Complementary Studies Report

UNIVERSITY OF DERBY
Faculty of Arts, Design & Technology
Academic Year: 2007/2008

Module Title:............Complementary Studies

Module Code:...........5EJ053

Module Leader:........Duncan Werner

email:........................d.werner@derby.ac.uk

Programmes:...........BA(Hons) Popular Music with Music Technology
..................................(code W340)

..................................BSc(Hons) Multimedia Technology & Music
..................................Production (code GW43)

Hand-in Date:...........16th August 08


Name:........................Liam Marley

Student Number:......033011257

Programme Title:.....BSc (Hons) Multimedia Technology & Music
...................................Production

Report Word Count:.1557 words

Web log address 1:..http://marleysbasslessons.blogspot.com/

Email contact:..........marlswinburn@hotmail.com

Number of web log entries: 85

Total time of CS activity: 226 hours and 15 minutes (excluding video import time of 20hours



1. Introduction

With millions of people having access to the Internet worldwide, it is not surprising that people have begun to upload their thoughts and day-to-day activities onto this highway of information. A web log (blog) or online journal allows others to publish their thoughts onto a web page, enlisting the aid of text, images, videos and links to web sites to do this. This was the aim of the assignment, to ‘manage and complete an ongoing web-based log of activity’ so that the subject matter could be recorded and published for others to experience.

The subject matter was the weekly activity of teaching pupils how to play the four string electric bass guitar. These consisted of one hour long lessons, were the tutor would teach in stages, beginning with the basics and progressing from there. Each lesson was planned, recorded (onto film), evaluated, and then published onto the online journal for assessment.

The final outcome of the assignment was to gain new skills, as well as refining current ones, through the process of teaching bass to the pupil/s. A personal aim was set, of hopefully being able to pass on the knowledge of the instrument to others.


Note: Any reference to a blog is referred to in terms of post date instead of the event (i.e. bass lessons, evaluations or film edits) date, (refer to Figure 1.1 and 1.2 for comparison).



Figure 1.1 - example of a blogs post date




Figure 1.2 - example of a blogs event date


2. A Musical Activity


2.1. The Lessons

As mentioned above, each hour long lesson consisted of one to one tuition on the techniques and theories used to play the bass guitar. Each lesson was planned in advance (usually a day or several hours before), so that lesson material, such as tablature, audio/video, and pictures, could be gathered and used in conjunction with the lessons. Beginning with an introduction, stating the date and pupil attending, an itinerary of the day’s lesson would be described, with aims for the pupil to achieve. Finally the main part of the lesson would be taken up by the objectives that had been set to teach, inspire and challenge.


2.2. The Pupils

For the duration of the lessons there were only two pupils that were being taught to play the bass. The original idea was to take on three or maybe four pupils, however with time constraints, this made it difficult and in the long run it would have been impractical.


2.2.1. Joseph Kosminsky

Joseph was a music producer, who had grown tired of synthesiser and sample bass lines in his music. He required more out his bass sounds, such as tone and expression, which cannot be emulated through a synthesiser and are usually lost once a sample has been filtered. Joseph began his first bass lesson on the 12/11/2007 (refer to blog ‘JK - Lesson Plan: Lesson 1’ post date 19/11/2007). Joseph’s lessons were scheduled for a Monday.


2.2.2. Robert Hamilton

Robert had other motives for wanting to play the bass. One of these was to learn an instrument as part of a hobby, as his older brother has an unused bass guitar at home, which Robert has always wanted to play but never knew how. So he requested bass lessons and started on the 06/02/08 (refer to blog ‘RH - Lesson Plan: Lesson 1’ post date 22/07/2008). Robert’s lessons were scheduled for a Wednesday.



2.3. Recorded Evidence

The aim was to record every lesson onto a digital video format, using a Sony DCR-HC51 mini DV camera, where each lesson was later edited in Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 ready to be uploaded onto the blog. However not all lessons were recorded, due the camera being purchased in February, meaning a total of ten lessons could not be documented (refer to blogs ‘JK - Lesson Plan: Lesson 1’ post date 19/11/2007 to ‘RH - Lesson Plan: Lesson 2’ post date 26/07/2008).

The lesson footages were edited down to ten to twelve minute short films, summarising the lesson for each pupil, (for editing details refer to blogs ‘JK - Film Edit: Lesson 9’ post date 29/07/2008 and ‘RH - Film Edit: Lesson 3’ post date 29/07/2008 ).

The majority of the engagement process was spent editing these short films, which equated to around eighty hours overall. For each film, sixty minutes was used for the importing process, transferring footage from the camera to the computer in real-time, while an estimated three hours was spent editing. The film edits are true to the hour-long lessons, as each objective was added to the edit, but obviously compressed into one or two minute clips instead of twenty minutes worth. The summarised lessons still managed to tell a story, even though the footage was fifty minutes shorter. With smooth transitions between clips and the use of titles and diagrams when necessary, the continuity of the films were not compromised, which can be demonstrated on the blog ‘RH - Lesson Plan: Lesson 5’ post date 14/08/2008.



3. Web Log…….an Online Tutorial?

Initially the original activity for the web logs were to be online tutorials of the bass, demonstrating a variation of bass lines, scales and techniques to use when playing the instrument. However the majority of online tutorials that are available, such as Expert Village, are short in duration, usually around two minutes long and this was not enough to get the point across. This style of musical lesson is tailored for an audience and there is no one on one interaction between the pupil and the tutor, which is very important during any learning process.

expert village tutorial 1 - a slap bass technique tutorial by Tony Newton

expert village tutorial 2 – a staccato bass line tutorial by Ryan Larson

(Both video links were gathered from expertvillage.com, 2008)

With the use of Blogger.com, each blog had access to video, pictures and links to other sites instead of just simple text, (as shown in the blogs toolbar in Figure 3.1). Every blog was edited accordingly, with a simplistic layout being utilised.




Figure 3.1 – the blogs edit toolbar


However each lesson plan could have been edited differently for each pupil, as Joseph and Robert progressed in different stages, with the former advancing quicker due to his musical background. There were however two different edits in the lesson plan blogs and that was with blog ‘RH – Lesson Plan: Lesson 13’ post date 15/08/08 and blog ‘RH – Lesson Plan: Lesson 14’ post date 15/08/08. These had the ‘ghost note’ objective edited, so it was taught to Robert as just that, instead of the term ‘muted note’ being corrected as it was with Joseph in his fourteenth lesson, (refer to objective four of blog ‘JK - Lesson Plan: Lesson 14’ post date 14/08/2008).

Due to certain circumstances, a lot of the events (i.e. bass lessons, evaluations or film edits) and their actual dates, do not match up with the post dates of a blog. This occurred when the event took place a considerable amount of time before it was uploaded onto the blog. This can be seen in Figure 3.2, where the lesson plan for Robert Hamilton’s eleventh lesson, although it took place on the 04/06/08, was not posted until the 15/08/08 (refer to blog ‘RH – Lesson Plan: Lesson 11’ post date 15/08/08).



Figure 3.2


This happened with every blog, beginning at the 24/02/2008 (refer to Figure 3.3 below) and from there on after. The delay in dates, between the actual event and the posted blog, can cause some confusion, as a post date should usually correspond to an event or journal date in the blog. This could possibly arise some questions as to whether the bass lessons were carried out over the space of the academic year or were completed in a certain time period.

However the recorded evidence of the lessons, in the form of short films, document the date of the lesson and with which of the pupils were present (for evidence of this refer to blog ‘JK – Lesson Plan: Lesson 9’ post date 27/07/08).



Figure 3.3



4. Conclusion

Having access to video recordings of the bass lessons, enabled analysis of the footages, not just for lesson evaluation purposes but also for reflective purposes of the activity undertaken.


4.1. Teaching Methods

While the lesson recordings were being edited, it became obvious that the teaching methods during the lessons were much to be desired.

To enable an effective lesson by a tutor, the objectives set out have to be, achievable, understandable and concise. The pupil needs to be able to relate to the topic, if possible, using simple demonstrations and examples.

The teaching style during the lessons, sometimes could have been confusing to follow, as where one topic is being discussed, another topic is soon brought up and the discussion goes off onto a tangent. This would have been confusing when attempting to go back and expect the pupil to pick up and follow the previous topic.

Sometimes the explanation of subjects was either wrong or not even comprehended by the pupil in a way they could understand. For an example in the blog ‘JK - Lesson Plan: Lesson 13’ post date 13/08/2008, Joseph Kosminsky was misinformed about the name of a technique, which he was later corrected on.


4.2. Success of the Lessons

Overall the lessons seemed successful, as both pupils learn a lot of material over the sixteen/fourteen weeks. Both had improved greatly since they first started and became more confident on their instrument as the lessons progressed. However Robert Hamilton was probably pushed further than Joseph, in terms of capabilities. Joseph was able to progress faster due to his experience in music (he had recently begun to learn the six string guitar a couple of weeks prior to these bass lessons). This is the reason why next time round lesson plans would be individually catered for each lesson, instead of generic ones for each pupil.



5. Bibliography

http://www.studybass.com/
Bass tutorials
Studybass
Accessed from November 2007 to August 2008


‘100 Tips For Bass Guitar: You Should Have Been Told’
Stuart Clayton
United Kingdom
Published by SMT, 2003


‘Music Theory in Practice: Grade 2’
Eric Taylor
Great Britain
Published by The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (Publishing) Ltd, 2002


‘Music Theory in Practice: Grade 3’
Eric Taylor
Great Britain
Published by The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (Publishing) Ltd, 2002


‘Music Theory in Practice: Grade 4’
Eric Taylor
Great Britain
Published by The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (Publishing) Ltd, 2001



6. References

http://www.expertvillage.com/search.htm?s=Bass+lessons
Bass tutorials
Expert Village
Accessed November 2007



7. Source Material for Lessons

http://www.expertvillage.com/search.htm?s=Bass+lessons
Bass tutorials
Expert Village
Accessed November 2007 to July 2008


http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://funkychops.com/bass-guitar-parts/bass-guitar-parts-anatomy.gif&imgrefurl=http://funkychops.com/bass-guitar-parts/anatomy-of-electric-bass-guitar.htm
Diagram of bass parts/components
Jim Lee
Accessed November 2007


http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/theory/intervals.htm
Music intervals
Think Quest
Accessed November 2007


http://www.bassmasta.net/
Bass tablature
Accessed from January 2008 to July 2008


http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01262/lessons.html
Music theory - key signatures
Think Quest
Accessed February 2008


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slur_(music)
Musical slurs
Wikipedia
Accessed March 2008


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fill_(music)
Music fill
Wikipedia
Accessed March 2008


http://www.rockmagic.net/guitar-tabs/red-hot-chili-peppers/otherside.btab
‘Otherside’ bass tablature
Accessed March 2008


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SffaWn0Oc8g&feature=related
Musical phrases
Jaco Pastorius
Accessed April 2008


‘100 Tips For Bass Guitar: You Should Have Been Told’
Stuart Clayton
‘Learning The Fretboard’ p. 21
‘Notation and Tablature’ p. 23 – 28
‘Major Scales’ p. 31 - 33
‘Phrasing Technique’ p. 49 - 51
United Kingdom
Published by SMT, 2003

RH - Film Edit: Lesson 14

Complementary Studies: Liam Marley

Date: 06/08/08 (R Hamilton)
Editing Time: 3hrs
Importing Time: 1hr
Documentation Time: 0mins


Editing:

Bass lesson fourteen with Robert Hamilton was edited so that the footage could be compressed with MPEG-4, ready to be uploaded on the web log. After being imported onto the iMac, through Final Cut Pro using a DV to FireWire cable, the one-hour length clip was studied. This was to enable analysis of the footage so each lesson objective could be summarised and edited together to make a smooth coherent ten-minute film of the lesson.


Video Edit:

The footage began with the introductory title screen – stating the lesson number and with which pupil was participating. Utilising a standard text generator, over a black matte backdrop, a title was erected, which read (refer to Figure 1 below)……………..

’BASS LESSON ??

WITH ROBERT HAMILTON’

(Figure 1)


The typeface was filled white, to contrast the black backdrop and the font chosen was Bank Gothic, at font size 46. A black matte generator was then placed after the title screen so a cross dissolve transition could be placed across the two clips (refer to Figure 2) to make the title screen fade out into black.




(Figure 2 – a cross dissolve generator overlapping two separate video clips)


The date of the lesson was left out of the title screen as it would have made the title type too cluttered. The inclusion of the date in the title was also unnecessary because at the beginning of every lesson the date was recorded on the tape by the teacher.

The first scenes of the lesson involved the pupil being informed what the objectives would aim to achieve. Usually a brief explanation of each objective would follow. Each objective had to be compressed and summarised from the hour-long original footage and added to the new projects timeline for further editing. Each clip/scene had to explain and demonstrate the objective, while still displaying a smooth sense of continuity. The clips would show the pupil attempting each objective in the turn, capturing their mistakes, queries and progression. At the beginning of each objective a fade in fade out dissolve transition (refer to Figure 3) was used to represent and emphasise the end of an objective and the start of a new one.




(Figure 3)


For certain parts of the film, titles or subtitles were used either to display subject matter to the audience or depict a symbol or picture. For both of these a text generator was used, either layered over the video clip or the actual video clip was cut away, leaving only the audio and the black matte backdrop. An example of a video clip with a title layered over the top can be seen in Figure 4 below.




(Figure 4)


The footage ended with a title crawl generator, in a roll formation, for the end credits. This simply stated the end of the lesson, informing who the pupil was and who had been teaching the lesson, (refer to Figure 5). The credit usually ran for ten seconds, which was long enough for each part of the text to be read.




(Figure 5)


Audio Edit:

Not a lot of editing was done to the audio on the film footage, due to the frequency comparison between the bass guitar and the speech from the teacher and pupil. This made it very difficult in mixing one without the other being compromised.

However at the beginning a hum remover was utilised in an attempt to get rid of the low frequency hum, which seemed to be emitted from the operation of the tape deck. This was basically a low pass filter and was cut by -60 dB at 60 Hz, as anything higher than this i.e. 80 Hz, would have effected the sound if the instrument.

Cross fade (0 dB) audio transitions were layered in between clips to reduce any audio artefacts and unwanted pops, where clips were separated and re-formed with other footage. They blended the separate audio tracks together for smooth unnoticeable transition. This type of audio transition was also used to fade out an audio track at the end of a lesson objective to aid with the visual fade in fade out dissolve transition. If this did not work then automation was used to simply fade out the end of the required audio track, as shown in Figure 6.




(Figure 6 – a gain fade out)

RH - Evaluation: Lesson 14

Complementary Studies: Liam Marley

Pupil: Robert Hamilton
Date: 16/07/08
Evaluating Time: 2hrs




Lesson Objectives:

1.) To recap on the blues bass lines that we have been working on, these include the basic root to fifth pattern and the bay-on-bass pattern. The newly introduced ‘walking’ bass line, from last lesson, will also be played utilising quarter (crochet) notes and eighth (quaver) notes.

Outcome: Robert was able to name all but one of the external components of the bass guitar.


2.) To have the pupil playing along to part of a song or the entire song, whether it would be the actual bass line or a simplified version.

Outcome: Robert was able to name all but one of the external components of the bass guitar.


3.) To introduce the use of open notes being utilised in conjunction with fretted notes.

Outcome: Robert was able to name all but one of the external components of the bass guitar.

RH - Lesson Plan: Lesson 14

Complementary Studies: Liam Marley

Date: 16/07/08 (R Hamilton)
Planning Time: 2hrs
Lesson Time: 1hr


Lesson Footage:



(1O MINUTE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE HOUR LESSON)


This lesson not only consisted of new and old material to be studied but also a correction from one of the last lesson’s objectives. Objective four from lesson thirteen described a muted note as a note that was not fretted and accented fully, however this was actually called a ghost note and will be corrected in this lesson by informing the pupil of the mistake.

The pupil will also be introduced to fills and improvisation, which will help the pupil in realising the vast capabilities of the bass not just as a backing instrument but also as a solo instrument.


Lesson Objectives:

1.) To persist with the major scales of C, G, D, A, while adding E and B to the repertoire to see if the pupil can manage to play up to the scale of B major and name the sharps involved.

2.) To re-introduce lesson thirteens fourth objective on ghost notes. Time ran out during this lesson so these notes could not be introduced tp the pupil.

3.) To introduce the concept of fills to the pupil, to enable a more self styled driven bass player.

4.) To re-introduce ‘Cold Sweat’ by James Brown.


Introduction:

The pupil will be asked how he/she thought the previous lesson had gone and whether they are anxious about anything during this week’s lesson. After this the lesson ahead will be explained with some aims set so that the pupil has specific goals to reach.


Lesson Material:

1.) With each passing lesson a major scale was added to challenge the pupil and to encourage them to learn their scales, so that their knowledge of the bass will increase over the course of the tutoring. During this lesson two additional major scales will be included. These are the scales of E major, which contains four sharps (refer to Figure 1) and B major, which consists of five sharps (refer to Figure 1). The pupil will be asked to name the sharp notes involved in these scales and will be encouraged to go as far as they can with listing the scales.


----------------------------1st------2nd---3rd---4th----5th----6th----7th----8th
Scale of E major-------E-----F#-----G#-----A-----B-----C#-----D#-----E


----------------------------1st----2nd----3rd----4th----5th----6th-----7th----8th
Scale of B major------B-----C#-----D#-----E-----F#-----G#-----A#-----B

(Figure 1)


2.) In the last lesson the pupil was misinformed about the concept of note that is not accented properly, so the pitch of the note does not resonate and in turn emulate the full sound of a fretted note. This was described as a muted note when in fact it is called a ghost note. The difference will be distinguished to the pupil, explaining that a muted note is when a note is actually fretted then released, causing the note to end abruptly, while a ghost note is played but not accented or emphasised fully as a fretted note is.


3.) Fills are the beginning of what makes a bass player individual in style and technique. They lead to improvisation, which add depth and excitement to a composition or a particular performance, without them a bass line would most of the time sound bland and repetitive.

A fill is a note or a collection of notes, which blend one bass part to another or ‘a short musical passage, riff, or rhythmic sound which helps to sustain the listener's attention during a break between the phrases of a melody’, as stated by Wikipedia, 2008. However to be able to play fills efficiently, a bass player has to know both their fret board and all their scales intimately, otherwise wrong notes, that may sound out of tune, could be played.

During the lesson the pupil will be given examples of fills on the bass and with songs.


4.) ‘Cold Sweat’ by James Brown will be studied and played again during this lesson, as it is a prime example of a bass line that uses fills. The pupil will be encouraged to play as much of the original bass-line as possible so they can get an idea of fills that are utilised by Brown’s bass player – the legendary Bootsy Collins. The pupil will be encouraged to play along with the fast fret changes of the root and interval notes, while changing with the chord progression of D to C, if they are able.


**’Cold Sweat’ tablature**

RH - Film Edit: Lesson 13

Complementary Studies: Liam Marley

Date: 05/08/08 (R Hamilton)
Editing Time: 3hrs
Importing Time: 1hr
Documentation Time: 0mins


Editing:

Bass lesson thirteen with Robert Hamilton was edited so that the footage could be compressed with MPEG-4, ready to be uploaded on the web log. After being imported onto the iMac, through Final Cut Pro using a DV to FireWire cable, the one-hour length clip was studied. This was to enable analysis of the footage so each lesson objective could be summarised and edited together to make a smooth coherent ten-minute film of the lesson.


Video Edit:

The footage began with the introductory title screen – stating the lesson number and with which pupil was participating. Utilising a standard text generator, over a black matte backdrop, a title was erected, which read (refer to Figure 1 below)……………..

’BASS LESSON ??

WITH ROBERT HAMILTON’

(Figure 1)


The typeface was filled white, to contrast the black backdrop and the font chosen was Bank Gothic, at font size 46. A black matte generator was then placed after the title screen so a cross dissolve transition could be placed across the two clips (refer to Figure 2) to make the title screen fade out into black.




(Figure 2 – a cross dissolve generator overlapping two separate video clips)


The date of the lesson was left out of the title screen as it would have made the title type too cluttered. The inclusion of the date in the title was also unnecessary because at the beginning of every lesson the date was recorded on the tape by the teacher.

The first scenes of the lesson involved the pupil being informed what the objectives would aim to achieve. Usually a brief explanation of each objective would follow. Each objective had to be compressed and summarised from the hour-long original footage and added to the new projects timeline for further editing. Each clip/scene had to explain and demonstrate the objective, while still displaying a smooth sense of continuity. The clips would show the pupil attempting each objective in the turn, capturing their mistakes, queries and progression. At the beginning of each objective a fade in fade out dissolve transition (refer to Figure 3) was used to represent and emphasise the end of an objective and the start of a new one.




(Figure 3)


For certain parts of the film, titles or subtitles were used either to display subject matter to the audience or depict a symbol or picture. For both of these a text generator was used, either layered over the video clip or the actual video clip was cut away, leaving only the audio and the black matte backdrop. An example of a video clip with a title layered over the top can be seen in Figure 4 below.




(Figure 4)


The footage ended with a title crawl generator, in a roll formation, for the end credits. This simply stated the end of the lesson, informing who the pupil was and who had been teaching the lesson, (refer to Figure 5). The credit usually ran for ten seconds, which was long enough for each part of the text to be read.




(Figure 5)


Audio Edit:

Not a lot of editing was done to the audio on the film footage, due to the frequency comparison between the bass guitar and the speech from the teacher and pupil. This made it very difficult in mixing one without the other being compromised.

However at the beginning a hum remover was utilised in an attempt to get rid of the low frequency hum, which seemed to be emitted from the operation of the tape deck. This was basically a low pass filter and was cut by -60 dB at 60 Hz, as anything higher than this i.e. 80 Hz, would have effected the sound if the instrument.

Cross fade (0 dB) audio transitions were layered in between clips to reduce any audio artefacts and unwanted pops, where clips were separated and re-formed with other footage. They blended the separate audio tracks together for smooth unnoticeable transition. This type of audio transition was also used to fade out an audio track at the end of a lesson objective to aid with the visual fade in fade out dissolve transition. If this did not work then automation was used to simply fade out the end of the required audio track, as shown in Figure 6.




(Figure 6 – a gain fade out)

RH - Evaluation: Lesson 13

Complementary Studies: Liam Marley

Pupil: Robert Hamilton
Date: 09/07/08
Evaluating Time: 2hrs


The time management was not the best during this lesson. The objectives could not be spaced out equally due to the content involved in objectives one and three. More time was required for the major scales so that progression could occur ready for next the lesson. If the time was not put in, the pupil would fall behind on these matters and advancement will become slow. While the soul song was for the pupil’s benefit and for a chance to analyse his progression.


Lesson Objectives:


1.) To persist with the major scales of C, G, D and even A, if the pupil feels confident enough to do so. All the sharps present in the scale should be named, along with each note in the scale.

Outcome: During this lesson, Robert continuously had trouble remembering the notes on the fret board, which in turn hindered the practice of major scales.


2.) To demonstrate their fret board knowledge, the pupil will be instructed to name all the A notes present on the instrument. If time allows, the pupil will be then asked to name all the E flats available.

Outcome: Unfortunately time did not allow for this exercise to take place, as a large section of the lesson was allocated for major scales and the soul song ‘Sure As Sin’.


3.) To persist with practicing the Candi Staton song ‘Sure As Sin’, so the pupil plays the song from introduction to chorus without any mistakes.

Outcome: ‘Sure As Sin’ was picked up again this lesson, in an attempt to play the song from introduction, all the way through the verse to the chorus.


G¦ --------------------------------------¦--------------------------------------------------¦
D¦ --------------------------------------¦--------------------------------------------------¦
A¦---------------------------------------¦-----------------------------------2---5---------¦
E¦ -8-----------8----6------8------6--¦-5-----------------4-----------3----------------¦


G¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
D¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
A¦ ---------------------------------------¦-----------------------3---6------2---5---------¦
E¦ -8----------------6------8------6---¦-5-----------------4-----------3-----------------¦

(Figure 1 – First part of the verse from Candi Staton’s ‘Sure As Sin’)


G¦ ---------2---5-----------------------¦---------------------------------4---------------¦
D¦ -3----------------3-------------3---¦-5------------------5----5-----------5----------¦
A¦ -----------------------------3--------¦------------5-------------------------------------¦
E¦ ---------------------------------------¦--------------------------------------------------¦


G¦ ---------------------------------------¦-----------------------4---7------4---7--------¦
D¦ -3----------------3--------3-3------¦-5---------5-5----5-----------5----------------¦
A¦ -------------3------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
E¦ ---------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦

(Figure 2 – Second part of the verse from Candi Staton’s ‘Sure As Sin’)




4.) To introduce to the pupil the concept of ghost notes.

Outcome: This objective will be carried over to the next lesson, as there was no time remaining to attempt this.

RH - Lesson Plan: Lesson 13

Complementary Studies: Liam Marley

Date: 09/07/08 (R Hamilton)
Planning Time: 2hrs
Lesson Time: 1hr


Lesson Footage:



(1O MINUTE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE HOUR LESSON)


As the lessons passed, more was expected from the pupil as he/she advanced with both skill and knowledge. The pupil, depending on their progression, would be challenged more and more to increase their knowledge of the bass guitar, in the time available.

This is why the pupil will be pushed as much as possible to learn more major scales as this will benefit them greatly, along with their fret board knowledge, which of course goes hand in hand with learning scales. The pupil will also have some practical material to play with, in the form of the Candi Staton soul song, which should keep the pupil’s attention long enough to explain muted notes without losing them.


Lesson Objectives:

1.) To persist with the major scales of C, G, D and even A, if the pupil feels confident enough to do so. All the sharps present in the scale should be named, along with each note in the scale.

2.) To demonstrate their fret board knowledge, the pupil will be instructed to name all the A notes present on the instrument. If time allows, the pupil will be then asked to name all the E flats available.

3.) To persist with practicing the Candi Staton song ‘Sure As Sin’, so the pupil plays the song from introduction to chorus without any mistakes.

4.) To introduce to the pupil the concept of ghost notes.


Introduction:

The pupil will be asked how he/she thought the previous lesson had gone and whether they are anxious about anything during this week’s lesson. After this the lesson ahead will be explained with some aims set so that the pupil has specific goals to reach.


Lesson Material:

1.) Using the chromatic finger placement pattern in Figure 1 below, the pupil will persist with practicing the major scales. Using the mnemonic rule of Father Christmas Gave David An Empty Box (refer to Figure 2), the pupil will attempt to name the sharps of the scale and then proceed to play the scale in the correct finger per fret manner. Hopefully the scales of C and G major will not be a problem, so the scales of D and A can be introduced.




(Figure 1 – the finger placement pattern for a major scale)



-------------------------Father Christmas Gave David An Empty Box

Sharp notes ♯-------F------C------G-------D-------A-------E------B-------
Scale notes ---------G------D------A-------E-------B-------F♯-----C♯----
---------------------------\ 5th/--\ 5th/--\ 5th/--\ 5th/--\ 5th /--\ 5th/--------
A fifth interval note is the difference between the next scale.

(Figure 2)


2.) The pupil will be asked to demonstrate their knowledge of the fret board by playing every A note possible on the bass guitar. In all there are eight A notes on the bass guitar (on a twenty fret bass) and can be found on the frets below in Figure 3.


G¦ ----------------------------------------------------2-----14------------------------------¦
D¦ -------------------------------------7-----19---------------------------------------------¦
A¦ ----------------------0-----12------------------------------------------------------------¦
E¦ -------5-----17---------------------------------------------------------------------------¦

(Figure 3 – all the A notes located on a twenty fret bass guitar)


If the pupil completes this task quickly and confidently then he/she will be asked if they can find all the E♭ on the instrument.


3.) Sure As Sin’ by Candi Staton (refer to the tablature below), was once again studied and played by the pupil. The aim for this lesson was for the pupil to attempt the song, practicing the introduction and the chorus and then finally playing through both these parts without any mistakes or ‘bum notes’ (an out of tune note hit in the place of a correct sounding note).


Candi Staton - ‘Sure as sin’ bass tablature

Introduction

G¦ --------------------------------------¦-------------------------------------------------¦
D¦ --------------------------------------¦-------------------------------------------------¦
A¦ --------------------------------------¦-----------------------3---6------2---5--------¦
E¦ -8----------------6------8------6--¦-5-----------------4-----------3----------------¦ X2


Verse

G¦ --------------------------------------¦--------------------------------------------------¦
D¦ --------------------------------------¦--------------------------------------------------¦
A¦---------------------------------------¦-----------------------------------2---5---------¦
E¦ -8-----------8----6------8------6--¦-5-----------------4-----------3----------------¦


G¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
D¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
A¦ ---------------------------------------¦-----------------------3---6------2---5---------¦
E¦ -8----------------6------8------6---¦-5-----------------4-----------3----------------¦


G¦ ---------2---5-----------------------¦---------------------------------4---------------¦
D¦ -3----------------3-------------3---¦-5------------------5----5-----------5----------¦
A¦ -----------------------------3--------¦------------5-------------------------------------¦
E¦ ---------------------------------------¦--------------------------------------------------¦


G¦ ---------------------------------------¦-----------------------4---7------4---7--------¦
D¦ -3----------------3--------3-3------¦-5---------5-5----5-----------5----------------¦
A¦ -------------3------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
E¦ ---------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦


Chorus

G¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
D¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------5-----------------¦
A¦ --------------------------------------¦------------------------3---6-------5-------------¦
E¦ -8------------6---8--------8\-------¦-4------------------3-------------------7--------¦


G¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
D¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
A¦ --------------------------------------¦---------------------------------------------------¦
E¦ -8------------6---8--------8\-------¦-3--3-3--3--3-3--3--3--3--3--3--3---------¦


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4.) The notion of a muted note will be explained to the pupil, so that a variation of how notes can be played is learnt. This will be described in simple terms, using a demonstration so the pupil understands this a muted note. The concept of a muted note is a note that is played but not accented properly, so the pitch of the note does not resonate and in turn emulate the full sound of a fretted note.

This will aid the pupil in understanding grooves better, as muted notes can be integrated into a pattern with fretted notes to change the rhythm of a song or bass line.