Lesson Two Old McDonald Had a Farm
Source: Guitar Lessons
Old McDonald Had a Farm Have fun with this ol time favorite. Many more coming along!
About This Lesson:
More of the same for the most part this week. Just about every kid and adult knows this song very well and that is an important factor in our first few months of teaching these lessons. Let’s learn the familiar “Old Favorites” and have some real fun with the guitar. This will spike your kids’ interest and hopefully keep it spiked for a long time.
Also this allows us to slip in some theory, under the radar, because that is required for the proper playing of this and future songs. This song is played mostly on the Treble Strings, but we do dip down into the Bass Strings a bit as well.
Learning Points:
Quarter Notes:
Most of this song is written in quarter notes. Each Quarter Note receives one beat of time. If you tap your foot, you play one Quarter Note every time you foot taps the floor. Quarter Notes have a solid black head and a stem.
Half Notes:
There are a few half notes in the song. Give them 2 beats each, or 2 foot taps. Pick the note on the first beat and let it ring for the second beat. Half notes are easy to spot – they have an open head and a stem.
Whole Notes:
There is just one Whole Note in the song, at the very end of the song or the last measure. Give it 4 beats, or 4 foot taps. Pick the note on the first beat and let it ring for the three additional beats for a total of (4). Whole notes are easy to spot – they have an open head and no stem.
Dotted Half Notes:
OK – This is brand new. Notice the dotted half note in the song. The notes are on the 4th and the 8th measures of the song. The half note gets 2 beats. The dot adds 50% more or one more beat for a total of 3 beats for a dotted half note.
About the Tab Notes:
All the timing is shown just below the upper staffs. There is 4 beats per measure and Quarter Notes receive that beat 4/4 time. Pay close attention to the dotted half notes in the 4th and 8th measures and be sure to give each of these notes 3 beats.
Articles You Should Read:
How to Read TAB
Notes on the Treble Strings: Review your notes, fingering etc.
Dotted Notes: Read and understand how they appear and what the dot does to the note it is with.
Proper Left Hand Position: Note how your hand is positioned on the neck. Keep your fingers right behind the fret.
How to Hold the Guitar Pick: This is becoming much more important now that we are getting some experiece.
Music Theory You Should Know:
Music Staff
Measure
TAB
Quarter Notes
Half Notes
Whole Notes
Dotted Notes
Treble Clef
TAB Staff
Tempo
Goals:
This is our third week at a minimum. Now you should be feeling a bit more comfortable with the guitar and the notes should be coming easier to you. TAB should be fairly easy to read and you should work to make sure you are using your correct Left Hand fingering on the frets.
Goal #1:
Nail the timing on this song. Go through it for several days and then get right on the Guitar Pro file. Set the Tempo to a comfortable speed where you can play along with the computer. This may be 50 to 50 bpm.
Goal #2:
Work on the dotted half notes. Remember 2 beats for the half note and 1 beat for the dot. That is 3 total. Tap your foot three times on these notes.
Goal #3:
This song may seem long and hord at first. By the time you play it for a week you will realize that there are a lot of repeats in the song and it will come quite easily.
Goal #4:
You need to learn to keep notes ringing for their full time value, even if it is a fingered note on a fret. For instance you strike a whole note of the first beat and you let it right for 3 additional beats. If you play the last note in this song. You will place your LH first finger on the C note and strike this note on the first beat. Keep your finger in place and let the note ring for 3 additional beats or a total of 4 beats (4 beats per measure).
What You Should Practice This Week:
Basically I’m only asking that you can play this song accurately and slowly. If you can play it smoothly that is all the better. If you can play it up-tempo (this means a little faster) that is great, but don’t play it faster if you loose your smoothness. You do not need to memorize this song, but if you do, congratulations! If you memorize part of it, maybe you should read the article on Tricks for Memorizing Songs to give you some pointers.
See our How To Practice article:
If you are having trouble with your practice techniques, or can’t seem to get “in the groove”, review the article on How to Practice and this will help you develop a consistent practice method.
Help Us Out:
Lastly and most importantly, give us feedback, either good or bad. We want to improve this site and we want kids to learn how to play the guitar. If you have suggestions for us, leave a comment. If you appreciate these lessons, leave a comment on that too.
Songs in Downloadable Format:
If you have difficulty reading this score information, we have this score information available free of charge for you with an instant electronic download. Just click on the song title below and you will be taken to our secure server site. You will get a PDF file of the above score complete with the Tab Notes. Be sure to download Adobe Acrobat Reader v6.0 or above. This version will allow you to turn the Tab Layer on or off.
Also you will get the Guitar Pro file. You can download Guitar Pro and get a free trial so you can play along with this song in real time on your computer. If you upgrade to the full version of the song you will have a lot more features available to you.
Old MacDonald – Lead Notes – Guitar Pro File
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Old MacDonald – Lead Notes- PDF File
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Go to Old McDonald Had a Farm Score
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