Join Simon and Dorothy as they discover that by shortening a vibrating medium such as a column of air or a string that the pitch goes up. Notes ascending by step go up in alphabetical order.
This song School Today, introduces another fretted note G. It sounds higher, it is written higher on the stave and will therefore be located on the guitar in a higher position (toward the bridge) than the other notes in the piece. Teachers should encourage the student to note the contour of the melody line and ask them how they would expect the pitch of the notes to reflect this. Make use of the portable stave (freely available from www.copyplayandlearn.com) and get the children to discover that as a note moves up by step, the note name advances by one step in alphabetical order. Show this on the guitar too. Play a scale from the open E up the neck toward the bridge and get the student to name each note.
At about this time you as their teacher could do a science experiment and draw a parallel with stringed and brass instruments. The students by now know that as the vibrating length of string gets shorter, the pitch of the notes rise and the name of the note progresses alphabetically. Take an empty bottle, explain that it is not empty but full of air and that by blowing across the opening you can make that column of air inside the bottle vibrate and produce a note. Ask the kids to listen for the pitch of the note. Now half fill the bottle with water telling them that the column of air inside is now shorter and ask them what they would expect to happen to the pitch. Would it go up or down? The conclusion to reach here is that as the vibrating medium gets shorter, the pitch goes up.
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.
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.