Modern Band Lesson 4

Introduction to Guitar, Bass, and Piano

GUITAR

IIn this lesson, students continue reinforcing letter names on the Treble Clef Staff with the introduction of D, E, and F on the 4th string of the guitar.  An association is made between the visual representation of the three notes on a staff and its corresponding finger/fret placement on the fourth string and its pitch.  An introductory accompanying exercise in PDF format addresses the notes in alphabet order up and down, then challenges students by scrambling the order of the three notes while maintaining a steady quarter note rhythm.

Introduction to Reading Music

Note Values

Chromatic Scale on the First String

BASS

In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of using the fret-hand fingers as tone producers by striking an already vibrating string, known as “hammering.” The introduced exercise, “Hammer Ons,” utilizes only the first four frets of each string, and develops students’ finger strength and dexterity by combining some fingers in execution while others operate independently. Finger-to-fret distances are also reinforced through muscle memory. In addition, rhythmic concepts are reinforced through technical mastery as the pattern is first introduced in quarter notes, then in eighth notes.

Reading: Notes on the Fourth String

Download sheet music:

Piano

In this lesson, students are guided through the piano keys necessary to play “Dragon Tears.” Students will be utilizing an F major scale, will review black key concepts of naming with flats, and review pitch notation reading skills on the grand staff. Rhythmic concepts of half rests, quarter rests, quarter notes, and eighth notes are utilized. Execution of the part reinforces the right hand playing in thirds and moving the finger pattern up a segment of the F scale as well as playing some scale step-wise passages, and the left hand reinforcing intervallic playing in a fixed position, although both hands do not play synchronously until a chord is presented as the last note.

Intro to Piano: Learning the Notes and Keys