are found on the D and G strings.
All of the notes played in this song are found on the D and G strings.
P
R
A
C
T
I
C
E
N
O
T
E
S
←
→
This is a simple song in 3/4 that uses the pitches on the D string.
Remember the notes on the D string are:
Open = D
2nd fret = E
3rd fret = F
Use whatever strategy is most comfortable to practice this melody. It has a ABA form. You will notice that this song has a minor (darker) sound than a song like Sunrise.
Let’s continue our note reading from last time.
Just like last lesson, we will see some skips in the music. Remember to give a full measure count off (1,2,3,4) before starting and keep counting as you play the line.
Note: the third line is in time, so you will count 1,2,3
Just like last lesson, we will see some skips in the music. Remember to give a full measure count off (1,2,3,4) before starting and keep counting as you play the line.
Note: the third line is in time, so you will count 1,2,3
P
R
A
C
T
I
C
E
N
O
T
E
S
←
→
These three examples are a little more challenging than the examples from last lesson. Once again the examples feature skips.
The final example is in 3/4 . Be sure that you have a count off before you start and that the tempo of the count-off matches the tempo of song. Here are the pitches for your reference, but DO NOT write them over the notation.
G B A G | A B | A C | B A G ||
G A B G | A B | C B A | B G ||
C E C | D C | D C D | E C ||
C E D E | D B | C B C E | D C ||
As always, recordings of these excerpts are available on the website. This may be especially helpful for the example in 3/4.
The final example is in 3/4 . Be sure that you have a count off before you start and that the tempo of the count-off matches the tempo of song. Here are the pitches for your reference, but DO NOT write them over the notation.
G B A G | A B | A C | B A G ||
G A B G | A B | C B A | B G ||
C E C | D C | D C D | E C ||
C E D E | D B | C B C E | D C ||
As always, recordings of these excerpts are available on the website. This may be especially helpful for the example in 3/4.
Let’s learn a new chord.
The chord we will learn is A minor. Remember minor chords are the darker, sadder sounding chords.
Here is how you play the A minor chord.
The chord we will learn is A minor. Remember minor chords are the darker, sadder sounding chords.
Here is how you play the A minor chord.
The numbers on the dots tell you which finger you use, so the second and third fingers are both in the second fret.
The A minor chord goes well with the C major chord we learned last lesson.
To switch between them, you only need to move your third finger.
The A minor chord goes well with the C major chord we learned last lesson.
To switch between them, you only need to move your third finger.
Practice playing C major to A minor the same way you practiced changing chords before:
-Play C major.
-Count 1-2-3-4.
-Then play A minor.
Then try it only counting 1-2-3, the 1-2, and finally 1.
Remember, only your 3rd finger moves when you change chords.
-Play C major.
-Count 1-2-3-4.
-Then play A minor.
Then try it only counting 1-2-3, the 1-2, and finally 1.
Remember, only your 3rd finger moves when you change chords.
P
R
A
C
T
I
C
E
N
O
T
E
S
←
→
This is the full open A minor chord. It is one of the most commonly played chords on the guitar. It is closely related to the C major chord, but the third finger is in a different place. This is the first chord that we have played with two notes fretted in the same fret of neighboring strings.
This requires your fingers to play a little game of Twister. The nice thing about going from the C major to the A minor is that you only have to move one finger. When changing from chord to chord you want to minimize movement, so you should be holding your first and second finger down throughout this exercise.
This requires your fingers to play a little game of Twister. The nice thing about going from the C major to the A minor is that you only have to move one finger. When changing from chord to chord you want to minimize movement, so you should be holding your first and second finger down throughout this exercise.
It is time to jam!
Start by playing the chords below.
Start by playing the chords below.
Now improvise (make-up) melodies using the pentatonic scale over the top of the chords.
You can use a partner or the recording on our website. Start by taking a simple four or five word phrase, for example “I really like turtles”, and fitting your melody to the words.
For example:
You can use a partner or the recording on our website. Start by taking a simple four or five word phrase, for example “I really like turtles”, and fitting your melody to the words.
For example:
You do not have to use the notes in order.
As long as you are using notes from the pentatonic scale, there are no mistakes!
As long as you are using notes from the pentatonic scale, there are no mistakes!
P
R
A
C
T
I
C
E
N
O
T
E
S
←
→
This is a fun exercise to introduce the idea of improvisation. If there are two of you playing, one guitar will provide a chordal accompaniment while the other improvises a melody based on the pentatonic scale. The great thing about the pentatonic scale is that all of the notes in the scale sound good with the given chords, so there really is no way to play wrong notes. That being said, you will find that some notes are more natural starting and stopping points. For the most part, it is best to start your phrases in this exercise on G and end on either G,B, or D. We will learn why in book three. For now, enjoy exploring how the pentatonic scale fits with the chords.
Match the notes of the scale to a simple sentence in order to make things sound more musical. When learning to improvise, guitarists have a tendency to ramble, coming up with a short spoken phrases (like “I really like turtles”) will automatically give your improvisation a more lyrical structure. If there is only one person, there is an accompaniment online to practice with.
Match the notes of the scale to a simple sentence in order to make things sound more musical. When learning to improvise, guitarists have a tendency to ramble, coming up with a short spoken phrases (like “I really like turtles”) will automatically give your improvisation a more lyrical structure. If there is only one person, there is an accompaniment online to practice with.