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Beginning Guitar Blog

Students learn various American styles of guitar playing, including blues, folk, jazz and rock music. Each student establishes a practice schedule, and learns exercises that quickly build technical skills on the instrument. The class is designed so that the student learns how to learn music--that is, how to learn without having to unlearn. All experience levels are welcome.

From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

Final Class Next Week!

Here is what I need you to work on to prepare for our final class next week:

Rack your brains and be ready to answer the following question next week:

- What do you want to work on over the summer break, and what more do you need to know so that there will be plenty to work on? I want you to feel excited about the songs and techniques that you get to work on all summer long, and to make sure that you capitalize on that excitement.

Songwriting: Please choose 2 or more of the following strategies for starting to write an original song--use each strategy to develop a melody, chord progression, or adaptation that sounds awesome to you. You don't need to come in with a fully written song--I'm only asking that you try to create some of the raw materials that can be honed and developed into a complete song or musical idea.

Learning by Ear
All musicians should spend quality time with their instruments learning by ear--this is Such a valuable skill for both songwriting and playing with other musicians, you just wouldn't believe it! Here are the steps to begin learning by ear, have your guitar in hand and a song on the stereo as you attempt each step.

1. Find "do" (the note that feels Resolved).
2. Figure out if the song's melody is in the major or minor mode (try out both the major and the minor scales based on "Do" and see which sounds right).
3. Play the proper scale along to the song, begin to listen for where the chord changes happen, and try to hear what the root of each chord is (listening to the note that the bass is playing is often the best way to do this).

Please write to me with any questions you may have, or with any requests for things you'd like to focus on during our final class this semester!

Talk to you soon,

joe


From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

Homework for May 12

Folks,

Good to hear so many of you working on songs, and it was exciting to hear the chord progression Seth came up with! I strongly encourage the rest of you to come up with your own chord progressions and share them with our class.

Students who are still working on their open chords (C Major, G Major, F Major, E minor, and A minor are the ones we reviewed today) need to practice those chords--both switching from one to another and also memorizing what they're called.

Students who are already comfortable with those chords should practice their scales and the different inversions of the C Major chord (we reviewed 3 different ways to play it).

Also, everybody please note the class blog post from last week--I have rewritten and clarified it a little bit, so please make those changes in your notes.

Thanks folks! That's all for now,

Joe


From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

Assignment for May 5

How to Practice a Song
1. Play the whole song (or the first major section of the song) all the way though--playing the Right Notes in the Right Order. Don't even worry about the rhythm--just teach your fingers the proper order of operations, so that your muscles learn the proper sequence of movements. Do this for as long as you can tolerably do so until you feel good about playing through the sequence without any mistakes.
2. Now, introduce the rhythm, and play the song at a steady pace that's just as slow as is comfortable for you.
3. It's time to focus on trouble spots/difficult transitions/chord changes in the song: spend extra time on those parts working out the kinks.
4. Now Gradually start playing the song a little faster each day (or, if it's easy enough, each time you play it) until you're playing it at the speed you like.
5. Memorize the song.
6. Improvise over the song's chord changes.

At any time in this process, step back and think about how you are playing the song--ask yourself: is there any other way(s) I could be playing this song as far as how I'm fingering the chords or scales? Is this the Best way to play this guitar part? Always double back and make sure you're making it as easy for yourself as possible.

At any time in this process following the completion of steps 1 - 3 you should feel free to step back, rev up your metronome and go to town on the tune by playing the song while focusing entirely on Getting the Rhythm Right. Play it fast, play it slow, play it medium, and so forth.

Please email me or be ready to tell me on next Wednesday morning which of the steps above was most challenging or frustrating for you after you applied them to your chosen song.

Also, practice the two scales and the 5 chord shapes (for Seventh chords) we reviewed in class today!

See you soon,

Joe


From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

Assignment for April 28

Dear Students,

Here's what I'd like you to work on between now and next week.

1. Songs that you love to play.
2. Try to learn a new song (from a friend or else online from tabs or a Youtube tutorial).
3. Practice figuring out the names of the notes that make up the chords you know.

*For students who have taken this class before: Using the knowledge from item 3 above, and your knowledge of the names of the notes on the fretboard, try to find new ways to play the chords you already know.

Write to me with any questions,

joe


From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

Practice Routine

Dear Students -

Here are the elements of your practice routine that I want you to weigh and consider. Please write out how much time you'd like to practice each week, and how much time you're going to dedicate to each item below.

- Tuning

- Songs

- Scales

- Chords

- Learn new songs / scales / chords.

- Improvise

- Pretend Performance

Talk to you soon,

Joe


From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

To Work on this Week

Folks,

Please remember the things I want you to work on for next week:

1. Learn to quickly play and say the name of each natural note on the two lowest strings. (There is a half step between B & C and also between E & F, there is a whole step between all other notes, A through G)

2. Practice listening to the sound of the intervals listed below. (Remember, one half step is the distance between one fret and the next, moving either up or down the fretboard.)

# of Half Name of
Steps Interval

1 minor 2nd

2 Major 2nd

3 Minor 3rd

4 Major 3rd


As always, you should be practicing any and all songs you're learning as often as possible (3 hours per week Minimum), and also practice all of the chords and scales we've learned thus far.

See you next week,

Joe


From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

Attention Parents!

Parents, please fill out this class evaluation:

http://villagehome.org/eval.php

Thanks!

Joe


From: Joe Seamons            Updated:
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Wed Dec 31, 1969 04:00pm

Next Week & Allergies

Dear Class,

This is a reminder that I won't be here next Wednesday, so please plan accordingly. Take advantage of the time this frees up by practicing all you can, and make sure to get together and play music with one another!

We've had a request to let a dog into the class for the sake of its training--any issues with that?