Lesson 26: Final performance and next goals

A complete original four-bar melody using this week's scale notes and hand route. Play bars 1-2 as a question and 3-4 as its answer. Play all four bars twice, then stop on the held final root. Aim for a gentle opening, a slightly stronger bar 3 and a settled ending. One run lasts about 16 seconds at 60 bpm; repeating it makes about 32 seconds. Use your comfortable tempo, not a required target. These are original pieces, not excerpts from the named artists.

Triad lab: your teacher’s string-set method

String numbers: 1=high e, 2=B, 3=G, 4=D, 5=A, 6=low E. Work on adjacent groups 1-2-3, then 2-3-4, then 3-4-5, then 4-5-6. This includes the intermediate 3-4-5 group. Our charts run top-to-bottom in normal TAB order; note names and inversions are determined LOWEST sounding note first.

C major = C-E-G. Root position has C lowest (1-3-5); first inversion has E lowest (3-5-1); second inversion has G lowest (5-1-3). C minor lowers E to Eb, keeping C and G. “Root position” describes the chord; “position V” describes your hand. They are separate ideas. These inversion labels describe the three-note voicing by itself; another instrument's lower bass can change the inversion of the total harmony.

Learn ONE group first. Name and pick each note separately, strum just those three strings, then move to the next inversion. The tabs give one closed voicing of each inversion, not every possible octave duplicate on the neck. All charts use STANDARD tuning. In Drop D weeks, use only groups not including string 6, or retune before studying group 4-5-6.

Weekly chord-block progression (replaces the earlier chord task in weeks 13-26): weeks 13-14 C major on 1-2-3; 15 C minor on that same set; 16 C and Cm comparison/consolidation; 17 C major on 2-3-4; 18 Cm on 2-3-4; 19 C major on 3-4-5; 20 Cm on 3-4-5; 21 C major on 4-5-6 in standard tuning; 22-23 review the upper groups while in Drop D; 24 retune and add Cm on 4-5-6; 25 transpose one comfortable group to D/Dm by moving every fret two higher; 26 apply one group in a progression. You need not memorise all 24 shapes at once. Major and minor charts are the reference library.

In each two-minute chord block: day 1 root-position notes; day 2 first inversion; day 3 second inversion; day 4 recall the three in ascending neck order; day 5 compare major/minor where scheduled; day 6 record one slow chord per bar; day 7 name notes and bass without moving quickly. For week 13, spread first-inversion work into week 14 if needed. Use a light mini-barre only when helpful; the LH suggestion is one option, not a mandatory grip.

Use the triads in music: C-Am-F-G on strings 1-2-3

Use this during week 26's music block, or earlier after the first triad set feels comfortable. Strum only G/B/e, one chord per bar for four bars, then repeat. Count 1-2-3-4 under each chord and keep the same pulse. The close shapes are C (C-E-G), Am/C (C-E-A), F/C (C-F-A), G/D (D-G-B). These are root, first, second and second inversions respectively. Name the lowest note before each chord. Suggested LH fingers low-to-high: C 3/4/1; Am/C 1/1/1; F/C 1/2/1; G/D 1/2/1. A small index barre can help on the repeated frets. Pick individual strings first if a strum is noisy.

This chart is four STATIC chord shapes: each column is one whole bar for this exercise. The original single-bar scale tabs still use the printed eighth-note grid. After changing cleanly, pick G-B-e-B as four quarter notes over each chord. You are using one string set to accompany a progression, rather than only memorising shapes.

Triad atlas: graphical reference

The HTML course shows all eight charts here. Editable versions are in the scores folder.

C strings 1-2-3

Cm strings 1-2-3

C strings 2-3-4

Cm strings 2-3-4

C strings 3-4-5

Cm strings 3-4-5

C strings 4-5-6

Cm strings 4-5-6

Style lab: replace a day 5 music block

Choose one study, not all of them. These are original exercises introducing broad stylistic traits. All use standard tuning; retune before using them during a Drop D week. Keep your daily session at 20 minutes.

Eagles: ringing chord arpeggio | from week 3

Hold Em (022000 from thickest to thinnest). Pick low E, D2, G0, B0, high e0, B0, G0, D2: eight even eighth notes, one bar. Let the notes overlap. Repeat four bars, then practise changing Em to Am using your existing chord sheet.

AC/DC: power chords with space | from week 2

Use week 2 bar B. Play it with light crunch, then replace its middle chord with A5 (A0/D2), keeping exactly the same rhythm. Stop all strings at rests. Compare a soft take with an accented take.

Dire Straits and Clapton: a short melodic answer | from week 4

Play G-string 5, G7, B5, hold, G7, hold, hold, rest. These are eight eighth-note slots. Use clean sound and a pick; make small movements between G and B. Repeat, leaving one silent bar between phrases. Later add gentle vibrato to the long G7.

Original blues phrase, one bar:

For this tabbed alternative, all notes stay on G. For the cross-string version described above, move only the third note to B fret 5. Both are valid exercises.

Guns N’ Roses, Satriani and Vai: connected lead notes | from week 10

Pick G5, hammer G7, pull off to the already fretted G5, then rest. Repeat this four-slot group twice per bar. Use index on 5 and ring on 7. Play all notes with a pick first if the connected version is tense. This develops connected phrasing without requiring speed. For a slide variation, pick G5 and slide to G7, arriving on the next slot, then hold for two slots.

Original legato phrase, one bar:

Rondat and Malmsteen: minor colour and accurate picking | from week 24, optional

An A harmonic minor fragment is B-string 5-6, then high e 4-5-7-8-7-5: eight eighth notes. Alternate pick slowly. Shift your hand between the small groups; do not hold a forced stretch. Notes are E F G# A B C B A. The raised G# introduces harmonic-minor colour. You can retain pentatonic work instead.

A-minor chord-tone arpeggio: D7, G5, B5, high e5, B5, G5, D7, rest. Each is one eighth-note slot. Play one note at a time, silencing the previous string. Use ordinary alternate picking, not sweeping. Learn the first four notes alone before joining the bar.

Tapping, sweep picking, fast neoclassical runs and whammy-bar techniques are possible later directions. This course develops their foundations while preserving blues expression and strong rhythm playing.

Familiar music: a short section each week

Use the seven-minute music block on days 2, 4 and 5 for your song section instead of the original weekly piece. Keep day 6 for the original piece or record the song section if ready. Choose one source lesson and a tiny section; no need to learn the whole song. Source lessons may have separate paid notation. The linked lessons supply the actual song instruction; the original exercises in this course prepare your technique.

Source lessons:

Metallica: Nothing Else Matters, intro lesson.

AC/DC: Highway to Hell lesson.

Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here lesson.

These are suggested section goals, not claims that the complete songs are beginner exercises.

A known melody you can play now

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, opening four bars; public-domain melody, simple arrangement. Standard tuning, 4/4, one column per QUARTER NOTE here, unlike the eighth-note exercises. Count 1 2 3 4 in each bar. A dash means that string is silent; ~ holds the preceding note. Start around 60 bpm. Use index on A3, ring on D5, index on G2; move your hand as necessary. Use index on D2, middle on D3. Pick only one note at a time.

   1   2   3   4      1   2   3   4
e| -   -   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |
B| -   -   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |
G| -   -   -   -   |  2   2   -   -   |
D| -   -   5   5   |  -   -   5   ~   |
A| 3   3   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |
E| -   -   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |

   1   2   3   4      1   2   3   4
e| -   -   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |
B| -   -   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |
G| -   -   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |
D| 3   3   2   2   |  -   -   -   -   |
A| -   -   -   -   |  5   5   3   ~   |
E| -   -   -   -   |  -   -   -   -   |

Notes: C C G G | A A G (hold) | F F E E | D D C (hold). This is also an ear-training exercise: sing it, then play. It connects directly to your C major scale. Give it a rock feel with a stronger first beat, keeping the familiar melody intact.

Nene Royal listening task

Your favourite “Married to the Blues” performance is a personal listening reference, not a transcription supplied here. On the lighter seventh day, use the four-minute technique block to listen to a short passage and hum its phrasing. In the seven-minute music block, play a simple answer using G-string 5 and 7 and B-string 5, leaving silence between phrases. Keep the scale, chord and log blocks as usual. This is an alternative to that day's table entry, not an added assignment.

Two performance projects

Week 12: standard tuning. Choose one rhythm bar from weeks 1-3 and call it R. Choose one lead bar from weeks 4-5 and call it L. Form: R R R R R R R R L L L L L L L L. Sixteen bars, around 64 seconds at 60 bpm. Keep one tempo through the change. These are practice sections; the lead can stand alone without a backing track.

Week 26: standard tuning. Choose two rhythm bars from weeks 13, 16 or 19 and call them R and S. Choose two lead bars from weeks 15, 18, 20 or 25 and call them L and M. Form: R R S S R R S S L L M M L L M M R R S S R R S S. Twenty-four bars, around 96 seconds at 60 bpm. If desired, use a style-lab lead bar for L or M. Start with a full-bar count-in. Prioritise a complete, steady recording over a maximum-speed take.

Your progress log

Every day record: day number; comfortable tempo; one success; one target for tomorrow. Every seventh day compare recordings for timing, string noise, expressive phrasing and comfortable movement. A tempo rise is optional. Use any extra calendar days after day 182 for light review and another final recording.

Your musical direction is classic rock, blues and metal: Eagles, AC/DC, Dire Straits, Guns N’ Roses, Clapton, Nene Royal, Iron Maiden and Metallica, with longer-term interests in Satriani, Vai, Rondat and Malmsteen. Fast sweep picking and advanced tapping are later projects. This course brings their foundations forward without making advanced speed a beginner requirement.