Hi guys!

It was really nice meeting Bennett today :) Below are the things I’d like him to work on for this week.

Posture

Always aim to play everything with a straight wrist in your left and right hand. Pushing the headstock away from your LH (left hand) side is usually a good idea when aiming to get better posture in your right and left hands. — When in doubt, try pushing the headstock forward of your LH side.

See these pictures of my LH. I’m holding the E chord (which I describe a little later).

  • As described above: When I guided Bennett to adjusting his guitar body so that it was more of a diagonal than completely straight on his body, his arms’ and hands’ posture improved.
  • Keep aiming to have this type of posture.

  • These images are here to show that my LH posture is such that my wrist is straight. — Aim to have your wrists as straight as possible.
  • Notice that the guitar is also positioned diagonal to my body.
  • I had no significant comments on how his LH thumb must be positioned. It followed suit with whatever his wrist was doing; when he positioned the guitar and his body properly, it was fine.
  • An important note I forgot to mention in class: Your body should never feel any kind of strain when holding the guitar. Hence why a guitar strap is very useful, too. — When positioned on your legs, its weight should be comfortably taken care of by your legs. — Have it on your right thigh.

Memorize the string names

The following acronym represents all the strings: E A D G B e. Lowest to highest. Remember: We speak upside-down in guitar terms, because we think of the word “higher” as in higher pitched. And those strings are actually lower to the ground.

A funny way to remember these, in this order, is “Eat A Darn Good Breakfast Everyday.” — The PDF below shows a blank guitar diagram looking at the fretboard from the right hand side. You’ll see which side is farthest from the floor as well as which is closest to the floor.

EADGBE

E chord

This first chord we were working on in class. It’s the happy version of the chord you would play that’s called “E.” — If we don’t add a lowercase m on the side, then that means it’s a major chord.

The picture is also a guitar diagram, oriented the same way as the blank one above. It shows how to hold down a chord properly. The black dots are the frets you hold down with your fingers. The white dots represent “open strings.” That is, strings you play without holding any frets down on them.

The numbers represent what LH fingers to use. 1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = pinky. — Be nice and tough with holding down the frets. The more curled the fingers, the clearer the notes will sound.

Em (E minor) chord

The 2nd chord from class today. The sad version of the “E” chord. With the lowercase m on the side, you’ll know it’s a minor chord.

  • This is the easiest chord on today’s list.

A chord

The last chord from today. 

Em pentatonic scale

Try playing the notes in this scale. — Just get your hand used to the feeling of the guitar. I’m not going to quiz you on these next week, haha.

This guitar diagram is oriented differently. We’re seeing it from the eyes of the guitar player when holding the guitar, looking down at the frets.

The vertical lines are the frets. The horizontal lines are the strings. The letters are the note names; these are not that important right now. That number 3 there just means its the 3rd fret; guitars usually have dots on the fretboards for the frets 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12, as they’re very frequently used in common guitar scales. That 3 is just “announcing the presence of said dot,” haha.

Nylon string guitar

If possible, please get a nylon string guitar. And choose one that is a bit smaller. — Long & McQuade is pretty reliable for good musical equipment to buy. Another good one is Remenyi House of Music. As well as Snider School of Music.

Stretches

This video demonstrates the stretches we were doing in class. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1XsLRQFV7rY

Do them during and after a playing or practicing session. — If your hand is starting to feel tired or sore, it is a good time to rest. Fingers are much more delicate than the other muscles in your body, hence you can’t just “push on through” with them. They need rest. So take breaks in between session for sure. Then on top of the breaks, do some of these stretches.

~

Do what you can. And no worries if you don’t wish to continue lessons with me; that is entirely your choice. Otherwise, our door is always open for you here at ABC Academy of Music. Thank you so much and perhaps I’ll see you guys next week!