PLECK lesson 23 · suggested week 5, day 3
Recognize the guitar treble staff
Objective. Demonstrate this observable music task: Locate written B4, C5 and D5 on the supplied staff reference, then play the second-D chart once.
Enlarge/print text, speak or dictate written responses, use parent scribing, quiet practice and a visible score. Left-handed hand roles are equivalent. A hearing/one-hand or temporary-instrument limitation can use an explicitly documented alternative target; do not claim an unobserved auditory or two-hand playing skill. Parent may consult an appropriate music/access professional; no medical diagnosis is made.
Start any clip at a low comfortable volume. No headphones or amplifier are required. Pause and tell an adult if it is uncomfortable. A download is not browser playback, and the clip is not a recording of a person playing.
About 45 minutes. The due date is chosen by a parent.
Materials: An available ordinary six-string acoustic/classical/electric guitar in standard tuning; no amp required, Pencil/paper or on-site text area, A nearby parent/teacher for live observation OR an optional private recording device, Optional existing pick, dry cloth, free reference tones/tuner or metronome; no purchase or account required.
Comes after GTR-L022.
Read every TAB event as a string/fret location plus duration: top line 1 is high E, bottom line 6 is low E. A 0 means open, not silence; x in a chord strip means omit that string. Fret numbers are not finger numbers. Place a curved fingertip just behind the relevant wire with light effective pressure. One fret raises pitch by one semitone; two frets make a whole step. First-position notes taught here include high-string E4 F4 G4, second-string B3 C4 D4, third-string G3 A3 and fourth-string D3 E3 F3. Basic staff notes use a treble clef. Guitar sounds an octave below its conventional written staff pitch: sounding E4 is written E5. The supplied accessible table keeps these labels separate. Today: A staff has five lines and four spaces. In treble clef the written lines bottom to top are E4 G4 B4 D5 F5. Guitar normally sounds one octave below those written notes; sounding B3 is written B4. Use fretting/plucking hand roles for either handedness; string numbers stay fixed. Play in short comfortable blocks with breaks. Stop for pain, numbness or unsafe peg uncertainty; tell a responsible adult. No forced stretch, amp, purchases or new account is required.
Worked example
Original worked score GTR-EX023 (second-d). First event: string 2 fret 0 (B3), lasting 1 quarter beats. Sound each event once, allow its duration to pass, and count rests without a new attack. Numbers aligned within a column belong to the same event. The following duration row, not character spacing, specifies time. Bar 1 (4/4, quarter=1 beat) beats | 1 1 2 | 1 E4 |---------------| 2 B3 |--0----1----3--| 3 G3 |---------------| 4 D3 |---------------| 5 A2 |---------------| 6 E2 |---------------| r=rest in all strings; dash=do not attack that string; each column is one event. Bar 2 (4/4, quarter=1 beat) beats | 1 1 2 | 1 E4 |---------------| 2 B3 |--3----1----0--| 3 G3 |---------------| 4 D3 |---------------| 5 A2 |---------------| 6 E2 |---------------| r=rest in all strings; dash=do not attack that string; each column is one event.
Bar 1, event 1, 1 beat, string/fret 2/0 sounding B3 Bar 1, event 2, 1 beat, string/fret 2/1 sounding C4 Bar 1, event 3, 2 beats, string/fret 2/3 sounding D4 Bar 2, event 1, 1 beat, string/fret 2/3 sounding D4 Bar 2, event 2, 1 beat, string/fret 2/1 sounding C4 Bar 2, event 3, 2 beats, string/fret 2/0 sounding B3
Recognize the guitar treble staff — play, record and check
- 1. For guitar, sounding B3 is conventionally written as which pitch?
- 2. Count the note/chord attacks and rests in bar 1 of the supplied worked score. A simultaneous chord column counts as one attack, not one per string.
- 3. Locate written B4, C5 and D5 on the supplied staff reference, then play the second-D chart once. Actual playing: a parent hears the live guitar, or a private clip under 4 MB. Writing this answer does not replace the playing.
- 4. Spiral review from GTR-L008: perform only bar 1 of its supplied worked score once at a comfortable pulse. Name one location or timing feature you remembered; if playing is unavailable, record that performance is pending rather than claiming it. Actual playing: a parent hears the live guitar, or a private clip under 4 MB. Writing this answer does not replace the playing.
- 5. Record three things for this lesson: (1) actual task and chosen tempo or count method, (2) one specific audible/observed result, and (3) one safe next action. If already accurate, name a checked feature instead of inventing a mistake. Label support, adaptation or missing performance; do not invent minutes. Practice record. Text, a photo, or paper is enough for the log.
Feedback bands. R-THEORY. Music/instrument understanding. Answers the exact supplied question; Correct string/fret/pitch/rhythm or safety meaning; Clear labels distinguishing sounding/written pitch. 0: No relevant evidence yet. 1: Partial recognition with a material confusion. 2: Meaning mostly accurate with a correctable labeling gap. 3: Requested facts/calculation are accurate and clearly labeled. R-PERFORM. Actual guitar playing. Pitch/chord/string choices required by the visible task; Counted rhythm, rests and continuity at an agreed comfortable tempo; Clear intentional sound/phrasing within the stated task; Safe feasible movement and honest support/adaptation labels. 0: No usable observed/audible playing evidence yet; pending or access-adapted, not inferred from text. 1: Some assigned sounds evident; substantial location/time support needed. 2: Required task mostly recognizable with a few gaps and labeled supports. 3: Required notes/chords and rhythm are clear, with intentional starts/ends and safe control at the chosen tempo. R-ARTIFACT. Readable notation, design and original music. Exactly the features/counts visible in the task; Usable string/fret and duration/form labels where assigned; Consistent bar totals and actual performed version; Original/arranged/source and adaptation labels. 0: No inspectable artifact. 1: Some relevant work but key requested labels/counts missing. 2: Mostly reconstructable with limited inconsistencies. 3: Visible task complete, readable and musically reconstructable; labels honest. R-PRACTICE. Honest practice and reflection. Names actual task/attempt and tempo/count method; Specific observable result; Feasible safe next action. 0: No relevant record. 1: Vague record with little inspectable evidence. 2: Specific observation and plausible next step. 3: Clear evidence-linked observation and a feasible safe next action.
Acceptance checks
- Complete the explicitly numbered tasks and label the submitted score/version and support used.
- Meet only the note/chord/count/form/features stated in P1; diagrams and model examples do not add hidden quotas.
- Provide actual parent-observed live or audible private playing for the playing components. Paper/text/photos alone are not guitar competency evidence.
- For any assigned listening, label independent/replayed/supported/visual-alternative status honestly; do not infer hearing from reading.
- A slower safe attempt, accurately labeled complete reduced voicing, split evidence route or resubmission is allowed; exact notated bass changes require an explicitly adapted chart.
A student may explain aloud to a parent. Written/diagram tasks: on-site text, readable photo, print-and-hand-in or private scan. Playing: a parent hears actual live playing and logs the named task/bars, or submit short private audio/video clips each strictly below 4 MiB (4,194,304 bytes), using an app-supported format. Split by labeled phrases; check actual bytes. No face, legal name, home view, public account, ZIP or code upload is required. Actual upload formats/UI are unverified; use the live-parent route if unavailable. Text/photos alone do not establish playing. Label adaptations/support and allow resubmission.
Optional extra. Optional, not a grading requirement: make one new two-bar variation of the second-d model using only already taught notes/chords and its meter; explain one changed rhythm or ending, or increase tempo slightly only if still relaxed.
Turn in a typed answer, a JPEG, PNG, or WebP photo, a PDF scan, or an MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, or WebM file up to 4 MB. A parent can log paper. One https address is stored as text and is not opened or run. Zip and code files are refused.
- Left Hand Position Lesson
Optional public written reference for this unit; original lesson remains sufficient. Do not buy linked products or create an account.
· Opening this link does not submit the lesson. - Notation of Notes, Clefs, and Ledger Lines
Optional public written reference for this unit; original lesson remains sufficient. Do not buy linked products or create an account.
· Opening this link does not submit the lesson. - Notating Rhythm
Optional public written reference for this unit; original lesson remains sufficient. Do not buy linked products or create an account.
· Opening this link does not submit the lesson.
This is a preview. A parent assigns the lesson and chooses the due date after the student is enrolled. The answer key is not on this page.