Plight of the Non-Chord

Teaching Chord notation in Beginning Class

Guitar
Problems
• Many studies in A minor: Primary chords Am Dm E7 (C
G7)
• No accidentals
• Simple chord shapes that hopefully transfer to reading in first
position
• Fingerpicking taught with chord shapes no notation
• Not a criticism
• What we’re looking for is an Am chord
• Applied/Private lessons some class guitar instruction
• Here’s the chord shape
• See how the shape you’re holding has the notes in the measure
• Use that fingerpicking pattern
• You’re free! Now get to it!
• Students: Most amount of work for least amount of effort
• Look at the bass for short cuts. Or in frustration you tell them to look at bass
• Can’t tell the difference between these shapes anytime they see ‘A’ below the staff
• Reading gets worse with key signatures or when accidentals are introducedSo you put the
chord names above the staff and now there is no learning

• So you end up putting the chord names above each measure in the staff and no learning
occurs.
Dm
• When the bass note moves
• When the name of the bass note is not the name of the
chord (inversions/suspensions)
• Notes that do not spell chords they know (passing
tones/pedal point/walking bass lines)
 Under the Radar
• Students will learn by ear watching you play knowing the
piece is one of three/four chords
• Other students will teach them through shapes and fingerpicking
pattern
 Goal
• Consider all notes in the staff/chord
• Ability to “stack” arpeggiated chords in a logical manner
• To have students with minimal playing ability successfully
problem solve chord notation on paper
• Read chords they don’t know and recognize chords they do
• Read a series of chords where one or two notes change
from beat to beat or measure to measure
 Background
• How I teach notes on the staff
• Sibelius/Acrobat/Photoshop
 Before we Begin: First Position
• Already assuming students know notes on staff in the first
four frets
• Including accidentals
• Quick demonstration
 Starting with 1st and 2nd string
• Deals with notes in the staff (no ledger lines)
• Symmetry of the 1st and 2nd string fingers
 1st and 2nd Strings:
• 1st STRING
• Call out finger numbers
• Students play four quarters and a whole note
• During whole note call out another finger
• Repeat with note names
• 2nd STRING REPEAT STEPS
• CALL OUT NOTES FROM BOTH STRINGS
• Aurally only tells you whether the people who are playing are correct
• Need to monitor the people who are not playing/air guitar.
• Demo Sibelius
(Note) 2 3 4 Play 2 3 4
Whole Quarters
• E-0
• F-1
• G-3
• B-0
• C-1
• D-3
 Then by notation
• Instead calling out the note they figure it out from symbol
• Staff/Fretboard
• Music notation software/dry erase board with staff/transparency
• Scanned fretboard in acrobat/dry erase board/transparency
• Demo: Sibelius notation/Adobe Acrobat
 All Six Strings
Rinse/Lather/Repeat
• By pairs (1,2) (3,4) (5,6)
• Sight Reading
• Read this First - Joe Pecoraro
 Chords from notation
• Limit the choices by starting with strings 1,2,3 in First
Position
• Top three strings of: G G7 C F Am Em Dm
• No sharps or flats
• Doesn’t overwhelm
• Deals with notes in the staff (No ledger lines)
• Reference top three strings of open position chords they already
know
• Can play with i,m,a or p,i,m if you focus on classical style
 Limiting the choices to strings 1,2,3:
Doesn’t overwhelm Starts with notes in staff

• Doesn’t overwhelm
• Starts with open strings
• Starts with notes in staff (No ledger lines)
 Referencing top three strings of open position
chords they already know independent of bass notes

• What chord has these three notes in the top three strings
 Referencing top three strings of open position
chords they already know independent of bass notes

• What chord has these three notes in the top three strings? E minor

• THIS IS NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT!!

• The most important part of the lesson.
 Two stationary strings
One string where the note moves
• Chord stacking sheet
• Start from the bottom up in the staff
• Ceiling to the floor/nose to toes on guitar
• Fill in the note on the diagram string by string
 Static 3rd and 2nd strings
Moving note on 1st string
• ON PAPER
• They have (as do you) the chord stacking sheet
 RULES FOR READING STRINGS
1,2,3
• Top note on 1st string
• Middle note on 2nd string
• Bottom note on 3rd string
• Start from the lowest note
 Static 3rd and 2nd strings
Moving note on 1st string
• ON PAPER
 Static 3rd and 2nd strings
Moving note on 1st string
• ON PAPER
 Static 3rd and 2nd strings
Moving note on 1st string
• ON PAPER –
• visual reminder of notes they discovered
• Tactile reminder

• Providing a means for students to do this in their head

• Whatever they fret is gone the moment they remove their fingers
• Top three strings of what chord?
 Static 3rd and 2nd strings
Moving note on 1st string
• ON PAPER
• Top three strings of E minor.
• Step by step – helpful for paper exercises

Or
• Pointing out Stationary notes Focus on Moving
note 2nd string
• Useful for playing
• Big Picture
 Don’t forget to ask what chord has
these notes on the top three strings

= = G7
• Step by step

Or
• Pointing out Stationary notes Focus on Moving
note 2nd string
 = = G
• Step by step

Or
• Pointing out Stationary notes Focusing on the Moving
note on 2nd string
Static 3rd and 1st strings
Moving note on 2nd string
• Step by step

• Moving note
 = = C
• Step by step

• Focusing on moving note

• Stationary note Moving note on 2nd
string

• If you wish to proceed step by step

Explained earlier
 Static 2nd and 1st strings
Moving note on 3rd string
• Stationary notes Moving note on 3rd
string

• If you wish to proceed step by step

Explained earlier
 Lots of overkill with the
examples
• This Power Point is available through the FMEA website
• All the jpegs you see can be used/copied to Word to make
worksheets or a lesson plan.
 Pattern for playing strings 3,2,1
• Everything previous is just math.
• PLAY THE EXAMPLE
• i,m,a or p,i,m on strings open 3,2,1

• What they are playing. What I tell them:

• p i m hold |One Two Three Four

• Change note here
 Video Three String Chords
• Demonstrate example on open strings
• Have them play it
• Begin moving the notes telling them which strings have
the moving note
• Using Sibelius for moving notes on staff and Adobe Acrobat on the
fret-board diagram
• Have used dry erase board and transparencies in the past.
• Will eventually be done randomly
 Four note chord notation
• Played with pima
• Introduced with stationary strings 123
• Moving Bass Note on strings 4,5 and 6.
• Explained as ima on top three strings
• Thumb handles strings 45 or 6.
• Only focus on one moving note:
• The bass below the staff
 Pattern for playing Bass (45 or 6) and Strings 3,2,1
together

• PLAY THE EXAMPLE

• I start with thumb on string four
• pima
• What they are playing. What I tell them:

• p i m a |Hold Two Three Four

• Change note
here
Video
 “D” Permutations
Dm D D7
• Limiting choices
• Proves they have to figure out the whole chord and not
rely on the bass
• Proves they can’t rely on the bass for the letter name of a
chord
• Demo
• Dm D D7
E7/D

• Included for step by step instruction

 Demonstration
• Sibelius/Acrobat
• Great place to start the introduction of accidentals/key signature
as opposed to a real piece.
 Applying to arpeggio studies
• One/Two measures at a time
• Stack the notes one measure at a time to figure out chord
• Look to original for fingerpicking pattern
 Exerp from Andante – Leo Welch
Guitar II: Hands on Training Textbook
Pg. 31

• Stack the chords of each measure or each beat

• Depending on the length of the chord or fingerpicking pattern

• Measure 1 Measure 2
 Problems I’ve encountered
• Chord stacking sheet becomes a crutch.
• When to take it away? When to have them do it all in their head?
• Students don’t “read” the music with the exception of transferring
it to diagram
• Instead read the chord diagram they have decrypted
• Play by ear
 Solutions
• Guitar exerpts:
• Short two measure “sight-reading” examples like the previous
exerpts
• Performance assessment with students getting 5 minutes to look
at example before playing
• .
Chord Notation beyond Beginning Guitar

• Worksheets for Fretboard

• Barre Chords and 1st string E means that they already know letter
names of three strings
• Mainly teaching letter names for 2nd 3rd and 4th strings
• Knowledge of half steps and whole steps in C Major
 Notes beyond 1st position
• Begin teaching the note names from open to 12th fret once
you move out of 1st position
• String by string.
• I start with first string: New ledger lines
• Barre Chords and 1st string E means that they already know letter
names of three strings
 Notation of notes from open to
twelfth fret
• Must know the physical places: Only use first finger to fret
• Use 7th fret as a point of reference. 12th fret also
• Notes in sequence first
• Randomly call out with: “Hold two three four Play two three four” exercise
• Demo
• Teach them the notation
• Ledger lines they haven’t seen
• Associating notes on the staff they have seen to new places on the fretboard
• Notes in sequence then randomly
• Demo