Week 1 (1/13) Feedback

  1. CAGED System Demonstration
    1. This looks great! It looks like you've got a great grasp on the connections between these chords in multiple keys. As I'm sure you've found out, understanding these connections between chords is incredibly helpful for rhythmic experimentation.
    2. The only thing I'd recommend you do when practicing this going forward is to play the first shape twice. So, when you start with the key of C, you'll play these shapes: C, A, G, E, D, then C. That way you get each and every pivot note/shape involved.
    3. One more thing - make sure that you're only playing the D through the high E string for the D-shaped chord. It sounded to me like you were adding in the A string when you played the D-shape of the G chord...it's not the end of the world but always a good idea to stay consistent with the full shape!
    4. Question: How would you feel about playing the CAGED system in the key of Bb? How about Eb?
  2. Pivot Note Explanation
    1. I don't have much to say here - this looks great! I will only reiterate the point I made above in the second bullet point. When working through the pivot notes (and the full shapes), you want to be able to see how all of the shapes connect. That means, in the key of C major, your last pivot note is from the D shape to the C shape.
  3. Franklin's Tower Chords
    1. Great work here! It looks like you've got a really good idea of where these changes fall in a few different places while also being able to accompany the progression with a bit of speed.
    2. I noticed that when you switched to the C-shape of the A and G chord and the G-shape of the D chord that the clarity of these chords suffered a bit as a result. This is perfectly normal considering the difficulty of the chord shapes themselves, but I still recommend slowing down and prioritizing quality over speed when playing with chord shapes like this.
    3. Question: What did your process look like for learning these chord shapes? How did you map out the chords on top of one another?

Overall, great work! Let's keep moving on with the lesson plan as is. If you wouldn't mind just briefly responding to my two follow-up questions that would be helpful...have a great week!