Notes On The E And A Strings Teacher Guide
Notes On THe E and A String Teacher Guide
Learning the notes on the neck using the chromatic scale and applying them to play bass lines and single note riffs creates a great foundation in fretboard understanding. This unit focuses on this approach combined with student selected material, ear training, and composition elements.
I | Teacher Prep & Materials
II | The Chromatic Scale
III | Applying
IV | Formal
V | Switching Strings
VI | Bass
VII | Learning Riffs By Ear
VIII | Riff Writing
1 Teacher Prep & Materials
UNIT PREP
It's best to learn the notes on the E and A strings by using the chromatic scale and landmarks. Then, apply these notes to playing bass for some of your favorite songs, using chord/lyric charts and lead sheets. Before teaching this unit, listen to a wide variety of bass guitar music to familiarize yourself with songs that feature distinctive bass sounds and grooves you'd like to share with your students. Below is a playlist of songs that I regularly play for my students during this unit. It's designed to help them recognize elements of groove and the different sounds of important bass players in pop music.
SEQUENCING AND PACING
The suggested time allotment for this unit is 3 weeks. This allows for students to understand and apply the chromatic scale to play bass lines, work on learning riffs by ear, jam in an ensemble, and writing metal riffs. The time spent on memorizing notes on the E and A string will prove its value in later units of study.
It is recommended to use the riff transcription examples as enrichment for students who complete tasks after they understand note locations on the E string.
MATERIALS
Class guitars and picks
Headphones to listen to 1:1 devices
High quality playback system
Electric guitars and amps*
Bass guitars and amps*
Drum set *
Vocal mic(s)*
*optional
2 Unit Intro & Chromatic Scale (1 Day)
Objectives
Understand the musical alphabet, the chromatic scale, accidental directions and how they can be applied to find notes on the guitar fretboard.
Procedure
Watch the “Chromatic Scale” video as a class.
Recreate the chromatic chart on the board for the A string and reinforce the half step between B-C and E-F.
Have students complete the A string chart individually while walking around to check their work. Ask students to come up to the board to fill in chart on the board.
Put students into partners and/or learning groups and have them quiz each other on the notes of the E string without using a chart. They will have to count up the chromatic number line to figure out the notes. The more students do this, the quicker they will get at the process.
Assessment
Informal assessment of the chromatic scale can be completed using questioning and observing by walking around and viewing student work in steps 3 and 4.
What To Look For
The Process: When working individually, students should be creating the chromatic scale using half steps and using self talk to remember the half step between E&F and B&C.When working in groups, students should help each other understand the concept by reinforcing the process of the chromatic counting together. If students are copying the chart from the board, a student, or a different resources, remind them that being able to count half steps is going to help later when applying them on the guitar.
The Product: Students are be able to identify the pitch name for a given fret number by counting half steps up from the open string or down from the octave. They are also be able to determine the fret number of a specified pitch using the same method. These tasks are completed with repeatable accuracy and confidence.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas:
Opening 5 min: Have the question, “How do you find notes on the guitar fretboard?” on the board as students come in to class. Have them write down their answer in their practice journal after they take their seats. Go through some of the student answers and steer the conversation to the chromatic scale. Play a song with a memorable bass line during this activity.
Closing 5 min: Have students create an entry in their journal and rank their understanding of the chromatic scale out of 5. Ask students to then write a description of a tutorial that they could make on how to teach the chromatic scale and notes on the fretboard. Have students share a few of these ideas to the class.
Differentiation
Remediation: Have students re-watch the chromatic scale video individually and encourage them to pause it often to take notes. You can also partner up students who understand the concept with students that are struggling. Sometimes it helps to have these learning groups create their own instructional video on the chromatic scale.
Enrichment: Give students a random number generator to give them more practice to gain mastery of note names on the E string. If they already know the note names on the E and A strings, have them find note names for treble strings.
Notes
Try to call on every student at least once during the period. If a student doesn’t know the answer right away, help them with the process of finding the notes and celebrate them when they eventually come to the answer. Call out partners/groups that are working well together and tell the rest of the class what you liked about their collaboration strategy. Developing positive group work ethic is going to help out when students are songwriting and practicing together with guitars later in the course.
3 Applying Notes On The E String (2 Days)
Objectives
Find notes on the E string using chromatic counting and landmarks. Apply these notes to play the roots of chords in a lead sheet.
Procedure
Review the relationship of fret numbers and directions by asking them to use their index finger of their fretting hand to navigate to specified frets. Have them move the pitch up or down a given number of half steps and check for direction and fret number accuracy.
Say and play all of the notes on the E string as a class. Make sure students are saying the pitch name before playing the note to keep their brain in front of their fingers.
Ask students to find specific notes on the E string.
Watch the “Guided E String Study” video and then review the landmark frets as a class.
Give students individual practice time to find all of the natural notes on the E string. If students are trying to use their ear to find notes, encourage them to use chromatic counting.
Put students into partners and have them quiz each other on the locations of notes on the E string using chromatic counting and landmarks.
Pick a song from the lead sheet library and choose a section for students to play bass on. Have students practice playing the roots of the chords on the E string using the harmonic rhythm of the lead sheet at their own tempo.
Play the song together at a slow tempo while counting, gradually speed up the tempo and play it with the recording.
Add a vocalist and/or a drumset player to play it as a band.
Assessment
Informal assessment of chromatic scale application can be completed using questioning and observing by walking around and viewing student work in steps 3, 5, 6, and 7.
What To Look For
The Process: When working individually, students should be saying the note names and accidentals aloud and making purposeful movements to the corresponding locations. Chromatic counting should happen from the open string and from the landmark at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 12th frets. When working in partners students should help each other out by understanding the process of chromatic counting and landmarks, When playing through lead sheets, students should identify difficult passages and use purposeful practice to make it easier to switch between notes on the E string. They should be counting while developing this skill.
The Product: Guitarists are able to use chromatic counting from the open strings and landmark frets to identify notes with accuracy. They are also able to read a lead sheet and play the roots of chords in the harmonic rhythm of the song.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas:
Opening 5 min: Check student understanding of the chromatic scale by writing sample note identification problems on the board for students to complete in their practice jounral when they come in to class. Here are some example questions: What note is the 7th fret of the E string? What fret is the G# on the A string? You can also have them write out all of the notes on a given string.
Closing 5 min: Ask students to play notes on the E string as a group at the end of class. Have them reflect on their level of mastery of this task in their practice journal on a 1-5 scale.
1: I can’t find notes on the E string.
2: I can find notes on the E string, but I need outside help/
3: I can find notes on the E string, but I have to use chromatic counting from the open string.
4: I can find notes on the E string, but I have to sometimes count from landmarks.
5: I can find notes on the E string without making any mistakes and without having to use chromatic counting or landmarks. It is in muscle memory.
Differentiation
Remediation: Have students rewatch the “E String Practice” and “E String Guided Study” videos at their own pace to reinforce their understanding of note locations. If they need help with landmark locations specifically, point them toward the videos in the “Landmarks” tab. If students need help outside of these videos, partner them with a student who has a strong grasp of the material. I tell guitarists that teaching is an important skill to have and when working with a peer to use positivity, collaboration, creativity, and patience to help in not only in the product, but in understanding the process.
Enrichment: For students who can easily identify notes on E string, have them quiz each other on note locations to increase their recall speed. You can also have them read more lead sheets to give more application opportunity. Finally, you can have students work on a transcription example from the “listen” tab.
Notes
Try to avoid allowing students to create and/or use visual aides of notes on the E string. Resources like this will help to find notes in the moment, but students will develop a reliance on these materials. Be clear with expectations of working with partners and observe groups during working periods. Highlight positive things the you see partners do and share these observations with the class.
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.
5 A String and String Switching (2 Days)
Objectives
Learn the notes on the A string and how to switch between the E and A strings to play the roots of chords efficiently.
Procedure
Watch the Landmarks On The A string video as a class in the A string tab.
Informally assess the class’s understanding of notes on the A string by asking them to find string note locations by giving them a pitch and have them identify pitch names by giving them a fret number.
Have students watch the A String Practice video individually and give them time to apply notes on the A string to play bass to student selected songs in the lead sheet library.
Play through the circle of fourths as a class on the A string.
Watch the Switching Strings video in the Read tab as a class.
Have students find the note locations for the roots of the chords in the Switching Strings example on two string sets: one where the root of the first chord is on the A string and one where the root is on the E string.
Have the class select a song from the lead sheet library and give them time find the lowest string set to play roots to a song section.
Play through the song together with the backing track.
Assessment
Informal assessment of the chromatic scale can be completed using questioning and observing by walking around and viewing student work in steps 3 and 4.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas:
Opening 5 min: Have the question, “How do you find notes on the guitar fretboard?” on the board as students come in to class. Have them write down their answer in their practice journal after they take their seats. Go through some of the student answers and steer the conversation to the chromatic scale. Play a song with a memorable bass line during this activity.
Closing 5 min: Have students create an entry in their journal and rank their understanding of the chromatic scale out of 5. Ask students to then write a description of a tutorial that they could make on how to teach the chromatic scale and notes on the fretboard. Have students share a few of these ideas to the class.
Student Centered Classroom Notes
Try to call on every student at least once during the period. If a student doesn’t know the answer right away, help them with the process of finding the notes and celebrate them when they eventually come to the answer. Call out partners/groups that are working well together and tell the rest of the class what you liked about their collaboration strategy. Developing positive group work ethic is going to help out when students are songwriting and practicing together with guitars later in the course.
6 Bass and Jamming (3 Days)
Objectives
Explore the sound and playing technique of notable bass players and apply them to playing bass in a group setting.
Procedure
Watch videos of famous bass players and discuss their sound and technique. Here are some videos that I like to play. James Jamerson Tal Wilkenfeld Jaco Pastorius Mike League Francis Rocco Prestia Joe Dart Its also important to talk about when bass plays related to the kick drum and how the end of the note is almost as important as the beginning of the note. More Info on Bass Listening and a Bass Listening Playlist
Have students place a pencil on their desk and flick it using the index finger in their pick hand to simulate playing with bass technique.
Get guitars (and basses if you have them) and play the open E and A string with this technique. The finger should plant on the string and pull through, watch out for slap shots and pulling up on strings.
Play bass along to student selected songs in the lead sheet library together. Choose a section of the song to play, give students time to map out the locations on the E and A strings to play the notes, and play it with the backing music.
Take the same song and assign a student to play drums (if a kit is in the room), a student to play electric bass, and electric guitar. Play through the song or song section as a band and have everyone that is not on electric instruments play roots on their guitars and sing along to the song. After singing it a couple of times, ask if a student would like to be the lead singer for the band and have them sing the song on mic. Repeat the song and have different student rotate between the drums, electric bass, and electric guitars.
Assessment
Informal assessment of the chromatic scale can be completed using questioning and observing by walking around and viewing student work in steps 3 and 4.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas:
Opening 5 min: Have an example song from the bass playlist playing while students come in and have them answer the question, “Describe the bass sound in the recording?” as they come in to class. Have them write down their answer in their practice journal after they take their seats and have a discussion about the bass sound and what is needed to create that sound as a group.
Closing 5 min: Have students create a technique checklist to create a good bass sound in their practice journal.
Try to call on every student at least once during the period. If a student doesn’t know the answer right away, help them with the process of finding the notes and celebrate them when they eventually come to the answer. Call out partners/groups that are working well together and tell the rest of the class what you liked about their collaboration strategy. Developing positive group work ethic is going to help out when students are songwriting and practicing together with guitars later in the course.
7 Learning Riffs By Ear (1 Day and as enrichment)
Objectives
Transcribe single note riffs that use the E and A strings.
Procedure
Instruct students to watch the video at the top of the transcription cab and to learn a riff by ear as enrichment when they have completed individual tasks earlier in the unit.
Have students identify their favorite guitar riffs either from the lists or from other songs.
Discuss how transcribing riffs allows the player to learn a fun guitar part while strengthening the connection between the ear and the instrument.
Listen to the “Seven Nation Army” riff as a class and have students sing the riff back
Give students time to work on playing the riff from tonal memory without the use of playback. Tell them that the first note is E on the A string and that the entire riff can be played only on then A string. Here is the step by step process I share with students.
Find the first note by singing and trialing notes on the neck until one matches the range and tonality of the initial pitch.
Find the contour of the line by Identifying the next note(s) and the distance between them.
Check the transcribed section by playing back the original audio and/or either singing out loud or in your head (audiating)
Transcribe in sections and check often with a practice partner to avoid learning sections incorrectly.
Find the best fingering for each section to make it easy to play.
Learn the rhythm from listening and slowly speed up the riff to the target tempo.
Adjust technique to add dynamics and articulation to match the style of the original recording.
Show students how to use the playback on the transcription page to help with this process and give them time to learn the riff.
After an allotted amount of time, call on individual students to play what they have transcribed. Celebrate small successes in student transcriptions- even if they are small.
Allow students to choose their own riff from the list and have them work on completing the transcription.
Have students share out what they have learned at the end of work periods.
Assessment
I do not do formal assessments on the product of this activity, but the process of learning something by ear is important to informally assess during working period. Have regular check ins with students while they are transcribing and give them feedback on their process to help them with future transcriptions.
What To Look For
The Process: Students should be following the process presented in step 4 of the lesson procedure. They should be singing out loud and or audiating the riff to help with tonal memory. Guitarists should be checking their progress often with a practice partner and referencing the original track often to avoid learning the riff incorrectly.
The Product: The riff is played with note and pitch accuracy at the original tempo of the song. It is played with confidence and appropriate style elements are applied.
Feedback: “Catch” students that are demonstrating a methodical transcription process and tell the class what you like about their process. When conferencing with individual students, prompt them to follow the transcription process and encourage them even if they are struggling with some notes. Try not to over-guide their riff learning by giving them notes, instead ask them students questions about pitch direction and interval so they can find their own notes.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas:
Opening 5 min: Have the question, “How do you play the sounds you hear in your head?” on the board as students come in to class. Have them write down their answer in their practice journal after they take their seats. Discuss student answers and guide them to a discussion of the comprehension (hearing contour) and retention (pitch memory) steps in the transcription process.
Closing 5 min: Ask students to play excerpts of the riffs that they have learned by ear for their practice partner. Prompt them to reflect on their transcription process and answer these question in their practice journal: What were my successes in transcription? What was difficult? How can I get better at transcribing? Why is it an important skill?
Differentiation
Remediation: Put students that are struggling into groups to help each other. Encourage discussion in these groups and model this type of dialogue- ensuring an even distribution of responsibility.
Enrichment: Encourage more advanced players to make their riffs sound EXACTLY like the original by including dynamics and articulation- this way they are copying playing style as well as notes and rhythms. You can also let more advanced students choose riffs that are more challenging from the transcription tab OR they can choose their own riffs to learn from original recordings.
Notes
Students will probably ask why they can’t use a tutorial or TABS to learn a lick. I tell them that they get better at using their ear every time they learn a lick from a recording and it will help them with future aural learning, songwriting, and soloing. If they use a tutorial video to learn the lick, the person who is presenting the tutorial is the one who got better learning the riff. They might learn the riff, but they won’t get better at learning riffs. Celebrate as many successes as possible when students start learning riffs by ear. If they feel good about their successes (even if they are small) they will be more likely to transcribe in the future.
8 Riff writing (3 Days)
Objectives
Apply the chromatic scale to find notes on the E string and use landmark frets to make identification quicker.
Procedure
Listen to songs on the Single Note Metal Riff playlist. Sometimes I like to present songs historically so students can hear riff lineage:
Black Sabbath → Iron Maiden → Judas Priest → Metallica → In Flames → Deftones → Avenged Sevenfold.Identify the pattern of open strings (chugs) and upper notes in the riff.
Watch and play along with the “Playing With A Pick” Video.
Watch the “Metal Riff Writing” video in the Write tab.
Write a note sequence sequence on the board that uses open strings and upper notes similar to ones in the metal playlist. I use lower case letters for notes higher than an octave.
Give students time to practice the note sequence independently.
Play it with the drum backing track as a class.
Assign students into partners and have them come up with a band name. I usually make this a five minute, timed activity.
Have them find a reference metal song from the playlist or one that they already know that has single note riffs.
Have them write a single note riff together by writing the letter names of the notes in a sequence using space between letters to represent rests. Partners can use the Soundtrap drum loop template to help with writing the pattern and they can change the tempo to best fit their reference song. Prompt students to record their riff at the end of practice sessions so they don’t forget what it sounds like between working periods. They can also sing their riff to help with creating the rhythm, contour, and structure of the part.
Students can prepare the composition for recording or presentation for assessment.
Assessment/Presentation
Presentation: Instruct partners to prepare a presentation slide with their band name, the name of their reference song, the notes of their riff with spacing for the rhythm, and their tempo. During the presentation, groups should share the information on their slide and play their riff for the class with or without the backing drum track at the tempo of their composition.
Recording: Have students practice their riff until they can play it at the target tempo with repeatable accuracy and confidence. Use acoustic guitars and a microphone in a quite part of the room or use audio interface and electric guitars to record the audio of the riff on the provided Soundtrap template. Have each student record their own track and assign the student that isn’t recording to act as the engineer to set the playhead to the beginning of the track and press record. Make sure students have the metronome enabled and encourage the use of headphones when recording to keep the metronome sound out of the recorded audio. Use a headphone splitter to allow multiple students to hear audio from the same device.
What To Look For
The Process: Partners should share the responsibility of the composition and the presentation/recording process. They should communicate their ideas and experiment with different notes and rhythms together.
The Product: The composed riffs are played as written with confidence and pitch accuracy by both players. The performance or recording is in time with the backing drum track
Feedback: “Catch” students that are demonstrating a methodical transcription process and tell the class what you like about their process. When conferencing with individual students, prompt them to follow the transcription process and encourage them even if they are struggling with some notes. Try not to over-guide their riff learning by giving them notes, instead ask them students questions about pitch direction and interval so they can find their own notes.
Opening and Closing Activity Ideas:
Opening 5 min: Have the question, “What does positive partner work look/sound like?” on the board as students come in to class. Have them write down their answer in their practice journal after they take their seats. Discuss both positive and negative experiences students have had with partner work in the past and create expectations and “look likes” for partner work during this project.
Closing 5 min: Have partners record themselves either saying or playing their incomplete compositions at the end of class. Instruct students to reflect on their composition and partner work in their practice journal by answering the following questions: “Did I feel valued as a collaborator today? How can I be a better partner? What is difficult about getting the sound from your head onto the instrument?”
Differentiation
Remediation: Some students will have a hard time starting their riff. Give them the pattern X X E E X X E E X X E E to start with where the X’s are higher notes and the E’s are chugs on the E string. This will provide them with a framework to have a successful beginning and can act as a springboard for more creative riff writing.
Enrichment: Encourage students who have completed their composition to listen back and make improvements. They can lengthen their composition or use the method in the project walkthrough video to write a harmony part. If students have a well composed riff with a harmony part, have them focus on playing style to match their reference recording.
Notes
To foster positive interactions among partners, I often initiate group activities with an icebreaker question. These questions can be straightforward, like "What is your favorite food?" or "Which class do you like the least?". I've observed that students collaborate more effectively after they've had a chance to get to know each other.
For many students, this will be their first experience with writing music. It's crucial to create an environment where they feel comfortable and confident about expressing themselves. I always remind them that their initial compositions are just the beginning, and they shouldn't let self-criticism hinder their creative process.
A useful tactic I employ during this project is to emphasize the importance of listening. I encourage students to record their unfinished riffs and then play them back. This practice allows them to step back from their instruments and use their auditory skills for iterative composition. It's a reminder that, for a composer, the ear is the most important tool.
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