Week 5 of 27
Goal: You play Am and switch between Em and Am in time.
Review
Last week: E major. Warm up with Bruder Jakob in E.
Step by step
- Play E. Now move all three fingers together one string towards the floor – the shape stays the same. That’s Am.
- For Am: middle finger on the D string and ring finger on the G string at the 2nd fret, index finger on the B string at the 1st fret.
- With Am you don’t play the low E string. Start your strum on the A string.
- Switching Em – Am: very slowly at first – place fingers, strum, release. Look where your fingers are going before you switch. More tricks in Chord changes.
- In the chord game choose “Em and Am”: how many changes can you manage in one minute?
Time to make music: your piece
Four times Em, four times Am – round and round with “Only down”, slowly. Already sounds like a real song! Then: the chord game with Em and Am.
Practise rhythm Pattern: Only down
Start the chord game Choose: Em · Am
Homework for next time
Five days, about ten minutes each:
- Tune first every day.
- Days 1–2: play Am, pluck the strings one by one (not the low E).
- Day 3: E – Am – E – Am: the shape moves one string.
- Days 4–5: your piece, four times Em, four times Am, with the metronome.
- Fun: chord game Em and Am – beat yesterday’s record!
Done when …
- five strings ring clearly when you play Am
- you switch Em – Am at a slow tempo without stopping
If you get stuck
- The high e string doesn’t ring? The index finger on the B string is too flat and touches it. Put more curve in your fingers!
- The change takes too long? Practise just the movement: place, release, place – without strumming. Five times, then with music.
For teachers: lesson plan
- ≈ 10 min Warm-up: “moving house” from E to Am – everyone plays E, and on “Move!” everyone shifts the shape one string over.
- ≈ 15 min Practice: Em – Am round and round, the teacher counts aloud “1, 2, 3, change”. Slowly first, then a little faster.
- ≈ 20 min Together: play the piece with the metronome; a small group hums an invented melody over it.
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/5/