Session 4: First Melodies

Duration: 50 minutes

Breaks: Put the guitar down for 5 minutes at the end of Segment 2 and again at the end of Segment 3. No stretch of playing is then longer than 15 minutes, and the session takes about an hour by the clock.

Until now, you have been strumming chords — playing multiple strings at once. Today you switch to playing one note at a time: melodies. You will learn to pick single strings accurately and play your first real riff (a short pattern of notes that repeats): the two-measure opening riff of “Come As You Are” by Nirvana. This is the moment guitar starts to feel like music.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Pick individual strings accurately with a downstroke
2. Read TAB for single-note melodies (one note at a time, not chords)
3. Alternate between downstrokes and upstrokes for single notes (alternate picking)
4. Play the two-measure “Come As You Are” riff slowly and steadily (goal for the week: twice through at 50 BPM, two notes per click)
5. Fret notes on strings 1 and 2 (frets 0, 1 and 3) and on strings 6 and 5 (frets 1 and 2)

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• A phone that can record sound (for one self-check)
• Handout for this session: Picking Accuracy
• Handout for this session: Rhythm And Time
• Reference sheets: Chord Chart and Glossary

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Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

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

Tune all six strings (EADGBE).

Chord Warm-Up

Play the “Two-Chord Rock” from Session 3 — Em for 2 measures, Am for 2 measures, repeat. 60 BPM, one strum per click, 8 measures total. This keeps your chord skills warm while we focus on something new.

In the first weeks you will need to look at your fingers. Keep the guitar upright against your body and tip your head forward to see the edge of the neck. Do not lean the guitar back to see the fretboard: that bends your fretting wrist.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Single-String Picking (10 minutes)

Picking vs Strumming

When you strum, your pick sweeps across multiple strings in one motion. When you pick a single note, you aim the pick at one specific string and play only that string. The motion is smaller and more precise.

Downstroke Picking Exercise

Hold the pick normally. Your forearm rests on the top edge of the guitar’s body. For single notes the heel of your hand may touch the bridge lightly behind the saddle, never on the strings. (The bridge is the wooden piece on the body where the strings are fixed; the saddle is the thin strip on it that the strings pass over.) Do not press down or lock the hand in place. If notes sound dull, your hand has crept onto the strings.

At 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes: one note to each beat), pick each string individually with downstrokes:

e|------0---0---0---0---|
B|----------------------|
G|----------------------|
D|----------------------|
A|----------------------|
E|----------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4

That is string 1 (high e), open, played 4 times. Now continue through all six strings, one string at a time, 4 beats each:

Strings 1, 2 and 3, four beats each
e|------0---0---0---0---|-------------------|-------------------|
B|----------------------|---0---0---0---0---|-------------------|
G|----------------------|-------------------|---0---0---0---0---|
D|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|

Strings 4, 5 and 6, four beats each
e|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
B|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
G|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
D|------0---0---0---0---|-------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|---0---0---0---0---|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|---0---0---0---0---|

Target: Every note should ring clearly. If you accidentally hit a neighbouring string, adjust your pick angle. After a downstroke the pick comes to rest against the next thinner string (towards the floor). This is called a rest stroke — your pick “rests” on the next string after playing. On string 1 there is no next string: let the pick stop just past it. Use rest strokes only for slow downstroke practice; when you alternate down and up, the pick swings free.

Alternate Picking

So far you have only used downstrokes. Alternate picking means alternating between a downstroke (D) and an upstroke (U):

• Downstroke (D): Pick moves toward the floor (from string 6 toward string 1)
• Upstroke (U): Pick moves toward the ceiling (from string 1 toward string 6)

Practise on string 1 (high e), open, at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes):

e|------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|
B|--------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Pick:   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U

Each downstroke falls on the beat (1, 2, 3, 4). Each upstroke falls on the “and” between beats, written ”&” in the Count row. This gives you eighth notes — two notes per beat.

What it should feel like: Your wrist rocks back and forth in a small, relaxed motion. The downstroke and upstroke should feel like one continuous, swinging movement — not two separate actions.

Practise alternate picking on strings 1, 2, and 3 — one measure per string at 60 BPM, two notes per click.

Crossing Between Strings 6 and 5

The riff in today’s Song Workshop moves back and forth between string 6 (low E) and string 5 (A). This drill, written for this course, is simply those two string crossings on their own:

e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|----------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------2-------2-------2-------2---|
E|------2-------2-------2-------2-------|---0-------0-------0-------0-------|
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

In measure 1, finger 2 (middle) stays on string 6 fret 2 throughout. In measure 2, finger 2 stays on string 5 fret 2 throughout. Start with downstrokes only, at 60 BPM, one note per click. Then follow the Pick row (a downstroke on every number, an upstroke on every ”&”), still one note per click.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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Segment 3 — New Learning: Melody Playing and TAB Reading (15 minutes)

Fretting Notes for Melody

You already know how to fret a string (from Session 2). For melodies, you will fret different notes on different strings in sequence.

Let us practise fretting single notes. Play each note 4 times at 60 BPM, one note per click:

Note	String	Fret	Finger	Sound description
Open E	1 (high e)	0 (open)	None	Bright, ringing
F	1	1	Finger 1 (index)	One fret (a half step) above E
G	1	3	Finger 3 (ring)	Two frets (a whole step) above F
Open B	2	0 (open)	None	Slightly darker than open E
C	2	1	Finger 1 (index)	One fret (a half step) above B
D	2	3	Finger 3 (ring)	Two frets (a whole step) above C

Melody Exercise — Walking Up and Down

This exercise moves between strings 1 and 2, using open strings and frets 1 and 3:

e|------0---1---3---1---|---0---------------|
B|----------------------|-------0---1---3---|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4       1   2   3   4
Pick:   D   D   D   D       D   D   D   D

Play at 60 BPM, one note per click, all downstrokes. Each number is one beat. Focus on:

• Clean fretting (no buzzing)
• Smooth transitions between frets
• Each note ringing for its full beat

Then play it once more with alternate picking (D U D U), still one note per click. You will come back to this exercise in the warm-ups of Sessions 5 and 6, and the Phase 1 checkpoint tests these notes.

Reading Melody TAB

In melody TAB, you see one number at a time (not stacked numbers). Read left to right — each number is the next note to play.

e|------0---2---0-----------|
B|------------------3---0---|
G|--------------------------|
D|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|

This means: Play string 1 open, string 1 fret 2, string 1 open, string 2 fret 3, string 2 open. Five notes, one after another.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: “Come As You Are” — Nirvana (15 minutes)

Song Information

Song: “Come As You Are” Artist: Nirvana Album: Nevermind (1991) Credits: Written by Kurt Cobain. Recorded by Nirvana on Nevermind (1991).

What you are learning: The two-measure guitar riff that opens the song and carries on under the singing that follows. It lives on just two strings, 6 and 5, at frets 0, 1 and 2.

What this is: An excerpt, slowed down: the riff on the same strings and frets as the published transcription (the notes are not simplified), played far slower than the record and, in standard tuning, a whole step higher. Not yet play-tested.

Listen first: Find Nirvana’s recording of “Come As You Are” (Nevermind, 1991) and listen to the first eight seconds three times before you pick up the guitar. In those eight seconds the guitar plays this riff twice on its own, before the drums and bass come in. Listen for: (1) the three quick notes that lead in before the first strong beat, (2) the two places where a note is held longer than the others.

Tuning: On the record every string is tuned one whole step (two frets) lower than standard: D G C F A D from the thickest string to the thinnest. You are in standard tuning, so the same frets sound one whole step higher than the record. That is expected: if you play along with the recording it will sound wrong even when every note is right. Do not retune. (Optional, to match the record’s pitch without retuning: play exactly the same fret numbers on strings 4 and 3 instead of strings 6 and 5. The notes then match the record, one octave higher: the same note names, sounding higher. This follows from the tuning arithmetic; it has not been play-tested.)

Tempo: Start at 40 BPM and work up to 60 BPM, following the tempo ladder below. The record is at 120 BPM; the course target is 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). Picking: Downstrokes first, then alternate picking as shown in the Pick row.

TAB — Intro Riff

The riff is played on strings 6 (low E) and 5 (A). Most notes are eighth notes (two per beat). Two notes are held for a whole beat: the first note of measure 1, and the open string picked on the ”&” of 2 in measure 2. The three notes before the first bar line are a pick-up (lead-in notes that come before the first full measure): count “1, 2, 3” and start on the ”&” after 3.

"Come As You Are" - intro riff (three pick-up notes, then 2 measures that repeat)
e|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|------------------|-----------0-------0---------------|-------2---------------2-----------|
E|------0---0---1---|---2-----------2-------2---2---1---|---0-------0---0-----------0---1---|
Count:  &   4   &       1  (&)  2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &  (3)  &   4   &
Pick:   U   D   U       D       D   U   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U       U   D   U

On the two counts in brackets, (&) in measure 1 and (3) in measure 2, do not pick: say the count and let the note before it keep ringing.

Finger guide:

Fretting hand — one finger per fret:

• 0 = open string, no finger.
• Fret 1 on string 6: finger 1 (index).
• Fret 2 on string 6 and fret 2 on string 5: finger 2 (middle).
• Measure 1: keep finger 2 pressed on string 6 fret 2 while you pick the open string 5, so the two strings ring together. Arch the finger so it does not touch string 5.
• Measure 2: finger 2 moves across to string 5 fret 2. Leave it there until the last note of the measure (string 6 fret 1, finger 1).

Picking hand: learn the riff first with downstrokes only. Then follow the Pick row: a downstroke on every numbered count, an upstroke on every ”&”. That makes the very first note an upstroke.

How to Learn This Riff

This is a tempo ladder: climb it one step at a time. In this session, do Steps 1 and 2. The rest of the ladder is for your practice days. Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, and only after three clean runs in a row.

Step 1 — No metronome: Say the Count row aloud and play one note per count. First the pick-up and measure 1 only, stopping on the first note of measure 2 (the open string 6) and letting it ring. Then measure 2 only, counting “1 & 2 & (3) & 4 &” aloud. Then both measures.

Step 2 — Downstrokes only at 40 BPM, one note per click: Set your metronome to 40 BPM. Every count, numbers and ”&“s alike, gets one click, and each held note lasts two clicks. This is very slow, but it lets you focus on clean fretting and accurate picking.

Step 3 — Alternate picking, one note per click: Now follow the Pick row, still one note per click. Start at 40 BPM, then 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 and 80.

Step 4 — Two notes per click: Now change what the click means: one click for each numbered count only. You play two notes per click (one on the number, one on the ”&”). This is the correct rhythm. Set the metronome to 40 BPM: two notes per click at 40 is exactly as fast as one note per click at 80. Then 45, then 50.

Step 5 — Work up to 60 BPM: Once clean at 50, increase to 55, then 60. Do not jump ahead until each tempo is clean and steady. 60 BPM with two notes per click is the course target and the Phase 1 checkpoint tempo. Faster tempos (65, 70 and so on, up to the record’s 120) are extensions, to try only after 60 is clean.

Form: The riff is two measures long. After the three pick-up notes, play measure 1, measure 2, measure 1, measure 2 without a gap; the last two notes of measure 2 lead back into measure 1. The three pick-up notes are played once only, at the very start. After the second time through, let the last note ring.

What it should sound like: A hypnotic, repeating pattern with a slightly eerie quality. It is the record’s riff, played slower and, because the record is tuned lower, a whole step higher. Two checks you can make alone: (1) say the Count row aloud as you play, and hold both held notes for two counts, four times in a row; (2) record the riff twice through and listen once for one thing: can you hear the two longer notes each time?

Performance Notes

• Keep your alternate picking steady and even — every note should be the same volume
• When moving from an open note to a fretted note on the same string (the pick-up goes open, open, fret 1 on string 6), hover your finger just above the string during the open note and press at the moment you pick the fretted note
• The original song uses a chorus effect pedal. Your acoustic will sound drier, and a whole step higher than the record (see the tuning note)
• Let each note ring into the next — do not cut notes short by lifting your finger too early

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Learned Today

• Single-string picking technique (downstrokes and alternate picking)
• How to fret notes on strings 1 and 2 (frets 0, 1 and 3) and on strings 6 and 5 (frets 1 and 2)
• Alternate picking rhythm (D U D U = eighth notes)
• The two-measure opening riff of “Come As You Are” by Nirvana

Common Mistakes

1. Hitting neighbouring strings when picking — Let the heel of your hand touch the bridge lightly behind the saddle, never on the strings. Use small, controlled pick motions. In slow downstroke practice the pick should travel through the target string and come to rest against the next thinner string.
2. Uneven alternate picking — Downstrokes and upstrokes should sound equally loud. Beginners often play upstrokes too softly. Focus on making the upstroke as strong as the downstroke.
3. Lifting the fretting finger too early — In measure 1 keep finger 2 down on string 6 while you pick the open string 5, so the notes ring into each other.
4. Rushing the held notes — The first note of measure 1 lasts a whole beat, and in measure 2 the open string picked on the ”&” of 2 rings through beat 3. Say “three” aloud without picking. Practise measure 2 on its own.
5. Not counting the “ands” — For alternate picking, count “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.” The “ands” are as important as the numbers.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you pick string 6 four times in a row without hitting string 5, and string 5 without hitting string 6 or string 4? Check: three tries in a row with no wrong string. If not: repeat the “Crossing Between Strings 6 and 5” drill with downstrokes at 60 BPM, one note per click, and try again the next day.
2. Can you play the “Come As You Are” riff twice through at 50 BPM (two notes per click) with every note clear and both held notes held for their full length? Check: you never stop and you finish with the click. If not: go back one step on the tempo ladder for two days, then try again.
3. Do your downstrokes and upstrokes sound equally loud? Check: record 30 seconds of alternate picking on the open string 1 at 60 BPM, two notes per click, and listen once for one thing: are the upstrokes as loud as the downstrokes? If not: repeat the alternate picking exercise from Segment 2, making each upstroke as firm as the downstroke before it, and record again the next day.
4. Can you still play Em and Am with every string that should sound ringing? (Do not neglect your chords.) Check: play each chord once and pluck its strings one at a time: all six for Em, strings 5 to 1 for Am. If not: find the string that does not ring and fix that finger in the Chord Maintenance block of the practice plan, and try again the next day.

Practice Plan for Week 4 (each practice day, 22 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	The warm-up from this session’s Segment 1, then tune
Chord Maintenance	3 min	Em and Am, 4 beats per chord (four downstrokes, one strum per click) at 65 BPM, 8 measures. Repeat until the time is up
Picking Exercise	4 min	Alternate picking on each string (1 through 6), one measure per string at 60 BPM, two notes per click. Then the “Crossing Between Strings 6 and 5” drill at 60 BPM, one note per click. Repeat until the time is up
Come As You Are	10 min	Practise the riff: measure 1, then measure 2, then both; work up the tempo ladder towards 60 BPM. Focus on the held note in the middle of measure 2. Repeat until the time is up
Strings 1 and 2	2 min	The “Walking Up and Down” exercise at 60 BPM, one note per click: once with downstrokes, once with alternate picking. Repeat until the time is up

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 1 2, Week 4.

Steel-string note: Your fretting hand is now pressing individual strings — this puts more concentrated pressure on single fingertips than chord playing. 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.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

The Saga SF-600C-BK has steel strings that produce a bright, clear tone ideal for single-note melodies. When playing the “Come As You Are” riff, you will notice that strings 6 and 5 give a deep, full sound. This is the dreadnought body at work — it projects single notes with clarity. If a note buzzes when you fret at fret 2: (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.

After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)

• Read: Picking Accuracy, the sections “Pick Grip for Single-Note Picking”, “The Picking Motion” and “Level 1 — Single-String Picking (From Session 4)” (5 minutes).
• Read: Rhythm And Time, from the start as far as the note-values table. That is the sections “What Is a Beat?”, “Tempo — How Fast the Beats Go” and “Note Values — How Long Each Note Lasts”. Do it before your first practice day. (10 minutes)