Session 32: A Rock Study and a Black Sabbath Chart
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 begins the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study”, a complete piece with one full-barre strum and eight measures of your own. This week you play it in its first form, and you learn the rule of its solo. You also play the verse of “Paranoid” from a chord chart. Nothing is new for either hand. The session ends with “Greensleeves”, a piece you know, and with the choice of a second piece for your final programme.
Learning Objectives
Section titled “Learning Objectives”By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Play the riff of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in its first form at 60 BPM, with every chord placed by count 1: 4 measures, 3 times in a row
- Play the chorus of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” at 60 BPM, one downstroke on count 1 of each measure, through A (four strings) and A (full barre): 8 measures
- Record the whole “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in its first form as your own backing on the third practice day, at the figure the piece has reached that day (55 or 60 BPM), after four clicks, saying each section’s name on its first count: 32 measures with no stop
- Play eight measures of your own in measures 21 to 28 over that recording, by the rule of the solo: 8 measures, marked by the 5 ticks of the tick list
- Play the verse of “Paranoid” from its chart at 60 BPM with every chord down on its count, in the form you have reached: one downstroke on each chord (Step 1) or, once that has gone four times through in a row, palm-muted eighth notes with down-up strokes (Step 2): 4 measures, 4 times through
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
- Paper and a pen, for the three answers and for the tick list
- A way to play Black Sabbath’s recording of “Paranoid”: listen to it three times before the session, as its “Listen first” paragraph asks
- From the fourth practice day, if you have one: a second device, to record yourself while your backing plays
- Handout for this session: Rock Rhythm Guitar (optional reading, after the session)
- Staff reading this week: Reading Staff Notation 2, the section “Lines for Week 32”
- 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 at 70 BPM: the whole block twice through, without stopping. Get louder through the first half of the block and quieter through the second, as its Dyn row marks.
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.
Use a bigger, faster strum with the same loose grip. Loud does not mean tense.
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.
There are no barre presses in this warm-up: today’s full barre work is in Segment 2 and in the piece.
Segment 2 — Technique Focus: The Full Barre, and a Piece Read Before It Is Played (10 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 2 — Technique Focus: The Full Barre, and a Piece Read Before It Is Played (10 minutes)”Session day: the daily limits count today too. The limited work you do in this session is all you do of it today, also if you pick up the guitar again later.
Limited work today: barre work, 2 minutes: the presses and the change drill under “Full Barre: Presses and the Change Drill”.
Limited work today: barre work, 1 minute: the chorus of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in Segment 4.
Limited work today: three-string power-chord work, 1 minute: the riff of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in Segment 4.
Limited work today: three-string power-chord work, 3 minutes: the verse of the “Paranoid” chart, after the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in Segment 4.
Full Barre: Presses and the Change Drill (2 minutes)
Section titled “Full Barre: Presses and the Change Drill (2 minutes)”Full barre work: no more than 2 minutes a day in the week of Session 28 and 3 minutes a day from Session 29, at fret 5 only. It counts inside the 5 minutes of barre work.
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.
First the presses: A (full barre) at fret 5 (Session 28). Its diagram and its lines are in Session 28, under “Presses at Fret 5: the Full Barre”. Make 4 presses: place the shape, pluck the six strings one at a time, release completely, and shake out the hand after each press.
Then the change drill of Session 31, at 55 BPM, a new chord every 4 beats: one downstroke on beat 1 of each measure, the chord left to ring. One set is E, A (full barre), E, A (full barre), E: five measures. Play the set, shake out the hand, and play the set again.
Strum on beat 1 and let it ring; move during beats 3 and 4.
The chorus of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” is held to the figure this drill has reached: the piece never asks for this change faster than the drill.
On the practice days the drill climbs in the “Full barre” row: it may reach 60 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.
A run is clean when every note or chord lands on its count, every string that should sound rings, and you do not stop.
Reading the Rock Study, and Palm-Muted Eighth Notes (8 minutes)
Section titled “Reading the Rock Study, and Palm-Muted Eighth Notes (8 minutes)”No guitar for the first part. Turn to the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in Segment 4 and read what stands under its heading: Credits, What this is, and the lines Key, Time, Techniques, Tempo, Picking and Strumming pattern.
Then count its form aloud from its chart, the block headed “the form, 32 measures”. Set the metronome to 55 BPM. Put a finger on each box in turn and count the 32 measures aloud, saying the section’s name on count 1 of its first measure: “Riff”, “Verse”, “Chorus”, “Solo”, “Ending”. The count takes 2 minutes 20 seconds. It is the first step of making your backing (Segment 3, “The Backing”).
Then write the three answers for this piece on the paper: its key, its time signature and two techniques it uses. Check them against its Key, Time and Techniques lines.
Nothing of the piece is played here: its barre chords and its power chords are played in Segment 4 only.
Now pick up the guitar for palm-muted eighth notes with down-up strokes (Beginner Session 9) on the two open shapes, the first step towards the riff of the study: E5 for four measures, then A5 for four measures, and all eight measures a second time, at 55 BPM. E5 and A5 are open two-string shapes: they are not counted in the day’s power-chord minutes.
Copy of Beginner Session 9: palm-muted eighth notes
e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------| D|--------------------------------------| A|------2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---| E|------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Strum: D U D U D U D U PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM
PM = palm muted. O = let the string ring (palm lifted).
Segment 3 — New Learning: A Solo of Your Own (15 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 3 — New Learning: A Solo of Your Own (15 minutes)”The Solo: Measures 21 to 28
Section titled “The Solo: Measures 21 to 28”In measures 21 to 28 of the study you play eight measures of your own over a recording of the piece that you make yourself. Read the five parts below: the backing, the note pool, the model phrases, the rule and the tick list.
The Backing
Section titled “The Backing”Your backing is your own recording of the whole piece as written, all 32 measures, in its first form. It is not recorded today: the piece is new. You record it on the third practice day, inside the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” row, at the figure the piece has reached that day.
- Count the form first. You did this in Segment 2: the metronome at this week’s figure, no guitar, a finger on each box of the chart, the 32 measures counted aloud and each section’s name said on count 1 of its first measure. On the third practice day it is not done again.
- Record. Start the phone recording with the metronome still clicking. Let four clicks go by, then play the piece as written, once. Say the section’s name aloud on count 1 of its first measure, and in the Solo say the number of each of its eight measures on count 1, “one” to “eight”.
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.
If your hand, wrist or thumb aches during the study, stop playing for today: the pain rule comes before the plan.
- Check. Play the recording back with the chart in front of you and count the 32 measures.
The block below is what your recording plays under your solo, measures 21 to 28. Read it; do not play it. Nothing is recorded before measure 1 but the four clicks, so you play along with the recording from measure 1, and there is no first time round to wait through.
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - the backing of the solo, measures 21 to 28 Chord: A5 A5 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | Chord: E5 E5 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | Chord: A5 A5 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | Chord: E5 E5 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM |
The Note Pool
Section titled “The Note Pool”Your notes come from the A minor pentatonic in fifth position (Session 21): every place of its pattern, eleven places in all.
In fifth position, fret 5 = finger 1, fret 6 = finger 2, fret 7 = finger 3 and fret 8 = finger 4 (little finger).
Copy of Session 21: A minor pentatonic, two octaves, fifth position
A minor pentatonic, two octaves, fifth position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------|-----------5-------| B|----------------------|-------------------|---5---8-------8---| G|----------------------|-----------5---7---|-------------------| D|----------------------|---5---7-----------|-------------------| A|--------------5---7---|-------------------|-------------------| E|------5---8-----------|-------------------|-------------------| 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: 1 4 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4 1 4 Notes: A C D E G A C D E G A G e|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------| B|------5---------------|-------------------|-------------------| G|----------7---5-------|-------------------|-------------------| D|------------------7---|---5---------------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-------7---5-------|-------------------| E|----------------------|---------------8---|---5---------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D U D U D U D U D Finger: 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4 1 Notes: E D C A G E D C A
A minor pentatonic in fifth position, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top A is played once. The last A lasts four beats: let it ring while you count (2) (3) (4).
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 it once, up and down, at 55 BPM, one note per click. The model phrases below keep to frets 5 and 7, with fingers 1 and 3. The two places at fret 8, C on string 6 and G on string 2, take finger 4: they are yours to use or leave.
The Model Phrases
Section titled “The Model Phrases”Each phrase is played over the chord its title names.
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - model phrase 1, two measures over A5 e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------| G|----------5-----------|-------------------| D|------7-------7---5---|---7---------------| A|----------------------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 (2) [3] [4] Pick: D D D D D Finger: 3 1 3 1 3 Notes: A C A G A
The counts in square brackets are rests. 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.
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - model phrase 2, two measures over E5 e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------| G|----------------------|-------------------| D|----------5-----------|-------------------| A|------7-------7---5---|---7---------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 (2) [3] [4] Pick: D D D D D Finger: 3 1 3 1 3 Notes: E G E D E
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - model phrase 3, one measure over A5 e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|----------5---7---5-------------------| D|------7---------------7---------------| A|--------------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 (&) [4] [&] Pick: D U D U D Finger: 3 1 3 1 3 Notes: A C D C A
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - model phrase 4, one measure over E5 e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------| D|----------5---7---5-------------------| A|------7---------------7---------------| E|--------------------------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 (&) [4] [&] Pick: D U D U D Finger: 3 1 3 1 3 Notes: E G A G E
Phrase 2 is phrase 1 played one string lower, at the same frets, and phrase 4 is phrase 3 one string lower. Play each phrase twice running at 55 BPM.
The Rule
Section titled “The Rule”- Eight measures: measures 21 to 28 of the piece, over your recording. You play along with the recording from measure 1; your eight measures begin when it reaches measure 21.
- These notes only: only notes of the A minor pentatonic in fifth position, one note at a time, and no note shorter than an eighth note.
- Short phrases: a phrase is five notes at most, and it ends on a note that lasts one beat or longer, with a rest after it.
- Empty measures: at least 2 of the 8 measures hold a rest of two beats or more.
- The ending: your last note is E (string 5 fret 7, or string 2 fret 5), and it begins on count 1 of measure 28 or earlier. After it, move your hand back to the open E5 and come in on count 1 of measure 29.
If you lose your place while playing, stop, listen for the next ONE on the recording, and come in again there.
On this recording the words said on count 1 are the names of the sections and, in the Solo, the numbers “one” to “eight”: the next of them is the place to come in again.
Here is a first solo that keeps the rule. Use it as your map:
| Measures | The recording plays | You play |
|---|---|---|
| 21 and 22 | A5 | model phrase 1 |
| 23 and 24 | E5 | model phrase 2 |
| 25 | A5 | model phrase 3 |
| 26 | A5 | nothing: count the four beats |
| 27 | E5 | model phrase 4 |
| 28 | E5 | nothing: move your hand back to the open E5 |
Play the map once now at 55 BPM, with the metronome and no recording, counting the eight measures aloud. You play the solo over your recording from the fourth practice day.
The Tick List
Section titled “The Tick List”- I played my own notes in measures 21 to 28 only, I came in on count 1 of measure 29 with the recording, and my last strum fell within one beat of its last strum.
- Every note was a note of the scale. I played one note at a time and no more than two notes to a click.
- No phrase had more than five notes, and each phrase ended with a rest.
- At least 2 of my 8 measures held a rest of two beats or more.
- My last note of the solo was E, and it began on count 1 of measure 28 or earlier.
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. The rest of the second tick and the other four ticks are counted on playback.
This tick list marks the piece for exit criterion E27, a separate item from the programme: for E27 you play it over your recording, with the solo. In the programme the piece is played as written, alone.
Before You Play “Paranoid”
Section titled “Before You Play “Paranoid””No guitar. Turn to the “Paranoid” chart in Segment 4 and read its three paragraphs: Credits, Listen first and What this is. You did the listening before the session. Reading only: the chart’s power chords are played in Segment 4 only.
Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.
Segment 4 — Piece Workshop: Fifth-Fret Rock Study (15 minutes)
Section titled “Segment 4 — Piece Workshop: Fifth-Fret Rock Study (15 minutes)”“Fifth-Fret Rock Study”
Section titled ““Fifth-Fret Rock Study””Credits: Written for this course.
What this is: A complete piece written for this course. It is not a song. It is in the manner of a rock song and has five sections: a riff of 4 measures, a verse of 8, a chorus of 8, a solo of 8 and an ending of 4. That is 32 measures, which take 2 minutes 8 seconds at 60 BPM, the performance tempo. The riff, the verse and the ending are palm-muted eighth notes on E5, A5 and G5 (string 6); the verse and the ending each close with one strum of E5, left to ring. The chorus is one strum to a measure on D, A (four strings), E and A (full barre). Three of the 32 measures hold a barre chord; the full barre is one strum in one measure, with a measure of E before it and a measure of E after it. In the solo you play eight measures of your own, with notes of the A minor pentatonic in fifth position, over a recording of the piece that you make yourself. Its home note is E, and the riff, the verse, the solo and the ending use notes of E minor. In the chorus, A and E are major chords: they are not chords of E minor. Not yet play-tested.
Key: E minor
Time: 4/4
Techniques: palm muting; power chord; partial barre chord; full barre chord
Tempo: Start at 55 BPM, the click on the beat and work up to 60. 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 60 BPM, the click on the beat.
Picking: The pick follows the count: down on the numbers, up on the &s.
Strumming pattern: palm-muted eighth notes in the riff, the verse, the backing of the solo and the ending; one strum to a measure in the chorus. Measure 12 is one downstroke, left to ring. Measure 32 is one downstroke, left to ring.
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - the riff in palm-muted eighth notes Chord: E5 Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Strum: D U D U D U D U PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM
PM = palm muted. O = let the string ring (palm lifted).
The techniques of this piece are palm muting, power chord, partial barre chord and full barre chord.
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - the form, 32 measures Key: E minor Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure) Riff, 4 measures: | E5 | E5 | G5 (string 6) | A5 | Verse, 8 measures: | E5 | E5 | G5 (string 6) | A5 | | E5 | E5 | G5 (string 6) | E5 | Chorus, 8 measures: | D | A (four strings) | D | A (four strings) | | D | E | A (full barre) | E | Solo, 8 measures: | A5 | A5 | E5 | E5 | | A5 | A5 | E5 | E5 | Ending, 4 measures: | E5 | E5 | G5 (string 6) | E5 | Strum the last E5 once and let it ring.
Barre count: 3 of the 32 measures of this study hold a barre chord (A (four strings) and A (full barre)), so 1 of its 7 practice minutes count as barre work.
Full barre work: no more than 2 minutes a day in the week of Session 28 and 3 minutes a day from Session 29, at fret 5 only. It counts inside the 5 minutes of barre work.
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.
Three-string power-chord work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total.
If your hand, wrist or thumb aches during the study, stop playing for today: the pain rule comes before the plan.
You read the lines above in Segment 2. Read the steps below now.
How to Learn This Piece:
Step 1 — The first form: In measures 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 30 and 31 play the pattern on counts 1 & 2 & and make counts 3 and 4 a rest: on count 3 lay the edge of the palm across the strings (the rest stop of Session 3) and move the fretting hand during the rest. This week and next week you play this form only.
The rest stop: on the count in square brackets, lay the edge of your strumming-hand palm (the fleshy side below the little finger) flat across every string you have just played and leave it there, so that the sound stops. The pick does not touch the strings.
Step 2 — The three changes with no drill: E5 to D (measures 12 to 13), D to E (measures 17 to 18) and E to A5 (measures 20 to 21): play each pair of measures alone, four times, before its section is played through.
Step 3 — The chorus: One strum to a measure, as in the change drills. On the chorus day play the chorus four times at most, then the riff and verse for the rest of the row.
Strum on beat 1 and let it ring; move during beats 3 and 4.
Of the chorus’s four chords, A (four strings) and A (full barre) have no open string; D and E have open strings.
This shape has no open string, so its sound ends when you lift; that is expected.
Step 4 — One section a day: Day 1, riff and verse. Day 2, the chorus, then riff and verse. Day 3, record the whole piece as your backing and check it. Day 4, the model phrases, then the map of the first solo over the recording, from measure 1 as line 1 of the rule says (two runs fit the row). Day 5, the whole piece over the recording, then the tick list.
What it should sound like: With the metronome at 55 BPM, count aloud: every chord of the riff and of the chorus is strummed on count 1 of its measure. In the first form, count the riff aloud: counts 3 and 4 are silent in 2 of its 4 measures. On a recording of the chorus, count the strums: 8, one on count 1 of each measure.
The blocks of the first form: measures 1 to 8 (the riff, and the riff again at the start of the verse), measures 9 to 12 and 29 to 32 (the closing phrase), and the chorus, measures 13 to 20.
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - the first form of measures 1 to 4 and 5 to 8 Chord: E5 E5 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| A|------2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2-------------------| E|------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0-------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & [3] [&] [4] [&] Strum: D U D U D U D U D U D U PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM Chord: G5 (string 6) A5 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| D|------5---5---5---5-------------------|---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---| A|------5---5---5---5-------------------|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| E|------3---3---3---3-------------------|-----------------------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & [3] [&] [4] [&] 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Strum: D U D U D U D U D U D U PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - the first form of measures 9 to 12 and 29 to 32 Chord: E5 E5 e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| A|------2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2-------------------| E|------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0-------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & [3] [&] [4] [&] Strum: D U D U D U D U D U D U PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM Chord: G5 (string 6) E5 e|--------------------------------------|-------------------| B|--------------------------------------|-------------------| G|--------------------------------------|-------------------| D|------5---5---5---5-------------------|-------------------| A|------5---5---5---5-------------------|---2---------------| E|------3---3---3---3-------------------|---0---------------| Count: 1 & 2 & [3] [&] [4] [&] 1 (2) (3) (4) Strum: D U D U D PM: PM PM PM PM O
"Fifth-Fret Rock Study" - the chorus, measures 13 to 20 Chord: D A (four strings) Count: 1 (2) (3) (4) | 1 (2) (3) (4) | Strum: D | D | Chord: D A (four strings) Count: 1 (2) (3) (4) | 1 (2) (3) (4) | Strum: D | D | Chord: D E Count: 1 (2) (3) (4) | 1 (2) (3) (4) | Strum: D | D | Chord: A (full barre) E Count: 1 (2) (3) (4) | 1 (2) (3) (4) | Strum: D | D |
Today play two sections, in the first form, at 55 BPM:
- The riff, measures 1 to 4, from one counted measure; then the same again.
- The pair of measures D to E, measures 17 and 18, alone: four times.
- The chorus, measures 13 to 20, once, from one counted measure: one strum to a measure, the full barre one strum in measure 19, with E in the measure before it and E in the measure after it.
That one run of the chorus is the day’s third barre minute, and its last.
”Paranoid” (verse and interlude chords, simplified)
Section titled “”Paranoid” (verse and interlude chords, simplified)”Credits: Written by Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward. Recorded by Black Sabbath on the album Paranoid (1970).
Listen first: Find Black Sabbath’s recording of “Paranoid” (Paranoid, 1970) and listen to the first verse and the passage that follows it three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) in the verse, a muted chug on one chord for two measures, the same chug a little lower for a third measure, and a fourth measure of quick chord hits that leads back to the start; (2) straight after the verse, three long held chords across two measures, and then the chug on the first chord again for two measures.
What this is: A simplified chord chart of two passages: the verse, and the passage that follows it, which this chart calls the interlude. The chords are three-string power chords found by their roots on string 5, in palm-muted eighth notes. The order of the chords in the verse is the same in six sources: four printed transcriptions, and two transcriptions made by the users of two websites. Five of the six give the interlude as well, and they agree on it. Two things are simplified, and each is the course’s own doing. First, the fourth measure of the verse. The transcriptions give it G5 for half a beat, D5 for a beat and a half, and E5 on the third beat. On the fourth beat they give one short hit or two low notes. This chart leaves out the short G5 at the start of the measure and prints D5 for two beats and E5 for two. Second, in the interlude the transcriptions hold the first three chords as long notes; this chart keeps the eighth notes going. The palm-muted eighth notes with down-up strokes are the course’s pattern. The form (verse four times, interlude twice, verse four times) is the course’s, not the recording’s, and the ending is written for the course. The introduction, the bridge, the guitar solo and the outro are not printed. The recording is about 164 BPM, far faster than this chart, so you cannot play along with it. The transcriptions write the song in standard tuning. One of them says the recording is tuned a little above concert pitch; nobody has checked that. Not yet play-tested.
Key: E minor
Time: 4/4
Tempo: 60 BPM, two strums per click (eighth notes), down-up all week. It does not go up this week: the chart is new. After the course: up to 80 BPM.
The beginner course picks the riff of this song with downstrokes (Beginner Session 13); this chart is its chords, in the down-up palm-muted pattern of Beginner Session 9.
Three-string power-chord 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.
If your hand, wrist or thumb aches during the chart, stop playing for today: the pain rule comes before the plan.
You read the three paragraphs at the top of this section in Segment 3. Read the lines under them, and the steps below, before you play.
How to learn this chart:
Step 1 — The verse, one strum to a chord: Play the verse with one downstroke on each chord, not palm-muted: on count 1 of its first three measures, and on counts 1 and 3 of its fourth. Find each chord by its root on string 5. How the hand moves between two chords is the fixed sentence under this list.
Step 2 — The verse in palm-muted eighth notes: The palm-muted eighth notes are added only when the verse has gone four times through in a row with every chord down on its count, in Step 1’s form (one downstroke on each chord). Until then the week’s row is Step 1. Then count one measure in and play the verse four times through with down-up strokes. In its fourth measure D5 (string 5) lasts for counts 1 and 2 and E5 (string 5) comes back on count 3. The hand moves between two chords as in Step 1.
Step 3 — The interlude, then the form: From the second practice day add the interlude, first in Step 1’s form: one downstroke on each chord, on count 1 of its first, third and fourth measures and on counts 1 and 3 of its second, where C5 (string 5) lasts for counts 1 and 2 and D5 (string 5) for counts 3 and 4. Its palm-muted eighth notes are added when the verse has them (Step 2). By the end of the week play the chart in its order, to the one strum of the ending, in the form you have reached.
Between two chords, ease the pressure, keep your fingertips just touching the strings as a guide, move, then press again.
Step 3 begins on the second practice day: leave it for now.
What it should sound like: With the metronome at 60 BPM, the downstroke on count 1 of every measure falls with a click: the 16 measures of the verse. Count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & aloud through the fourth measure of the verse: E5 (string 5) is placed on count 3. On a recording, count the strokes in one measure: 8, every one palm-muted.
Strumming pattern: palm-muted eighth notes in every measure but the last; in the last measure, one downstroke on beat 1, not palm-muted, left to ring.
"Paranoid" - the verse in palm-muted eighth notes (simplified) Chord: E5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | Chord: D5 (string 5) D5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM |
"Paranoid" - the interlude in palm-muted eighth notes (simplified) Chord: E5 (string 5) C5 (string 5) D5 (string 5) 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | Chord: E5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) 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 | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM |
"Paranoid" - verse and interlude chords (simplified) Key: E minor Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure) Verse (four times through), 4 measures: | E5 (string 5) | E5 (string 5) | | D5 (string 5) | D5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) | Interlude (twice through), 4 measures: | E5 (string 5) | C5 (string 5) D5 (string 5) | | E5 (string 5) | E5 (string 5) | Verse again (four times through), 4 measures: | E5 (string 5) | E5 (string 5) | | D5 (string 5) | D5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) | Ending (written for the course), 1 measure: | E5 (string 5) | Strum the last E5 once. Verse measure 4 simplified. Rest of song not printed.
Today play the verse only, at 60 BPM. Find each chord by its root on string 5 (Session 17): E5 (string 5) at fret 7, D5 (string 5) at fret 5.
First Step 1: the verse with one downstroke on each chord, four times through, from one counted measure. Then, only if all four times went through in a row with every chord down on its count, Step 2 once: the verse once through in palm-muted eighth notes, from one counted measure. Its four times through are for the practice days.
If the four times of Step 1 did not all go through, today’s playing of the chart ends with Step 1, and the week’s row stays at Step 1 until they do. The interlude and the whole form are for the practice days.
”Greensleeves” (traditional; the course’s arrangement in A minor)
Section titled “”Greensleeves” (traditional; the course’s arrangement in A minor)”A piece you know (Session 28), with no power chord and no barre chord.
Key: A minor
Time: 6/8
Techniques: pick-up notes; the plain 6/8 strum
Play it once through at its performance tempo, 40 BPM, two clicks to the measure: the pick-up note, the melody, the strummed verse in the plain 6/8 strum (one downstroke on count 1 and one on count 4), then the melody again. The whole form takes 2 minutes 24 seconds. Set the metronome to 40 BPM and let two clicks pass. Over the next two clicks count 1 2 3 4 5 aloud (the clicks are counts 1 and 4) and pick the pick-up note on count 6.
Finger 4 plays fret 4 in the seventh and the fifteenth measure of the melody.
Copy of Session 28: “Greensleeves” - melody, measures 1 to 4 (one pick-up note)
"Greensleeves" - melody, measures 1 to 4 (one pick-up note) e|----------|---------------0---1---0---|---------------------------| B|----------|---1-------3---------------|---3-------0-----------0---| G|------2---|---------------------------|---------------0---2-------| D|----------|---------------------------|---------------------------| A|----------|---------------------------|---------------------------| E|----------|---------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 6 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 Finger: 2 1 3 - 1 - 3 - - 2 - e|------------------------------|---------------------------| B|------1-----------------------|---0-----------------------| G|--------------2---2---1---2---|-----------1-----------2---| D|------------------------------|---------------2-----------| A|------------------------------|---------------------------| E|------------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 1 (2) 3 4 (5) 6 Finger: 1 2 2 1 2 - 1 2 2
Copy of Session 28: “Greensleeves” - melody, measures 5 to 8
"Greensleeves" - melody, measures 5 to 8 e|------------------0---1---0---|---------------------------| B|------1-------3---------------|---3-------0-----------0---| G|------------------------------|---------------0---2-------| D|------------------------------|---------------------------| A|------------------------------|---------------------------| E|------------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 Finger: 1 3 - 1 - 3 - - 2 - e|------------------------------|---------------------------| B|------1---0-------------------|---------------------------| G|--------------2---1-------1---|---2-----------2-----------| D|----------------------4-------|---------------------------| A|------------------------------|---------------------------| E|------------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 (2) (3) 4 (5) [6] Finger: 1 - 2 1 4 1 2 2
Copy of Session 28: “Greensleeves” - melody, measures 9 to 12
"Greensleeves" - melody, measures 9 to 12 e|------3-----------3---2---0---|---------------------------| B|------------------------------|---3-------0-----------0---| G|------------------------------|---------------0---2-------| D|------------------------------|---------------------------| A|------------------------------|---------------------------| E|------------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 1 (2) (3) 4 5 6 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 Finger: 3 3 2 - 3 - - 2 - e|------------------------------|---------------------------| B|------1-----------------------|---0-----------------------| G|--------------2---2---1---2---|-----------1---------------| D|------------------------------|---------------2-----------| A|------------------------------|---------------------------| E|------------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 1 (2) 3 4 (5) (6) Finger: 1 2 2 1 2 - 1 2
Copy of Session 28: “Greensleeves” - melody, measures 13 to 16
"Greensleeves" - melody, measures 13 to 16 e|------3-----------3---2---0---|---------------------------| B|------------------------------|---3-------0-----------0---| G|------------------------------|---------------0---2-------| D|------------------------------|---------------------------| A|------------------------------|---------------------------| E|------------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 1 (2) (3) 4 5 6 1 (2) 3 4 5 6 Finger: 3 3 2 - 3 - - 2 - e|------------------------------|---------------------------| B|------1---0-------------------|---------------------------| G|--------------2---1-------1---|---2-----------2-----------| D|----------------------4-------|---------------------------| A|------------------------------|---------------------------| E|------------------------------|---------------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 (2) (3) 4 (5) (6) Finger: 1 - 2 1 4 1 2 2
Strumming pattern: the plain 6/8 strum in measures 1 to 15 of the strummed verse; in its measure 16, one downstroke on count 1, left to ring, and the pick-up note on count 6.
Copy of Session 28: “Greensleeves” - the strummed verse, a downstroke on count 1 and on count 4
"Greensleeves" - the strummed verse, a downstroke on count 1 and on count 4 Chord: Am Count: 1 (2) (3) 4 (5) (6) Strum: D D Accent: > >
Copy of Session 28: “Greensleeves” - chords for the strummed verse
"Greensleeves" - chords for the strummed verse
Key: A minor Time: 6/8 (six counts in a measure)
Strummed verse, 16 measures:
Measure: 1 2 3 4
| Am | G | Am | E7 |
Measure: 5 6 7 8
| Am | G | Am E7 | Am |
Measure: 9 10 11 12
| C | G | Am | E7 |
Measure: 13 14 15 16
| C | G | Am E7 | Am |
In measures 7 and 15, play Am on counts 1 to 3 and E7 on counts 4 to 6.
Your second programme piece:
No playing. Open the table of Session 31, “The Eleven Complete Pieces”, and choose a second piece for your final programme: one with which the two pieces you have chosen can still meet the four conditions of the rule with a third (Session 31, “The Programme and Its Rule”). The “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” may now be chosen. Write the piece’s name and its three answers on the paper. It is the piece of this week’s “One programme piece” row. If it is the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study”, write its three answers in that row this week and do not play it there: its own row and the “Paranoid” row already hold all of the day’s full-barre and three-string power-chord minutes.
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”- The form of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study”, riff, verse, chorus, solo and ending, and its first form, in which eight measures stop after count 2 &
- Its chorus, one strum to a measure, with one strum of A (full barre) between two measures of E
- The solo: your recorded backing, the note pool, the rule and the tick list
- The verse of “Paranoid” from its chart, first with one downstroke on each chord
Common Mistakes
Section titled “Common Mistakes”- In the riff the hand arrives late on G5 (string 6) or on A5 — Play the first form as written: stop the strings with the edge of the palm on count 3 and move during counts 3 and 4. The full pattern waits until Session 34.
- The full-barre measure of the chorus is strummed late, or a string in it is dull — It is one strum, with a measure of E before it and a measure of E after it: lift from E on beat 3, land the whole shape, strum on count 1. Do not press harder: find the string in the table “If a string is dead or buzzing” (Session 28) and move the finger it names.
- The chorus is played over and over — Four times through is the most for one day: three of its eight measures hold a barre chord. After that, play the riff and verse.
- The place is lost in the solo — Stop, listen for the next word said on count 1 of the recording, and come in again there.
Self-Check Questions
Section titled “Self-Check Questions”- By the end of this week’s practice: play measures 1 to 4 of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in the first form at 60 BPM, three times in a row with one counted measure before each, and record it with the metronome sounding. Check: listen to the recording and count the measures aloud. Pass: 3 runs with no stop, and in each run G5 (string 6) and A5 are both strummed on count 1 of their measures. If not: in the first form, play measures 2 and 3 alone four times, then measures 3 and 4 alone four times: palm on count 3, and move the fretting hand during the rest, inside the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” row, under “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in Segment 4, and try again the next day.
- By the end of this week’s practice: play the chorus of the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” (measures 13 to 20) at 60 BPM, one downstroke on count 1 of each measure, from one counted measure. Check: the metronome clicks the beat; count 1 2 3 4 aloud through all eight measures. Pass: 8 measures with no stop, and the 7 chords that are not A (full barre) strummed on their count 1: a late or dull full-barre strum in measure 19 is written down and does not make this a no; play it no more than 4 times in one day. If not: play Step 2 for the pair D to E, then the chorus twice a day, inside the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” row, shaking out the hand after each run (if the hand aches, stop playing for today), under “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in Segment 4, and try again after two practice days.
- On the third practice day, record the whole “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” in its first form at the tempo you have reached, after four clicks, saying each section’s name on count 1 of its first measure. Check: play the recording back with the chart in front of you and count the measures aloud. Pass: 32 measures with no stop. If not: count the form aloud once more from the chart, then record again from four clicks, inside the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” row, under “The Solo: Measures 21 to 28” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.
- Play the whole piece over your recording, with eight measures of your own in measures 21 to 28, and mark the tick list. Check: the tick list, counted on a recording made on a second device; with one device only, judged as you play with the backing sounding. Pass: 5 ticks. If not: play the map of the first solo once more, inside the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” row, under “The Solo: Measures 21 to 28” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.
- Play the verse of “Paranoid” four times through at 60 BPM, from one counted measure, in the form you have reached: one downstroke on each chord (Step 1) or, once you have added them, palm-muted eighth notes with down-up strokes (Step 2); record it with the metronome sounding. Check: listen to the recording and count the measures aloud. Pass: 16 measures with no stop, and in each of the 4 times through E5 (string 5) comes back on count 3 of the fourth measure. If not: play Step 1 for two days, inside the “Paranoid” row, under “How to learn this chart” in Segment 4, and try again after those two days.
Practice Plan for Week 32 (each practice day, 40 minutes)
Section titled “Practice Plan for Week 32 (each practice day, 40 minutes)”Notes on the rows:
- Rotation this week, the change-test pairs: G and D7, a new chord every 2 beats at 80 BPM; Em and B7, a new chord every 2 beats at 80 BPM; Am7 and D7, a new chord every 2 beats at 80 BPM; C and G7, a new chord every 2 beats at 80 BPM; D and Bm, a new chord every 4 beats at 80 BPM. One of them a day, in turn.
- The “Staff reading” row: each day, play today’s line from the section “Lines for Week 32” of Reading Staff Notation 2, then check it against its answer there.
- The “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” row: one section a day, in the order of Step 4 under “How to Learn This Piece” in Segment 4. On the third practice day you record the whole piece as your backing, inside this row.
- The “A song of your own” row: this week the day’s three-string power-chord minutes are taken by the “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” and “Paranoid” rows, so the section you play may hold no three-string power chord. The row says what to do instead.
| Block | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 4 min | Movement warm-up, tune; then the crescendo strum; then the spider crawl at frets 5 to 8 |
| 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 and the nine power-chord cards of E5. 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 |
| Full barre | 2 min | presses 1 minute; the change drill, E to A (full barre), 1 minute: the set E, A (full barre), E, A (full barre), E twice for each minute, shaking out the hand between sets |
| Fifth-Fret Rock Study | 7 min | in its first form only, one section a day; on the chorus day, play the chorus four times at most, then the riff and verse for the rest of the row; the barre measure is one strum with a ringing E before and after; on the third practice day, record the whole piece as your backing inside this row, with the metronome sounding, after four clicks; from then on, the solo over that backing |
| Paranoid | 3 min | from its chart: verse, then interlude, first with one downstroke on each chord (Step 1); the palm-muted eighth notes are added only when the verse has gone four times through in a row with every chord down on its count; the tempo is held this week |
| Greensleeves | 5 min | once through |
| A song of your own | 5 min | one section a day from your own chart, after the screening step. In these weeks choose sections with no barre chord: a section that has one waits, because the day’s barre minutes are already planned. If every section has one, choose another song for now. This week the section may hold no three-string power chord: play a three-string power chord in your own song as its root note alone, or let that section wait. The open E5, A5 and D5 do not count. If no section fits, choose another song for now. |
| 6/8 pattern | 3 min | eight measures with two clicks to the measure |
| One programme piece | 4 min | a second piece for the final programme; write its three answers. If a piece you choose has a daily limit, play it for no more of this row than keeps today’s total inside that limit: 5 minutes of slurs, 5 of three-string power chords, and 5 of barre work, no more than 3 of them full barre |
Full barre work: no more than 2 minutes a day in the week of Session 28 and 3 minutes a day from Session 29, at fret 5 only. It counts inside the 5 minutes of barre work.
Full barre rows this week: “Full barre”, 2 minutes; “Fifth-Fret Rock Study”, 1 minute. Total: 3 minutes a day.
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: “Full barre”, 2 minutes; “Fifth-Fret Rock Study”, 1 minute. Total: 3 minutes a day.
Three-string power-chord work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total.
Power-chord rows this week: “Fifth-Fret Rock Study”, 2 minutes; “Paranoid”, 3 minutes. Total: 5 minutes a day.
Two sittings this week: Sitting 1 is the rows from “Warm-Up” to “Fifth-Fret Rock Study” (20 minutes). Sitting 2 is the rows from “Paranoid” to “One programme piece” (20 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.
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 33.
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.
If the item is barre work, slur work, little-finger work or three-string power-chord work, do not add it to your warm-up: play it inside the row of next week’s plan that holds that work, in that row’s minutes. The daily limits do not change.
The full barre change is not a Self-Check Question. On your last practice day, in the “Full barre” row, count one of its two sets (E, A (full barre), E, A (full barre), E, a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM): write down how many of the 4 changes landed on count 1. Whatever the number, go on: the full barre never has to pass.
Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK
Section titled “Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK”On the third practice day you record your backing, and both the metronome and the strings of your Saga must be heard on the recording. Before the whole take, make a ten-second test. Sit as you will sit to record, set the phone down in front of you, and put the metronome beside the phone. Start the recording, let the metronome click, and strum E5 in palm-muted eighth notes for ten seconds. Play it back. If you cannot hear every click and every strum, move the phone or the metronome and test again. When both can be heard, leave the phone where it stood for the test and record the whole take after four clicks.
After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)
- Optional: Rock Rhythm Guitar, the section “Paranoid” (verse and interlude chords, simplified). (10 minutes)