WHAT WE DID IN LESSON:
- Learned to use electronic tuner
- Practiced “Every Move I Make”
THIS WEEK:
1) Tune your guitar with the electronic tuner every other day
- Remember to put the needle in the middle as much as possible
- Follow your strings so you know you’re turning the right tuner
2) Practice “Every Move I Make”
- Focus on closing the gap between chords. You’re not trying to play faster; you’re trying to get from chord to chord with less gap.
- Check out the video I posted at the top of this page so you can play with me.
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for April lessons
- You’re in need of some new strings soon. Stop by Downtown Music and get a set of light acoustic strings. I recommend Elixir or Martin brands. It’ll take a whole lesson to put them on, so we’ll work on that in two weeks.
Comment by Wheeler's mama on April 9, 2008 10:03 pm
Hi Eric! I decided to check the site our after getting the kiddos to bed. Neat! I guess Wheeler forgot about the strings I bought him when I got the tuner. I will remind him of the strings. I will let him check out his page tomorrow. Thank you so much for teaching Wheeler! I am so proud that he has a teacher that knows and loves the Lord and will have a good influence in his life. My prayer is for Wheeler to always put Christ at the head of his life, please join me in believing this for Wheeler. Fondly, JoBeth
JoBeth – I didn’t mention the strings to Wheeler in lesson; that was something I thought of afterwards. We’ll work on it in two weeks. I don’t want to eat up all of next week’s lesson with that since we spent some time this past lesson on the tuner.
Thanks for the encouragement. I enjoy teaching lessons and I feel like God uses this time to influence kids that I don’t usually get to be around (they go to another church, don’t go to church at all or don’t fit in the age range I work with). Also, as a youth pastor, I really appreciate your concern for Wheeler’s relationship with God. My job as a dad is the most important one I have and your influence as a mom goes far beyond what you realize. I will definitely pray for Wheeler that he would trust Christ and follow him.
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Tuned guitar and reviewed how to use the tuner
- Practiced “Every Move I Make”
- Discussed the need to practice a little every day
- Reviewed tips to help get from chord to chord more quickly (cheat the upstroke, think shapes)
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Every Move I Make”
- Our main objective right now is to close the gap between chords. This takes time more than anything. You’ll see more progress toward this objective if you practice a little every day instead of practicing a lot just a few days before lesson.
- Remember to work on cheating the upstroke and thinking of the chords as shapes to help you get from chord to chord more quickly.
- Watch your finger position on D major – your “bionic pinky” wants to jump in there and you don’t need him! Also, make sure you’re playing on the second and third frets.
OTHER:
- We will restring your guitar at next lesson, so don’t forget to bring your strings! Hopefully we will get a little “strumming time,” but restringing will take most of the lesson.
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed the parts of the guitar
- Reviewed the names of the strings
- Practiced “Every Move I Make”
- Worked on finger placement with chords
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Every Move I Make”
- Play it a little slower and focus on where you put your fingers. Make sure all your fingers are on the right strings & frets for the chords you’re playing.
- Keep working on “closing the gap.”
2) Tune your guitar several times with the electronic tuner.
OTHER:
- I totally forgot that we were going to restring the guitar this week! Bring your strings next week and I’ll bring my tools and we’ll do it!
- Our next song will be “The Cartoon Song” by Chris Rice.
- You’re doing GREAT! Keep up the practicing; you’re progressing at a great rate.
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Every Move I Make”
- Introduced “Cartoon Song”
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Cartoon Song”
- Be careful about where you put your fingers when making your chords
- The music for “Cartoon Song” can be found at http://www.christianguitar.org/csong3446/Chris-Rice-Cartoons
2) Tune your guitar several times this week
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Worked on “Cartoon Song”
- Corrected finger positions for C and D
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Cartoon Song”
- Watch your finger positions for C and D. Make sure they’re on the right frets and right strings.
- Your strumming is great and your chords are really coming along; now we just need to get the C and D cleaned up.
- Play through the whole song. Play the chorus and all the verses, transitioning from one to the other. Try to make the transitions smooth and remember how many times to play your chords.
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Sweet Home Alabama”
- Reviewed “Achy Breaky Heart”
- Introduced a new strum pattern for “Achy Breaky Heart”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Achy Breaky Heart”
- Watch the A chord; it wants to slide onto the wrong strings.
- Use the new strum pattern down/down-up/up-down-up
Missed June 25 lesson. Called earlier in the day to give notice. Remember – no lesson the week of July 4th. Call me and we’ll reschedule the lesson I canceled.
No lesson next week (July 2nd). I will be out of town the following week (July 9th). I would like to do make-up lessons for that week on Saturday, July 12th. Will that work for you?
Comment by Wheeler's mama on June 28, 2008 1:07 pm
Eric, please don’t worry about missing the lesson you canceled. It is fine! Sat., July 12 works for us. Just let us know closer to date the time. Are you still going to be working at Heritage? Wheeler’s team lost the last game 8-9, so we didn’t win the championship:(, but they played well and had fun. See you soon!
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “You Are My Sunshine”
- Introduced “S.O.S.”
- Introduced Em chord
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on the chorus of “S.O.S.”
- Uses the same strum pattern we’ve been using
- Practice this chorus until the pattern is burned in your brain!
- Be careful about how you make your chords. Make sure every finger is in the right place every time. http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/j/jonas_brothers/sos_acoustic_crd.htm
OTHER:
- This chorus has more to it than what we’re working on for this lesson. On Wednesday we’ll work on another new chord (Am) in the remainder of the chorus and we’ll also work on the verses. By the end of this week you should be a long way down the road to playing this song.
- Next lesson is our usual day and time.
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed chorus of “S.O.S.”
- Introduced Am chord and verse of “S.O.S.”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “S.O.S.”
- Keep hammering out the chorus. Remember where to use the Am.
- Work on the verse of the song. Try to move from the last line of the verse straight into the chorus
OTHER:
- Keep working on making your chords the right way. Especially watch your D.
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Worked on verse 1 / chorus / verse 2 of “S.O.S.”
THIS WEEK:
- Work on moving from verse 1 to chorus to verse 2
- Remember that verse 2 is slightly different from verse 1
- Really try to make your chords correctly. We will continue to focus on this for a while as we work to clean them up. Pay attention to which fingers are on which strings and which frets.
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for August lessons
- You guys will be out of town next week, but your mom said to not worry about making up the lesson
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on August 18, 2008 3:46 pm
August 6, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “S.O.S.”
- Introduced “Burn It Up”
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Burn It Up” http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/j/jonas_brothers/burnin_up_crd.htm
- You can listen to the song by watching the video at the top of this page
- That Bm is going to be your hardest chord. I think the tab that we looked at during lesson for this song was wrong – the link above is right. Once you get that Bm down, the rest of the song will be easy for you.
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on August 18, 2008 3:48 pm
I cancelled August 13 lessons because my wife was being discharged from the hospital that afternoon. I talked with JoBeth and she said not to worry about making up the lesson. Thanks SOOOO much for the grace you extended!
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on August 27, 2008 4:57 pm
August 27, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Burn It Up”
THIS WEEK:
1) Continue working on “Burn It Up”
- Remember to make your A with your first, second & third fingers (let your mouse hover over the blue chords on the Ultimate-Guitar page and it will show you the chord diagram)
- You have a lot of muffled strings right now – press down HARD! Also, make sure your fingers are on the right strings and not touching other strings.
- Work on getting to the Bm more quickly. Remember to cheat the upstroke and think shapes.
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for September lessons. Thanks for the early payment!
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on September 3, 2008 4:57 pm
September 3, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Burn It Up”
- Worked a lot on muted strings
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on correcting muted strings on “Burn it Up”
- A lot of your problem comes from not pressing down hard enough. Work on playing each chord and making each string sound one by one.
- Really clamp down on your chords. It’s time to build some hand strength! You’re at a step in your lessons where you need to start making your chords sound out correctly.
- I will let you slide on the Bm this week – if it doesn’t sound correctly at next lesson, it’s OK. However, I expect the D, A and G to really sound good next time!
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on September 17, 2008 5:00 pm
September 17, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed the verse and chorus of “Burnin’ Up”
- Worked on the bridge
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Burnin’ Up”
- Doing a great job on the bridge and chorus. Keep playing through and try to move to the Bm as quickly as possible
- Keep hammering away on the chorus. Remember to play the Bm and A only half as long the first time through. The second time you play the Bm the full pattern and only play the downstroke on the A
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on October 15, 2008 4:58 pm
October 23 Lesson
WHAT WE DID THIS WEK:
- Worked on “Jesus Messiah”
- Focused on the newer parts of the song (bridge)
- Played through the verse/chorus of the song
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Jesus Messiah”
- Try to go from part to part of the song smoothly (verse, chorus, bridge)
- Watch your fingering for the chords
- Try to play through the whole song
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on December 3, 2008 6:04 pm
December 3, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Jesus Messiah”
- Introduced “Jingle Bells”
- Nursed a hurt thumb!!!
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Jingle Bells”
- Strum down/down-up
G……………………………………………………………….C
Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh
…………………………D……………………..G
O’er the fields we go laughing all the way
G………………………………………………C
Bells on bobtails ring making spirits bright
…………………….D………………………………………….G
What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight
G…………………………….C……………..G
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
C………………..G……………….D
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
G…………………………….C……………..G
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
C………………..G……………….D……………………G
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
OTHER:
- Paid $175 for December and January lessons
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on January 9, 2009 12:17 am
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Introduced the concept of the “musical alphabet” and keys
- Introduced the number system for changing the key of a song
- Changed the key of “Jingle Bells” from G to D
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Jingle Bells” in D
- Strum down/down-up
D……………………………………………………………….G
Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh
…………………………A……………………..D
O’er the fields we go laughing all the way
D………………………………………………G
Bells on bobtails ring making spirits bright
…………………….A………………………………………….D
What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight
D…………………………….G……………..D
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
G………………..D……………….A
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
D…………………………….G……………..D
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
G………………..D……………….A……………………D
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on January 14, 2009 5:02 pm
January 14, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Jingle Bells” and the concept of transposing keys
- Introduced the alternate versions of the G, Em and C chords… the “rock” version
- Introduced “How Great Is Our God”
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on January 21, 2009 5:00 pm
January 21, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed the rock formations for G, C, D and Em
- Reviewed “How Great is Our God”
- Learned the E-string walk down from G to Em
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “How Great is Our God”
- Use the rock formations
- Use the E-string walk down from G to Em
OTHER:
- I have an appointment to set your guitar up on Friday at noon, so I hope to bring it to you that afternoon.
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on January 28, 2009 5:36 pm
January 28, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “How Great Is Our God”
- Began working on “Chattahoochee”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “How Great Is Our God”
2) Keep practicing “Chattahoochee”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/a/alan_jackson/chattahoochee_tab.htm
- Strum pattern: down/down-up/up-down-up
- Work on playing the C for one whole strum pattern, then playing the G on the two downs at the beginning of the pattern then moving back to the C for the upstroke. It’ll take some practice… this song uses this chopped-up pattern all the way through the verse, so you need to get used to it.
Comment by Eric Foster-Whiddon on March 18, 2009 4:01 pm
March 18, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON
- Reviewed “Drive”
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Drive” for one more week
- Make sure you’re playing all the chords in the right order
- Make sure your fingers are in the right places on the chords
- If we can run through this song one more time at the beginning of the next lesson and your chords and fingers are in the right places we’ll move on
Comment by Wheeler's mama on March 19, 2009 3:39 pm
Hey Eric,
When Wheeler clicks on the video at the top, it says, “embedding disabled by request.” It was working, so I am not sure if its our comp. or what. Do you know? I have been known to mess up the comp. without knowing it. HEHE Thanks, JoBeth
April 9, 2008
WHAT WE DID IN LESSON:
- Learned to use electronic tuner
- Practiced “Every Move I Make”
THIS WEEK:
1) Tune your guitar with the electronic tuner every other day
- Remember to put the needle in the middle as much as possible
- Follow your strings so you know you’re turning the right tuner
2) Practice “Every Move I Make”
- Focus on closing the gap between chords. You’re not trying to play faster; you’re trying to get from chord to chord with less gap.
- Check out the video I posted at the top of this page so you can play with me.
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for April lessons
- You’re in need of some new strings soon. Stop by Downtown Music and get a set of light acoustic strings. I recommend Elixir or Martin brands. It’ll take a whole lesson to put them on, so we’ll work on that in two weeks.
Hi Eric! I decided to check the site our after getting the kiddos to bed. Neat! I guess Wheeler forgot about the strings I bought him when I got the tuner. I will remind him of the strings. I will let him check out his page tomorrow. Thank you so much for teaching Wheeler! I am so proud that he has a teacher that knows and loves the Lord and will have a good influence in his life. My prayer is for Wheeler to always put Christ at the head of his life, please join me in believing this for Wheeler. Fondly, JoBeth
JoBeth – I didn’t mention the strings to Wheeler in lesson; that was something I thought of afterwards. We’ll work on it in two weeks. I don’t want to eat up all of next week’s lesson with that since we spent some time this past lesson on the tuner.
Thanks for the encouragement. I enjoy teaching lessons and I feel like God uses this time to influence kids that I don’t usually get to be around (they go to another church, don’t go to church at all or don’t fit in the age range I work with). Also, as a youth pastor, I really appreciate your concern for Wheeler’s relationship with God. My job as a dad is the most important one I have and your influence as a mom goes far beyond what you realize. I will definitely pray for Wheeler that he would trust Christ and follow him.
EFW
April 16, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Tuned guitar and reviewed how to use the tuner
- Practiced “Every Move I Make”
- Discussed the need to practice a little every day
- Reviewed tips to help get from chord to chord more quickly (cheat the upstroke, think shapes)
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Every Move I Make”
- Our main objective right now is to close the gap between chords. This takes time more than anything. You’ll see more progress toward this objective if you practice a little every day instead of practicing a lot just a few days before lesson.
- Remember to work on cheating the upstroke and thinking of the chords as shapes to help you get from chord to chord more quickly.
- Watch your finger position on D major – your “bionic pinky” wants to jump in there and you don’t need him! Also, make sure you’re playing on the second and third frets.
OTHER:
- We will restring your guitar at next lesson, so don’t forget to bring your strings! Hopefully we will get a little “strumming time,” but restringing will take most of the lesson.
April 23, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed the parts of the guitar
- Reviewed the names of the strings
- Practiced “Every Move I Make”
- Worked on finger placement with chords
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Every Move I Make”
- Play it a little slower and focus on where you put your fingers. Make sure all your fingers are on the right strings & frets for the chords you’re playing.
- Keep working on “closing the gap.”
2) Tune your guitar several times with the electronic tuner.
OTHER:
- I totally forgot that we were going to restring the guitar this week! Bring your strings next week and I’ll bring my tools and we’ll do it!
- Our next song will be “The Cartoon Song” by Chris Rice.
- You’re doing GREAT! Keep up the practicing; you’re progressing at a great rate.
APRIL 30, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Restrung the guitar
THIS WEEK:
- Tune your guitar over and over again!
- Practice “Every Move I Make”
MAY 7, 2008\
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Every Move I Make”
- Introduced “Cartoon Song”
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Cartoon Song”
- Be careful about where you put your fingers when making your chords
- The music for “Cartoon Song” can be found at http://www.christianguitar.org/csong3446/Chris-Rice-Cartoons
2) Tune your guitar several times this week
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for May lessons
May 14, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Worked on “Cartoon Song”
- Corrected finger positions for C and D
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Cartoon Song”
- Watch your finger positions for C and D. Make sure they’re on the right frets and right strings.
- Your strumming is great and your chords are really coming along; now we just need to get the C and D cleaned up.
- Play through the whole song. Play the chorus and all the verses, transitioning from one to the other. Try to make the transitions smooth and remember how many times to play your chords.
Missed May 19 lesson
May 28, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Cartoon Song”
- Introduced “Sweet Home Alabama”
- Introduced “Achy Breaky Heart”
- Introduced A major and E major
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Sweet Home Alabama”
http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/l/lynyrd_skynyrd/sweet_home_alabama_crd.htm
2) Practice “Achy Breaky Heart”
http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/b/billy_ray_cyrus/achy_breaky_heart_ver2_crd.htm
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for June lessons
June 4, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Sweet Home Alabama”
- Reviewed “Achy Breaky Heart”
- Introduced a new strum pattern for “Achy Breaky Heart”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Achy Breaky Heart”
- Watch the A chord; it wants to slide onto the wrong strings.
- Use the new strum pattern down/down-up/up-down-up
June 11, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Achy Breaky Heart”
- Introduced “You Are My Sunshine”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “You Are My Sunshine”
- Remember to change the strum pattern on the G and D at the end of the song
http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=613
Missed June 25 lesson. Called earlier in the day to give notice. Remember – no lesson the week of July 4th. Call me and we’ll reschedule the lesson I canceled.
No lesson next week (July 2nd). I will be out of town the following week (July 9th). I would like to do make-up lessons for that week on Saturday, July 12th. Will that work for you?
Eric, please don’t worry about missing the lesson you canceled. It is fine! Sat., July 12 works for us. Just let us know closer to date the time. Are you still going to be working at Heritage? Wheeler’s team lost the last game 8-9, so we didn’t win the championship:(, but they played well and had fun. See you soon!
July 14, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “You Are My Sunshine”
- Introduced “S.O.S.”
- Introduced Em chord
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on the chorus of “S.O.S.”
- Uses the same strum pattern we’ve been using
- Practice this chorus until the pattern is burned in your brain!
- Be careful about how you make your chords. Make sure every finger is in the right place every time.
http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/j/jonas_brothers/sos_acoustic_crd.htm
OTHER:
- This chorus has more to it than what we’re working on for this lesson. On Wednesday we’ll work on another new chord (Am) in the remainder of the chorus and we’ll also work on the verses. By the end of this week you should be a long way down the road to playing this song.
- Next lesson is our usual day and time.
Also – here’s the link to the Em chord formation in case you forget it.
http://www.josephguarino.com/guitar/guitar_cords/Em_chord.png
July 16, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed chorus of “S.O.S.”
- Introduced Am chord and verse of “S.O.S.”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “S.O.S.”
- Keep hammering out the chorus. Remember where to use the Am.
- Work on the verse of the song. Try to move from the last line of the verse straight into the chorus
OTHER:
- Keep working on making your chords the right way. Especially watch your D.
July 23, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Worked on verse 1 / chorus / verse 2 of “S.O.S.”
THIS WEEK:
- Work on moving from verse 1 to chorus to verse 2
- Remember that verse 2 is slightly different from verse 1
- Really try to make your chords correctly. We will continue to focus on this for a while as we work to clean them up. Pay attention to which fingers are on which strings and which frets.
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for August lessons
- You guys will be out of town next week, but your mom said to not worry about making up the lesson
August 6, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “S.O.S.”
- Introduced “Burn It Up”
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Burn It Up”
http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/j/jonas_brothers/burnin_up_crd.htm
- You can listen to the song by watching the video at the top of this page
- That Bm is going to be your hardest chord. I think the tab that we looked at during lesson for this song was wrong – the link above is right. Once you get that Bm down, the rest of the song will be easy for you.
I cancelled August 13 lessons because my wife was being discharged from the hospital that afternoon. I talked with JoBeth and she said not to worry about making up the lesson. Thanks SOOOO much for the grace you extended!
August 20, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “S.O.S.”
- Reviewed “Burn It Up”
THIS WEEK:
1) Continue working on “Burn It Up”
- Use the link in the previous lesson for the link to the chords
August 27, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Burn It Up”
THIS WEEK:
1) Continue working on “Burn It Up”
- Remember to make your A with your first, second & third fingers (let your mouse hover over the blue chords on the Ultimate-Guitar page and it will show you the chord diagram)
- You have a lot of muffled strings right now – press down HARD! Also, make sure your fingers are on the right strings and not touching other strings.
- Work on getting to the Bm more quickly. Remember to cheat the upstroke and think shapes.
OTHER:
- Paid $50 for September lessons. Thanks for the early payment!
September 3, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Burn It Up”
- Worked a lot on muted strings
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on correcting muted strings on “Burn it Up”
- A lot of your problem comes from not pressing down hard enough. Work on playing each chord and making each string sound one by one.
- Really clamp down on your chords. It’s time to build some hand strength! You’re at a step in your lessons where you need to start making your chords sound out correctly.
- I will let you slide on the Bm this week – if it doesn’t sound correctly at next lesson, it’s OK. However, I expect the D, A and G to really sound good next time!
September 17, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed the verse and chorus of “Burnin’ Up”
- Worked on the bridge
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Burnin’ Up”
- Doing a great job on the bridge and chorus. Keep playing through and try to move to the Bm as quickly as possible
- Keep hammering away on the chorus. Remember to play the Bm and A only half as long the first time through. The second time you play the Bm the full pattern and only play the downstroke on the A
September 24, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Worked on “Burnin’ Up”
- Introduced “Jesus Messiah”
- Dropped our picks in our guitars a lot!
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Jesus Messiah”
- Strum pattern is down/down/down-up
- Link to chords http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/chris_tomlin/jesus_messiah_ver2_crd.htm (that page says to capo the guitar but we’re not going to)
- Work on the verse
2) Work on “Burnin’ Up”
- Try to play through the whole song
Also – paid $50 for October lessons on Sept 24
Eric cancelled October 1 lesson.
Jo Beth cancelled October 8 lesson.
October 23 Lesson
WHAT WE DID THIS WEK:
- Worked on “Jesus Messiah”
- Focused on the newer parts of the song (bridge)
- Played through the verse/chorus of the song
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Jesus Messiah”
- Try to go from part to part of the song smoothly (verse, chorus, bridge)
- Watch your fingering for the chords
- Try to play through the whole song
Missed October 22 lesson with notice.
October 29, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Jesus Messiah”
- Introduced “Come and Let Your Presence”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “Jesus Messiah”
- You’re doing a great job on the strumming and your chords are sounding better and better.
- Try to practice straight through the song without stopping
2) Work on “Come and Let Your Presence”
- Chords to the song: http://guitar.about.com/library/blchord_amajor.htm
- B minor chord: http://guitar.about.com/library/blchord_bminor.htm
OTHER:
We’re having our baby tomorrow! Karis Olivia Foster-Whiddon
Cancelled November 12 lesson.
Cancelled November 19 lesson.
Cancelled November 26 lesson.
December 3, 2008
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Jesus Messiah”
- Introduced “Jingle Bells”
- Nursed a hurt thumb!!!
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Jingle Bells”
- Strum down/down-up
G……………………………………………………………….C
Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh
…………………………D……………………..G
O’er the fields we go laughing all the way
G………………………………………………C
Bells on bobtails ring making spirits bright
…………………….D………………………………………….G
What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight
G…………………………….C……………..G
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
C………………..G……………….D
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
G…………………………….C……………..G
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
C………………..G……………….D……………………G
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
OTHER:
- Paid $175 for December and January lessons
MIssed Dec 31 lesson with previous notice.
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Introduced the concept of the “musical alphabet” and keys
- Introduced the number system for changing the key of a song
- Changed the key of “Jingle Bells” from G to D
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Jingle Bells” in D
- Strum down/down-up
D……………………………………………………………….G
Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh
…………………………A……………………..D
O’er the fields we go laughing all the way
D………………………………………………G
Bells on bobtails ring making spirits bright
…………………….A………………………………………….D
What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight
D…………………………….G……………..D
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
G………………..D……………….A
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
D…………………………….G……………..D
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
G………………..D……………….A……………………D
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh
A major: http://z.about.com/d/guitar/1/0/c/s/a-major-chord.gif
January 14, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Jingle Bells” and the concept of transposing keys
- Introduced the alternate versions of the G, Em and C chords… the “rock” version
- Introduced “How Great Is Our God”
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “How Great Is Our God”
- http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/chris_tomlin/how_great_is_our_god_crd.htm
- strum: down/down-down-up
- Remember to use the rock versions of the G, C and Em
OTHER:
- Sorry I didn’t have your guitar ready. I’ll bring by a practice guitar tomorrow.
January 21, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed the rock formations for G, C, D and Em
- Reviewed “How Great is Our God”
- Learned the E-string walk down from G to Em
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep working on “How Great is Our God”
- Use the rock formations
- Use the E-string walk down from G to Em
OTHER:
- I have an appointment to set your guitar up on Friday at noon, so I hope to bring it to you that afternoon.
January 28, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “How Great Is Our God”
- Began working on “Chattahoochee”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “How Great Is Our God”
2) Keep practicing “Chattahoochee”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/a/alan_jackson/chattahoochee_tab.htm
- Strum pattern: down/down-up/up-down-up
- Work on playing the C for one whole strum pattern, then playing the G on the two downs at the beginning of the pattern then moving back to the C for the upstroke. It’ll take some practice… this song uses this chopped-up pattern all the way through the verse, so you need to get used to it.
Missed February 4 lesson with notice day-of.
February 11, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Introduced “Down on the Farm”
THIS WEEK:
1) Keep practicing “Down on the Farm”
- Chord chart: http://www.cowboylyrics.com/tabs/mcgraw-tim/down-on-the-farm-3785.html
- Strum pattern: down/down-up/up-down-up
Missed February 18 lesson with no notice. Missed you!
Missed February 25 lesson with late notice and Eric canceled March 4 lesson.
March 11, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON
- Reviewed “Down on the Farm”
- Introduced “Drive”
- Discussed use of a capo
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Drive”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/a/alan_jackson/drive_crd.htm
- Strum pattern: down/down-up/up-down-up
- Put your capo on the 4th fret
OTHER:
- Paid $75 for March lessons
March 18, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON
- Reviewed “Drive”
THIS WEEK:
1) Practice “Drive” for one more week
- Make sure you’re playing all the chords in the right order
- Make sure your fingers are in the right places on the chords
- If we can run through this song one more time at the beginning of the next lesson and your chords and fingers are in the right places we’ll move on
Hey Eric,
When Wheeler clicks on the video at the top, it says, “embedding disabled by request.” It was working, so I am not sure if its our comp. or what. Do you know? I have been known to mess up the comp. without knowing it. HEHE Thanks, JoBeth
March 25, 2009
WHAT WE DID THIS LESSON:
- Reviewed “Drive”
- Introduced “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”
THIS WEEK:
1) Work on “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”
- Chord chart: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/a/alan_jackson/dont_rock_the_jukebox_crd.htm
- Strum pattern: down/down-up/up-down-up with a very country swing
- Work on the chorus this week
OTHER:
- Next week we’ll finish this song and then move to “Simple Man”