Songs and  Poetry for ESL
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  • Home
    • Video of Songs and Poetry Workshop
  • LGA3102 Songs and Poetry for Young Learners
  • Index of songs on this site
  • Places to find SONGS and music
  • SONGS - some old favourites
    • More Songs
  • Action Songs and Rhymes
    • Instructions for some songs
    • Finger Plays
  • But I can't SING
    • But I don't know those tunes
  • Using a GUITAR
    • Getting Started on the Guitar
    • First Guitar Chords (key G) >
      • First Guitar Chords (key C)
    • Using the 3 chord 'trick'
    • Happy Birthday (on the guitar)
    • Songs to start with >
      • She'll be Coming ...!
    • More Simple Guitar Songs
    • The Sad Sound >
      • Kind of Sad
  • Malaysia KSSR Year 1 Text
    • Guitar Songs for Year 1
  • Using Popular SONGS to teach ESL
  • Create your own songs
  • POETRY
    • Exploring and Exploiting Poetry
    • Nursery Rhymes
    • Chants and Raps for grammar
    • Chants and Raps for Vocabulary
    • Poems for Pronunciation
    • Funny Poems
  • Language Arts (KSSR)
  • English Pronunciation (for Malaysians)
  • MELTA 2013

Using a Guitar

There are many advantages to using a guitar in the classroom.
  • Kids love it. They get really excited when they see the teacher come in with a guitar. It can become a great motivation, as they look forward to the moment when you pick it up and start to strum.
  • A guitar is relatively cheap (as instruments go), and very portable.
  • A classical guitar (with nylon strings) doesn't make too much noise so as to upset the classes next door.
  • Gentle guitar playing is very calming for the children, they settle down quickly and want to listen.
  • It's EASY to learn!
So if you are reading this and thinking 'yes, yes, it would be good ... if I could ...'

Well, you CAN! And you can teach yourself.

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Guitar Chords

The guitar has six strings.
You will strum across the six strings with your right hand as you sing the song.
With your left hand you need to press some of the strings against the 'frets' (the metal inserts on the neck of your guitar) in a particular pattern, to create a chord which is a combination of notes that sounds harmonious with the notes you are singing.
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Guitar Songs

Many songs only need 3 chords to play them - back in the Rock and Roll era this was known as the '3 chord trick'.
So as soon as you have learnt 3 chord shapes, and can move your hand quickly from one to another, you can start playing songs.
Some guitar music has a little diagram for each and every chord, just in case you forget.
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Here is a website that can help you with Beginner Guitar.

Guitar Chords

If you find a song with guitar chords marked and you want to know how to play them, Chordie is a website that lists all of the chords ... but you really don't need ALL of them!

The Next Page

The next page is about Getting Started on the Guitar ...
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