Music Lesson: Combining Note Values

Looking at example three of POP part two, this is combining note values we've looked at previously.

Overview

• Bars 1, 2, and 3: You have a quarter note rest on the second beat.
  • If we just clap that, you'll have:
    1, 2, 3, 4
    • The same again for the next two bars.
• Bar 4: We have our half notes.
• Bar 5: A whole note at the end.

Gradual Slowdown

We're gradually getting slower in terms of our picking:

• Counting:
  1, 2, 3, 4
  1, 2, 3, 4
  1, 2, 3, 4
  1, 2, 3, 4
  1, 2, 3, 4

Pitches

We've seen all of these pitches before:

• Start off with the open E.
• Move to the third on the A string, which is C.
• Then to the second, which is B.

Finger Placement:

• Use your ring finger for the third fret and your middle finger for the second fret (3 and 2).

Consistency in Practice

• Bar two and bar three will be the same as aforementioned.
• This is building the stamina in our fingers and our concentration to play the same thing over and over again, just like riffs do in the real world.

Bars 4 and 5

• Bar 4: With our half notes, we have the open D (which we've learned in previous examples), going to C (third fret on the A string), followed by the open E string.
• Bar 5: This is our whole note.
  • Counting for these last two bars:
    1, 2
    1, 2
    1, 2, 3, 4

Putting It All Together

Let's try sticking that all together really, really slowly, making sure we're getting all the rhythms and counting as we go:
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, FOUR
1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4

Tips for Practice

If this is too quick for you at the minute, go at your own pace.

• Slow it right down as long as you're counting and tapping your foot.
  • That's what really matters!