Month 1, Lesson 5: Little Brown Jug
Source: Guitar Lessons
Little Brown Jug Lead
“Little Brown Jug” is a song written in 1869 by Joseph Winner, originally published credited to “Eastburn” It is one of the first songs that I learned when i was a kid taking guitar lessons and it still applies today as a great song that can be used for a stepping stone to learn your guitar music. It is easy and the tune is easy to remember so it is a good song to sit down and memorize.
About This Lesson:
The real purpose of this lesson is to drill the notes into your memory so you can remember them. We will do this for a while until you can do what is called ‘sight reading’. That means being able to sit down and look a music for the first time and be able to play the song from the music the first time thorugh..
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.
Eighth Notes:
There are a few eighth notes in the song. Give them 1/2 beats each, or 2 notes per 1 foot tap. Pick the first note when your foot taps the floor on the whole number (1 2 3 or 4). The second eighth note is played on the “and” or the “&” symbol and that is when your foot is in the air.
Half Notes:
There are several half notes in the song. Remember they each get 2 beats and they have an open head with a stem.
Left Hand Finger Numbers:
This song was arranged in Guitar Pro 6. The left hand finger numbers are shown differently in that updated version. Rather than below the TAB score they are shown as number to the left of the note head in the musical score – this is the most common location that you will see them.
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 half notes in several locations and give these 2 beats each. Keep a close eye on those left hand finger numbers and make sure you are using the correct number finger for each note.
Articles You Should Read:
How to Read TAB
Notes on the Treble Strings: Review your notes, fingering etc.
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 experience.
How to Memorize a Song: This would be a good song for you to memorize.
Music Theory You Should Know:
Music Staff
Measure
TAB
Quarter Notes
Half Notes
Whole Notes
Dotted Notes
Treble Clef
TAB Staff
Tempo
Goals:
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:
This is quite a simple song since a lot of it is played on open strings. This being the case, this would be an excellent song for you to memorize.
Goal #3:
Be sure that you not only play this song according to the TAB staff, but play it on the notation staff too. Know how to read the notes, recognize them and say them out loud as you practice.
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 half note of the first beat and you let it right for 1 additional beat. Make sure you tap your foot and get the timing right. Play along with the Guitar Pro file and start really slow so you can keep up. Slowly increase the speed as the week progresses.
What You Show Work On 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.
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, such as the RSE modules which give you realistic guitar files – they sound just like an Acoustic Guitar.
Guitar Pro File – Little Brown Jug Lead
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PDF File – Little Brown Jug Lead
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Go to Little Brown Jug Lead, Lesson 1.5 Score
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