C Major Chord Song and Melody: Morning Has Broken, Hymn on a Scottish Tune. This lesson comes from my Classical Guitar Method Book Volume 2. The student plays chords on their own and the melody on its own. There are many benefits of strumming chords for classical guitarists. Knowing the chord shapes is essential as they are the same shapes used in many classical guitar works. Also, the free rhythmic strumming can give students flexibility, versatility, and confidence in natural rhythmic patterns.Here’s the YouTube Link if you want to watch it there.
A few things to work on:
- Tap your foot to the quarter note and strum
- Count the beat out loud and strum
- Once you are comfortable with strumming to the beat you can try some varied rhythmic patterns while keeping a steady beat.
- If you have trouble changing from chord to chord in time try slowing it way down while also keeping a steady beat. The other thing you can do is to reduce the number of strums you do, for example, only strumming once per measure. Anything you can do to keep a steady beat and present the chord is useful to your development.
Big thanks to Natasha Pashchenko for helping with the duets. Natasha is an excellent guitarist, teacher, and friend from Victoria, BC.
