Pupil: Robert Hamilton
Date: 19/03/08
Evaluating Time: 2hr
Robert managed to encounter the same problem with his right plucking hand as he did last week. This consisted of his fingers catching other strings, as he was either not using the correct walking fashion or he was just using one finger altogether and could simply not keep up and coordinate with his left fretting hand. A simple exercise was constructed to help solve this problem but it became obvious to Robert that he was going to have to practice this to enable a smooth cross over from string to string.
Lesson Objectives:
1.) To progress the pupil’s knowledge of the fret board, running through each note from the first fret to the twelve fret on all strings.
Outcome: This particular objective managed to take up almost half of the lesson, due to the intensity and depth of the subject matter. Robert had still not managed to study the notes on the fret board after last lesson, so the notes on all four strings were played in an attempt to begin what can be a long and slow learning process.
Robert managed to get the first step correct, which was to name the notes of the four strings – E, A, D, G, as without these the pupil would be lost when naming the notes on each fret.
Reminded that the notes ascend in the musical alphabet – A, B♭, B, C, C♯, D, E♭, E, F, F♯, G, and G♯, as the frets descend down the neck of the instrument, Robert managed to name the first three notes on the E string correctly. However from time to time the pupil would manage to forget his alphabet and get his notes mixed up, i.e. D – G. However I think this was down to the pressure, because of the amount of information having to be taken in.
Apart from a few forgetful notes, the E string notation went very well, however as soon Robert began a new string he became lost, forgetting the order of the notes that he had just done. This was probably because he was using the dotted frets as a visual association to find the notes and as soon as he changes to a different string then these visual cues also change.
2.) To evolve the simple and basic blues bass line to the groovier bay-on-bass blues bass line. This will enable the pupil to get a feel for different grooves and rhythms that are capable with the instrument.
Outcome: Robert could not remember the blues bass line from the previous lessons, so this was played to him again, but this time in terms of beats and bars. After a demonstration in 4/2, the pupil ran through the pattern several times. Familiar mistakes were being made, as he was not using the correct finger per fret technique for one and Robert also had a habit of watching his right plucking hand, instead of the fret board. This was due to his lack of confidence with this right hand form and to solve this problem, Robert’s walking technique, with his fingers, had to be polished.
Utilising the exercise in Figure 1, Robert should concentrate on his right plucking hand by playing the open string notes. It was instructed that he strong pluck the E string with the first finger then as he plucks the A string with the second, this should then drop back and rest on the E string while the first finger strikes the D string. The same technique would repeat, with the first finger resting on the A string while the second finger will pluck the G and therefore should end up resting on the D string.
This method of walking needs to be practiced by Robert in his own time so that progression can be made for the fourth coming lessons.
G-|-------------0--0-----------------------0--0-----------------------0--0------------|
D-|----------0---------0----------------0---------0----------------0--------0---------|
A-|-------0----------------0---------0----------------0---------0---------------0-----|
E-|---0------------------------0--0----------------------0--0----------------------0--|
-------1--2--1--2-1--2--1---2--1-2--1--2--1-2--1--2--1--2--1--2-1-2--1--2---
---------------------------Fingers used to pluck strings---------------------------
(Figure 1)
The adaption to the blue bass line – the bay-on-bass (refer to Figure 2), was briefly ran through during this lesson. The pupil however was struggling to play the additional bay-on-bass note because of his right plucking hand was not coordinated with his left fretting hand. This was another reason as to why the exercise in Figure 1 was carried out.
G -|------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
D -|------------------------------------------------------|-------5-------5--------------------5------5------|
A -|------3------3---------------3------3---------------|------------------5----------------------------5---|
E -|-----------------3----------------------3------------|----------------------------------------------------|
(Figure 2)
3.) To recap on the previous lesson’s music theory section so the pupil can grasp a better understanding of the principles of rhythm, i.e. beats, bars and time signatures.
Outcome: At the beginning of this objective it was confirmed that Robert understood, both beats and bars. It was then explained that it is possible to have four beats in a bar, two beats in a bar and even six beats in a bar. This was demonstrating to Robert with the Jaco Pastorius song ‘6/4 Jam’, which consisted of six beats with the value of a quarter note. It was explained that this irregular time signature contains two extra notes at the end of a normal 4/4 beat and Robert acknowledge the fact that the bar went on for that extra length of time. This was compared to a common 4/4 time signature beat, where there were four beats with the value of a quarter note.
Robert was also introduced to the music stave (refer to Figure 3), and the bass clef, explaining that these are both used to represent notes. This latter part of the music theory section proceed to go over Roberts’s head, as it was the end of the lesson and the pupil was becoming tired. However it was important to introduce, regardless of whether or not it was taken in, because the material will be covered again later on in the lessons.
(Figure 3)
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