Transcript Guitar* a retrospective

Guitar… a retrospective
One year into the project
Why Guitar?
• Artistic Reasons
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Reach “alternative” (non BOC) kids
New blood in the program
Raise coolness factor
Inject some “fun”
• Pragmatic reasons
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Fill schedule (pull-out lesson battles, “empty” periods
Teaching load (# of students)
Access to potential band recruits
Keeping up with the Jones’s
All the basics
• Instruments…
• Student owned? (pro/con)
• School owned ($$$!)
• Brands? Costs…
• El Cheapo vs. Quality (4 or 5 to 1!!!)
• Local stores vs. online retailers
• GSO’s
• How much time can you devote to them?
• When do you have to pull the plug?
• Triage clinic afterwards…
Basics cont.
• MATERIALS!!!
– Lots out there... Web, print, etc.
• Very easily disseminated (text tab)
– Shaped by class philosophy (see later)
– Home grown vs.= time
• Electric? Acoustic? Nylon? Steel?
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Ideals… vs. reality
If they own it, they want to play it
Uncle Frankie’s Axe
Dealing with the beast
Philosophy
• ALL NOTES (ANTI-TAB)
– What do they know?
– Prior music classes
– Is TAB bad? Or just misunderstood?
• ALL CHORDS (NO SINGLE NOTES)
• TAB/NOTE HYBRIDS (guitarplayer mag, etc.)
• BLENDED METHODS
– Some blended differently than others…
• POP vs. FOLK vs. ????
– What are your goals
What Works for Me…
• My Philosophy:
– “Functional” guitar
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Some songs, recognizable
Variety of SONGS
Some melody (solos, improv)
Have fun, encourage further
learning
– TAB is good. Yes it is.
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They already know it.
It IS musical notation.
Historical
HYBRID notation
– Chords YES
• You can play “songs”
• Simple chords
– Single note reading is.. Meh.
• Not enough prior music
knowledge
• Not many “band” kids yet
• Cunfuzzled.
– Ensembles?
• Sounds good but….
• What's a part? What line?
• Go back to letter what?
– The “Perfect Book”
– I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR
THAT!!!
• Can’t reinvent the wheel…
• Turnkey curriculum (like a
“real” teacher!)
Books
• Gazillions of them…
• Lots of different approaches
• If there's money to be made
someone will publish it…
• What I used…
• Mastering Guitar by
Bay/Christiansen
• PROS: some TAB, CD,
Ensembles
• CONS: no pop music, drilly.
Ensembles. NEVER TAB and
notes.
• BETTER (shoulda)
• SUPERBOOK
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A little of everything…
5 books in one
Same cost as other books
POP songs, Beatles and Elton
John are at least… poppier.
Some melody tunes, simple
Drills
Pentatonic scales, solo licks
TAB
CD’s
Tunage
• ULTIMATE GUITAR.com!
– Take a song and transpose to a key they know
– Play along MIDI’s (vanBasco)
• ESSENTIAL in my philosophy (must have songs they
know and want to play) Metallica trumps Molly Malone EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK
• Variety.. Examples all use G, C, D, Em, Am or variants
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Unforgiven
Mad World (transposed)
Hey Soul Sister (transposed, good for Uke!)
Wonderwall (transposed)
Good Riddance
The Joker (Steve Miller, with editorial discretion)
Extensions
• Several experienced students
• Some basic students
• UKULELE!!!
– Lazy….
– FUN!!!!!!!!
– Baritone Uke and guitar
• TOP 4 (DGBE)
• Reentrant tuning vs
standard
• Span
• Nylon
• Mandolin
– Closely related to violin
– EASY 2 finger chords
(C,G,D,A,Em)
– Bluegrass, folk, rock
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MULTICULTURAL+++ BUZZ
CHEAP
IDLE HANDS, etc.
BASS
– Good for basic kids
– Good for a “band” feel
• Barre Chords/ Capo
• Electric Violin+Distortion=ROCK!
DEALBREAKERS
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Not many….
The F chord
Barres
Note reading??? (I have mixed opinions…)
Hacking…
Pick Loss… where the heck do they go?
Calluses (ouchies)
Easy Fun Stuff
• Get a Pedal (digitech, $50)
• Electric Guitar
– Some things MUCH easier (barres!)
– COOLNESS FACTOR
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Pentatonic Scale
Power Chords
Palm Mute
Rock chords are EASIER than “legit chords”
NEXT YEAR!!!
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Units/ proficiencies/ structure
More tunes
Set the stage for more note reading in Guitar 2.
Level better (hope?)
More Guitars…. DonorsChoose here I come!
ROCK BAND???
More Band kids?
FUTURE: Bluegrass (All-state Jug Band?)
SUCCESS?!?!