Guitar 101: Strings, Frets, What is a chord?

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will learn what the frets and strings are, how they are organized on a guitar and how to play an easy chord - Em. Integrate Solfeg.io in teaching the basics of guitar playing.

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Guitars
• Mobile devices with the Solfeg.io mobile app installed (optional)

Hear the guitar

🕐 Time: 7 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the chosen song
• Recognize instruments in a song
• Describe the sound of an instrument

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Choose a song from the suggestion list that students like the most and open it in the Song library. Click on 'Guitar' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals' so that the guitar chord diagrams are visible.
• Press play and listen to a part of the song.

Freaks: verse 1 or verse 2

Astronaut in the Ocean: chorus 1 or another part

Dance Monkey: chorus 2 or another part

Bellyache: verse 1 or another part

Hey There Delilah: verse 1, verse 2 or verse 3

• Discuss with the class what you just heard

What string instruments do you hear? (Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar; in verse 2 and verse 3 of “Hey There Delilah” there is also a violin and cello)

What other instruments can you hear? (Depending on the song, synthesizer, piano, percussions, drums)

How would you describe the sound of the guitar? (Choose suitable adjectives: bright, mellow, smooth, mild, soft, sharp, edgy, energetic, happy, etc.)

Do you know how the guitar is played? (Ask a student to try to hold and play a guitar.)

Strings

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the parts of the guitar
• Learn the names of the guitar strings

🎲 Activity:

- If you have several guitars, distribute them to the class (one for each student or one for each group of students). If you have only one instrument, use it yourself and give it to selected students during practical parts.

- Show the strings on your guitar.

• How many strings are there? (Six)

- Ask students to pluck each string on their guitars and pay attention to the sound.

• Which string sounds the highest? (The bottom one when the guitar is held in the playing position)
• Which string sounds the lowest? (The first one from the top when the guitar is held in the playing position)

- Explain that numbers and letters are used to distinguish between strings.

• Strings are numbered from 1 to 6, the 1st string being at the bottom when you hold the guitar in the playing position. The numbers are usually encircled: ①, ②, ③, etc.
• Strings are named after the notes on the open strings (E, A, D, G, B, E from the 6th string to the 1st). Use a fun mnemonic to help remember the letters: for example:

From 6th string to the 1st: 'Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie' or 'Eat All Day Get Big Easy';

From the 1st string to the 6th: 'Easter Bunnies Get Dizzy At Easter' or 'Every Boy Gets Dinner At Eight'.

• Ask students to try to make up their own phrase using these four letters!

Frets

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the parts of the guitar
• Understand the function of frets on a guitar

🎲 Activity:

• Show the frets on your guitar!

Ask students to count the frets on their guitars!

• Explain that frets indicate where different notes are located on the guitar. They help to find the right place to press your fingers!
• Frets are numbered, the 1st one being the furthest to the left when the guitar is held in the playing position.
• When playing the guitar, you're supposed to press the fingers between the frets, more to the right side but not touching the metal.
• The further to the right you press the string, the higher the sound.

Students could try pressing the same string in different frets and notice how the sound becomes higher or lower!

Try sliding the finger on one of the strings and notice how the sound changes!

What is a chord?

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Understand what a chord is and how it is played on the guitar

🎲 Activity:

• Explain that a chord is a combination of multiple notes, played simultaneously.
• Demonstrate how chords are played on guitar.

Find frets!

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the parts of the guitar

🎲 Activity:

• In this exercise, students should have their own guitars. Distribute instruments to the students!
• Call out a fret number.
• Students have to show the fret as fast as possible on their guitars.
• Repeat this several times with different numbers.
• You can increase the difficulty by asking to find a particular fret on a particular string, for example, the 3rd fret on the 1st string.
• This time, when they find the spot, they should press down their index finger and play the note with their right thumb.
• You can vary the game by asking the fastest student to call out the next fret and string number.

Find the Em chord

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the parts of the guitar
• Learn an easy chord on the guitar

🎲 Activity:

• Ask students to find the 2nd fret on the 4th string and press it with the ring finger.
• Next, find the 5th string in the same fret and press it with the middle finger.
• Put your right thumb on the 6th string (the one at the top) and strum all six strings in a downward motion.
• Explain that this is the Em chord and usually indicated as Em.

Strum Em in the song

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Follow the score of a song
• Play the Em chord in a song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Choose a song from the suggestion list that students like the most and open it in the Song library. Click on 'Guitar' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals' so that the guitar chord diagrams are visible.
• Play the suggested part of the chosen song:

Freaks: verse 1 or verse 2

Astronaut in the Ocean: chorus 1 or another part

Dance Monkey: chorus 2 or another part

Bellyache: verse 1 or another part

Hey There Delilah: verse 1, verse 2 or verse 3

• Ask the class to follow the chord symbols and play the Em chord everytime it appears at the red line on the screen.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

What was fun in this lesson?

What was challenging in this lesson?

What songs would you like to learn to play on the guitar?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice the Em chord on the guitar
• Consolidate the concepts learned in the lesson

🎲 Activity:

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Practicing the Em chord and adding another chord in these mobile classes (Day 1, Day 2 of guitar program)
• Trying to play Em in another song from the suggestion list.