So sorry I'm tardy with the recap. The day job is really grinding me this week and I haven't been able to come up fro air. (also I've been in a sugar coma from the delicious carrot cake that Jessey and Jacob brought into my Sunday class! Thanks again, guys. I can't tell you how much I appreciated the gesture. It was incredibly thoughtful)
Let's get on with the show!
In Guitar 3rep, we kept it Status Quo with the...Status Quo. Pictures of Matchstick Men has some simple--if a little fussy--licks in it that we worked through. Riffs #2 & #3 are conceptually the same, but the former is based around a D chord and the latter is an A chord. In both cases, you just play a little run on the highest string on which you have a fretting finger. The run is the same fret numbers in both cases, 2-3-2-0-2, but you'll have to use different sets of fingers for each one based on the chord form you're starting from.
This week we may try something bold--standing up! Those of you that have straps for your guitars, bring them tomorrow. (no one will be forced to stand, so don't panic, but consider pushing yourself a little to at least give it a try)
Guitar 3 this week worked on the F barre chord. It's just an E shape with your second, third and fourth fingers, played above a barre at the 2nd fret. It's mean and it hurts, but once you've mastered it, you can move that shape up and down the neck to any position. If you know the name of the note you're barring on the low-E string, you know the name of the chord you're playing! Wanna make it minor? Use the E-minor shape instead.Same rules apply to the Am and A shapes played with a root note barred on the 5th string. If that doesn't quite make sense, don't worry. It'll sink in and we'll work on it each week. But let's get started by completing the homework sheet in the packet. Fill in the names of the notes on the bottom two strings and we'll go from there. Practice the Otis Redding tune to get that F chord into your fingers. (and perfect your whistlin' skills!)
And in Guitar 2 this week, we also learned an F chord--albeit a smaller one. Lay the outside of your index finger across both the 1st and 2nd strings at the first fret, then add your other fingers underneath as per the chord chart. It feels weird, and it cuts into a fleshy bit of your finger that doesn't have a callus yet--but it will soon! If you're having a lot of trouble, check your body position. If your arm is glued to your side or it's resting on your knee, that's your problem. It need to be free to move! Also check that your wrist is dropped, and your thumb is on the back of the neck offering support for your pinching power. Keep at it. It'll take some time to build the muscle tone you need, but it'll come. Practice the Sam Cooke tune for some excellent practice with that shape. We also took a look at both forms of Bminor listed on the song chart, and we're going to take the "alt" version as our regular go-to. Remember you can even add a pinky to make it a 4-finger-full chord. (The pinky goes where the 3rd finger is on the chart, and the 3rd finger slots in next to it on the 4th string.) Daydream Believer is a good way to practice both that, and the slide-up-Aminor-2-frets version of the Bmionr chord. Play through the full measures with a shuffle-y pattern of 1 2 3+4, and next week we'll add the riff.
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