Lesson 6: A and E7: your first song

Week 6 of 27

Goal: You play A and E7 and accompany your first song with two chords.

Review

Last week: Am. Play four times Em, four times Am once – then E, to warm up your fingers.

Step by step

  1. A: index, middle and ring fingers side by side at the 2nd fret on the D, G and B strings. Don’t play the low E string.
  2. The three fingers don’t have much room. Angle them slightly one behind the other and they’ll fit. The high e string must ring freely.
  3. E7 is E major without the ring finger: middle finger A string 2nd fret, index finger G string 1st fret. All six strings ring.
  4. Practise switching A – E7 slowly. Then Hänschen klein in A: the backing waits for you at every change.
A123E721

Time to make music: your piece

Your first song: Hänschen klein in A – only A and E7, downstrokes only. When it works, try Summ, summ, summ in A.

Hänschen klein in A

Summ, summ, summ in A

Start the chord game Choose: E · A

Homework for next time

Five days, about ten minutes each:

  • Tune first every day.
  • Day 1: play A – does the high e string ring freely?
  • Days 2–3: switch A – E7 – A – E7 slowly.
  • Days 4–5: play along with Hänschen klein in A.
  • Fun: chord game “E and A” – how many can you do?

Done when …

  • A and E7 ring clearly
  • you play Hänschen klein all the way through once

If you get stuck

  • With A the high e string doesn’t ring? Your ring finger touches it. Pull it back a little or angle your fingers more.
  • The song is too fast? “Waits for me” gives you time at every change. Take your time – what counts is that it sounds good.
For teachers: lesson plan
  1. ≈ 10 min Warm-up: compare E and E7 – the group hears that E7 “wants to move on”.
  2. ≈ 15 min Practice: A – E7 round and round, four beats each. Who can switch without taking the hand off the neck?
  3. ≈ 20 min Together: Hänschen klein in A – first sing, then sing and play. One child shows when to change. If a key is awkward for singing, choose the ★ key in the song or play with a capo.

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/6/

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