Hi Efe! Here’s a list of today’s homework in detail.

E Major string crossing

  • 65BPM fastest. Strictly. — Do this alongside my video.
  • Practice it as we did in class. 8 reps, 2 bars of rest. Then do that again. Until 5 whole minutes have passed.
  • Pay close attention to one hand at a time. Take time to correct what mistakes might be done on one of the hands. Then do the same with the other hand. The mistakes I saw today: the picking pattern was not being followed; ingrain the habit of picking this down-up-down-up. The left hand fingerings were not being followed; it is always supposed to be 4, 1, 2, 0. Never use finger 3.

Goals:

  • String crossing. I want to ensure that this is not such an issue later on. Many guitarists have this as a weakness even in their later years. It’s best to iron it out now. 
  • Picking patterns. Learning and sticking to the (picking) directions in a tab.
  • Physical prep of the whole body when playing these techniques. Playing with worse posture will inevitably make your music sound worse or your body feel worse.

D & G chords’ transitioning

  • Keep trying with this.
  • Get the chords’ fingerings right. The main issue was with the D chord today.

Goals:

  • Get used to the different postures of the wrist we’ve been talking about.
  • Get accustomed to the wrist posture that is farthest out from the body. Remember: the guitar body should hang a little lower than your right knee. This will allow space for your left hand wrist to work properly.

Posture

  • Play any chord or single note with proper posture.
  • Remember: Straight, Strong, Comfortable. These things will ensure that your body is in good posture. This is important because I don’t want you to build bad habits or get any injuries.
  • Standing
  • Sitting

Goals:

  • This is a very basic exercise told in order for you build the habit of having proper and reliable in all of your body. From your legs up to your head. — Keep ensuring that you’re following all the directions that result in maintaining good posture. See my pictures in this Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1cURXZdyFoL_6FZX5V4COTxCljwXKq8wO

Little Drummer Boy

  • Its faster tempo — Do this both with the video of the melody and without it.
  • Its slower tempo — Do this with both the video of me strumming and without it.

Goals:

  • Learning to fluidly play alongside a melody.
  • Get the feeling of strumming a song.
  • Get the feeling of this song’s strumming pattern.

I know that these exercises can be frustrating. But you can do it, Efe. Remember: This process is not an overnight change. Keep on going strong!

See you in a week!