Session 18: Phase 3 Showcase

Duration: 50 minutes

This is the final session of Phase 3. Over the last six sessions, you have added syncopated strumming, the C major scale, fingerpicking, the minor pentatonic scale, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and your first barre chord. You have played melodies from Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey, fingerpicked the “Fear of the Dark” intro, 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 syncopated strumming, fingerpicking, and melody playing in a single piece
2. Play the “Paranoid” riff, “Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli” melody, and a fingerpicked chord progression back to back
3. Transition between pick technique and fingerpicking within a performance
4. Play the complete Phase 3 medley without stopping
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
• Reference: Phase 3 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. Both hands.
3. Spider crawl — Frets 1-2-3-4, all six strings, up and down.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE). Double-check — showcase sessions need perfect tuning.

Comprehensive Warm-Up

Play the Am pentatonic scale ascending and descending with hammer-ons and pull-offs at 55 BPM. Then play C → F (simplified) → G → Am at 60 BPM, D/U strumming, one measure per chord, 8 measures. Finally, play the Travis picking pattern on Em for 4 measures at 50 BPM. This activates scales, chords (including barre), and fingerpicking.

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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, eighth notes (two notes per beat). Every note should be even — no hesitation on string crossings.

Am Pentatonic Scale: Play ascending and descending at 60 BPM 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):

Strum: D (u) chk U D (u) chk U

Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Chord: Em

Fingerpicking — Travis pattern (Session 15):

String: p(6) i(3) p(5) m(2)

Count: 1 2 3 4

Chord: Em

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

e|---0h3p0-------0h3p0---|
     1  &  2     3  &  4

Simplified F barre chord (Session 17): Strum F for 4 beats. Check all four strings ring.

Transition Between Pick and Fingers

The medley requires you to switch from pick playing to fingerpicking mid-performance. Practise this transition:

1. Play Em with the syncopated strumming pattern (pick) for 2 measures.
2. Tuck the pick between your thumb and the side of your index finger (hold it against your palm).
3. Immediately begin the Travis fingerpicking pattern on Em.

The switch should take no more than one beat. Practise this 5 times until it feels natural.

To switch back: Extract the pick from your palm grip and resume strumming. 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” riff (Black Sabbath)	Palm-muted power chords (pick)	10	75 BPM
B	”Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli” melody (Manna Dey)	Pentatonic melody with hammer-ons (pick)	8	65 BPM
C	Fingerpicked chord progression	Travis picking (fingers)	8	55 BPM
Ending	Final Em chord	Strum (pick)	1	—

Total: 27 measures

Note on tempo changes: The medley has different tempos for each section. This is intentional — each section has a different character. Count yourself into the new tempo during the transition measure.

Section A — “Paranoid” Riff (10 measures)

Use the pick. Palm mute throughout. 75 BPM.

Part 1 (play twice — 4 measures):
e|----------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------|
D|---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---------------|
A|---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---------------|
E|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
     PM throughout — E5 power chord

Part 2 (play once — 1 measure):
e|----------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------|
E|---0---0---3---3---2---2---0---0---------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
     PM throughout

Repeat: Part 1 (twice) + Part 2 (once) = 5 more measures

Transition Measure — Slow Down

Measure 11 (transition — pick, no palm mute): 


e|---0-------|
B|---0-------|
G|---0-------|
D|---2-------|
A|---2-------|
E|---0-------|
     1
     Em — single strum, let ring for 4 beats
     (Use this time to mentally set the new tempo: 65 BPM)

Section B — “Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli” Melody (8 measures)

Stay with the pick. 65 BPM. Alternate picking.

Phrase 1 (2 measures):
e|---0---0---3---0-----------------------|
B|-------------------3---1---0-----------|
G|---------------------------------------0|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &   1

Phrase 2 (2 measures):
B|---0---1---3---1---0---------------------|
G|-------------------------0---2---0-------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &

Phrase 3 (2 measures):
e|---0---0---3---0---------|
B|-------------------3---0-|
     1   &   2   &   3   &

Phrase 4 — with expression (2 measures):
e|---0h3---0---------|
B|-----------3p0-----|
G|---------------0---|
     1  &   2  &  3

Transition Measure — Switch to Fingerpicking

Measure 20 (transition):

Strum Em once with pick. Let ring.

Tuck pick into palm.

Prepare fingerpicking hand position (p on string 6, i on string 3, m on string 2, a on string 1).

Section C — Fingerpicked Chord Progression (8 measures)

No pick — fingerpicking only. 55 BPM.

Travis picking pattern on each chord for 2 measures:

Em (2 measures):
e|-------------------------------|
B|-----------0-----------0-------|
G|-----0-----------0------------|
D|-------------------------------|
A|-----------2-----------2-------|
E|---0-----------0---------------|
     p    i    p    m

Am (2 measures):
e|-------------------------------|
B|-----------1-----------1-------|
G|-----2-----------2------------|
D|-----------2-----------2-------|
A|---0-----------0---------------|
     p    i    p    m

C (2 measures):
e|-------------------------------|
B|-----------1-----------1-------|
G|-----0-----------0------------|
D|-----------2-----------2-------|
A|---3-----------3---------------|
     p    i    p    m

G (2 measures):
e|-------------------------------|
B|-----------0-----------0-------|
G|-----0-----------0------------|
A|-----------2-----------2-------|
E|---3-----------3---------------|
     p    i    p    m

Ending — Final Chord

Measure 29:

Retrieve pick from palm.

Strum Em once — full downstroke, all six strings.

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: Tempo change (75 → 65 BPM). Release palm muting. Shift from power chord position to melody position on strings 1–3.
• Section B → C: Technique change (pick → fingerpicking). This is the hardest transition. Tuck the pick smoothly and position your fingers.

Third run (performance): Full medley. Rules:

1. Count yourself in at 75 BPM: “1, 2, 3, 4” (one silent measure).
2. Do NOT stop if you make a mistake — find the next note and keep going.
3. Accept the tempo changes between sections — they are part of the performance.
4. Let the final Em ring for at least 4 seconds.

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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. Practice Section A’s last measure flowing into Section B. Practice Section B’s last measure flowing into Section C.

Run 3: Performance run. Focus on character:

• Section A (“Paranoid”): Aggressive, relentless, heavy. Hard picking, tight palm muting.
• Section B (“Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli”): Reflective, emotional, singing. Let the melody breathe. Use hammer-ons for expression.
• 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 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, Travis picking, arpeggios
• Learned the Am pentatonic scale — the foundation of rock and blues soloing
• Mastered hammer-ons and pull-offs for legato playing
• Introduced the barre chord (simplified and full F major)
• Played songs from three genres: rock (“Paranoid”), Hindi film (“Mere Sapno Ki Rani,” “Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli,” “Roop Tera Mastana”), and metal (“Fear of the Dark” intro)
• 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 tucking and retrieving the pick until it is automatic.
2. Rushing tempo changes between sections — Each section has its own tempo. Take a full beat (or even a measure) to settle into the new tempo before playing.
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. Neglecting barre chord practice — The barre chord is a long-term project. Even if you use the simplified F in the medley, continue daily barre strength exercises.
5. Not celebrating your progress — Phase 3 was hard. You did it. The skills you have now — scales, fingerpicking, barre chords, syncopation, legato — are the skills of a real guitarist. Be proud.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play the full Phase 3 medley from start to finish without stopping?
2. Can you switch between pick and fingerpicking within 2 beats?
3. Can you play the C major scale and Am pentatonic scale from memory?
4. Can you perform hammer-ons and pull-offs that are clearly audible?
5. Can you change your playing dynamics between aggressive (Section A) and gentle (Section C)?

Phase 3 Assessment

After this session, work through Phase 3 Checkpoint to formally assess your Phase 3 skills. If any area needs work, spend extra days practising before moving to Session 19.

Practice Plan (Daily, until ready for Session 19)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	Finger stretches + spider crawl + tune
Scale Review	5 min	C major scale at 65 BPM + Am pentatonic at 60 BPM (with hammer-ons/pull-offs). 3 repetitions each
Barre Chord Strength	3 min	Full barre at fret 1: hold 10 seconds, release, 5 times. Then simplified F: 8 strums at 60 BPM
Pick/Finger Transition	3 min	Strum Em (pick) 4 measures → tuck pick → Travis Em (fingers) 4 measures → retrieve pick → strum Em 4 measures. 3 cycles
Full Medley	8 min	Play the Phase 3 medley 2 times through. No stops
Song Maintenance	3 min	Choose any song from Phases 1–3. Play through once
Phase 3 Checkpoint	—	Complete Phase 3 Checkpoint when ready

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

You are now using your Saga’s full range — from palm-muted power chords on the bass strings to delicate fingerpicked arpeggios on the treble strings. The dreadnought body’s versatility is clear: it handles heavy rock strumming with authority and fingerpicked ballads with warmth. As you move into Phase 4, you will start exploring the upper frets (above fret 7). This is where the Saga’s cutaway body gives you an advantage — that scoop in the upper body provides unobstructed access to frets 12–20, which would be blocked on a non-cutaway dreadnought. You have been carrying that secret weapon since Session 1. It is about to come into play.