Session 3, Week 2 Recap -- ALL CLASSES

Hello friends! Late-breaking update from the desk of a very busy dayjobber who's getting ready for her big annual convention in Seattle later this week. I'm presenting on a panel, so I'll be putting on my teacher hat in another context. As I mentioned to all of you weekend students, that means that you'll have a sub. The awesome Chris Corsale will be your guide. He's up-to-speed on what we've been working on, and I asked him to bring in some fresh tunes for your enrichment. Can't wait to hear all about it!
(Thursday gang, I'm not leaving town until the weekend so you're stuck with me this week)

But enough about the future, let's talk about the past! And last Thursday night in Guitar 4 we went WAY back to the songbook for some finger-pickin' good times. Freight Train in your song book is a great way to work through that T-2-1-3 finger pattern using basic open chords (including little F. No barred Fs here. Phew!)
Don't watch E.C.'s fingers too closely because it'll sprain your eyes and brain: http://youtu.be/43-UUeCa6Jw She plays it upside down and backwards. Also her pickin' is more complex than ours but she wrote the song so she's allowed to get as fancy as she wants.

On Saturday, Guitar 3 Rep got into Green Day and learned our way around the Big G (4 finger G) and the Cadd9. http://youtu.be/CnQ8N1KacJc Remember, I give you permission to keep your pinky and ring fingers down for the WHOLE song. It's a little different than what Billie Joe does, but who cares?! We do what we want. (and I think it sounds cooler with that high drone) The strumming pattern is just a sloppy Golden Strum, with some assemblage of the low strings ringing on the downstrums, and assorted high strings on the upstrums. Don't over think it. You know Green Day doesn't!
We also learned the extensive strumming rhythm that'll see us through the bulk of Ziggy Stardust. You have to subdivide the measure into 16th notes and pay attention to emphasis (on the 1, 2, and 4).
You can break it down like this:
V  V^ V V^ V^V^ V V^ (one and a two and a three e and a four and a)
When I get back from Seattle, we'll go through the intro riff and then we'll have ourselves a tune!

And Sunday's Guitar 2 Rep continues to blow my mind by getting all the way through complicated songs in one go! We played Heart of Gold--hammer-ons and all--which are a new technique where you use a percussive action of the finger on your left hand  against the fretboard to produce a sound from the string, instead of picking it with your right hand. Here's a handy video tutorial (never mind the "pentatonic" stuff. Just get the concept and try the exercise on any old strings).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=v9xjT9zVVQU
There's some "stop-time" rhythms that you'll see on your song sheet where the asteriks are. You can follow my notes, or you can listen to the man himself in this great clip. It takes him awhile to find the right harmonica, but once he does, boy is he great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Eh44QPT1mPE

E-mail me with questions and keep on strummin'!