Beginner Guitar · PLECK lesson

PLECK lesson 121 · suggested week 25, day 1

Listen for melodic contour

Objective. Demonstrate this observable music task: Play both chart bars twice and draw arrows between successive melody notes; label one repeated or falling movement if present.

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-L120.

A motif is a small recognizable pitch/rhythm idea. Repeat, vary or answer it deliberately. Dynamics are relative soft/louder choices; a listener need not share a fixed emotion label. Musical articulation controls connection or separation while the time grid continues. A dotted quarter lasts one and a half quarter beats, followed by an eighth on the remaining half beat. A tie joins the same pitch into a single longer sound with no reattack; different pitches cannot be tied as one pitch. Use known note locations and exact bar sums to build your own music rather than copying commercial TAB, lyrics or recordings. Visual support and parent help can preserve access but must not be reported as independent hearing if no sound was perceived. Today: Contour describes rising, falling or repeated pitch, not whether a tune is good. Compare each new note with the previous one. Absolute pitch naming is unnecessary for recognizing direction, and hearing support must be labeled honestly. 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-EX121 (answer-home). First event: string 2 fret 1 (C4), 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 |-------0-------|
2 B3 |--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 |--1------------|
3 G3 |-------2----0--|
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 2/1 sounding C4 Bar 1, event 2, 1 beat, string/fret 1/0 sounding E4 Bar 1, event 3, 2 beats, string/fret 2/3 sounding D4 Bar 2, event 1, 1 beat, string/fret 2/1 sounding C4 Bar 2, event 2, 1 beat, string/fret 3/2 sounding A3 Bar 2, event 3, 2 beats, string/fret 3/0 sounding G3

Listen for melodic contour — play, record and check

  1. 1. Does contour identification require naming every absolute pitch?
  2. 2. How many quarter-note beats are in bar 1 of the supplied worked score? Show the sum of its printed durations.
  3. 3. Play both chart bars twice and draw arrows between successive melody notes; label one repeated or falling movement if present. 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-L106: 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 answer-home 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 ____________________