Session 6: Phase 1 Showcase

Duration: 50 minutes

This is the final session of Phase 1. You have spent five sessions building the fundamentals — guitar anatomy, posture, three chords (Em, Am, E), single-note picking, alternate picking, TAB reading, and two real pieces of music. Today you bring it all together in a Phase 1 medley that demonstrates everything you have learned. This session is about performing, not learning new material.

Learning Objectives

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

1. Play Em, Am, and E major cleanly from memory without hesitation
2. Switch between all three chords at 70 BPM
3. Play the “Come As You Are” riff and the “N.I.B.” riff back to back
4. Perform the Phase 1 medley from beginning to end
5. Self-assess your readiness for Phase 2 using the checkpoint criteria

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• Reference: Phase 1 Checkpoint (for self-assessment after this session)

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

Finger Stretches

1. Finger spread — 3 times, hold 5 seconds each.
2. Wrist circles — 5 each direction per wrist.
3. Finger touch — 5 times per hand.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE). Showcase sessions demand clean tuning — out-of-tune strings are more noticeable when everything else is right.

Full Warm-Up

Play each chord once with 4 downstrokes at 70 BPM:

• Em: 1 measure (4 beats)
• Am: 1 measure (4 beats)
• E major: 1 measure (4 beats)
• Em: 1 measure (4 beats)

Then play the “Come As You Are” riff for 4 measures at 60 BPM. This activates both your strumming and picking hands.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Phase 1 Skills Review (10 minutes)

Chord Quality Check

Play each chord and pluck every string individually. Fix any issues:

Em: All 6 strings should ring. If any are muted, check finger placement.

Am: Strings 1–5 should ring. String 6 is not played. Check that finger 1 on string 2 fret 1 is not muting string 1.

E major: All 6 strings should ring. Check that finger 1 on string 3 fret 1 is curled enough to avoid touching strings 2 and 4.

Transition Speed Test

Set your metronome to 70 BPM. On each beat, play a different chord:

Beat: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4

Chord: Em Am E Em | Am E Em Am

Strum: D D D D | D D D D

One chord change per beat at 70 BPM is challenging. If you cannot keep up:

• Try 60 BPM
• Try changing every 2 beats instead of every beat
• Focus on the hardest transition (likely Am → E) and drill just that pair

Target for Phase 2 readiness: You should be able to change between any two of these three chords within 2 beats at 70 BPM.

Strumming Pattern Review

Play Em with each strumming pattern you have learned:

Pattern 1 — Basic downstrokes (Session 1): D D D D 1 2 3 4

Pattern 2 — D/U eighth notes (Session 5): D U D U D U D U 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Pattern 3 — D D U U D U (Session 5, “N.I.B.”): D D U U D U 1 2 & 3 4 &

Play each pattern for 2 measures on Em at 65 BPM. If any pattern feels shaky, spend extra time on it.

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Segment 3 — New Learning: Putting It All Together (15 minutes)

Major vs Minor — Ear Training

Before the medley, sharpen your ear. Play the following sequence and listen carefully to each chord’s character:

1. Strum Em once — let it ring for 3 seconds. Say aloud: “minor”
2. Strum E major once — let it ring for 3 seconds. Say aloud: “major”
3. Strum Am once — let it ring for 3 seconds. Say aloud: “minor”

Now do a blind test: Close your eyes, play one of the three chords (without deciding which one in advance — just let your fingers land somewhere familiar). Listen. Can you tell if it is major or minor before opening your eyes?

This is the beginning of ear training — the ability to recognise sounds without seeing what is being played. You will develop this throughout the course.

Performance Mindset

This is your first showcase. Here are the rules:

1. Play from start to finish without stopping. If you make a mistake, keep going. Do not restart. In real performance, the music never stops.
2. Count yourself in. Before you begin, tap your foot or nod your head for 4 beats to set the tempo. Then start on beat 1.
3. Breathe. Tension in your shoulders and arms makes everything harder. Before you start, take one deep breath and let your shoulders drop.

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: Phase 1 Medley (15 minutes)

Phase 1 Medley — Structure

This medley has three sections that showcase your three main skills: melody picking, chord strumming with a rock pattern, and chord transitions.

Total length: 24 measures Tempo: 65 BPM throughout

Section A — “Come As You Are” Riff (8 measures)

Picking: Alternate picking (D U D U)

Measures 1-2 (string 4): 


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


Measures 3-4 (string 4): 


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


Measures 5-8: Repeat measures 1-4

Transition: Play 4 open downstrokes on string 6 (low E) as a 1-measure bridge

Measure 9 (transition): 


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

Section B — “N.I.B.” Riff (8 measures)

Strumming pattern: D D U U D U

Measures 10-11 (Em): 
Strum: D   D   U   U   D   U  |  D   D   U   U   D   U
Count: 1   2   &   3   4   &  |  1   2   &   3   4   &



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


Measures 12-13 (E major): 
Strum: D   D   U   U   D   U  |  D   D   U   U   D   U
Count: 1   2   &   3   4   &  |  1   2   &   3   4   &



e|---0-------0---0---0---0---|---0-------0---0---0---0---|
B|---0-------0---0---0---0---|---0-------0---0---0---0---|
G|---1-------1---1---1---1---|---1-------1---1---1---1---|
D|---2-------2---2---2---2---|---2-------2---2---2---2---|
A|---2-------2---2---2---2---|---2-------2---2---2---2---|
E|---0-------0---0---0---0---|---0-------0---0---0---0---|


Measures 14-17: Repeat measures 10-13

Section C — Three-Chord Exercise (7 measures)

Strumming pattern: Basic D/U eighth notes (D U D U D U D U)

Measures 18-19 (Em):

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 &

 

Measures 20-21 (Am):

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 &

 

Measures 22-23 (E major):

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 &

 

Measure 24 — Final chord (Em):

Strum: D

Count: 1

(Let it ring)

Performing the Medley

1. Set your metronome to 65 BPM.
2. Count yourself in: “1, 2, 3, 4” (one measure of silence).
3. Begin Section A (“Come As You Are”).
4. Play through to Section C’s final Em chord.
5. Let the final chord ring until it fades naturally.

First run: Play through at whatever pace feels manageable. Mistakes are expected. The goal is to finish.

Second run: Now focus on the transitions between sections. The hardest parts are:

• The shift from picking (Section A) to strumming (Section B) — you need to widen your pick motion from single-string to full-strum
• The shift from D D U U D U (Section B) to D U D U D U D U (Section C) — the strumming pattern changes

Third run: Play it through as if you are performing for someone. No stops, no restarts. This is your Phase 1 performance.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Achieved in Phase 1

• Learned guitar anatomy and proper posture
• Mastered three chords: Em, Am, E major
• Learned to read guitar TAB
• Developed alternate picking for single-note melodies
• Learned three strumming patterns (downstrokes, D/U, D D U U D U)
• Played two real songs: “Come As You Are” (Nirvana) and “N.I.B.” (Black Sabbath)
• Performed a 24-measure medley from memory

That is a genuine achievement. Six sessions ago, you had never touched a guitar.

Common Mistakes

1. Stopping after every mistake — The medley is practice for performing. Performers do not stop. If you hit a wrong chord, play the right one on the next beat and carry on.
2. Changing tempo between sections — Keep the metronome running throughout. All three sections are at the same 65 BPM.
3. Forgetting to tune — After all the playing in this session, your guitar may drift slightly out of tune. Re-tune before your final run.
4. Tensing up before “hard” transitions — Breathe. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Tension makes your fingers slower, not faster.
5. Playing too fast — 65 BPM is the target. If you are not there yet, 55 or 60 BPM is fine. Clean and slow beats messy and fast.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play the full Phase 1 medley from start to finish without stopping?
2. Can you switch between Em, Am, and E major at 70 BPM (one chord per beat)?
3. Can you play the “Come As You Are” riff at 65 BPM with even alternate picking?
4. Can you identify whether a chord is major or minor by its sound?
5. Do all your chords sound clean when you pluck each string individually?

Phase 1 Assessment

After this session, work through Phase 1 Checkpoint to formally assess your Phase 1 skills. The checkpoint is self-administered — you will evaluate yourself honestly against the criteria. If any area needs work, spend a few extra days practising before moving to Session 7.

Practice Plan (Daily, until ready for Session 7)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	Finger stretches + tune
Chord Drill	5 min	Em → Am → E cycle, D/U pattern, 70 BPM. 10 cycles
Come As You Are	5 min	Play the riff at 65 BPM or faster. Aim for even, smooth picking
N.I.B. Riff	5 min	Play the riff at 65 BPM with the D D U U D U pattern
Full Medley	5 min	Play the Phase 1 medley from start to finish. One clean run, no stops
Phase 1 Checkpoint	—	Complete Phase 1 Checkpoint when ready

Steel-string note: If you have been practising daily, your fingertips should have visible calluses by now — slightly yellowish, hardened skin that is no longer tender. If your calluses are well-developed, congratulations — the pain phase is essentially over. From Phase 2 onwards, finger pain should not be a significant issue.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

Now that you have been playing your Saga for a couple of weeks, check the tuning stability. Play a chord, then re-check the tuning. If the guitar goes out of tune quickly, the strings may need stretching. After tuning each string, gently pull it away from the fretboard (about 2 cm, no more) at the 12th fret, then re-tune. Repeat this pull-and-tune process 3 times per string. This stretches the strings and improves tuning stability. New steel strings on the Saga typically stabilise after 1–2 weeks of regular playing and stretching.