Beginner Guitar · PLECK lesson

PLECK lesson 103 · suggested week 21, day 3

Create an arpeggio accompaniment

Objective. Demonstrate this observable music task: Write four original 4/4 bars of Am arpeggios using quarter or half notes and one rest; play all four 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-L102.

Plucking-hand labels are p thumb, i index, m middle and a ring; left-handed players use the same role labels. Fingers release after a small movement rather than staying clenched. Bare fingertips or an existing pick are acceptable; no nail product, tape or forced finger restraint is required. In an arpeggio, follow the explicit string order and duration of each event. Keep a bass audible without drowning the treble. Notes in one vertically aligned TAB column sound together; successive columns are successive events. A changed bass in a reduced voicing must be written if the score specifies an exact bass note. Start with quarter-note patterns, then count eight half-beat attacks as one complete 4/4 bar. Today: An original pattern can reorder chord tones while keeping a clear beat. Restrict yourself to the displayed Am notes and record the string order. Every bar must have an explicit duration total, including any chosen rest. 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-EX103 (am-arp). First event: string 5 fret 0 (A2), 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    1    1  |
1 E4 |-----------------0--|
2 B3 |------------1-------|
3 G3 |-------2------------|
4 D3 |--------------------|
5 A2 |--0-----------------|
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    1    1  |
1 E4 |-----------------0--|
2 B3 |------------1-------|
3 G3 |-------2------------|
4 D3 |--2-----------------|
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 5/0 sounding A2 Bar 1, event 2, 1 beat, string/fret 3/2 sounding A3 Bar 1, event 3, 1 beat, string/fret 2/1 sounding C4 Bar 1, event 4, 1 beat, string/fret 1/0 sounding E4 Bar 2, event 1, 1 beat, string/fret 4/2 sounding E3 Bar 2, event 2, 1 beat, string/fret 3/2 sounding A3 Bar 2, event 3, 1 beat, string/fret 2/1 sounding C4 Bar 2, event 4, 1 beat, string/fret 1/0 sounding E4

Create an arpeggio accompaniment — play, record and check

  1. 1. Must an arpeggio follow ascending string order?
  2. 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. 3. Write four original 4/4 bars of Am arpeggios using quarter or half notes and one rest; play all four 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. 4. Spiral review from GTR-L088: 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. 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

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 am-arp model using only already taught notes/chords and its meter; explain one changed rhythm or ending, or increase tempo slightly only if still relaxed.

Name ____________________ Date ____________________