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Beginners, especially small children, don't have much strength
in their hands and therefore cannot be expected to hold down
chords for too long to begin with.
In early lessons get your students to work in short spells.
In between spells of physical work you can spend a minute
or two (but no more) going over note names on open strings
or demonstrating some of the finer points of optimum finger
positioning. Get back to the physical work after no more than
two minutes break however, because this is where the real
progress is to be made early on.
At the end of the first lesson advise your student to practice
at home in a similar manner - ie: Little and Often.
The same principal should be applied to your students' conceptual
development. Having demonstrated one week why the names of
the notes on the fretboard follow the chromatic scale (ideally
by referring to the layout of a piano keyboard), don't just
expect this knowledge to sink in and stick. Question your
student two or three times each subsequent lesson thus: (tutor
places finger on 6th string at 3rd fret)'What note is this?'
or 'Play me a Bb on the 5th string'. You just do this at random
during any natural pause in the lesson and you keep doing
it two or three times per lesson until the student always
answers correctly without hesitation.
In all three examples the 'Little and Often' principal is
very effective.
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