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Six String Strummin' · Intermediate · Unit 4 · Lesson 1

Lesson 1: The E-Minor Pentatonic

Five notes that always sound good ·

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • I can play the open E-minor pentatonic scale.
  • I can improvise short phrases from its notes.
  • I can play 'Five Easy Notes'.

🕸Swing the Eighths3 min

  1. Play open-string eighths straight, then again with a swing: long-short, long-short.
  2. Think 'doo-dah doo-dah' instead of 'one-and two-and'.
  3. Swing lives in the blues — get it in your arm before the lesson.

✋Why Pentatonic Works5 min

  1. Five notes per octave, no clashes — every note fits over an E-minor groove.
  2. This open 'box' uses only open strings and frets 2-3.
  3. Improvising rule one: any note, land on E when in doubt.

🥁Count It3 min

  1. Count the rhythm out loud before you play.
  2. Turn on Counts or the metronome and lock in with it.
  3. Loop it slowly first; speed comes on its own.
1 Pentatonic Pulse Two notes, swung — small material, big feel.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop

📖Play It7 min

  1. Read it slowly and cleanly the first time through.
  2. Drag-select any tricky spot and loop it.
  3. Use the tempo slider — move up only when it's clean.
2 The Scale, Up Low half of E-minor pentatonic — open strings + frets 2-3.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop
3 The Scale, Top Top half up and back — let the last note breathe.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop

🎵Five Easy Notes7 min

  1. Play 'Five Easy Notes', then make up 2 bars of your own inside the scale.
  2. There are no wrong notes here — only phrases you haven't found yet.
4 Five Easy Notes A melody built entirely inside the pentatonic — nothing can go wrong.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop

👂Train Your Ear2 min

  1. Press play on any line above, look away, and listen once through.
  2. Hum the first bar back, then find it on the guitar by ear.

✨Make It Yours3 min

  1. Take one idea from this lesson and bend it — change a rhythm, reorder the chords.
  2. Play your version twice so it sticks.

MY ENDING (write or describe it):

🏠This Week at Home

⭐Practice Tracker

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5
Five Easy Notesonce through, daily
The E-Minor Pentatonicclean & steady
Metronome onat least one exercise
My own variationmake one up

★ Check off each day you play — ten focused minutes counts. Consistency beats marathon sessions.

🍎Teacher Guide

PREP

  • The E-Minor Pentatonic: Five notes that always sound good

COMMON MISTAKES & FIXES

  • Rushing ahead of the beat. → Fix: Turn the metronome on and drop the tempo until it feels easy.
  • Buzzing or muted notes. → Fix: Press just behind the fret with the fingertip, thumb relaxed behind the neck.

IF STRUGGLING

  • Drop the tempo well below comfortable and loop one bar.
  • Play just the chord changes (or just the rhythm) before combining.

IF ADVANCED

  • Bring it to full tempo with the metronome.
  • Add your own variation — a different rhythm, an extra chord.

EXTENSIONS

  • Apply tonight's skill to a song you already love.

TALKING POINTS

  • You're building real technique — the same fundamentals every guitarist runs on.

✅Assessment

Tap one level per skill — saved on this device.

Accuracy
Plays the right notes and chords.
Timing
Keeps a steady beat.
Tone
Notes and strums ring clean and clear.

★ BrightNote · Six String Strummin' · Intermediate · Unit 4 · Lesson 1 · v1.0 · generated from lesson data

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