Fourth String Notes
D Note
To play the D note, pick the open 4th string.
E Note
Play the E note with the second finger of your left hand behind the second fret of the 4th string.
F Note
Play the F note with the third finger of your left hand behind the third fret of the 4th string.
The Dotted Half Note
A dot placed after a note or strum extends its value by half. A dot placed after a half note or half note strum means that you hold it for three beats. One dotted half note makes one bar of music in ^ time.
The Dotted Half Strum
There is one dotted half note strum in one bar of music in ^ time. Use a dotted half strum to play the chords which accompany the following melody.
Use this bass note rhythm pattern to accompany the following song. Play the first G bass note where the G chord symbol is written above the first bar, rather than where the lead-in note occurs. Once you can play both the melody and accompaniment to a song, try playing one part while your teacher or another guitarist plays the other part. Then you can swap parts when the song repeats. This will prepare you for playing both rhythm and lead guitar.
Know Your Guitars...
The Classical Guitar
The classical guitar has nylon strings and is played with the fingers of the right hand rather than a pick. As the name suggests, this is the type of guitar used for classical music, but it is also commonly used for Flamenco, Folk, and World music. Some of the most famous classical guitarists are Andres Segovia, John Williams and Alirio Diaz. American fingerpicker Chet Atkins used an electric classical guitar.
