FF 1.5 | Technique & The First Song
5 Technique & The First Song (4 Days)
Objectives
Learn and perform a song using three string chords.
Procedure
Introduction to Technique: Perform a chord progression for the class and walk around to allow all students to see your fretting hand. Have them write down what they are seeing with the fretting hand technique. Proctor a discussion of technique and guide the students to the four key elements of good technique: thumb positioning on the back of the neck, curling fingers, using fingertips, and keeping fingers hovering over the fretboard.
Playing The First Chords: Put the chart for the G chord on the board. Ask students what finger, fret, and string is indicated by the chord marker and for them to build the chord shape on their guitar. Have each student play their chord for the class and highlight good technique. Repeat the same steps for C and D7. You can also have students turn and share their chords with other members of the class.
Chord Practice and Song Introduction: Show the chord and lyrics chart for What Your Gunna Do. Have students work on the movement from G - Gmaj7 - G7 - C for the verse. Make sure they are using mindful hand movement in the fretting hand to ensure smooth transitions from chord to chord.
Individual and Partner Practice: Allow students to practice the chords for the verse and chorus independently, then in pairs, to foster peer learning and support. Emphasize the importance of technique and clear sound over speed. Discuss attention management and mindfulness during practice, especially in a classroom setting with multiple participants. Students can practice with the video or audio backing track and/or use the lead sheet to help them play the chords in time.
Singing: Once students can play the chord parts to the verse and the chorus, its time to sing. Start by singing the words along with the backing track only and gradually have students add chord to the performance.
Playing Test: Have students play and/or sing one verse and one chorus of the song, either unaccompanied or with the video. This can also be done in partners.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas
Opening Activity: Play a video of a guitar performance and have students reflect on the fretting hand technique.
Closing Activity: Reflect on the day's practice in student’s practice jounral, discussing what went well and areas for improvement. Encourage students to set personal goals for their next practice session.
Assessment
Provide immediate feedback on technique, rhythmic accuracy, and pitch accuracy after the performance. Be specific, and use constructive feedback focusing on technique improvement and encouragement for effort and progress.
Differentiation
Remediation: For students that are struggling, have them only play with the harmonic rhythm (only when the chord changes). You can also assign just the verse to these students.
Enrichment: To make the song more challenging, students can play the chord on every beat, or they can subdivide the beat. If students have experience playing chord voicings, then they can play the full versions of the chords. For even more enrichment, students can use the advanced picking techniques and arpeggios from the Cowboy Chord unit.
Notes
This will be the first time students have practice a song and played it together. It is important to lay the foundation of the practice process in this lesson. I’ve found that some students stop practicing once they have gone through the indicated section once. Discuss the difference between being practice ready and performance ready and how it is best to have the song in muscle memory in order to give a great performance. If you normalize singing from the beginning in class, it will be easy to have students sing later. If you are a great singer, try to hold back when modeling. It is best to model “trying” when singing to make everyone in the class feel comfortable.
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