FF 4.4 | Technique & Strumming
4 Technique And Strumming (3 Days)
Objectives
Enhance picking accuracy and apply strumming patterns within a consistent tempo, emphasizing the "vertical metronome" concept.
Procedure
Pick Holding: Begin with the picking video and review how to hold a pick correctly, focusing on avoiding excessive tightness that can hinder flexibility and sound quality.
Picking Accuracy Exercises: Watch the video on picking hand accuracy and practice targeting specific strings with downstrokes, initially focusing on the top three strings.
Strumming Technique Basics: Introduce strumming basics through the strumming video, highlighting the importance of a consistent hand movement as a "vertical metronome" and practice muted strumming to get comfortable with the motion without worrying about chord voicings.
Strumming Workout Group Play: Instruct students to mute their strings and play the strumming workout together. Discuss what went well and which lines need the most work. Repeat the strumming workout using the chord voicings.
Strumming Individual Practice: Assign lines for students to play for their assessment based on their previous playing. Give them time to practice along with score individually.
Strumming Assessment: Assess students individually or in small groups.
Opening and Closing Activities
Opening Activity: Have students select a live video of a guitarist and observe their strumming hand technique, identifying the consistent motion regardless of the chords being played. This technique can be seen in not only steel string acoustic playing, but also in power chord strumming and funk.
Closing Activity: Model a chordal part for students using incorrect strumming and have students identify what the problem is and have them help to try to fix it.
Assessment
Performance Evaluation: Assess students on their ability to execute selected strumming patterns accurately while maintaining a consistent tempo and applying the correct pick pressure.
Peer Feedback: Utilize practice partners for students to give and receive feedback on pick holding, picking accuracy, and the execution of strumming patterns.
Differentiation
Remediation: Select only the unsyncopated examples for students to be assessed on. Students can also play the assessment without using chord voicings.
Enrichment: Select syncopated examples for students to be assessed on. Students can also incorporate left hand muting on subdivisions where the strings are being played. These students can also watch the root-fifth strumming and arpeggio videos to learn these new techniques.
Notes
Emphasize the continuous movement of the strumming hand, likening it to a "vertical metronome," to maintain rhythm and timing. Try to catch students who are not following this movement as quick as possible so they don’t develop bad habits.
Make sure students aren’t holding the pick too tightly and/or putting to much of the picking into the strings.
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