Session 4: B7 and Two Pentatonic Scales
Duration: 50 minutes
Break: Put the guitar down for 5 minutes at the end of Segment 3. No stretch of playing is then longer than 30 minutes.
In this session you learn B7, a new shape for four fingers. You then move the 12-bar blues from A to E by its numbers: that is today’s piece, the “Seventh-Chord Blues in E”. You learn one pentatonic pattern that is E minor pentatonic from E and G major pentatonic from G. The session ends with a task, one chorus of your own over the Blues in E: you record its backing today, and you learn the rule by which the chorus is played in this week’s practice.
Learning Objectives
Section titled “Learning Objectives”By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Form B7 so that all five strings that should sound ring: 3 times in a row
- Pass the change test for Em and B7 and for E7 and B7, a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM: 8 chords, twice on the same day, for each of the 2 pairs
- Play the Seventh-Chord Blues in E from its chart in the D D U U D U pattern at 60 BPM, from a count-in of four clicks to its last measure: 38 measures
- Play E minor pentatonic and then G major pentatonic from memory, up and down, in quarter notes at 70 BPM: 2 runs in a row of each
- Play one chorus of your own over the backing you recorded, by the task’s rule, in this week’s practice: 12 measures, with 5 ticks of the tick list
Where an objective gives a tempo, it is the figure for the end of this week’s practice.
Materials Needed
Section titled “Materials Needed”- Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
- A guitar pick
- A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
- A metronome
- A phone that records sound
- 48 slips of paper and a pen, for this week’s ear check
- Your answer to phone test 2 of Session 1: can the phone record while it plays a backing?
- A second device that plays sound, if you have one
- Handout for this session: Minor And Pentatonic Scales (read after the session, 10 minutes)
- Handout for this session: The Blues (read after the session, 10 minutes)
- Handout for this session: How To Practise At This Level (read after the session, 5 minutes)
- Reference: Chord Chart, Glossary
Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)”Hand Warm-Up
Section titled “Hand Warm-Up”Open and close both hands loosely five times. Circle each wrist five times each way. Touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn. Shake the hands out.
Tune Your Guitar
Section titled “Tune Your Guitar”Tune all six strings (EADGBE). Before you look at the tuner, guess: too low, too high or right? Then look.
Warm-Up
Section titled “Warm-Up”Play the Stop-Time pattern (Session 3) on E5 at 70 BPM: the measure below, four times in a row.
Copy of Session 3: the Stop-Time pattern
Chord: E5 e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------| D|--------------------------------------| A|------2---2---2-------2---------------| E|------0---0---0-------0---------------| Count: 1 & 2 (&) 3 (&) [4] [&] Strum: D U D D PM: PM PM PM O
The A natural minor scale (Session 2) changes form this week: you now play it in eighth notes.
Copy of Session 2: A natural minor scale, one octave, open position
A natural minor scale, one octave, open position: up and down, eighth notes e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| G|------------------------------0---2---|---0-------------------------------| D|------------------0---2---3-----------|-------3---2---0-------------------| A|------0---2---3-----------------------|-------------------3---2---0-------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U D U D Finger: - 2 3 - 2 3 - 2 - 3 2 - 3 2 - Notes: A B C D E F G A G F E D C B A
A natural minor scale, in eighth notes: two notes per click. The top A is played once. The last A lasts a full beat.
Now two notes per click (eighth notes): set the metronome to 40 BPM. That is exactly as fast as one note per click at 80 BPM.
In a scale or an arpeggio the pick alternates on every note, down then up, whatever the count: in quarter notes an upstroke falls on counts 2 and 4. In a tune the pick follows the count: down on the numbers, up on the &s.
Play the scale up and down at 40 BPM, two notes per click: two runs. That is today’s tempo. The line below is for the week’s practice.
Tempo: Start at 40 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes) and work up to 50. Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, and only after three clean runs in a row. In one week, take two steps at most.
A run is clean when every note or chord lands on its count, every string that should sound rings, and you do not stop.
Spider crawl: frets 5-8, one finger at a time, all six strings, up and down. If it pulls, stop the crawl; if it aches, stop playing for today.
Barre presses:
The simplified F (Beginner Session 17): press, pluck four strings, release. Four presses.
Barre work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
Segment 2 — Technique Focus: The B7 Chord (10 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 2 — Technique Focus: The B7 Chord (10 minutes)”Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
The B7 Chord
Section titled “The B7 Chord”B7 is a new shape for four fingers. Finger 2 stays where it is in Em, E and E7.
- Finger 1 (index): string 4 (D), fret 1
- Finger 2 (middle): string 5 (A), fret 2
- Finger 3 (ring): string 3 (G), fret 2
- Finger 4 (little finger): string 1 (high e), fret 2
- String 2 (B) is played open
- Do not play string 6
- Strum strings 5 to 1 (five strings)
- Notes, string 5 to string 1: B, D#, A, B, F#
Tuner check: Pluck strings 5 to 1 one at a time, slowly. The tuner should show B, D#, A, B, F#. A different letter means a finger is on the wrong string or the wrong fret.
Rest the pick on string 5, then strum from there.
Place finger 2 first, where it already sits in Em, E and E7; then fingers 1, 3 and 4. String 6 is not played.
Place the shape, strum strings 5 to 1 once, lift the fingers and place the shape again: 8 placings. Then pluck strings 5 to 1 one at a time and read the tuner, as the tuner check above says.
If a string does not ring:
- If a string is muffled, the finger on the string next to it is leaning on it: arch that finger more.
- If a note buzzes: (1) move the fingertip right up behind the fret wire; (2) stand the finger on its tip; (3) only then add the smallest extra pressure that clears the buzz.
The open string 2 lies between fingers 3 and 4. If it is muffled, the first fix is the one to use.
Change Test: Em and B7, E7 and B7
Section titled “Change Test: Em and B7, E7 and B7”This is the change test (Beginner Session 3) for the two new pairs, a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM. Before the first run, read how each pair moves:
- Em to B7: finger 2 stays down, on string 5 fret 2: an anchor finger. Finger 3 moves one string towards the floor at fret 2 (string 4 to string 3). Finger 1 lands on string 4 fret 1. Finger 4 lands on string 1 fret 2.
- E7 to B7: finger 2 stays down, on string 5 fret 2. Finger 1 moves one string towards the ceiling at fret 1 (string 3 to string 4). Finger 3 lands on string 3 fret 2. Finger 4 lands on string 1 fret 2.
Going back, what landed lifts and what lifted lands.
Play Em and B7, 8 chords; then E7 and B7, 8 chords; then each pair once more. The tempo does not rise this week.
Segment 3 — New Learning: One Pattern, Two Home Notes (15 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 3 — New Learning: One Pattern, Two Home Notes (15 minutes)”The Blues by Its Numbers
Section titled “The Blues by Its Numbers”In any key the root of the IV chord is five frets above the root of the I chord, and the root of the V chord is seven frets above it. In the key of E the I, IV and V chords are E, A and B, so a progression written in numbers moves to the key of E by reading I as E, IV as A and V as B.
- Transposing — Moving a piece or a chord progression to another key, so that every note and chord moves up or down by the same number of half steps. A progression written as I, IV and V is transposed by reading the same numbers in the new key. (Session 4)
The table reads the “Seventh-Chord Blues in A” by its numbers and gives the chord each number has in the key of E.
| Number | Chord in the “Seventh-Chord Blues in A” | Chord in the key of E |
|---|---|---|
| I | A7 | E7 |
| IV | D7 | A7 |
| V | E7 | B7 |
Count the five frets and the seven frets of this section’s first sentence on string 6. The open string is E, the root of the I chord. Five frets above it, at fret 5, is A, the root of the IV chord. Seven frets above it, at fret 7, is B, the root of the V chord. Find each of the two places with a fingertip and say its name: no chord is played here.
Segment 4 plays last week’s form with these three chords.
The Pentatonic Pair
Section titled “The Pentatonic Pair”-
Home note — The note a tune keeps coming back to and comes to rest on. The tune of Beginner Session 14 uses the notes of the C major scale but keeps coming back to A, so its home note is A (a scale that starts from A with these same notes is called A minor). (Session 4)
-
Major pentatonic scale — A five-note scale: a major scale without its fourth and seventh notes. G major pentatonic is G, A, B, D, E, the same five notes as E minor pentatonic with G as the home note. (Session 4)
A major scale and the natural minor scale that starts three frets below it have the same notes. They are called relative major and relative minor: G major and E minor, C major and A minor.
- Relative major and minor — A major scale and a natural minor scale that have the same notes and different home notes: G major and E natural minor. The minor’s home note is three frets below the major’s. (Session 4)
E minor pentatonic and G major pentatonic have the same five notes, E, G, A, B and D, in the same twelve places: one pattern with two home notes. The home note of E minor pentatonic is E, and the home note of G major pentatonic is G. The table gives the twelve places and says which of them each run plays.
| Note | String | Fret | Finger | In the run from E to E | In the run from G to G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | 6 (low E) | 0 (open) | — | yes | no |
| G | 6 (low E) | 3 | 3 (ring) | yes | yes |
| A | 5 (A) | 0 (open) | — | yes | yes |
| B | 5 (A) | 2 | 2 (middle) | yes | yes |
| D | 4 (D) | 0 (open) | — | yes | yes |
| E | 4 (D) | 2 | 2 (middle) | yes | yes |
| G | 3 (G) | 0 (open) | — | yes | yes |
| A | 3 (G) | 2 | 2 (middle) | yes | yes |
| B | 2 (B) | 0 (open) | — | yes | yes |
| D | 2 (B) | 3 | 3 (ring) | yes | yes |
| E | 1 (high e) | 0 (open) | — | yes | yes |
| G | 1 (high e) | 3 | 3 (ring) | no | yes |
This is not the pattern of the beginner course’s A minor pentatonic in open position. Strings 5 and 2 differ: here string 5 is played open and at fret 2, and string 2 is played open and at fret 3. In the beginner course’s pattern string 2 is never played open; here it is.
E minor pentatonic, two octaves, open position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------|-----------0-------| B|----------------------|-------------------|---0---3-------3---| G|----------------------|-----------0---2---|-------------------| D|----------------------|---0---2-----------|-------------------| A|--------------0---2---|-------------------|-------------------| E|------0---3-----------|-------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: - 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 Notes: E G A B D E G A B D E D e|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------| B|------0---------------|-------------------|-------------------| G|----------2---0-------|-------------------|-------------------| D|------------------2---|---0---------------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-------2---0-------|-------------------| E|----------------------|---------------3---|---0---------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D U D U D U D U D Finger: - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - Notes: B A G E D B A G E
E minor pentatonic, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top E is played once. The last E lasts four beats: let it ring while you count (2) (3) (4).
The fret number is the finger number: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3.
E minor pentatonic uses fingers 2 and 3 only. Its home note is E: the run begins and ends on it.
Play it up and down at 60 BPM, one note per click: two runs. That is today’s tempo. The line below is for the week’s practice.
Tempo: Start at 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes) and work up to 70. Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, and only after three clean runs in a row. In one week, take two steps at most.
G major pentatonic, two octaves, open position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------|-------0---3---0---| B|----------------------|---------------0---|---3---------------| G|----------------------|-------0---2-------|-------------------| D|------------------0---|---2---------------|-------------------| A|----------0---2-------|-------------------|-------------------| E|------3---------------|-------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 - Notes: G A B D E G A B D E G E e|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------| B|------3---0-----------|-------------------|-------------------| G|--------------2---0---|-------------------|-------------------| D|----------------------|---2---0-----------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-----------2---0---|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------|---3---------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D U D U D U D U D Finger: 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 Notes: D B A G E D B A G
G major pentatonic, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top G is played once. The last G lasts four beats: let it ring while you count (2) (3) (4).
G major pentatonic is the same places with G as the home note: the run begins and ends on G, leaves out the bottom E and adds the top G.
Play it up and down at 60 BPM, one note per click: two runs. The tempo line above holds for both scales: the two climb together.
E minor pentatonic, two octaves, open position: up and down, eighth notes e|--------------------------------------|-----------0-----------------------| B|--------------------------------------|---0---3-------3---0---------------| G|------------------------------0---2---|-----------------------2---0-------| D|----------------------0---2-----------|-------------------------------2---| A|--------------0---2-------------------|-----------------------------------| E|------0---3---------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: - 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 Notes: E G A B D E G A B D E D B A G E e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------| D|------0-------------------------------| A|----------2---0-----------------------| E|------------------3---0---------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 (4) Pick: D U D U D Finger: - 2 - 3 - Notes: D B A G E
E minor pentatonic, in eighth notes: two notes per click. The top E is played once. The last E lasts two beats: let it ring while you count (4).
G major pentatonic, two octaves, open position: up and down, eighth notes e|--------------------------------------|-------0---3---0-------------------| B|----------------------------------0---|---3---------------3---0-----------| G|--------------------------0---2-------|---------------------------2---0---| D|------------------0---2---------------|-----------------------------------| A|----------0---2-----------------------|-----------------------------------| E|------3-------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 2 - Notes: G A B D E G A B D E G E D B A G e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------| D|------2---0---------------------------| A|--------------2---0-------------------| E|----------------------3---------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 (4) Pick: D U D U D Finger: 2 - 2 - 3 Notes: E D B A G
G major pentatonic, in eighth notes: two notes per click. The top G is played once. The last G lasts two beats: let it ring while you count (4).
This form is played from Session 7: neither block is played today.
Ear Drill: The Six Places
Section titled “Ear Drill: The Six Places”Play the six places of the table from the lowest note to the highest and back, saying each note’s name. Then turn over two note slips, play the two notes, and say which is higher. Put the two slips back and mix the slips. Do this five times.
This is a drill, not a test: you know each answer as you play it.
These six places are the E minor pentatonic notes on strings 3 to 1.
| Note | String | Fret |
|---|---|---|
| G | 3 (G) | 0 (open) |
| A | 3 (G) | 2 |
| B | 2 (B) | 0 (open) |
| D | 2 (B) | 3 |
| E | 1 (high e) | 0 (open) |
| G | 1 (high e) | 3 |
A note slip names one place: write its string and its fret, such as “string 2, fret 3”, or “string 3, open” for an open string.
Play back on the six places of the table only. No two of them sound the same, so a note you hear has one place.
Where two notes in a row are at the same fret on two strings, lift the finger and set its tip on the new string: do not lay it flat across both.
The drill’s second sentence needs note slips, which you know from Session 2. Write six now, one for each place of the table. You write the other 42 slips of the pile after the session, in the 7 minutes given there for the recording.
The table runs from the lowest note to the highest: of two slips, the one further down the table is the higher note.
Play the drill once.
Ear Test 3, the four-note rhythm, four slips as an example e|--------------0-------| B|------0-----------3---| G|----------2-----------| D|----------------------| A|----------------------| E|----------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 Pick: D D D D Finger: - 2 - 3 Notes: B A E D
The four-note rhythm is four quarter notes. The TAB shows it with four slips as an example: the notes of your phrases come from your own slips.
Play the example once, with no metronome, counting about one count a second.
You make the recording after the session, with the recorded card test (Session 2) and the test below, and you mark it on your fourth practice day.
Test 3, play it back, four notes. The pile is 48 note slips, eight for each of these six places: string 3 open, string 3 fret 2, string 2 open, string 2 fret 3, string 1 open, string 1 fret 3. An item is four slips in a row from left to right: play their notes as four quarter notes. No metronome: count slowly and evenly, about one count a second. Play the phrase twice. If you play a note that is not on its slip, say “again” and play the phrase twice more. Record six items. To answer, listen to both playings of an item, stop the recording, play the phrase back once on the six places of the pile, and write the places you played, in order. If you hear “again”, answer from the two playings after the last “again”. Write each place as two figures, the string then the fret, such as 2-3; an open string is 3-0. To mark, deal the key pile four slips to an item. A phrase is right only if every note matched.
Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.
Segment 4 — Piece Workshop: Seventh-Chord Blues in E (15 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 4 — Piece Workshop: Seventh-Chord Blues in E (15 minutes)”“Seventh-Chord Blues in E”
Section titled ““Seventh-Chord Blues in E””Credits: Written for this course.
What this is: A complete piece written for this course. It is not a song. It is the 12-bar blues of the “Seventh-Chord Blues in A” moved to the key of E by its numbers: E7 is I, A7 is IV and B7 is V, one chord to a measure, in the D D U U D U pattern. You play the 12 measures three times and then a two-measure ending, 38 measures in all. That takes 2 minutes 32 seconds at 60 BPM, and 2 minutes 10 seconds at 70 BPM, the performance tempo. In the last measure you strum E7 once, on beat 1, and let it ring. Not yet play-tested.
Key: E major
Time: 4/4
Techniques: dominant seventh chord; the D D U U D U pattern; 12-bar blues
Tempo: 60 BPM, D D U U D U pattern all week. It does not go up this week: B7 is new in it. The performance tempo is 70 BPM, D D U U D U pattern.
Strumming pattern: the D D U U D U pattern in every measure but the last; in the last measure, one downstroke on beat 1, left to ring.
"Seventh-Chord Blues in E" - one measure in the D D U U D U pattern Chord: E7 Strum: D D U U D U Count: 1 2 & (3) & 4 &
"Seventh-Chord Blues in E" - chord chart Key: E major Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure) The 12-bar form, 12 measures: | E7 | E7 | E7 | E7 | | A7 | A7 | E7 | E7 | | B7 | A7 | E7 | B7 | Ending, 2 measures: | E7 | E7 | Play the 12-bar form three times, then the ending: 38 measures as played.
Read the lines above and the chart: nothing is played here. The techniques of this piece are dominant seventh chord, the D D U U D U pattern and 12-bar blues. The chart is last week’s form read by its numbers.
How to Learn This Piece
Section titled “How to Learn This Piece”Step 1 — The chord map: Play the 12 measures of the chart with one strum to a measure: a downstroke on beat 1, the chord left to ring, the hand moving to the next chord during beats 3 and 4. No strumming pattern yet. This is the week’s change test laid over the form.
"Seventh-Chord Blues in E" - the chord map, one strum to a measure Chord: E7 Count: 1 (2) (3) (4) Strum: D
Strum on beat 1 and let it ring; move during beats 3 and 4.
Play this measure on the chord of each box of the chart at 60 BPM: the 12 boxes once.
Step 2 — Measures 9 to 12 alone: B7, A7, E7, B7: the third line holds both B7 measures of the form. Play it the same way, one strum to a measure. B7 to A7 is in no change test: this is its step.
Take one turn at this line at 60 BPM. Read its first change before you play:
B7 to A7: finger 1 is a guide finger: it slides on string 4 from fret 1 to fret 2. Finger 3 moves one string towards the floor at fret 2 (string 3 to string 2). Fingers 2 and 4 lift.
This move is written for the fingering of the A7 diagram in Session 2: fingers 1 and 3.
Step 3 — Add the pattern: The same 12 measures in the D D U U D U pattern, four measures at a time. The third line takes most of the turns: line 1 twice, line 2 twice and line 3 eight times. The first turn of each line is the chord map; the turns after it are in the pattern.
That is the step as you play it on your practice days. Today the pattern is added to the third line only, the line that holds both B7 measures: three turns at 60 BPM, each from a count-in of four clicks, the first as the chord map and two in the D D U U D U pattern. The first and the second line hold only E7 and A7, the chords of Session 2, in last week’s pattern: their turns are for the practice days.
Step 4 — The ending: Measures 37 and 38: the pattern once on E7, then one downstroke on beat 1, left to ring through counts 2, 3 and 4. Once.
"Seventh-Chord Blues in E" - the ending, measures 37 and 38 Chord: E7 E7 Count: 1 (&) 2 & (3) & 4 & | 1 (2) (3) (4) | Strum: D D U U D U | D |
Play these two measures at 60 BPM.
Step 5 — Once through: The 12 measures three times and the ending, in the pattern, from a count-in of four clicks. If B7 does not land by the end of the first week, play measures 9 and 12 of each time round as one downstroke on beat 1 and keep the pattern in the other measures.
This step is for the practice days. It is not played in the session: today the whole form is played as its chord map, when you record the backing.
What it should sound like: With the metronome at 60 BPM, the first strum of every measure falls with a click: 12 measures. Count 1 2 3 4 aloud through the 12 measures without stopping. Pluck test for B7: pluck strings 5 to 1 one at a time and count the strings that ring: 5 of 5.
One chorus of your own over the Blues in E
Section titled “One chorus of your own over the Blues in E”Credits: Written for this course.
What this is: A task, not a piece: you make up 12 measures of your own over your recording of the “Seventh-Chord Blues in E”, with E minor pentatonic in open position, by the rule printed below. Not yet play-tested.
Key: E major
Time: 4/4
Picking: Every note is a downstroke: in a tune the pick follows the count, and every note here is on a numbered count.
Strumming pattern: one strum to a measure, in every measure of the backing.
"Seventh-Chord Blues in E" - the chord map, one strum to a measure Chord: E7 Count: 1 (2) (3) (4) Strum: D
This is the first solo task of the beginner course (Beginner Session 22) in a new key, with the new pentatonic pattern of Segment 3.
The Backing
Section titled “The Backing”You record the backing now, once: the chord map of the “Seventh-Chord Blues in E” at 60 BPM. No introduction is recorded: when you play over the backing, its first time round is for listening and counting, and your chorus comes in at the second ONE.
- Count the form, with the metronome at 60 BPM and no guitar: point to each box of the chart and say the measure number on beat 1, ONE to TWELVE.
- Record, with the metronome still sounding. Let four clicks pass, then play the chord map of the whole piece, all 38 measures, one strum to a measure: the form, the form again, the form a third time, then the ending. Say the measure number aloud in place of count 1 of every measure of the form: ONE to TWELVE, three times. Your voice on the recording tells you where you are when you play over it.
- Play the recording back with the chart in front of you, as far as the first TWELVE, and count the spoken numbers and the strums: 12 of each. If a number or a strum is missing, record the backing again before your first practice day.
Two sentences go with step 2:
If you lose your place while recording, stop, let four clicks pass, and start again from measure 1.
If your phone cannot record while its metronome app is sounding, listen to eight clicks, stop the metronome, and keep that beat with your foot.
The recording lasts 2 minutes 36 seconds. If it has to be started again, leave the playback of step 3 for your first practice day.
The Note Pool
Section titled “The Note Pool”The note pool is every place of the pattern of Segment 3: twelve places, all of them notes of E minor pentatonic.
| Note | String | Fret |
|---|---|---|
| E | 6 | 0 |
| G | 6 | 3 |
| A | 5 | 0 |
| B | 5 | 2 |
| D | 4 | 0 |
| E | 4 | 2 |
| G | 3 | 0 |
| A | 3 | 2 |
| B | 2 | 0 |
| D | 2 | 3 |
| E | 1 | 0 |
| G | 1 | 3 |
Fret 2 is finger 2 and fret 3 is finger 3, as in Segment 3.
The Model Phrases
Section titled “The Model Phrases”Each model phrase has the chord of the backing over it. Play each of the four once at 60 BPM, with no backing.
Model phrase 1 - over E7, two measures Chord: E7 E7 e|------0---------------|-------------------| B|----------3---0-------|---0---------------| G|------------------2---|-------------------| D|----------------------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D D D D D Finger: - 3 - 2 - Notes: E D B A B
Model phrase 2 - over A7, two measures Chord: A7 A7 e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------| G|------2---0-------0---|---2---------------| D|--------------2-------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D D D D D Finger: 2 - 2 - 2 Notes: A G E G A
Model phrase 3 - over B7, one measure Chord: B7 e|----------------------| B|------0-------0-------| G|----------2-----------| D|----------------------| A|----------------------| E|----------------------| Count: 1 2 3 (4) Pick: D D D Finger: - 2 - Notes: B A B
Model phrase 4 - the ending, over A7 and then E7, two measures Chord: A7 E7 e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------| G|------2---0-----------|-------------------| D|--------------2---0---|---2---------------| A|----------------------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D D D D D Finger: 2 - 2 - 2 Notes: A G E D E
A first chorus made only of the four model phrases, as a map:
| Measure | Chord of the backing | What you play |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | E7, E7 | Model phrase 1 |
| 3 and 4 | E7, E7 | nothing: count the eight beats |
| 5 and 6 | A7, A7 | Model phrase 2 |
| 7 and 8 | E7, E7 | nothing: count the eight beats |
| 9 | B7 | Model phrase 3 |
| 10 and 11 | A7, E7 | Model phrase 4: its last note is E, on beat 1 of measure 11 |
| 12 | B7 | nothing |
The map has 18 notes and five measures with no new note (3, 4, 7, 8 and 12). It meets every line of the rule below.
Stop your last E on beat 1 of measure 12. In Session 3 you made a rest after a strummed chord with the rest stop.
In a picked line a rest is made with the same rest stop: lay the edge of your picking-hand palm across the strings you have played.
The Rule
Section titled “The Rule”You read the rule, the tick list and the three steps under “How to Learn This Exercise” before the session. Do not read them again now: nothing in them is played today. Read them once more before your first practice day: about 10 minutes, which are not part of the session’s 50 minutes or of the 4 minutes of the “Your chorus” row.
One chorus of your own is:
- Twelve measures: once round the 12-bar form, over the second time round of your backing. During the first time round you listen and count.
- These notes only: the twelve places of E minor pentatonic in open position, one note at a time, and no note shorter than one beat.
- Short phrases: a phrase is six notes at most, and it ends on a note that lasts two beats or longer.
- Empty measures: at least three of the twelve measures have no new note. Measure 12 is one of them.
- The ending: your last note is E, the home note, on beat 1 of measure 11.
The Tick List
Section titled “The Tick List”- I played in the second time round, and I played nothing new after beat 1 of measure 11.
- Every note was at one of the twelve places, and I played no more than one note to a click.
- No phrase had more than six notes.
- At least three measures had no new note, and measure 12 was one of them.
- My last note was E, on beat 1 of measure 11.
Five ticks is a pass.
If one is missing, play the map once more, then try again.
If your phone cannot play the backing and record you at the same time, play with the backing sounding and judge it as you play; checking it on a recording then needs a second device.
In the second tick, the place of each note is marked from what you saw your hand do as you played: a recording does not show the place a note was played at.
With a second device, record the chorus while the backing plays and count on playback with the chart in front of you: the rest of the second tick and the other four ticks are counted on playback.
Your answer to phone test 2 of Session 1 says which way is yours: if it was yes, your phone can play the backing and record at once, and does the work of both devices.
How to Learn This Exercise
Section titled “How to Learn This Exercise”None of the three steps is played today: they are for the “Your chorus” row of your practice days.
Step 1 — The map as it stands: Over the backing, play the first chorus made only of the four model phrases: listen and count through the first time round and come in at the second ONE.
This is the first thing you do in that row on your first practice day. Stop the backing when its second time round ends: the third time round and the ending are not used in this task. Then mark the tick list.
If you lose your place while playing, stop, listen for the next ONE on the recording, and come in again there.
Step 2 — Your own measures 5, 6 and 9: Keep model phrases 1 and 4 and make up your own notes for measures 5 and 6 and for measure 9, by the rule.
Step 3 — All twelve measures: Make up the whole chorus by the rule, and mark the tick list.
Mark the tick list after every step. Take Step 2 on the practice day after Step 1 has its five ticks, and Step 3 on the practice day after Step 2 has them. Self-Check Question 6 asks for Step 3.
What it should sound like: On the recorded backing, count the spoken measure numbers: ONE to TWELVE, 3 times. Count the measures of your chorus in which you played no new note: at least 3, and measure 12 is one of them. Mark the tick list straight after the chorus and count the ticks: 5 of 5.
Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)”What You Learned Today
Section titled “What You Learned Today”- B7
- The blues in E, read by its numbers
- One pentatonic pattern with two home notes
- A chorus of your own over your own backing: its backing, its rule and its tick list
Common Mistakes
Section titled “Common Mistakes”- The open string 2 is muffled in B7 — Finger 3 or finger 4 is leaning on it. Arch both fingers and stand each on its tip, right up behind the fret wire.
- The beginner course’s A minor pentatonic pattern is played in place of the new one — The two differ on strings 5 and 2: here string 5 is open and fret 2, and string 2 is open and fret 3. Say the five note names, E G A B D, aloud on one slow run.
- Every measure of the chorus is filled with notes — The rule asks for at least three measures with no new note. Play the map of the four model phrases once more and count the eight beats of measures 3 and 4 aloud.
Self-Check Questions
Section titled “Self-Check Questions”- Play B7, plucking strings 5 to 1 one at a time. Check: the tuner shows the letters of the chord’s Notes line, string by string. Pass: all 5 strings show their letter, 3 times in a row, lifting the hand in between. If not: use the two fixes, under “If a string does not ring” in Segment 2, and try again the next day.
- Pass the change test (Beginner Session 3) for Em and B7 and for E7 and B7, a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM. Check: the metronome clicks the beat; each chord lands on its click with every string that should sound ringing. Pass: all 8 chords, twice on the same day, for each of the 2 pairs. If not: drop to 50 BPM and climb back 5 BPM at a time, under “Change Test: Em and B7, E7 and B7” in Segment 2, and try again the next day.
- Play the Seventh-Chord Blues in E once through at 60 BPM in the D D U U D U pattern, from a count-in of four clicks, and record it with the metronome sounding. Check: listen to the recording with the chart in front of you and count the measures aloud. Pass: 38 measures with no stop, and each new chord is down by its count 1. If not: for two days play measures 9 and 12 of each time round as one downstroke on beat 1 and keep the pattern in the other measures, under “How to Learn This Piece” in Segment 4, and try again after those two days.
- By the end of this week’s practice: play E minor pentatonic and then G major pentatonic from memory, up and down, in quarter notes at 70 BPM, and record both. Check: follow each recording on the scale’s TAB and mark every wrong note. Pass: 2 runs in a row of each scale with 0 wrong notes. If not: go back to 60 BPM, say the note names aloud on one run, and take one step of 5 BPM only after three runs in a row with no wrong note, under “The Pentatonic Pair” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.
- By the end of this week’s practice: play the A natural minor scale from memory, up and down, in eighth notes at 50 BPM, and record it. Check: follow the recording on the scale’s TAB and mark every wrong note. Pass: 3 runs in a row with 0 wrong notes. If not: go back to 40 BPM, two notes per click, and take one step of 5 BPM only after three runs in a row with no wrong note, under “Warm-Up” in Segment 1, and try again the next day.
- Play one chorus of your own over the backing you recorded in the session, by the rule. Check: mark the tick list on a recording; if your phone cannot play the backing and record you at the same time and you have no second device, mark it as you play. Pass: 5 ticks. If not: play the map of the four model phrases once more over the backing, under “The Model Phrases” in Segment 4, and try again the same day.
- Without looking, name the I, IV and V chords of the blues in A and of the blues in E, and the home note of E minor pentatonic and of G major pentatonic. Check: compare what you said with the table under “The Blues by Its Numbers” and the sentence above the table under “The Pentatonic Pair” that names both home notes. Pass: all 6 chords and both home notes right: 8 answers. If not: say the two home notes aloud, E and G, and read the table aloud once, under “The Blues by Its Numbers” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.
- Read the result you wrote when you marked your recording of Test 3, play it back: six phrases of four notes. Check: the key pile, dealt four slips to an item, against the places you wrote. Pass: 4 of 6, a phrase counting only if every note matched. If not: record the test again after your last practice day of this week, play “Ear Drill: The Six Places” in Segment 3 once on each practice day of the week you repeat, and mark the new recording on its fourth practice day.
Practice Plan for Week 4 (each practice day, 30 minutes)
Section titled “Practice Plan for Week 4 (each practice day, 30 minutes)”| Block | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 4 min | Movement warm-up, tune; then the Stop-Time pattern for four measures; then the spider crawl at frets 5 to 8. Then simplified F: press, pluck four strings, release, for 1 minute |
| B7 | 5 min | place, strum, lift, place; pluck strings 5 to 1 |
| Change test | 3 min | Em-B7 and E7-B7, 4 beats at 60 |
| Seventh-Chord Blues in E | 7 min | first as its chord map, one strum to a measure; then with D D U U D U: four measures at a time, then once through |
| Your chorus | 4 min | over the backing you recorded in the session: play 12 measures of your own; mark the tick list |
| Scale ladder | 4 min | the pentatonic pattern from E, then from G, quarter notes |
| Scale ladder 2 | 3 min | A natural minor scale, now in eighth notes |
Barre work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
Barre rows this week: “Warm-Up”, 1 minute. Total: 1 minute a day.
Ear check this week: on your fourth practice day, mark the recording you made after this session. It takes 4 minutes: that day, give the “Seventh-Chord Blues in E” row 3 minutes instead of 7.
This is your plan for the whole week. On your last practice day, answer this session’s Self-Check Questions as you play the rows that hold them: a question adds no minutes to a row and nothing to a daily limit.
All yes: go on to Session 5.
Any no: repeat this week’s plan for up to one more week and check again. If it is still no after the second week, go on, and add that item to your warm-up until it passes.
Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK
Section titled “Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK”On this guitar the tip of finger 4 stands on string 1 for B7, right up behind the fret wire of fret 2. String 1 is the string nearest the floor: keep the palm of your fretting hand clear of it, so that only the fingertip touches the string. To check, pluck string 1 alone: the tuner shows F#.
After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)
- Read: Minor And Pentatonic Scales, the sections “The A Natural Minor Scale”, “Relative Major and Minor” and “The Pentatonic Pair”. (10 minutes)
- Read: The Blues, the sections “The 12-Bar Blues in A”, “The Same Blues in E” and “A Chorus of Your Own”. (10 minutes)
- Read: How To Practise At This Level, the section “Recording a Backing”. (5 minutes)
- Record: this week’s ear check. Use the recorded card test (Session 2) with Test 3, play it back, as Segment 3 gives it. Pass: 4 of 6. (7 minutes)