Session 15: Bm and the Key of D
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.
This session teaches Bm on four strings, which you reach through Bm (three strings) as its first step. It teaches the D major scale and the chords of the key of D. It ends with the start of “Down by the Salley Gardens”, a complete traditional tune in D with a picked melody and a strummed verse.
Learning Objectives
Section titled “Learning Objectives”By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Play Bm (four strings): press, pluck strings 4 to 1 one at a time, release; all 4 strings ring, 3 times in a row
- Pass the change test for D and Bm (four strings), one strum on each chord, a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM: 8 chords, twice on the same day
- Play the D major scale, one octave, up and down in quarter notes from the TAB at 70 BPM, finger 4 on the F sharp: 3 times in a row with no wrong note
- Say aloud, with the page covered, the two sharps of the key of D major and its I, IV, V and vi chords: 2 sharps and 4 chords
- Play the melody of “Down by the Salley Gardens” at 65 BPM from its counted measure to the rest in measure 16, recorded with the metronome sounding: 16 measures, at most 3 wrong or missed notes
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
- 22 slips of paper and a pen, for this week’s ear check
- The pile of 38 cell slips from Session 9
- Handout for this session: Keys And Their Chords (read after the session, 5 minutes)
- Staff reading this week: Reading Staff Notation 1, the section “Lines for Week 15”
- 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 crescendo strum (Session 10) on Em once through at 65 BPM: the 8 measures of the block below, soft at the start, gradually louder to the loud strum on count 1 of measure 5, then gradually softer to the end.
Copy of Session 10: the crescendo strum
Chord: Em Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | Dyn: p cresc. Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | Dyn: f dim. Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U |
The Dyn row shows how loud to play: p = soft, mf = medium, f = loud, cresc. = get gradually louder from here, dim. = get gradually softer from here. Each mark stands under the count where it begins; cresc. and dim. last until the next mark in the row, also when the TAB or pattern goes on to a new line, or to the end of the TAB or pattern.
Tempo: 65 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks)
This week the crescendo strum takes one step: it starts at 65 BPM and may reach 70 BPM on the practice days. Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, and only after three clean runs in a row.
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), then Dm7 (Session 9): press, pluck strings 4 to 1 one at a time, release, and shake out the hand. Two presses of the simplified F, then two of Dm7. Their diagrams are not printed again here.
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: Bm on Four Strings (10 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Bm on Four Strings (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.
First Step: Bm (three strings)
Section titled “First Step: Bm (three strings)”This shape is the first step towards Bm (four strings). Fingers 4, 2 and 1 sit where they will sit in the full shape, so nothing is relearned when finger 3 joins them.
- Finger 1 (index): string 1 (high e), fret 2
- Finger 2 (middle): string 2 (B), fret 3
- Finger 4 (little finger): string 3 (G), fret 4
- Do not play strings 6, 5 and 4
- Strum strings 3 to 1 (three strings)
- Notes, string 3 to string 1: B, D, F#
Tuner check: Pluck strings 3 to 1 one at a time, slowly. The tuner should show B, D, F#. A different letter means a finger is on the wrong string or the wrong fret.
Rest the pick on string 3, then strum from there.
Place the shape, strum strings 3 to 1 once, lift the hand, and place it again: 8 times, with no metronome.
The Bm Chord on Four Strings
Section titled “The Bm Chord on Four Strings”Bm (four strings) is a new shape: fingers 3 and 4 side by side at fret 4 on strings 4 and 3, finger 2 on string 2 at fret 3, finger 1 on string 1 at fret 2. It has no barre.
- Finger 1 (index): string 1 (high e), fret 2
- Finger 2 (middle): string 2 (B), fret 3
- Finger 3 (ring): string 4 (D), fret 4
- Finger 4 (little finger): string 3 (G), fret 4
- Do not play strings 6 and 5
- Strum strings 4 to 1 (four strings)
- Notes, string 4 to string 1: F#, B, D, F#
- The lowest note is F# (string 4), not the root B
Tuner check: Pluck strings 4 to 1 one at a time, slowly. The tuner should show F#, B, D, F#. A different letter means a finger is on the wrong string or the wrong fret.
Rest the pick on string 4, then strum from there.
To place it, place Bm (three strings) first, then add finger 3 on string 4 at fret 4, beside finger 4. Bm (four strings) is not barre work.
Place the shape, strum strings 4 to 1 once, lift the hand, and place it again: 8 times, with no metronome.
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.
Use the two fixes now. Hold Bm (four strings) and pluck strings 4 to 1 one at a time, then lift the hand. Do this three times.
Segment 3 — New Learning: The Key of D (15 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 3 — New Learning: The Key of D (15 minutes)”The D Major Scale
Section titled “The D Major Scale”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.
D major scale, one octave, open position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------0---2---3---| G|------------------0---|---2---------------| D|------0---2---4-------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U Finger: - 2 4 - 2 - 2 3 Notes: D E F# G A B C# D e|----------------------|-------------------| B|------2---0-----------|-------------------| G|--------------2---0---|-------------------| D|----------------------|---4---2---0-------| A|----------------------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 (4) Pick: D U D U D U D Finger: 2 - 2 - 4 2 - Notes: C# B A G F# E D
D major scale, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top D is played once. The last D lasts two beats: let it ring while you count (4).
In open position the fret number is the finger number: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4 (little finger).
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.
| Note | String | Fret | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 4 (D) | 0 (open) | — |
| E | 4 (D) | 2 | 2 (middle) |
| F# | 4 (D) | 4 | 4 (little finger) |
| G | 3 (G) | 0 (open) | — |
| A | 3 (G) | 2 | 2 (middle) |
| B | 2 (B) | 0 (open) | — |
| C# | 2 (B) | 2 | 2 (middle) |
| D | 2 (B) | 3 | 3 (ring) |
You already have most of this scale. It has the notes of the C major scale with two of them changed, F sharp for F and C sharp for C, and it begins and ends on D. F sharp is on string 4 at fret 4, finger 4: the place the G major scale uses (Session 7).
Tempo: 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes)
Play the scale up and down three times at 60 BPM.
On the practice days the “D major scale” row may reach 70 BPM this week. 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.
D major scale, one octave, open position: up and down, eighth notes e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------0---2---3---|---2---0---------------------------| G|------------------0---2---------------|-----------2---0-------------------| D|------0---2---4-----------------------|-------------------4---2---0-------| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| 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 4 - 2 - 2 3 2 - 2 - 4 2 - Notes: D E F# G A B C# D C# B A G F# E D
D major scale, in eighth notes: two notes per click. The top D is played once. The last D lasts a full beat.
You play this form from Session 18, when the metronome is halved. This week you only read it: the week’s row is in quarter notes.
The Key of D Major
Section titled “The Key of D Major”The D major scale is D, E, F sharp, G, A, B, C sharp, so the key of D major has two sharps, F sharp and C sharp. Its I, IV, V and vi chords are D, G, A and Bm.
| I | IV | V | vi |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | G | A | Bm |
Read the table against the table of the chords built on the notes of a major scale in Session 13, “The Chords of a Key”. Bm is also the chord on note 3 of G major, the cell that table leaves as ”—” in its G major column; you play it as Bm (four strings). Then cover the statement and the table, and say aloud the two sharps and the four chords, once.
Change Test: D and Bm
Section titled “Change Test: D and Bm”Take the change test (Beginner Session 3) for D and Bm (four strings): one downstroke on each chord, on count 1, a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM.
Tempo: a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM
The move from D to Bm (four strings): nothing stays down. Finger 1 goes from string 3 to string 1 (fret 2). Finger 2 goes from string 1 fret 2 to string 2 fret 3. Finger 3 goes from string 2 fret 3 to string 4 fret 4. Finger 4 lands on string 3 fret 4.
Where nothing stays down, lift all the fingers together, form the new shape in the air and land it as one shape.
Play the 8 chords, D and Bm (four strings) in turn starting on D, three times, with a rest between. The test does not go up this week, and it is never asked every 2 beats.
Ear Drill: Clap the Cells
Section titled “Ear Drill: Clap the Cells”Clap each kind of cell on four clicks in a row, one kind after another, with the metronome at the test’s tempo, saying the count aloud. Then turn over four cell slips in a row and clap the row twice.
This is a drill, not a test: you know each answer as you play it.
Copy of Session 3: The quarter cell on each beat of a measure
The quarter cell on each beat of a measure Count: 1 2 3 4
Clap on every count that is written, and stay silent on a count in brackets. Say the count aloud as you clap, including the counts in brackets.
Copy of Session 3: The two-eighths cell on each beat of a measure
The two-eighths cell on each beat of a measure Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Copy of Session 3: The rest cell on each beat of a measure
The rest cell on each beat of a measure Count: [1] [2] [3] [4]
On a click, quarter = one clap, two eighths = two even claps, the first on the click, and rest = no clap: the click sounds alone.
Copy of Session 9: The four-sixteenths cell on each beat of a measure
The four-sixteenths cell on each beat of a measure Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
On a click, four sixteenths = four even claps, the first on the click.
Do the drill once now, with the metronome at 50 BPM and your pile of 38 cell slips from Session 9.
A worked rhythm of two measures, built from eight slips. Clicks 1 to 4 are the first measure and clicks 5 to 8 the second.
| Click | Slip | Claps on that click |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | quarter | 1 |
| 2 | four sixteenths | 4 |
| 3 | two eighths | 2 |
| 4 | rest | 0 |
| 5 | two eighths | 2 |
| 6 | quarter | 1 |
| 7 | quarter | 1 |
| 8 | four sixteenths | 4 |
Test 5, rhythm recall, two measures. The pile is 60 cell slips: the 38 of Session 9 and 22 more: 6 marked “quarter”, 6 marked “two eighths”, 4 marked “four sixteenths” and 6 marked “rest”. An item is eight slips in a row from left to right: the eight beats of two measures. Record with the metronome sounding at 50 BPM, one cell to a click. For each item say “1, 2, 3, 4” with four clicks, then clap the row twice through without a break. Count in your head while you clap: if you said the count aloud, the recording would tell you the answer. Record six items. On each click the claps name the cell: none is “rest”, one is “quarter”, two are “two eighths”, four are “four sixteenths”. To answer, listen to an item, stop the recording, clap the rhythm back once, and write the cells you clapped, in order. Write each cell as the number of claps on its click: 0, 1, 2 or 4. To mark, deal the key pile eight slips to an item. A rhythm is right only if every cell matched.
Read the form now; you do not record in the session. After the session, write the 22 new slips the form names, add them to your pile, and make the recording. You mark it on your fourth practice day.
Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.
Segment 4 — Piece Workshop: Down by the Salley Gardens (15 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 4 — Piece Workshop: Down by the Salley Gardens (15 minutes)”“Down by the Salley Gardens” (traditional air; the course’s arrangement in D)
Section titled ““Down by the Salley Gardens” (traditional air; the course’s arrangement in D)”Credits: Traditional Irish air, “The Maids of Mourne Shore”; no known composer. This form of the air was printed by Herbert Hughes in Irish Country Songs, volume 1 (Boosey & Co., 1909), where it is sung to words by W. B. Yeats. The guitar arrangement and the chords were written for this course.
What this is: A complete traditional Irish air in D major and 4/4 time, arranged for this course. You play the melody, then a strummed verse on D, G, A7, Bm (four strings) and A, then the melody again. It is 48 measures long after one counted measure: about 3 minutes at the performance tempo of 65 BPM. The melody was read from the singer’s line in Herbert Hughes’s Irish Country Songs, volume 1 (1909), pages 37 and 38. It is moved from D flat to D. The arrangement and the chords are this course’s own. Nothing of Hughes’s piano part is used. One note of the tune lies above your one-octave D major scale: the E on the open first string, in measure 11. Recordings of the tune differ from this printing in small ways, and may be in another key, so do not expect to play along with one. Not yet play-tested.
Key: D major
Time: 4/4
Techniques: pick-up notes; alternate picking; the down-up strum
Tempo: The melody: Start at 60 BPM, the click on the beat and work up to 65. The strummed verse: 60 BPM, one strum per click all week. It does not go up this week: Bm (four strings) is new in it. 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. The performance tempo is 65 BPM, the click on the beat.
Picking: The pick follows the count: down on the numbers, up on the &s.
Strumming pattern: downstrokes in measures 1 to 15 of the strummed verse; in its measure 16, one downstroke on beat 1, left to ring, and the two pick-up notes on beat 4.
"Down by the Salley Gardens" - the strummed verse, one downstroke to a beat Chord: D Count: 1 2 3 4 Strum: D D D D
The techniques of this piece are pick-up notes, alternate picking and the down-up strum. The verse takes the down-up strum next week; this week it is one downstroke to a beat, because Bm (four strings) is new.
The blocks below are in playing order: the counted measure with the two pick-up notes, the melody in two blocks, then the chart of the verse.
"Down by the Salley Gardens" - count-in measure with the two pick-up notes e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------| D|------------------------------0---2---| A|--------------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------| Count: [1] [2] [3] 4 & Pick: D U Finger: - 2
"Down by the Salley Gardens" - melody, measures 1 to 8 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------|---0-----------------------3-------| G|----------------------------------2---|-------------------2-----------2---| D|------4-------2---0---2-------4-------|-----------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 (2) 3 4 & Pick: D D U D D U D D D U Finger: 4 2 - 2 4 2 - 2 3 2 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|------0-------------------------------|-----------------------------------| G|--------------2-----------------------|-----------------------------------| D|------------------4---2-----------0---|---0---------------0-----------2---| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 (4) & 1 (2) 3 (4) & Pick: D D U D U D D U Finger: - 2 4 2 - - - 2 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------|---0-----------------------3-------| G|------------------------------2-------|-------------------2-----------2---| D|------4-------2---0---2---4-----------|-----------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 & 4 1 (2) 3 4 & Pick: D D U D U D D D D U Finger: 4 2 - 2 4 2 - 2 3 2 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|------0-------------------------------|-----------------------------------| G|--------------2-----------------------|---------------------------2-------| D|------------------4---2-------0-------|---0-------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 4 1 (2) (3) 4 Pick: D D U D D D D Finger: - 2 4 2 - - 2
"Down by the Salley Gardens" - melody, measures 9 to 16 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|------3-------2-------0-------3-------|---2-------------------------------| G|------------------2-------------------|-------------------2-----------2---| D|--------------------------------------|---------------------------4-------| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 4 1 (2) 3 4 & Pick: D D U D D D D D U Finger: 3 2 2 - 3 2 2 4 2 e|----------------------------------0---|-----------------------------------| B|------0-------------------0---3-------|---3-------------------------------| G|--------------2-------2---------------|-----------------------------------| D|------------------4-------------------|-------------------0-----------2---| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 (2) 3 (4) & Pick: D D U D U D U D D U Finger: - 2 4 2 - 3 - 3 - 2 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------|---0-----------------------3-------| G|----------------------------------2---|-------------------2-----------2---| D|------4-------2---0---2-------4-------|-----------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 (2) 3 4 & Pick: D D U D D U D D D U Finger: 4 2 - 2 4 2 - 2 3 2 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|------0-------------------------------|-----------------------------------| G|--------------2-----------------------|-----------------------------------| D|------------------4---2-------0-------|---0-------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 2 & 3 4 1 (2) (3) [4] Pick: D D U D D D Finger: - 2 4 2 - -
"Down by the Salley Gardens" - chords for the strummed verse
Key: D major Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure)
Strummed verse, 16 measures:
Measure: 1 2
| D | G |
Measure: 3 4
| A7 | D |
Measure: 5 6
| D | G |
Measure: 7 8
| A7 | D |
Measure: 9 10
| Bm (four strings) | A |
Measure: 11 12
| G | D |
Measure: 13 14
| D | G |
Measure: 15 16
| A7 | D |
Measure 16: strum D once on beat 1; play the two pick-up notes on beat 4.
This week only: if string 4 will not ring, strum Bm (three strings) in the piece.
The piece’s form: the counted measure, the melody (measures 1 to 16), the strummed verse (16 measures), then the melody again: 48 measures after the counted measure.
How to Learn This Piece
Section titled “How to Learn This Piece”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.
Step 1 — The counted measure and the first phrase: Count 1, 2, 3 in silence and play the two pick-up notes on 4 and &, down then up. Go straight on into measures 1 to 4. Play this three times in a row.
Play it from the count-in block and the first melody block above, at 60 BPM.
Step 2 — Four measures at a time: Play measures 5 to 8, then 9 to 12, then 13 to 16, each three times in a row, each from its pick-up notes in the measure before: from beat 3 of measure 4, from beat 4 of measure 8 and from beat 3 of measure 12. Every F sharp on string 4 at fret 4 is finger 4. In measure 11 one note lies above your scale: the open first string. Measure 16 ends with a rest on beat 4.
Play each phrase at 60 BPM, from the two melody blocks above. With Step 1, that is the melody three times through.
Step 3 — The verse as a chord map: Play the verse from its chart with one downstroke on count 1 of each measure and let each chord ring. If string 4 will not ring in Bm (four strings), strum Bm (three strings) this week.
Play the 16 measures once through at 60 BPM. The verse stays at 60 BPM all week.
Step 4 — Two changes on their own: Play Bm (four strings) for a measure and A for a measure, four times; then G for a measure and A7 for a measure, four times. One strum to a measure.
Play both at 60 BPM, one strum on count 1 of each measure. The two moves:
- Bm (four strings) to A: nothing stays. Finger 4 lifts. Finger 1 goes from string 1 to string 4 (fret 2). Finger 2 goes from string 2 fret 3 to string 3 fret 2. Finger 3 goes from string 4 fret 4 to string 2 fret 2.
- G to A7: nothing stays. Fingers 2 and 4 lift. Finger 3 goes from string 6 fret 3 to string 2 fret 2. Finger 1 lands on string 4 fret 2.
Step 5 — The verse, one downstroke to a beat: Play the verse from its chart with one downstroke on every beat. In its measure 16 strum D once on beat 1, let it ring, and play the two pick-up notes on beat 4. The down-up strum comes next week.
Play it once through at 60 BPM, as the strum block under the Strumming pattern line shows.
Step 6 — Melody, verse, melody: When each part has been played through on two days running, join them in the piece’s order: the counted measure, the melody, the verse, the melody again, to the rest in the last measure.
Step 6 is for the practice days: read it now, and leave it.
What it should sound like: Record the melody with the metronome sounding and follow the recording on the TAB, counting 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & aloud: 16 measures with no stop. Record the verse with the metronome sounding and count the measures aloud on the recording: 16, and each new chord begins on count 1. Pluck test with the tuner: hold Bm (four strings) and pluck strings 4 to 1 one at a time: the 4 letters are F#, B, D, F#.
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”- Bm on four strings, with Bm (three strings) as its first step
- The D major scale
- The key of D: its two sharps and its chords
- The melody and the strummed verse of “Down by the Salley Gardens”, a traditional tune in D
Common Mistakes
Section titled “Common Mistakes”- In Bm (four strings), string 1 is muffled or string 3 is dull — String 1: finger 2 is leaning on it, so arch finger 2. String 3: move finger 4 closer to the fret wire. If the tuner shows the right letter and the note is still dull, move the finger closer to the fret wire: never more pressure.
- Strings 5 and 6 sound in Bm — For Bm (four strings): Rest the pick on string 4, then strum from there. For Bm (three strings): Rest the pick on string 3, then strum from there.
- Finger 3 plays the F sharp at fret 4 in the scale or in the tune — In open position the fret number is the finger number: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4 (little finger). Play the first measure of the scale alone, slowly.
- The two pick-up notes come in early — Count 1, 2, 3 in silence with the metronome, then play D on 4 with a downstroke and E on & with an upstroke.
Self-Check Questions
Section titled “Self-Check Questions”- Play Bm (four strings): press, pluck strings 4 to 1 one at a time, release. Check: pluck the strings one at a time; the tuner shows F#, B, D, F#. Pass: all 4 strings ring, 3 times in a row, lifting the hand in between. If not: use the two fixes, starting from Bm (three strings), under “If a string does not ring” in Segment 2, and try again the next day.
- Pass the change test (Beginner Session 3) for D and Bm (four strings), 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. If not: drop to 50 BPM and climb back 5 BPM at a time, under “Change Test: D and Bm” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.
- By the end of this week’s practice: play the D major scale, one octave, up and down in quarter notes at 70 BPM, and record it with the metronome sounding. Check: follow the recording on the scale’s TAB, note by note. Pass: 3 times in a row with no wrong note. If not: go back to 60 BPM and take one step of 5 BPM after three clean runs in a row, under “The D Major Scale” in Segment 3, and try again after two days.
- Cover the page and say aloud the two sharps of the key of D major, then its I, IV, V and vi chords. Check: uncover the statement and the table under “The Key of D Major” and compare. Pass: 2 sharps and 4 chords said, 6 of 6 right. If not: read the statement and the table aloud once on each of the next two practice days, under “The Key of D Major” in Segment 3, and try again after those two days.
- By the end of this week’s practice: play the melody of “Down by the Salley Gardens” at 65 BPM, from the counted measure to the rest in measure 16, and record it with the metronome sounding. Check: follow the recording on the TAB and mark each wrong or missed note. Pass: 16 measures with no stop, and at most 3 wrong or missed notes. If not: go back to 60 BPM and to Step 2, four measures at a time, for two days, under “How to Learn This Piece” in Segment 4, and try again after those two days.
- Play the strummed verse of “Down by the Salley Gardens” from its chart at 60 BPM, one downstroke to a beat, 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: 16 measures with no stop, each new chord beginning on count 1, and 1 strum in measure 16. If not: play Step 3 and Step 4 for two days: the chord map, then the two changes on their own, under “How to Learn This Piece” in Segment 4, and try again after those two days.
- Read the result you wrote when you marked your recording of Test 5, rhythm recall: six rhythms of two measures. Check: the key pile, dealt eight slips to an item, against the cells you wrote. Pass: 4 of 6, a rhythm counting only if every cell matched. If not: record the test again after your last practice day of this week, play “Ear Drill: Clap the Cells” 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 15 (each practice day, 35 minutes)
Section titled “Practice Plan for Week 15 (each practice day, 35 minutes)”Notes on the rows:
- Rotation this week, the change-test pairs: G and D7, a new chord every 2 beats at 80 BPM; C and G7, a new chord every 4 beats at 70 BPM. One of them a day, in turn.
- The Change test row: D and Bm (four strings), a new chord every 4 beats, stays at 60 BPM all week. Em and B7, a new chord every 2 beats, start the week at 70 BPM and may reach 75 BPM; Am7 and D7, a new chord every 2 beats, start the week at 65 BPM and may reach 70 BPM. Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, and only after three clean runs in a row.
- The Down by the Salley Gardens row: the melody starts at 60 BPM and may reach 65 BPM; the strummed verse stays at 60 BPM all week.
- The Giuliani: Andantino row: measures 17 to 32 start the week at 50 BPM and may reach 55 BPM, one step. Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, and only after three clean runs in a row. Play the whole piece, its first half too, at the figure measures 17 to 32 have that day.
| Block | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 4 min | Movement warm-up, tune; then the crescendo strum, one step up; then the spider crawl at frets 5 to 8. Then simplified F and Dm7: press, pluck four strings, release, for 1 minute |
| Rotation | 4 min | One scale card, played twice. One change-test pair, played as the test at the figure its ladder has reached (80 once it is there). Two single chord cards from the pile of E1, as far as its chords have been taught, with the Bm (four strings) card. Each chord card: place the shape once, pluck each string that should sound, let go. These are the cards the end-of-course assessment uses. A chord that holds a barre is not in the pile, and that keeps Dm7 out: it is a barre chord, practised as presses, not as a card |
| Staff reading | 3 min | today’s line from the staff handout, then its answer |
| Bm on four strings | 4 min | first Bm (three strings): fingers 4, 2 and 1 on strings 3 to 1, strum, lift, place; then add finger 3 for Bm (four strings) and strum strings 4 to 1; it has no barre |
| Change test | 3 min | D-Bm at 4 beats; Em-B7 and Am7-D7 at 2 beats |
| D major scale | 3 min | one octave, quarter notes |
| Down by the Salley Gardens | 8 min | melody four measures at a time; then, at 60 BPM all week, the strummed verse, one downstroke to a beat |
| Giuliani: Andantino | 6 min | measures 17 to 32, then the whole piece once |
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.
Two sittings this week: Sitting 1 is the rows from “Warm-Up” to “Change test” (18 minutes). Sitting 2 is the rows from “D major scale” to “Giuliani: Andantino” (17 minutes). Leave at least an hour between them. Begin Sitting 2 with the movements under “Hand Warm-Up” in Segment 1, and tune again: neither is counted in the minutes.
Ear check this week: on your fourth practice day, mark the recording you made after this session. It takes 7 minutes: that day, leave out the “Down by the Salley Gardens” row.
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 16.
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”The dot marker at fret 3 on the Saga’s neck is a landmark for Bm (four strings). Finger 2 sits at the marked fret, finger 1 one fret below it, and fingers 3 and 4 side by side one fret above it. Look for the dot before you place the shape: then you need not count the frets.
After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)
- Read: Keys And Their Chords, the section “The Key of D”. (5 minutes)
- Record: this week’s ear check. Use the recorded card test (Session 2) with Test 5, rhythm recall, as Segment 3 gives it. Pass: 4 of 6. (6 minutes)