The Third and Fourth Strings (Guitar Lesson)

Chapter 1: (08:59) The Third and Fourth Strings In lesson 3, you learned where the notes on the first and second strings are written on the musical staff. You also played through a basic exercise that served as an introduction to reading sheet music. This time around, Jim Deeming repeats this same process with the third and fourth strings. In this lesson, you will learn where the open position notes on these two strings are written on the staff. Jim has also included some exercises designed to enhance your reading abilities.

The Third String

When the third string is played open, it produces the pitch G. Do not confuse this note with the G note that you learned in the previous lesson. This G note is simply one octave lower than the G note located at the third fret of the high E string. The open G string note is written on the second line of the musical staff.

There is only one other first position note on this string to learn. This note, A, is played at the second fret of the G string with the second finger. (Remember to always use the proper left-hand fingering when practicing the reading exercises and scales presented in this series.) In relation to the musical staff, this note is written in the second space from the bottom.

The Fourth String

When the fourth string is played open, it produces the note D. On the musical staff, this particular D note is written just below the lowest line. This note is one octave lower than the D note that you have already learned on the second string.

The next note to learn on this string is E. E is located at the second fret on this string. This pitch is one octave lower than the open high E string. In relation to the staff, this pitch is written on the lowest line. Always remember the saying "every good boy does fine" to identify the names of the lines on the musical staff.

If you depress the fourth string at the third fret, the note F is produced. F is written in the first space on the staff. Remember that the spaces on the staff spell out the word "face" from bottom to top.

Review

At this point, play through all of the notes that you have learned so far. Remember to say each note name aloud as you play it. This process will solidify this information in your brain in the most efficient manner.

Rests

When playing through the exercises written on Jim's marker board as well as the exercises presented in the "Supplemental Content" section, you will encounter some rests. You must always give rests their full written value. Many students that are first beginning to read music have a tendency to cut rests short. To ensure that this does not happen to you, always practice with a metronome.

At this point in the series, Jim has presented three types of rests. These rests are the quarter rest, half rest, and whole rests.

Quarter Rest-the quarter note rest indicates that the performer should remain silent for the duration of one quarter note. This rest resembles an ear or the number three written backwards.

Half Rest-this rest indicates that the performer should remain silent for the duration of a half note. The half rest resembles a hat. Remember that "half" and "hat" sound similar when identifying this rest.

Whole Rest- this rest indicates that the performer should remain silent for the duration of a whole note. The whole note looks just like the half note, except it is flipped upside down. Chapter 2: (02:43) Third and Fourth String Exercise The best way to solidify the information that you learned in the previous lesson is by reading some notation that involves these notes and rests. Jim has provided a few exercises that will accomplish this goal. The first exercise involves notes from the third and fourth strings. The second exercise includes all of the notes that you have learned so far.

Follow these guidelines when playing through these exercises:

1. Say each note name out loud as you play it.

2. After practicing through the exercises in this manner several times, count the rhythm of each measure aloud as you play through the exercise.

3. Play both exercises along with a metronome set to a slow tempo. For now, ignore the tempo indicated on the score. Begin these exercises at approximately sixty beats per minute.

4. Play as musically as possible at all times.

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