Session 21: Expressive Melody 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 session is about making a melody sing, the way the melodies of Hindi cinema do. You have already played Kishore Kumar songs in Sessions 11, 14, and 17. Today you learn a showcase study: a melody with a slide, hammer-ons and a pull-off, and a chord section to go with it. The way a film singer such as Manna Dey slides into and decorates notes is the model. You will learn both the melody (for expressive single-note playing) and a chord section (to play between the melody phrases). This session develops your ability to play a melody on guitar with the phrasing of a singing voice.

Learning Objectives

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

1. Play the four-phrase melody of the Showcase Study with expressive phrasing
2. Play its chord section, including the new D minor chord
3. Transition between melody and chord sections within a single performance
4. Use slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and dynamic shaping for vocal-style phrasing on guitar

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• A phone or other device that records sound
• Paper and a pen
• Handout for this session: Reading Standard Notation (read after the session, 10 minutes)
• Reference: Chord Chart
• Reference: Glossary

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

Before You Play

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.

Warm-Up

1. Play the C major scale ascending and descending at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes).
2. Play the A minor pentatonic scale (open position) with hammer-ons (ascending) and pull-offs (descending), two notes per click (eighth notes), at 40 BPM and then at 45 BPM.
3. Play the “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” melody (Session 14, Phrase 1 only) at 65 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes).
4. Spider crawl: frets 1-4, 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: Expressive Melody Playing (10 minutes)

Vocal Phrasing on Guitar

Hindi film melodies are written for the human voice — they swoop, slide, ornament, and breathe. When you play these melodies on guitar, you need to imitate those vocal qualities:

1. Slides — Slide your finger from one fret to another while the string is ringing. This mimics the way a singer glides between notes.
2. Hammer-ons and pull-offs — Connect notes smoothly without re-picking. This creates the legato (smooth) quality of a singing voice.
3. Dynamic shaping — Play the notes of a phrase gradually louder as it rises and softer as it falls. One plucked note cannot grow louder once it is sounding; the swell happens across several notes.
4. Breathing pauses — Let the last note of a phrase ring before you start the next one, the way a singer takes a breath. Do not play every note right up to the next one.

Slide Technique

A slide is when you fret a note, pick it, then slide your finger along the string to a different fret without picking again. The pitch glides smoothly from the first note to the second. A slide always starts and ends on a fretted note, never on an open string.

In TAB, a slide is shown with ”/” (up) or ”\” (down) in front of the fret you slide to:

Slide up: pick fret 3, then slide to fret 5
e|------3---/5--|
B|--------------|
G|--------------|
D|--------------|
A|--------------|
E|--------------|

Slide down: pick fret 5, then slide to fret 3
e|------5---\3--|
B|--------------|
G|--------------|
D|--------------|
A|--------------|
E|--------------|

A sliding fingertip rubs along the string. If it stings or burns, stop the slides for today. 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.

How to slide:

1. Press finger 3 (ring) on string 1, fret 3. Pick the note.
2. While the string is still ringing, slide your finger up to fret 5. Keep just enough pressure for the note to go on sounding: do not lift your finger off the string, and do not squeeze. Let your whole hand travel with the finger, thumb included.
3. The pitch should glide smoothly from G to A.
4. After the slide, bring finger 3 back to fret 3.

Expressive Exercise

Practice this phrase that combines slides, a hammer-on, and a pull-off:

Expressive exercise
e|------0-------3---/5--\3------0---h3--|---p0--|
B|--------------------------------------|-------|
G|--------------------------------------|-------|
D|--------------------------------------|-------|
A|--------------------------------------|-------|
E|--------------------------------------|-------|
Count:  1  (&)  2   &   3  (&)  4   &       1
Pick:   D       D               D

Pick on beats 1, 2 and 4. The slides, the hammer-on and the pull-off are not picked. A count in brackets, (&), is a count on which you play nothing new: keep counting and let the note ring. Use finger 3 for fret 3 and for both slides. The last note, the pull-off to the open string, lands on beat 1 of the next measure.

Tempo: 50 BPM, counting “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” (two counts per click). This phrase sounds like a singing voice — it climbs, swoops, and returns. This is the kind of phrasing you need for today’s study.

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Segment 3 — New Learning: Showcase Study in A minor (15 minutes)

About This Piece

Piece: Showcase Study in A minor: melody and chords Type: A melody-and-chords study written for this course. It is not the tune or the chord chart of any film song. Not yet play-tested. Credits: Written for this course. What you are learning: A four-phrase melody (8 measures) and an eight-measure chord section.

Tempo: Start at 50 BPM and work up to 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). 60 BPM is the practice target. Picking: Alternate picking (down on the numbers, up on the &s). The slid, hammered and pulled-off notes are not picked.

For listening only: “Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen” sung by Manna Dey, from the film Waqt (1965). Music: Ravi. Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi. It is a lively, celebratory song, much faster than this study. Listen to how the singer slides into notes and decorates them: the slide, hammer-on and pull-off in the study are the guitar’s way of doing the same. The study below is not that tune.

Melody TAB (four phrases)

Phrase 1: with a slide up (measures 1 and 2)
e|------0---0---1---3---3---/5--3---1---|---0-------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1      (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  E   E   F   G   G   A   G   F       E

Phrase 2: a falling line (measures 3 and 4; measure 4 has no new notes)
e|------3---1---0-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|------------------3---1---0-----------|-----------------------------------|
G|------------------------------0-------|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4          (1)     (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  G   F   E   D   C   B   G

Phrase 3: rise and fall (measures 5 and 6; measure 6 has no new notes)
e|------0---1---3---1---0---------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------1---0-------|-----------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------0---|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &      (1)     (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  E   F   G   F   E   C   B   G

Phrase 4: with a hammer-on, a slide down and a pull-off (measures 7 and 8)
e|------0---0---h3--3---\1--0-----------|-----------------------------------|
B|------------------------------1---0---|---h3--p0--------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &  (2)     (3)     (4)
Notes:  E   E   G   G   F   E   C   B       D   B

How to read the rows:

• A number in brackets in the Count row, such as (2), is a beat where you play nothing new: keep counting and let the last note ring. Measures 4 and 6 have no new notes at all.
• /5 = slide up: do not pick; keep pressing and slide the same finger up to fret 5.
• \1 = slide down: do not pick; keep pressing and slide the same finger down to fret 1.
• h3 = hammer-on: do not pick; hammer finger 3 onto fret 3.
• p0 = pull-off: do not pick; pull the finger off so the open string sounds.

Finger guide:

• String 1: open = E; fret 1 = F, finger 1 (index); fret 3 = G, finger 3 (ring); fret 5 = A, reached by sliding finger 3 up from fret 3.
• String 2: open = B; fret 1 = C, finger 1; fret 3 = D, finger 3.
• String 3: open = G.
• Phrase 1: after the slide to fret 5, bring finger 3 straight back to fret 3 for the next note, so that your hand is back where it started.
• Phrase 4: hammer finger 3 onto fret 3, pick that note again, and slide the same finger down to fret 1; while the open E sounds, move your hand back so that finger 1 is over fret 1 for the C; at the end, pick the open B, hammer finger 3 onto fret 3 and pull it off again.

Full Melody Structure

[Phrase 1 — measures 1 and 2]
[Phrase 2 — measures 3 and 4]
[Phrase 3 — measures 5 and 6]
[Phrase 4 — measures 7 and 8]

Phrases 1 to 4, two measures each: 8 measures of melody. In every phrase the notes come first and the last note rings to the end of the second measure.

How to Learn This Melody

Step 1 — Phrase 1 alone: The slide from fret 3 to fret 5 is the signature moment. Pick the note at fret 3, slide to fret 5 without picking again. Play the full phrase slowly, without the metronome. Say the note names aloud.

Step 2 — Phrase 2 (descending): This is a graceful descent across strings 1, 2 and 3. The string crossing should be smooth — no gap between the last note on string 1 and the first note on string 2.

Step 3 — Phrase 3 (ascending and descending): A rising line that peaks and falls. Similar to Phrase 1 but with a different shape.

Step 4 — Phrase 4 (ornamented): This phrase uses a hammer-on, a slide down and a pull-off. Practice the ornaments slowly: open string then h3 (hammer-on), fret 3 then \1 (slide down), and on string 2 open string, h3, p0 (hammer-on, then pull-off). Each ornament should sound fluid, not choppy.

Step 5 — Full melody at 50 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes): Connect all four phrases. The second measure of each phrase is the pause — like a singer breathing: let the last note ring and keep counting. If 50 BPM is too fast at first, set the metronome to 80 and play one note on every click: that is the same speed as 40 BPM with two notes per click. Then play two notes per click at 45 BPM, and then at 50 BPM. When 50 BPM is clean three times in a row, move to 55 BPM, then 60 BPM.

What it should sound like: Smooth and singing. Three checks you can make alone. (1) Click check: play all four phrases with the metronome at 50 BPM, two notes per click, without a slip. (2) Recording check: record Phrase 1 and listen once: can the slide from fret 3 to fret 5 be heard as a glide? (3) Recording check: record Phrase 4 and listen once: are the slid, hammered and pulled-off notes as clear as the picked ones?

Chord Section of the Study

Between the melody phrases, the study has a chord section of 8 measures. It is in the key of A minor: A is the home note and Am the home chord.

Key: A minor        Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure)

Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U

| Am   | Dm   | G    | C    |
| Am   | E    | Am   | Am   |

Down on every number, up on every ”&”, softer than the melody. One pattern fills one measure.

New Chord: D Minor (Dm)

D minor (Dm): a new open chord, one small move from D. From D: finger 3 stays on string 2 fret 3; finger 1 moves to string 1 fret 1; finger 2 moves to string 3 fret 2.

Dm

XXO

1

2

3

EADGBe

• Finger 1 (index): string 1 (high e), fret 1
• Finger 2 (middle): string 3 (G), fret 2
• Finger 3 (ring): string 2 (B), fret 3
• String 4 (D) is played open
• Do not play strings 6 and 5
• Strum strings 4 to 1

Sound check: Pick strings 4, 3, 2 and 1 one at a time. Each should ring clearly, with no buzz. Tuner check, string 4 to string 1: D, A, D, F. If a string is muffled, the finger on the string next to it is leaning on it: arch that finger more.

Change drill: Am to Dm and back, a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM, 8 chords in a row (the change test from Session 3). If you cannot land on beat 1, drop to 50 BPM and climb back.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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

Building the Arrangement

Combine the melody and the chord section into a complete arrangement:

Structure:

[Melody — Phrase 1 + Phrase 2 (4 measures)]
[Chord section (8 measures)]
[Melody — Phrase 3 + Phrase 4 (4 measures)]
[Chord section (8 measures)]
[Ending — Melody Phrase 1 again, played softly (2 measures)]
[Final chord — one slow strum of Am, let ring (1 measure)]

Total: 27 measures, played at one metronome setting from start to finish.

How to Practise the Arrangement

Step 1 — Melody sections alone: Play Phrases 1 and 2, then Phrases 3 and 4, at 50 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). Focus on expressive phrasing — slides, hammer-ons, breathing pauses.

Step 2 — Chord section alone: Play the chord section at 50 BPM, first with one downstroke on beat 1 of each measure, then with gentle D/U strumming. Keep the dynamics soft and flowing.

Step 3 — Connect melody and chords: The transitions between melody (single notes) and chords (strumming) are the same skill you developed in Session 19. Phrase 2’s last note, on beat 4, rings through the whole of the phrase’s second measure. Phrase 4’s last note, on the & of beat 1 of its second measure, rings for the rest of that measure. Use that ringing time to get ready, keep counting, and start the chord section on the next beat 1. Do not add an extra measure.

Step 4 — Full arrangement: Play the entire piece at one metronome setting: 50 BPM today, then 55 BPM and 60 BPM during the week. The melody sections should sound singing and ornamented. The chord sections should sound warm and supportive.

What it should sound like: Three checks you can make alone. (1) Click check: play all 27 measures with the metronome; you never stop and you finish with the click. (2) Count check: each chord section starts on beat 1 of the measure straight after the phrase before it, with no extra measure, three runs in a row. (3) Recording check: record one run and listen once: are the chord sections quieter than the melody sections?

Performance Notes

• This study is about expression. Let the slides be heard, let the hammered notes sound, and let the long notes ring.
• Keep the chord section quieter than the melody. The gentleness of your strumming is as important as the accuracy.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Learned Today

• Expressive melody technique: slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, dynamic shaping
• Showcase Study in A minor: melody and chord section
• Vocal phrasing on guitar — imitating the human voice through legato and ornaments
• An arrangement combining melody sections and chord sections
• Dm chord

Common Mistakes

1. Playing the melody mechanically — This melody must sing. If every note sounds the same volume with the same attack, it sounds like an exercise, not music. Use dynamics — some notes louder, some softer, some with slides.
2. Rushing through slides — A slide should be audible — you should hear the pitch glide. If you slide too fast, it sounds like a jump, not a glide. Slow the slide slightly.
3. Forgetting breathing pauses — The second measure of each phrase is the breath. Let the last note ring and count through it. Without it, the melody runs together and loses its shape.
4. Strumming too loudly on chord sections — The chord section supports the melody. If it is as loud as the melody, the arrangement loses contrast.
5. Avoiding the ornaments in Phrase 4 — The hammer-on, the slide and the pull-off are the point of Phrase 4. Do not simplify them away — practice them slowly until they flow.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play a clean slide from fret 3 to fret 5 on string 1 with the pitch audibly gliding? Check: record five slides and listen once; the glide can be heard on at least four. If not: in the Slide Practice row of the practice plan, slow the slide down and keep a light, even pressure for two days, then record five slides again.
2. Can you play all four melody phrases at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes)? Check: three times in a row with no wrong note and no stop, and the slid, hammered and pulled-off notes can be heard on a recording. If not: go back to 50 BPM for two days, then try again.
3. Can you play the chord progression (Am–Dm–G–C–Am–E–Am–Am) at 60 BPM, one measure per chord, strumming D/U? Check: twice round without stopping, and the Dm passes its tuner check (D, A, D, F). If not: do the Am to Dm change drill at 50 BPM, then try again.
4. Can you move from the melody into the chord section without losing the count? Check: with the metronome on, play Phrase 2 and the first two measures of the chord section; the first Am strum lands on beat 1, three times in a row. If not: in the Whole Piece row of the practice plan, count the ringing measure aloud (“1 2 3 4”) before the chord section for two days, then try again.
5. Is there dynamic contrast between your melody sections and your chord sections? Check: record the whole piece and listen once; the chord sections are clearly quieter than the melody. If not: strum the chord section as quietly as you can for two days, then record again.

Practice Plan for Week 21 (each practice day, 26 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 and items 1, 2 and 3 of the warm-up list; item 4 (the spider crawl) is for the session itself
Slide Practice	2 min	Slides on string 1: 3/5, 5\3, 1/3, 3\1. 4 times each. Clean, audible glide
Melody	5 min	Showcase Study melody — all 4 phrases at 50–60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). Focus on the ornaments in Phrase 4. Repeat until the time is up
Chord Progression	4 min	The Am to Dm change drill once, then Am–Dm–G–C–Am–E–Am–Am at 55–60 BPM, one measure per chord, D/U strumming. Repeat until the time is up
Whole Piece	4 min	Melody Phrases 1 and 2 → chord section → melody Phrases 3 and 4 → chord section → Phrase 1 → final Am strum (27 measures), at the same metronome setting as today’s melody. Once through; a second time if time is left
Concert Pieces	5 min	Piece 3 of your three pieces, from memory as far as you can; check the page afterwards
Reading	3 min	One of the four reading melodies in Reading Standard Notation each day: name each note aloud, say how many beats it lasts, then check with the answer line

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 3 4, Week 21.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

Hindi film melodies often use notes that sustain and decay naturally — the singer holds a note and lets it fade. Your Saga’s steel strings have excellent sustain compared to nylon strings, which means single notes ring longer, giving you more time for slides and ornaments. When you slide from fret 3 to fret 5, the note continues to ring throughout the slide because the steel string maintains its vibration. This is one reason steel-string acoustics are favoured for melodic playing — the sustain supports the expressive techniques that Hindi film music demands.

After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)

The reading and the ear recording below are extra to the 50 minutes of the session. Allow about 13 minutes more today for them.

• Read: Reading Standard Notation, from the section “The Staff” to the end of the section “Note Values — What Notes Look Like”. The Reading row of this week’s practice plan uses what you read here. (10 minutes)
• Record: this week’s ear check. Mark it on any later practice day. Use the recorded card test (Session 6) with Test 3, play it back. Write one of these six four-note phrases on each slip: 1: E F G E; 2: G F E D; 3: B C D C; 4: D E F E; 5: C D E G; 6: E D C B. Write only the four notes on the slip, not its number in this list: when you record, the number you say aloud is the slip’s place in the shuffled pile (“one” for the first slip you turn over), so that the recording does not tell you which phrase it is. The notes are 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. On a later day, listen to both playings, play the phrase back, then turn the slip over and compare the strings and frets you played with the slip. A phrase is right only if every note matched. Pass: 4 of 6. (3 minutes)