Lesson 2: Getting Low and Rolling With the Rhythm
One of you will play the guitar and the other will be the drummer. The drummer will keep a steady beat of quarter notes by hitting their thigh and then clapping while counting aloud.
Once you are comfortable playing the rhythms on a single pitch, you may play the rhythms with two or more pitches.
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The person playing guitar can play the eighth notes on pitch they like. Start by using only one pitch and then use two or more pitches once you are comfortable.
This means that the first (pointer) finger of your left hand presses down behind the first fret.
Now, move your left hand so that your first (pointer) finger is behind the second fret; you are now in second position. Your thumb should still be behind your 2nd finger.
When you are in second position, you can use your pinky to play the note A (5th fret on the E string).
Let’s practice shifting from first to second position.
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Guitar positions are labeled by where your first (pointer) finger is. So far, everything we have done has been in the first position (since our first finger has always been in the first fret). When you slide your hand down the neck and put your first finger in the second fret, you are in second position.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when changing positions:
The Left Hand Doesn’t Hold the Guitar: You may remember from 1-2-3-wave (all the way back in book I) that your left hand doesn’t hold the guitar; this is so that you can easily move between different positions on the fretboard.
The Thumb Stays Behind the Neck Between the First and Second Finger: The thumb follows the hand when it moves and stays in the same place relative to the other fingers in the new position.
One Finger Per Fret: This means in second position, you will fret the 5th fret with your pinky. It may take some time to build up the strength, but remind your child that it took time for their other fingers to get strong too.
Commit to the Shift: If you are going to be in second position: be in second position. Commit to it. Don’t try to kind of reach for it, really move your whole hand and be in second position. Then when it is time for first position, move back with the same conviction. Many problems young guitarists have with positions come from trying to kinda-sort-of shift.
Take Advantage of Open Strings: Use the times when you are playing open strings to set up your shifts. In this case, start setting up your shift when you play the open E string.
Today you will use the pick to play the lines. Be sure to give yourself a count-off. (The 3rd line is in ¾, so you will count 1,2,3)
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In this unit we continue reading in the lower register of the treble clef. You will notice that there are more skips in these examples then in the previous examples. The third example is in ¾, so there are only 3 beats per measure. Make sure to give yourself a countoff when playing through the examples. The pitches are given below, but as always, don’t write the note names into the staff.
C C D | E D | G F D | E D ||
E D C D | E E G | F G F | G C ||
E E F | G E | F F G | E C ||
G F | G F E | F F D D | E D C ||
You might find it helpful to make flashcards to review these note names. This is the first time that we have used the pick in a reading session. You should still be picking only in the downward direction; next lesson we will be learning how and when to pick up.
If you or your child occasionally pick up with reading through the exercise, don’t worry about it. At this point in our development, pick direction is not a concern.
Here’s the song:
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E G E D | C A | A GG A |A GG A |
E G E D | C D C | A GG A | A GG A |
D D C | E D C | D D C | E EE E |
E G E D | C A | A GG A | A GG A |
You might notice that the entire song is made up of the pentatonic scale.
When adding chords to a melody in music notation, the chords are written over the staff.
To start play each chord as a half note.
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