Helicopter Music Lesson

Introduction

Okay then, Helicopter. So, another indie piece for debut. If you like this one, it's well worth checking out. Spike as well; it's in a very similar vein. We're talking kind of Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs sort of vibes here.

A Section

We're going to begin with the A section, where we're playing a melodic sort of phrase.

Key Points:

• Sound Quality: Be nice and solid with it. We want it to cut through, so:

  • The tone should be crunchy and present.
  • Ensure that it doesn't sit back too much.

• Picking Technique:

  • You could play pretty much all of this with downstrokes.
  • Right hand resting on the bridge is encouraged.
  • The tempo is relatively reasonable, not too fast.

Picking Direction

Experimenting with your picking technique is crucial:

• You could choose to do:
  • All downstrokes
  • Alternate picking (down-up)
  • Two downstrokes for the quicker rhythms (like at Bar Number 6).

Tip: Something will probably feel more natural than others, so don't be afraid to think you're doing it wrong. If you're unsure, just ask your teacher what might be the best way to pick this melody.

Understanding Picking Direction

As a very basic introduction to picking direction, keep these two points in mind:

1. Rhythm:

   • If we're playing crotchet notes (1 beat each):
     • For bar one: 1, 2, 3, 4 → Down, down, down, down.

2. Eighth Notes (quavers):

   • Found at the beginning of bar six.
   • They're played twice as fast as the crotchets.

Demonstration

Let me demonstrate the difference:

• Crotchets:

  • 1, 2, 3, 4. (All downstrokes)

• Quavers:

  • If you introduce upstrokes, aim for even tone.

Volume Consistency

• It's essential to ensure:
  • A downstroke sounds the same as an upstroke.
  • Avoid differences in volume; no loud downstrokes and soft upstrokes.

Essential Techniques

To ramp up speed:

• Incorporate upstrokes as well.
• Relying only on downstrokes will hinder speed and sound stunted and robotic.

Example: You can't play rapidly down the scale using only downstrokes.

B Section

Moving on to the B section, this is where we're hitting some chords:

• Just open chords, belting them out really hard.
• Important: Don't cut the longer chords short. For example:
  • At bar number 11: Two A minor chords.
    • The second A minor should ring until you're ready to play the D.

Chord Progression

• The chords include:
  • E minor
  • D major
  • A minor

Fretting:

• E minor: First and second fingers.
• D major: Triangle shape is easy to spot.
• A minor: Standard fingering.

Final Thoughts

To finish off, we're back with the melody again, very similar to what we've already played, just with a few tweaks.

• Picking: Nice and strong, again cutting through the band.
• Using all downstrokes at this point will work very well.

Practice Advice

• Best of luck!
• Practice things nice and slowly.
• Gradually add things together to build up to playing the song.

Caution:

• Avoid diving in too hastily. You might develop bad habits if you try to rush through without understanding the techniques.

Conclusion

Break things down into digestible chunks, and then start building them together. It will sound great.

Enjoy!