The purpose of this piece is to introduce the fretting hand to the fingerboard and particularly focus on the movement of the first finger. This piece can also be used to further explore the relationship between the position of the note on the stave and its likely location on the guitar finger board. If you've been following previous videos, as a teacher you will have already established that the high-sounding strings on the guitar are located toward the floor. The note, E is currently the highest sounding note that the student knows and of course, is open first string. Ask the student if they can work out a way to produce an even higher sounding note. If not, show them that to attain such notes, the string needs to be fretted and the vibrating string length shortened by moving the fretting finger toward the bridge. Tell the students that there are now two paths to finding a higher sounding note on the guitar; moving to the higher strings toward the floor and, shortening the vibrating string. Ask the student to notice the relative positions of E and F on the stave. Alphabetically they are not very far apart, they are very close together on the stave and therefore, should be located quite close together on the guitar. The result is of course that F sounds just a little bit higher than E. Teachers can demonstrate the relationship that exists between pitch, alphabetical order and the position on the stave and fingerboard by demonstrating notes close in pitch and notes distant in pitch. Place a sticky dot on the fingerboard noting the position of F. Teach the students the piece the same way as had been done previously.
Guitar Teaching Program
To achieve the best results and a positive learning experience for young guitar students, a good teaching program is essential. Copy, Play and Learn Guitar is the best available kids guitar book for very young students. It uses modern, child friendly techniques designed for their stage of physical and cognitive development. It addresses the issues and implements strategies to achieve note reading fluency and chord recognition. Using exciting and engaging songs as subject matter, it comes with free backing tracks, teaching resources and teaching points for each piece. There are also free videos available on YouTube. As the child progresses through the book, a story evolves of a boy and his friends and family involving racing cars, pets, smelly socks and more.
About the Author
Music Educator, Composer and Guitarist, Bryce Leader, holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree and an A(Mus)A in Classical Guitar. He has been a classroom music teacher and guitar teacher for over thirty years and performs regularly in classical, jazz, rock and country music contexts.