Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on September 8, 2008 7:07 pm
September 8, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Great first lesson! My first impression is that you will do well with guitar. You seem to be a quick learner.
- Introduced the parts of the guitar
- Introduced the names of the strings
- Introduced G major
- Introduced the basic down/down-up strum pattern
THIS WEEK:
1) Review the parts of the guitar: body, neck, head, tuners (or machine heads), nut, finger board (or fret board), fret wires, frets, sound hole, pick guard, bracing, truss rod, strap button
2) Memorize the names of the strings
E-lvis
A-te
D-inner
G-ood
B-oy
E-lvis
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for September lessons
- Pick up an electronic tuner at the guitar shop. You should be able to get one for $10-15
- At some point in the near future we will want to change your strings. You don’t have to get them immediately if you don’t want to, but we will need to take care of this.
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on September 15, 2008 6:58 pm
September 15, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed parts of the guitar and names of the strings
- Reviewed G major & down/down-up strum pattern
- Introduced C and D major
- Began working on “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
- It won’t sound like the song to start with. We’re focusing on making the chords correctly and getting the rhythm down.
STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR
………..G2
I have climbed highest mountains
………..D2
I have run through the fields
…………C2
Only to be with you
…………G2
Only to be with you
………..G2
I have run, I have crawled
………..D2
I have scaled these city walls
……………..C2
These city walls
…………G2
Only to be with you
……..D1………….C1………………….G2
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
……..D1………….C1………………….G2
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
(THE REST OF THE VERSES PLAY THE SAME AS THE FIRST AND SECOND)
I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing fingertips
It burned like a fire
This burning desire
I have spoke with the tongues of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
I believe in the Kingdom Come
When all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well, yes I’m still running
You broke the bonds
And you loosened the chains
Carried the cross
Of all my shame
all my shame
You know I believe it
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on September 29, 2008 7:20 pm
Sorry I forgot to post Haiden’s lesson last week (Lindsey!)… I’m not sure what happened, but I missed the post for two students (don’t take it personal, Haiden… you weren’t the only one!)
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on September 29, 2008 7:22 pm
September 29, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Strung the guitar!
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
- Keep working on closing the gap
- Continue to smooth out your strumming
2) Tune your guitar A LOT… the strings will stretch!
- When you use your tuner, make sure the right note is selected for the string before you start trying to tighten or loosen it. Sometimes the strings will stretch so much that they will change notes (E will register as a D and will need to be tightened a lot to get it back to an E, A will become a G, B will become an A, etc)
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on October 27, 2008 6:58 pm
October 27, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Reviewed “How Great Is Our God”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Focus on getting to the Bm quickly
- Tighten up all the chord movements
OTHER:
- You’re doing GREAT! Keep up the good work! Your strumming is good, your rhythm is strong and your chord formations are right on. You’re playing guitar!
- Lindsey – this is a test to see if you’re still checking up on your little bro!
Come on EFW you know i check it every Tuesday to see how he is doing. It makes my week to see my little bro progressing. I’m So proud of him!! And i’m so glad that it is You that he is taking lesson from..it was worth the wait. B/c i know he enjoys you. Also…I’m praying for you guys for Thursday when you get to meek Karis! Congrats and i miss you all!!
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on November 10, 2008 8:00 pm
November 10, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Heart of Worship”
- Introduced “Jesus Messiah”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Heart of Worship”
- This song is really coming along. All you need to do is remember when to move to the different parts of the song. Other than those transitions, you have the chords and the strumming down pat.
2) Work on “Jesus Messiah”
- http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/chris_tomlin/jesus_messiah_ver2_crd.htm
- Strum pattern: down/down/down-up
OTHER:
- Keep up the good work! You continue to make good progress!
thats not an excuse! Sorry to say EFW! Now..what’s he going to do? He is going to miss having the holiday season lessons with you! Haiden is probably at home right now crying himself to sleep tonight! Haha
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on January 5, 2009 8:07 pm
January 5, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Holy and Anointed One”
- Worked on “Better Is One Day”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on the verse, bridge and chorus of “Better Is One Day”
- Remember that the E is the same formation as the Bsus, just put your forefinger on the 7th fret
- Also, the C#minsus is the same as the Bsus, just put your forefinger on the 4th fret
- The strum pattern for the bridge puts the down/down emphasis strokes on the Bsus
OTHER:
- You did a GREAT job on “Holy and Anointed One” this week! Congrats… you nailed it!
- Remember to bring the registration form back completed next week
- Paid $65 for January lessons
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on January 19, 2009 7:55 pm
January 19, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed previous material
- Played through “Better is One Day” several times
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Better is One Day”
- Work on smoothing out the strum pattern
- Remember to hit the Bsus right on the correct frets during the bridge
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on February 2, 2009 8:02 pm
February 2, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed last week’s material
- Introduced the hammer technique on the D
- Introduced the chorus of “Give Us Clean Hands”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Give Us Clean Hands”
- Use the hammer technique on the D in various places and get used to it. Any place where you have a D major and you play it for the full strum pattern, you can use this little hammer thing.
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on February 9, 2009 8:03 pm
February 9, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed last week’s material
- Introduced “Desperado”
- Learned G7, Cm, Em7, A7 and D7
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Desperado”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/e/eagles/desperado_crd.htm
- Work only on the first part of the verse
- Skip the B7 in the second line of the verse
- Hover over the links for the chords and you’ll see the formations
- Strum: down/down/down-up
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on February 16, 2009 8:00 pm
February 16, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed last week’s material
- Worked on the chorus for “Desperado”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Desperado”
- Try to play from the first verse through the chorus
OTHER:
- I’ll get one of my “loaner” guitars set up to be easy to play and I’ll trade with you for a week. I know a guy who does great guitar repair work and can reglue your top to the side. I’m learning to do set-up and repair and I’ll watch him do his work. Give me a week or two to get it together.
OTHER:
- I forgot to tell you in lesson that I will be out of town next week. However, there are five Mondays in March, so we’ll just skip this first one and we’ll still get four lessons in the month.
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on March 9, 2009 6:56 pm
March 9, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed material from last lesson
- Worked on all of “I Will Possess Your Heart”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “I Will Possess Your Heart”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/d/death_cab_for_cutie/i_will_possess_your_heart_ver2_crd.htm
- If you see anything in the chord chart that you don’t remember from the way we played it, just skip it
- Really try to clean up the places where the chords change within the strum pattern. You’re already doing a good job there, but it can always get tighter
OTHER:
- Paid $65 for March lessons
- I haven’t forgotten about getting your guitar repaired. I hope to get that done by the end of this month.
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on March 16, 2009 7:00 pm
March 16, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “I Will Possess Your Heart”
- Introduced “Wake Up Little Susie”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Wake Up Little Susie”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/e/everly_brothers/wake_up_little_susie_crd.htm
- Primary strum pattern: down/down-up/up-down-up (it does change patterns some, though)
- Work on the progression for the first verse
- Work on the beginning of the chorus
- There’s a lot of funky moving in this song… it may take a while but it will be fun
OTHER:
- Plan on leaving your guitar with me next week and I’ll have it seen about. I have a loaner that will be ready for you.
Haiden…You’re Amazing…I leave a bunch of CD’s with you for a year and you go through them and actually find music you like! That’s one reason why i love you. YOu have good taste in music…kinda like your guitar teacher! lol
September 8, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Great first lesson! My first impression is that you will do well with guitar. You seem to be a quick learner.
- Introduced the parts of the guitar
- Introduced the names of the strings
- Introduced G major
- Introduced the basic down/down-up strum pattern
THIS WEEK:
1) Review the parts of the guitar: body, neck, head, tuners (or machine heads), nut, finger board (or fret board), fret wires, frets, sound hole, pick guard, bracing, truss rod, strap button
2) Memorize the names of the strings
E-lvis
A-te
D-inner
G-ood
B-oy
E-lvis
3) Work on strumming your G major chord
- Here’s the link to the chord http://guitar.about.com/library/blchord_gmajor.htm
- Your strum pattern is down/down-up
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for September lessons
- Pick up an electronic tuner at the guitar shop. You should be able to get one for $10-15
- At some point in the near future we will want to change your strings. You don’t have to get them immediately if you don’t want to, but we will need to take care of this.
YEAH!!!
September 15, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed parts of the guitar and names of the strings
- Reviewed G major & down/down-up strum pattern
- Introduced C and D major
- Began working on “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
- It won’t sound like the song to start with. We’re focusing on making the chords correctly and getting the rhythm down.
STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR
………..G2
I have climbed highest mountains
………..D2
I have run through the fields
…………C2
Only to be with you
…………G2
Only to be with you
………..G2
I have run, I have crawled
………..D2
I have scaled these city walls
……………..C2
These city walls
…………G2
Only to be with you
……..D1………….C1………………….G2
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
……..D1………….C1………………….G2
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
(THE REST OF THE VERSES PLAY THE SAME AS THE FIRST AND SECOND)
I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing fingertips
It burned like a fire
This burning desire
I have spoke with the tongues of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
I believe in the Kingdom Come
When all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well, yes I’m still running
You broke the bonds
And you loosened the chains
Carried the cross
Of all my shame
all my shame
You know I believe it
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
Forgot to link to the chords:
C major: http://guitar.about.com/library/blchord_cmajor.htm
D major: http://guitar.about.com/library/blchord_dmajor.htm
So did Haiden not have lessons this week…this is the one thing i look forward to during the week is checking his progress!
Sorry I forgot to post Haiden’s lesson last week (Lindsey!)… I’m not sure what happened, but I missed the post for two students (don’t take it personal, Haiden… you weren’t the only one!)
September 29, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Strung the guitar!
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
- Keep working on closing the gap
- Continue to smooth out your strumming
2) Tune your guitar A LOT… the strings will stretch!
- When you use your tuner, make sure the right note is selected for the string before you start trying to tighten or loosen it. Sometimes the strings will stretch so much that they will change notes (E will register as a D and will need to be tightened a lot to get it back to an E, A will become a G, B will become an A, etc)
October 13, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “How Great Is Our God”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “How Great is Our God”
- Strum pattern: down/down/down-up
- Work on smoothing it all out and playing continuously. Try to close the gap as much as possible and play the song from beginning to end.
- Link: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/chris_tomlin/how_great_is_our_god_crd.htm
October 20, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “How Great is Our God”
- Introduced “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Introduced Bm and A
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Follow this link to the chords & lyrics http://www.iwillworship.com/view.asp?id=4076
- This link is for the Bm chord. You’ll see that they add a note on the A string that we don’t use. Play it our way. http://guitar.about.com/library/blchord_bminor.htm
- This link is for the A chord. http://guitar.about.com/library/blchord_amajor.htm Remember that you can use two fingers to press down all three strings.
- The strum pattern is the same as “How Great is Our God”
2) Review “How Great is Our God”
OTHER:
- Sorry it took so long for me to post this! Thanks for the reminder!
October 27, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Reviewed “How Great Is Our God”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Focus on getting to the Bm quickly
- Tighten up all the chord movements
OTHER:
- You’re doing GREAT! Keep up the good work! Your strumming is good, your rhythm is strong and your chord formations are right on. You’re playing guitar!
- Lindsey – this is a test to see if you’re still checking up on your little bro!
Come on EFW you know i check it every Tuesday to see how he is doing. It makes my week to see my little bro progressing. I’m So proud of him!! And i’m so glad that it is You that he is taking lesson from..it was worth the wait. B/c i know he enjoys you. Also…I’m praying for you guys for Thursday when you get to meek Karis! Congrats and i miss you all!!
Also…i just wanted to let you know that i love 4 and 20 Blackbirds…!! Goodness ugghh! They are fab. I’m probably going to order their cd offline!
come on EFW i’m checking but you’re not writting!!
November 3, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Introduced “Heart of Worship”
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Heart of Worship”
- http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/m/matt_redman/heart_of_worship_crd.htm
- strum: down/down/down-up
2) Keep working on “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Give the Bm a little more practice
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for November lessons
- You’re making great progress! Keep it up!
November 10, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Heart of Worship”
- Introduced “Jesus Messiah”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Heart of Worship”
- This song is really coming along. All you need to do is remember when to move to the different parts of the song. Other than those transitions, you have the chords and the strumming down pat.
2) Work on “Jesus Messiah”
- http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/chris_tomlin/jesus_messiah_ver2_crd.htm
- Strum pattern: down/down/down-up
OTHER:
- Keep up the good work! You continue to make good progress!
Yeah…GO HAIDEN!!!
November 17, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Jesus Messiah”
- Reviewed “Heart of Worship”
- Introduced the concept of barre chords using F#m
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Jesus Messiah”
- Play it all the way through, including the bridge
2) Begin getting comfortable with barre chords by practicing the F#m
- Check out the video at the top of this page
- Written tutorial http://guitar.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How_Play_Barre_Chords0962934244.htm
- Diagram (but move all the fingers up one fret from the way it’s displayed on this pic) http://www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com/images/f-minor-chord01.gif
December 1, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Breathe”
- Played the song all the way through
- Worked on playing each chord correctly
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Breathe”
- Slow the song down and focus on forming chords correctly
- Be careful especially of your Bm and F#m
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for December lessons
Good job Eric you clicked submit. Joke, man, joke.
Come on..EFW…whats been happening??
Cancelled Dec 15 lesson on day-of.
thats not an excuse! Sorry to say EFW! Now..what’s he going to do? He is going to miss having the holiday season lessons with you! Haiden is probably at home right now crying himself to sleep tonight! Haha
Ooops…it wasnt you…it was him! My bad…i’m calling him right now! Right now! No excuses are good enough to miss a lesson with you!! haha
December 22, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Holy and Anointed One”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Holy and Anointed One”
- http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/m/misc_praise_songs/holy_and_anointed_one_crd.htm
- strum: down/down-up/up-down-up
December 29, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Hoiy and Anointed One”
- Introduced “Better Is One Day”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Holy and Anointed One”
- Mainly focus on smooth transitions between chords with that chopped-up strum pattern
2) Work on the chorus of “Better is One Day”
- http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/m/matt_redman/better_is_one_day_ver2_crd.htm
- strum: down/down-down-up/up-down-down
January 5, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Holy and Anointed One”
- Worked on “Better Is One Day”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on the verse, bridge and chorus of “Better Is One Day”
- Remember that the E is the same formation as the Bsus, just put your forefinger on the 7th fret
- Also, the C#minsus is the same as the Bsus, just put your forefinger on the 4th fret
- The strum pattern for the bridge puts the down/down emphasis strokes on the Bsus
OTHER:
- You did a GREAT job on “Holy and Anointed One” this week! Congrats… you nailed it!
- Remember to bring the registration form back completed next week
- Paid $65 for January lessons
January 19, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed previous material
- Played through “Better is One Day” several times
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Better is One Day”
- Work on smoothing out the strum pattern
- Remember to hit the Bsus right on the correct frets during the bridge
January 26, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Better Is One Day”
- Introduced the rock versions of G, C and Em
- Introduced “Give Us Clean Hands”
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Give Us Clean Hands”
- Chord diagram for rock version of G: http://www.cyberflotsam.com/images/Music_ChordG_2.gif
- Play the rock version of C the same way but move fingers 1 and 2 to the A and D strings
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/chris_tomlin/give_us_clean_hands_crd.htm
February 2, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed last week’s material
- Introduced the hammer technique on the D
- Introduced the chorus of “Give Us Clean Hands”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Give Us Clean Hands”
- Use the hammer technique on the D in various places and get used to it. Any place where you have a D major and you play it for the full strum pattern, you can use this little hammer thing.
OTHER:
- Paid $65 for February lessons
February 9, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed last week’s material
- Introduced “Desperado”
- Learned G7, Cm, Em7, A7 and D7
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Desperado”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/e/eagles/desperado_crd.htm
- Work only on the first part of the verse
- Skip the B7 in the second line of the verse
- Hover over the links for the chords and you’ll see the formations
- Strum: down/down/down-up
February 16, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed last week’s material
- Worked on the chorus for “Desperado”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Desperado”
- Try to play from the first verse through the chorus
OTHER:
- I’ll get one of my “loaner” guitars set up to be easy to play and I’ll trade with you for a week. I know a guy who does great guitar repair work and can reglue your top to the side. I’m learning to do set-up and repair and I’ll watch him do his work. Give me a week or two to get it together.
February 23, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Desperado”
- Introduced “I Will Possess Your Heart” by Death Cab for Cutie
THIS WEEK:
1) Finish up “Desperado”
- Focus on the last chorus with those few changes
2) Start looking at “I Will Possess Your Heart”
- If I can find the video I will embed it at the top of the page
- Strum: down/down/down-up/up-down-down
- It has an F in it. That diagram is: http://www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com/images/f-major-chord01.gif
OTHER:
- I forgot to tell you in lesson that I will be out of town next week. However, there are five Mondays in March, so we’ll just skip this first one and we’ll still get four lessons in the month.
March 9, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed material from last lesson
- Worked on all of “I Will Possess Your Heart”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “I Will Possess Your Heart”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/d/death_cab_for_cutie/i_will_possess_your_heart_ver2_crd.htm
- If you see anything in the chord chart that you don’t remember from the way we played it, just skip it
- Really try to clean up the places where the chords change within the strum pattern. You’re already doing a good job there, but it can always get tighter
OTHER:
- Paid $65 for March lessons
- I haven’t forgotten about getting your guitar repaired. I hope to get that done by the end of this month.
Hey Eric, maybe we could do “Wake Up Little Susie” by the Everly Brothers, sometime. I really love this song.
March 16, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “I Will Possess Your Heart”
- Introduced “Wake Up Little Susie”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Wake Up Little Susie”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/e/everly_brothers/wake_up_little_susie_crd.htm
- Primary strum pattern: down/down-up/up-down-up (it does change patterns some, though)
- Work on the progression for the first verse
- Work on the beginning of the chorus
- There’s a lot of funky moving in this song… it may take a while but it will be fun
OTHER:
- Plan on leaving your guitar with me next week and I’ll have it seen about. I have a loaner that will be ready for you.
I didn’t even know that Haiden knew who the Everly Brothers were! I cant wait to get home and hear all these awesome songs!
I got it off one of your American’s Bandstand: The 50s cds.
Haiden…You’re Amazing…I leave a bunch of CD’s with you for a year and you go through them and actually find music you like! That’s one reason why i love you. YOu have good taste in music…kinda like your guitar teacher! lol