Week 3 of 27
Goal: You press a string so that it rings clearly – and use it to play the blues with the band.
Review
Last week: tuning and E A D G B e. Tune your guitar first and say the string names as you go.
Step by step
- Your left thumb rests on the back of the neck, roughly behind your middle finger. Keep the hand round, as if holding a small ball.
- Press with your fingertip, not the flat of your finger. The best spot is just behind the fret wire, not in the middle of the fret.
- Not too hard! Press very lightly first, pluck, then press only a little harder until the note rings clearly. No more is needed.
- Try it on the A string at the 2nd fret with your index finger: that’s the note B. Buzzing? Move closer to the fret wire. More in Clean fretting.
- In the blues on level 1 you only play root notes: E and A are open strings, B is on the A string at the 2nd fret. The golden dot shows you which one comes next.
Time to make music: your piece
Blues with the band in E, level 1 · Root note: pluck the root four times in every bar – E, A or B. The band plays along, you are the bass!
Play the blues Level 1 · Root note, key E
Homework for next time
Five days, about ten minutes each:
- Tune first every day.
- Days 1–2: B on the A string (fret 2) – lightly first, then firmer until it rings clearly.
- Day 3: the same with your middle and ring fingers.
- Days 4–5: blues level 1 with the band, very slowly.
- Fun: get through all 12 bars once – then give yourself a round of applause!
Done when …
- B on the A string rings clearly without buzzing
- you find the right root note in every bar of the blues
If you get stuck
- Buzzing? Slide your finger closer to the fret wire – don’t just press harder.
- Your hand gets tired? Shake it out after each try. The thumb doesn’t squeeze, it just gives support.
- Fingertip sore? Normal – better twice a day for five minutes than once for a long time. More in Calluses.
For teachers: lesson plan
- ≈ 10 min Warm-up: the “soft-to-firm game” – everyone presses B very lightly and slowly gets firmer until the note is clear. How little force is enough?
- ≈ 15 min Practice: the teacher points to E, A or B and the group plays that note four times. Slowly at first, then faster.
- ≈ 20 min Together: blues with the app through a speaker, level 1 – the whole group is the bass section.
Differentiation: those who are confident play the piece with down-up or help a partner; those who need more time strum only on beat one of each bar.
For the board: openstring.de/gitarre/en/lesson/3/