Session 18: Phase 3 Showcase

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 is the final session of Phase 3. Over the last five sessions, you have added syncopated strumming, the C major scale, fingerpicking, the minor pentatonic scale, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and the simplified F chord with its small barre. You have played a Kishore Kumar melody and a melody study, fingerpicked the Em–D arpeggio study, and driven through “Paranoid” with palm-muted power chords. Today you perform the Phase 3 medley — a three-section piece that demonstrates your growing range as a guitarist.

Learning Objectives

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

1. Perform a palm-muted riff, a melody and a fingerpicked section in one piece
2. Play the “Paranoid” riff, the Session 16 melody study, and a fingerpicked chord progression back to back
3. Change from pick playing to fingerpicking within a performance
4. Play each section of the Phase 3 medley through without stopping, in order
5. Self-assess your readiness for Phase 4 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
• A phone that records sound (for self-check 5 and this week’s ear check)
• Fourteen small cards or slips of paper, written out before the session as Segment 2 describes (for the note-naming check)
• Six more slips of paper and a pen (for this week’s ear check)
• Reference: Phase 3 Checkpoint (for self-assessment after this session)
• Reference: Scale Diagrams, Chord Chart, 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). Before you look at the tuner, guess: too low, too high or right? Then look. Double-check — showcase sessions need perfect tuning.

Comprehensive Warm-Up

Play the Am pentatonic scale ascending and descending at 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes), with hammer-ons ascending and pull-offs descending. Then play C → F (simplified) → G → Am at 60 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks), one measure per chord, 8 measures. Finally, without the pick, play the alternating-thumb pattern (Session 15) on Em for 4 measures at 50 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes). This activates scales, chords (including the simplified F), and fingerpicking.

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.

Spider crawl: frets 3-6, one finger at a time, all six strings, up and down. Stop if it pulls or aches.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Phase 3 Skills Review (10 minutes)

Scale Fluency Check

C Major Scale: Play ascending and descending at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). Every note should be even — no hesitation on string crossings.

Am Pentatonic Scale: Play ascending and descending at 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes), with hammer-ons ascending and pull-offs descending. The legato connections should sound smooth.

If either scale has rough spots, note the specific string crossing that causes trouble and drill that transition after the session.

Technique Review

Play each technique for 2 measures:

Syncopated strumming (Session 13):

Chord:  Em
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   (u) chk U   D   (u) chk U

Fingerpicking — alternating-thumb pattern (Session 15):

Em
e|----------------------|
B|------------------0---|
G|----------0-----------|
D|----------------------|
A|--------------2-------|
E|------0---------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4
Finger: p   i   p   m
Notes:  E   G   B   B

Hammer-on/pull-off combination (Session 16):

e|------0---h3--p0------0---h3--p0------|
B|--------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2       3   &   4

Between two fret numbers inside a TAB line, p means pull-off. In a Finger row under the TAB (p i m a), p means the thumb.

Simplified F chord (Session 17):

Strum the simplified F once. Then pluck strings 4, 3, 2 and 1 one at a time and check that all four ring. Release completely.

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.

Checkpoint Walk-Through

These four items are in the Phase 3 checkpoint but not in the medley. Play each one once:

1. The Session 14 melody (“Mere Sapno Ki Rani”).
2. The Em–D arpeggio study (Session 15). This is the p-i-m-a arpeggio on Em and D.
3. The change test (Session 3) for C and the simplified F: a new chord every 4 beats at 80 BPM. If 80 BPM is too fast today, find the fastest tempo you can pass, in steps of 5 from 60 BPM.
4. Name ten notes from shuffled cards. The Session 14 map of strings 5 to 1 in open position has fourteen notes without a sharp. Before the session, write each one on its own card as a string and a fret (for example “string 5, fret 3”), not as a letter. Shuffle, turn over ten and name each note. Aim for 8 right out of 10. Check each answer by playing that string and fret with your tuner on: the tuner shows the letter.

Three more checkpoint items are not in the medley either. They are not played today: they are Set 2 of the Checkpoint Items row in this week’s practice plan.

• “Quiet and loud” (Session 13, Segment 3): G, Em, C, D once as quietly as you can, then once loudly.
• G, Em, C, D with the D D U U D U pattern at 70 BPM, two measures per chord (the Session 13 warm-up).
• The “Roop Tera Mastana” refrain chart (Session 17, Segment 4) at 60 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks).

Changing Between Pick and Fingers

The medley asks you to change from pick playing to fingerpicking between Section B and Section C. Use the simplest method: put the pick down.

1. Strum Em once with the pick and let it ring.
2. Put the pick down on your knee, or on a table beside you.
3. Set your plucking hand (p over string 6, i on string 3, m on string 2) and begin the alternating-thumb pattern on Em.

Allow yourself the whole transition measure (four beats) for the change. In the medley you also stop at that point to reset the metronome, so there is no hurry. Practise this 5 times.

To change back: Pick the pick up again and strum Em once. Practise this 5 times.

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Segment 3 — Medley Preparation (15 minutes)

Phase 3 Medley — Structure Overview

The medley has three sections, each showcasing a Phase 3 skill:

Section	Content	Technique	Measures	Tempo
A	”Paranoid” verse riff (Black Sabbath)	Palm-muted two-note power chords (pick)	8	75 BPM
Transition	Em, one strum, let ring	Strum (pick)	1	75 BPM
B	Session 16 melody study	Melody with hammer-on and pull-off (pick)	8	60 BPM
Transition	Em, one strum, let ring; put the pick down	Strum (pick)	1	60 BPM
C	Fingerpicked chord progression	Alternating-thumb pattern (fingers)	8	55 BPM
Ending	Final Em chord	Strum (pick)	1	—

Total: 27 measures (8 + 1 + 8 + 1 + 8 + 1)

Note on tempo changes: The medley has different tempos for each section. This is intentional — each section has a different character. A metronome cannot change speed in the middle of a piece, so after each transition measure: stop, set the metronome to the new tempo, count in one measure, and start the next section.

Section A — “Paranoid” Verse Riff (8 measures)

Use the pick. Pick every note of this riff with a downstroke, including the notes on the “ands”. Palm mute measures 1 to 3 of the riff; let measure 4 ring. 75 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes).

This is the verse riff from Session 13: written by Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward, and recorded by Black Sabbath on the album Paranoid (1970). Simplified. Not yet play-tested. The finger guide is in Session 13.

Riff measures 1-2

Chord:  E5                                  E5
e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|------4---4---4---4---4---4---4---4---|---4---4---4---4---4---4---4---4---|
D|------2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
PM:     PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM      PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM

Riff measures 3-4

Chord:  D5                                  G   D5          E5
e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|------2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|---0---2-----------4---------------|
D|------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|-------0-----------2---------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &  (2)      3      (4)
PM:     PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM

PM = palm muted. Riff measure 4 has no PM: lift your palm and let the three hits ring. A number in brackets in the Count row, such as (2), is a beat where you play nothing new: keep counting and let the chord ring.

Play the four measures twice (measures 1-8).

Transition Measure — Slow Down

Measure 9 (pick, no palm mute):

Chord:  Em
e|------0---------------|
B|------0---------------|
G|------0---------------|
D|------2---------------|
A|------2---------------|
E|------0---------------|
Count:  1  (2) (3) (4)

Strum Em once and let it ring for 4 beats. Then stop, set the metronome to 60 BPM, count in one measure, and start Section B.

Section B — Session 16 Melody Study (8 measures)

Stay with the pick. 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). Alternate picking; the hammered note and the pulled-off note are not picked.

This is the Question-and-Answer Melody Study from Session 16, written for this course. Not yet play-tested. In the medley its eight measures are measures 10 to 17.

Phrase 1: the question (medley measures 10 and 11)
e|------0---0---3---0-------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|----------------------3---1---0-------|-----------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|---0-------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4           1      (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  E   E   G   E   D   C   B           G

Phrase 2: the answer (medley measures 12 and 13)
e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|------0---1---3---1---0---------------|-----------------------------------|
G|------------------------------0---2---|---0-------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3       4   &       1      (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  B   C   D   C   B       G   A       G

Phrase 3: the question again, shorter (medley measures 14 and 15)
e|------0---0---3---0-------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|----------------------3---0-----------|-----------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &  (4)         (1)     (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  E   E   G   E   D   B

Phrase 4: the answer, with a hammer-on and a pull-off (medley measures 16 and 17)
e|------0---h3--0-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|----------------------3---p0----------|-----------------------------------|
G|------------------------------0-------|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2       3   &   4          (1)     (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  E   G   E       D   B   G

h3 = hammer-on: do not pick; hammer finger 3 onto fret 3. p0 = pull-off: do not pick; pull finger 3 off so the open string sounds. A gap in the Count row works like a number in brackets: play nothing new and keep counting.

Transition Measure — Switch to Fingerpicking

Measure 18:

1. Strum Em once with the pick. Let it ring for 4 beats.
2. Put the pick down on your knee, or on a table beside you.
3. Stop, set the metronome to 55 BPM, and set your plucking hand (p over string 6, i on string 3, m on string 2).
4. Count in one measure and start Section C.

Section C — Fingerpicked Chord Progression (8 measures)

No pick — fingerpicking only. 55 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes).

The alternating-thumb pattern from Session 15. Play each chord’s measure twice (2 measures per chord):

Em: play this measure twice (measures 19-20)
e|----------------------|
B|------------------0---|
G|----------0-----------|
D|----------------------|
A|--------------2-------|
E|------0---------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4
Finger: p   i   p   m
Notes:  E   G   B   B

Am: play this measure twice (measures 21-22)
e|----------------------|
B|------------------1---|
G|----------2-----------|
D|--------------2-------|
A|------0---------------|
E|----------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4
Finger: p   i   p   m
Notes:  A   A   E   C

C: play this measure twice (measures 23-24)
e|----------------------|
B|------------------1---|
G|----------0-----------|
D|--------------2-------|
A|------3---------------|
E|----------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4
Finger: p   i   p   m
Notes:  C   G   E   C

G: play this measure twice (measures 25-26)
e|----------------------|
B|------------------0---|
G|----------0-----------|
D|----------------------|
A|--------------2-------|
E|------3---------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4
Finger: p   i   p   m
Notes:  G   G   B   B

Ending — Final Chord

Measure 27:

1. Pick up the pick. Take the time you need; the last note of Section C is still ringing.
2. Strum Em once — full downstroke, all six strings.
3. Let it ring until silence.

Performing the Medley

First run (sections separately): Play each section alone. Make sure each is clean.

Second run (connecting): The two critical transitions:

• Section A → B: Play the transition measure, then stop and reset the metronome (75 → 60 BPM). Release palm muting. Shift from the power chords on strings 4 and 3 to the melody on strings 1–3.
• Section B → C: Technique change (pick → fingerpicking) and a new tempo (60 → 55 BPM). This is the hardest transition. Play the transition measure, put the pick down, reset the metronome and position your fingers.

Third run (performance): Full medley. Rules:

1. Set the metronome to 75 BPM and count yourself in: “1, 2, 3, 4” (one silent measure).
2. Do NOT stop inside a section if you make a mistake — find the next note and keep going.
3. Between sections: stop, set the metronome to the new tempo, count in one measure, and start the next section. These pauses are part of the performance.
4. Let the final Em ring for at least 4 seconds.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: Full Performance (15 minutes)

Use this time for multiple full runs. Aim for at least 3 complete performances.

Run 1: Get through it. Any tempo, any dynamics — just finish.

Run 2: Focus on the two transitions. Practise the last measure of Section A, the transition measure, the metronome reset and the first measure of Section B. Then do the same from Section B into Section C.

Run 3: Performance run. Focus on character:

• Section A (“Paranoid”): Driving and heavy. Firm, even downstrokes and tight palm muting in riff measures 1 to 3; let measure 4 ring.
• Section B (melody study): Unhurried. Let the melody breathe: keep counting through the quiet measure after each phrase. The hammered note and the pulled-off note should both be heard.
• Section C (fingerpicking): Gentle, flowing, intimate. Each plucked note should ring clearly. This is the calm after the storm.

The ability to move between aggressive rock, emotional melody, and gentle fingerpicking in a single performance is genuine musicianship. You are not just playing notes — you are communicating feelings through your guitar.

If you want to play a section from memory, use “How to memorise a piece” from Session 6.

If you have extra time: Record this performance. Compare it to your Phase 2 recording. The growth should be audible.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Achieved in Phase 3

• Learned syncopated strumming with muted chucks and dynamic accents
• Mastered the C major scale (open position) — your first complete scale
• Developed fingerpicking technique: p-i-m-a system, the alternating-thumb pattern, arpeggios
• Learned the Am pentatonic scale — the foundation of rock and blues soloing
• Mastered hammer-ons and pull-offs for legato playing
• Learned the simplified F chord and the two-string barre
• Played music from two traditions, rock (“Paranoid”) and Hindi film (“Mere Sapno Ki Rani,” “Roop Tera Mastana”), a melody study and a fingerpicked arpeggio study
• Performed a three-section medley switching between techniques and moods

Phase 3 was the biggest leap in the course. You went from playing chords and simple riffs to playing scales, fingerpicking arpeggios, using legato techniques, and performing dynamic, multi-section pieces. You are no longer a beginner who plays chords — you are a developing guitarist with real range.

Common Mistakes

1. Skipping the pick-to-finger transition practice — This is a real performance skill. Practise putting the pick down and picking it up again until you can do it without looking for it.
2. Guessing the tempo of the next section — Each section has its own tempo. Stop, set the metronome to the new tempo, count in one measure, and start the next section.
3. Losing fingerpicking technique under pressure — Under performance stress, your fingers may revert to strumming motions. If the fingerpicking section falls apart, slow down rather than abandoning the technique.
4. Dropping the simplified F — The medley has no F chord in it, so keep F in your daily plan: press, pluck, release, 8 times. Never hold it against a clock.
5. Not celebrating your progress — Phase 3 was hard. You did it. The skills you have now — scales, fingerpicking, the simplified F, syncopation, legato — are the skills of a real guitarist. Be proud.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play each of the three sections of the Phase 3 medley through without stopping, in order, with the metronome reset between sections? If not: play the section where you stopped on its own, as in the first run under “Performing the Medley” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.
2. Can you put the pick down and begin the alternating-thumb pattern within one measure (four beats)? If not: use the Pick/Finger Transition row of the practice plan and try again the next day.
3. Can you play the C major scale at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes), and the Am pentatonic scale at 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes), from memory? Check: each scale once, up and down, without looking at the page, with no wrong note and no stop. If not: note the string crossing that causes trouble, as the “Scale Fluency Check” in Segment 2 says, drill it in the Scale Review row of the practice plan, and try again the next day.
4. Can you play a hammer-on from open to fret 3 on string 1 and a pull-off from fret 3 to open on string 1, each loud enough to hear clearly? Check: five of each in a row. If not: repeat the “Hammer-on/pull-off combination (Session 16)” in Segment 2, with a quicker tap closer to the fret and a small flick towards the floor, not more force, and try again the next day.
5. On a recording of the medley, is Section A clearly louder than Section C? If not: play Section C more gently, as the Run 3 notes in Segment 4 describe, and record the medley again on your next practice day.

Phase 3 Assessment

On the last practice day of this week, work through Phase 3 Checkpoint to formally assess your Phase 3 skills. Its ear item is marked from the recording described at the end of this session, which has to be made at least a day earlier.

Checkpoints are not exams, but they do decide when you move on. Items marked * are must-pass. If every * item is Mastered and at least four in every five items are Mastered, go on to the next phase. If not, practise the items that are not yet Mastered for one more week, using the advice under each, and take those items again. After that second week, go on in any case and keep the unfinished items in your warm-up.

Practice Plan for Week 18 (each practice day, 25 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	The warm-up from this session’s Segment 1, then tune. On practice days that means the hand movements, C → F (simplified) → G → Am and the spider crawl; the Am pentatonic scale and the alternating-thumb pattern have their own rows below
Scale Review	4 min	C major scale at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes) + Am pentatonic at 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes), with hammer-ons/pull-offs. 3 repetitions each. Repeat until the time is up
Simplified F	2 min	Simplified F: press, pluck, release, 8 times. Then the change test for C and F at one tempo a day: start at the fastest tempo you passed in the session (Segment 2, Checkpoint Walk-Through, item 3) and go 5 BPM faster each day after you pass, up to 80 BPM
Chord Changes	3 min	Your three slowest open-chord pairs: the change test with a new chord every 2 beats at 65 BPM. If 65 BPM is too fast, start at 50 BPM and climb in steps of 5
Pick/Finger Transition	2 min	Strum Em once (pick) → put the pick down → alternating-thumb pattern on Em (fingers) 4 measures → pick up the pick → strum Em once. 3 cycles
Full Medley	8 min	Play the Phase 3 medley 2 times through, resetting the metronome between sections. No stops inside a section. Then repeat the section that went least well until the time is up. Once this week, record the second run for self-check 5
Checkpoint Items	3 min	Two sets, on alternate days: Set 1 on your first practice day, Set 2 on the next, and so on. Set 1: the Session 14 melody once, the Em–D arpeggio study once, then name ten notes from the shuffled cards. Set 2: G, Em, C, D with the D D U U D U pattern at 70 BPM, two measures per chord (the Session 13 warm-up), once; then “Quiet and loud” (Session 13, Segment 3): G, Em, C, D once as quietly as you can, then once loudly; then the “Roop Tera Mastana” refrain chart (Session 17, Segment 4) once at 60 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks)

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. The Simplified F row is your barre work for the day.

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 3 4, Week 18.

On the last practice day of the week, do not follow the table: take Phase 3 Checkpoint and nothing else.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

You are now using your Saga’s full range — from palm-muted power chords to delicate fingerpicked arpeggios. The dreadnought body’s versatility is clear: it handles heavy rock strumming with authority and fingerpicked ballads with warmth. The cutaway makes the frets above the 12th easier to reach. The sessions stay below that, so you will not need it during this course. It will matter later, when you start playing above the 12th fret.

After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)

• Record: this week’s ear check. Mark it on any later practice day. Use the recorded card test (Session 6), Test 3, play it back. Write six slips, each with a three-note phrase of your own on strings 1 and 2, using only E (string 1 open), F (string 1 fret 1), G (string 1 fret 3), B (string 2 open), C (string 2 fret 1) and D (string 2 fret 3). Play each phrase twice, slowly. Next day: listen to both playings, then play the phrase; turn the slip and compare the strings and frets you played with the slip. Right only if every note matched. Pass: 4 of 6. This recording is the one you mark for item 19 of the Phase 3 checkpoint: make it at least a day before you take the checkpoint, and if you have not marked it by then, mark it there. (3 minutes)