Hello all,

Here is this week’s homework posts:

Mona

Practice playing “Ode to Joy” and work on being able to play the entire piece. To practice this, start by playing only two lines of the tune. After two lines become easier to play, try playing three lines and then eventually four. Remember to practice slowly and take your time.

Work on getting to know the notes on the third string (G and A). Practice this by working on the two exercises in your guitar book (exercise 19 and 20).

As extra homework, try “Au Clair de la Lune”. There are two parts to this one. Try to start by learning the first line of each part. We will take a look at this tune next week.

Jack

E minor chord – practice this new chord we worked on today. Remember that you play this chord from the 4th string down. Be sure to keep your fingers arched when playing this chord so that all the strings can be sounded out.

“Get up, stand up” – practice playing E minor using the rhythm noted in your book. Remember to count the beats as you play. Beats 1 and 3 should be silent. The key here is to practice pick control and to make sure you don’t ring out any unwanted strings when strumming.

Chord switching – For “Eleanor Rigby”, there are two chords (C and Em). Try playing these chords one after another (C,Em,C,Em, etc.) and work on getting used to switching between them. The key here is to get comfortable playing these chords with a good sound. Make sure each chord is clear before switching to the next one.

Christian

Segovia scales – try practicing using different rhythms over the scales (quarter notes, eighth notes etc.) Practice them with a metronome with the metronome as the quarter note. The key here is to focus on tone and positioning and to make sure everything sounds smooth when going through the scale. Also be sure to be aware of using the thumb on the lower strings.

If you have extra time, try to work on the C major segovia scale. We will take a look at this next week.

Bossa nova chord patterns – Practice the chord pattern. Focus on being able to feel both rhythms at the same time. To do this, make sure you are able to clap out both rhythms simultaneously. Feeling this will make it much easier to play on the guitar. Be sure to practice this with the metronome slowly. Have the metronome play quarter notes while you work on this.

 

Great work everyone! Have a good week of guitar playing!