FF 2.4 | E String Assessment
4 E String Formal Assessment (2 Days)
Objectives
Demonstrate mastery of the notes on the E string by playing them through the circle of fourths.
Procedure
Watch the “E String Through The Circle” video together and put the circle of fourths order on the board.
Practice saying the letter names of the order and playing the notes as a class.
Give students time to practice identifying the notes on the E string through the circle of fourths. Make sure they are saying the letter names of the notes before they play them on the low E string. Also, make sure that students aren’t using their ears to find the notes. Remind them that reaching mastery on this subject takes many repetitions. If they think they have it mastered, have them play the order for someone around them.
Assess students individually on their ability to say and play the notes through the circle of fourths.
Have students work on finding notes on the A string when finished by watching the A string videos.
Assessment
Assess students saying and playing the notes in the circle of fourths individually.
What To Look For
The Process
The Product: Students can say letter name and accidental of the notes in the circle of fourths and play the corresponding pitch on the low E string without having to use chromatic counting.
Feedback
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas:
Opening 5 min: Have the question, “Why is it important to have the notes on the E string memorized” on the board as students come in to class. Have them write down their answer in their practice journal after they take their seats. Watch a performance video of a student selected band and have a discussion about how the guitarists and bass players have pitch mastery on their instrument where they do not need to count frets to be succesfful. Highlight the difference between theoretical understanding and practical understanding. Play a song with a memorable bass line during this activity.
Closing 5 min: Have students create an entry in their journal about their mastery practice. Instruct them to list any obstacles that came up during their practice time, how they overcame those obstacles, and identify at least one good thing that happened during practice. Have a quick discussion about how mastery practice is different from practicing a song and the mindset shift that needs to occur to have meaningful practice. The language we use while discussing practice as a class will be the language that students use with themselves while practicing.
Differentiation
Remediation: Students that are struggling with the circle of fourths on the E string can be assessed on the natural notes of the E string in scalar order..
Enrichment: Hold students to a greater level of mastery by having them perform the circle of fourths assessment with a metronome at a specified BPM. Make sure they are still saying the pitch names before playing to ensure they haven’t memorized a note sequence and/or used their ears to play the sound of the circle of fourths. The A string can also be assigned to students who have have demonstrated early mastery of the E string. Also, you can remove the use of a visual aide for the circle of fourths and have more advanced students recite the order from memory.
Notes
Make sure that students are saying the names of the notes before they play the pitches and share the importance of this with them. I like to tell them that they will have a constant battle while practicing between wanting to be done with the task quickly, and playing for mastery. Instruct them to catch themselves trying to find shortcuts in their practice process and to note them in their practice journal. Another thing that you can do to help reinforce this concept is to take five minutes out of practice time and apply the notes to a lead sheet to a tune. Have students play through bass on the E string to the song and reflect on how long it took to find the pitches. This is a great way to highlight the importance of mastering the note names.
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