Melody using whole notes

Example 2: Whole Notes

Now we're going to look at example 2. This is our first look at whole notes. As mentioned before in the reading music section, a whole note lasts for four beats.

Understanding Whole Notes

What this means is each note will last for the whole bar. This gives us a lot of time to:

• Move our fingers
• Prepare for the next note

However, it also involves a lot of counting and timekeeping, so it has its own challenges.

Counting Practice

I suggest for now, before we play any notes, just trying to play the open E string and count to four.

Let's practice this together:

• 1, 2, 3, 4.
• 1, 2, 3, 4.
• 1, 2, 3, 4.

This may sound quite simple, but it's actually a little bit harder than you'd think.

Keeping Time

When we're busy, we know what's coming up, but when you have massive spaces in between notes, it can be hard to keep time. You might feel like you need to rush through them.

Rolling Technique

As I said, we're looking at whole notes. In example 2, we're starting off with a G3 fret on the E string. If we look ahead, we're playing a C, which is the third fret on the A string.

This gives us a chance to discuss the technique of rolling our finger.

• To get from the third fret on the E to the third on the A, I won't lift my finger fully off.
• Instead, I will roll my finger down.

You can see that action as I push up; my finger goes to the E. As I come down, it goes to the A.

Rather than lifting up every time and wasting time, we can roll our finger between the two notes.

Practice Routine

So we've got:

• G (third fret on the E string) - Count: 2, 3, 4
• Down to C (third on the A) - Count: 2, 3, 4
• To the open D (note we learned in the previous example) - Count: 2, 3, 4
• Back to the third fret on the A (C) - Count: 2, 3, 4
• Finally, back to G - Count: 2, 3, 4

Let's try that nice and slow together, noticing that my fingers don't really leave the third fret:

• 2, 3, 4.
• 2, 3, 4.
• 2, 3, 4.
• 2, 3, 4.
• 2, 3, 4.

Final Tips

When we're playing this section, I'd really like you at home to count either inside your head or out loud. Make sure you're counting to four between every note, ensuring there's no guessing about when the next one comes up.

Let's give it a go!