FF 3.5 | Technique & Playing A Song
5 Technique and Playing A Song (3 Days)
Objectives
Introduce and develop power chord specific fretting and picking hand techniques while playing songs from the lead sheet library.
Procedure
Introduction to Technique and Picking: Watch videos of bands playing live. Have a discussion about the different ways that the guitarists use their fretting and picking hand to alter the sound of the chord.
Demonstration: Demonstrate different ways to play a power chord and discuss how different picking techniques affect the sound. Explain how these techniques are used to make the music come alive.
Picking Technique Video: Watch the top video on picking techniques, emphasizing the diversity of sounds that can be achieved through different picking methods.
Distribution of Picks: Distribute guitar picks to students. Encourage students to experiment with picks to find their preferred gauge and texture. I buy them in bulk from Amazon.
Picking Video Practice: Have students watch the Target Practice, Picking Styles, and One String At A Time videos in the Right Hand tab. Give them time to then practice these techniques individually and apply them to a simple chord progression written on the board.
String Muting Practice: Have students watch the Muting E and A String Chords videos in the Left Hand Tab. Play the sample progression together making sure only the desired strings are ringing.
Playing With Style: Have students apply the picking and fretting hand techniques to the example on the board. Give them time to practice the example and have them present it to the class individually.
Song Practice: Choose a song from the lead sheet library that students are familiar with, such as "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic. Break down the song into manageable sections and have students practice finding and playing the chords with the roots on the E and A string for ease of transition. Have them apply fretting and picking hand technique to a single song section to play it with style.
Song Assessment: Assess students on playing the indicated song section with style.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas
Opening Activity: Have students respond to this question in their practice journal “How do you make your power chords sound like a pro?” Have a discussion of the different of playing what is on the page and playing musically.
Closing Activity: Encourage students to reflect in their practice journals on what they learned about picking and muting techniques. Consider having students record themselves at the end of class and listen/watch these recordings at the beginning of class. This will give them a baseline of what their technique looked/sounded like after their practice session.
Assessment
Informally assess students while they are applying the fretting and picking hand techniques. Make individual comments on students who are making the music come alive with their playing styles. Correct technique errors as you see them in a positive, solution focused manner. For the playing assessment, assess the pitch accuracy, rhythmic accuracy, and technique of the example. Make sure students are utilizing fretting hand muting to control unwanted string noise and applying stylistically appropriate picking techniques to make their playing sound more refined. In addition to performance elements, be on the look out for how students are engaging during the practice portions of the class.
Differentiation
Remediation: Limit the technique elements that students use to play their power chords to the fretting hand first. It is a higher priority to keep unwanted strings from ringing. Then add in accuracy of the picking hand.
Enrichment: Hold more advanced students to a higher level of mastery for their fretting and picking hand. Focus on consistency during playing examples and have them match the playing styles of players that they like.
Notes
Picking and fretting hand technique is something that needs to develop over time. With enough practice, individual technique develops into a player’s individual sound. Encourage students to listen to recordings of themselves and be active in the development of their own sound. Playing with style will change students playing from robotic and mechanical to powerful and impactful. Model playing with style to students and talk to them about how you work on playing technique as well- this will help with relatability and encouragement.
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