Date: 04/02/08 (J Kosminsky)
Planning Time: 3hrs
Lesson Time: 1hr
Maintaining order and the attention of the pupil at all times is very important during a lesson based event such as a music lesson. If the pupil is not concentrating then he could miss vital information that will aid him/her to progress. This is why Joseph had to be kept active each week with new material and songs. During this eighth lesson Joseph had the chance to play bass patterns from three songs, while learning a new bass playing technique called a glissando. A glissando, or more commonly known as a slide, is a musical slur which can be explained as ‘a symbol in Western musical notation indicating that the notes it embraces are to be played without separation’, as stated by Wikipedia, 2008. Musical slurs add depth and excitement to a composition and will be featured more in later lessons.
Lesson Objectives:
1.) To recap on the ‘walking’ blues bass line, which will be played during this lesson in both quarter (crochet) and eighth (quaver) note lengths to enable a better comprehension of note lengths and bass patterns.
2.) To develop the pupil’s finger span, so both their fret reach and stamina is increased.
3.) To practice fret accuracy on the bass guitar, as this is vital for the pronouncement of notes.
4.) To continue to practice the utilisation of open frets and fretted note formations to aid with the coordination between the two hands.
5.) To persist with improving the pupil’s fret board knowledge to enable the pupil’s advancement with the instrument.
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.) After the chromatic warm up, the pupil will practice the ‘walking’ blues bass line from the previous last lessons, firstly using quarter note lengths and then eighth note lengths.
During this lesson the pupil will concentrate on playing the ‘walking’ bass pattern with eighth note lengths, (refer to Figure 1). These require the pupil to play a lot quicker than the note per beat quarter note lengths and are therefore more challenging. This bass pattern in Figure 1 will be played by the pupil in their own pace first, without the use of a drumbeat. However once the pupil is comfortable with the pattern then it will be played along to a beat to improve their rhythm and timing. This objective will in time limber up the pupil’s fingers and enable them to play quicker and more complex bass patterns.
G -|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
D -|-------2-2-5-5-2-2------2-2-5-5-2-2--|--------2-2-5-5-2-2------2-2-5-5-2-2--|
A -|--3-3-----------------3-3------------------|--3-3-----------------3-3------------------|
E -|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
G -|-------2-2-5-5-2-2------2-2-5-5-2-2--|---------------------------------------------|
D -|--3-3-----------------3-3-----------------|-------2-2-5-5-2-2-------2-2-5-5-2-2--|
A -|---------------------------------------------|--3-3-----------------3-3------------------|
E -|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
G -|-------4-4-7-7-4-4------2-2-5-5-2-2--|---------------------------------------------|
D -|--5-5-----------------3-3-----------------|-------2-2-5-5-2-2-------2-2-5-5-2-2--|
A -|---------------------------------------------|--3-3-----------------3-3------------------|
E -|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
(Figure 1)
2.) This objective will attempt to widen the pupil’s finger span so the pupil will be able to stretch across the fret board more and therefore increase their reach of notes. However this will not happen over night and especially not in an hour-long lesson. This will take many hours of practice before the hand is conditioned enough to finally become more supple.
(Figure 2)
To guide the pupil in the correct direction an exercise using octaves will be implemented to get the fingers stretching across the fret board. The pupil will begin with using the first and fourth fingers, as not to put too much strain on the joints otherwise permanent damage could occur. Beginning with the E string, the third fret and its corresponding octave (eighth interval note) will be played. This will be done with the pupil’s first finger playing the root note (the third fret), while the fourth finger plays the octave (the fifth fret on the D string). This is demonstrated in Figure 3 and will progress with each dotted note.
Once the pupil feels comfortable with this formation they will be able to progress to the next level, which will be to use the finger per fret technique so that the first finger will play the root note and the third will be used to play the octave.
G -|-------------------------------------------------------5---------7---------9---------11---|
D -|--------5----------7----------9---------11------------------------------------------------|
A -|--------------------------------------------------3---------5---------7---------9----------|
E -|--3----------5----------7----------9-------------------------------------------------------|
-------1----4----1----4----1-----4----1----4-----1-----4---1----4---1----4----1----4----
------------------------------Fingers used to fret notes-----------------------------------
(Figure 3)
3.) To improve the pupil’s fret accuracy, an example of a glissando will be demonstrated. A glissando is a musical slur and is the term for a simple glide or slide from one note to another. A slide can decrease in pitch or increase in pitch, as in the example below in Figure 4.
G -|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D -|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A -|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E -|--3/15------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
(Figure 4 – the forward slash symbol between the 3 and the 15 symbolises a slide from the third fret to the fifteenth fret)
A glissando is the perfect way to demonstrate fret accuracy. When the pupil slides up or down the fret board to a note they must land the finger in the centre of the fret, otherwise they risk the occurrence of fret resonance. This resonance occurs when the note being played is fretted too close to the fret bars, emanating a sharp and metallic vibrating sound. It is this very sound that will let the pupil know when they are not fretting the note correctly.
4.) The subject of open fret notes from the last lesson will be revisited in this lesson to refresh the pupil and to help them improve on their technique. Three source materials have been gathered so the pupil will have practical examples of open fret notes to play to, (refer to the links below for the bass tablatures). These consist of three tablatures of three songs - ’Smoke On The Water’ by Deep Purple, ’Another One Bites The Dust’ by Queen and ’Molly’s Chambers’ by Kings of Leon.
**’Smoke On The Water’ tablature**
**’Another One Bites The Dust’ tablature**
**’Molly’s Chambers’ tablature**
5.) It has a been a frequent activity in the bass lessons to learn the fret board due to its importance to a bass player, as without the knowledge of the correct notation a bassist cannot advance in their trade. As usual the pupil will go through the fret board, beginning on the E string, naming all the notes from the open fret to the twelve fret. Along with learning the notes on the fret board, the pupil will be encouraged to use the name of the notes throughout the course of the lesson so that a familiarisation can begin to occur.
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