A self-directed review of today's lesson — concepts, technique, and the bigger idea hiding behind three chords.
Work through it on your guitar.
§ 1 — The Core Idea
The Estimated Strum
The biggest concept from today: before you can play the picked version of "Here Comes the Sun" convincingly, you need the feel locked in. The way to lock in the feel is to play the chord progression as a plain strum — D, G, A7 — with a steady rhythm. That's the estimated strum.
The picked part is a heightened version of the strum. The strum is the foundation. The picked part is the decoration on top of it. If you skip the strum and go straight to picking, the picked part won't have anywhere to land.
"Most people would be totally satisfied with you singing over the estimated guitar part."
That's the test. If you sing "Here comes the sun" over your basic D–G–A7 strum, the song still works. The picked detail is icing — what makes it sound like the record — but the cake is the strum and the voice.
Quiz 1 of 7
Why play the estimated strum before drilling the picked version?
Right answer: C
The picked part is "heightened reality" — a more detailed version of what the strum already does. If the strum doesn't have the feel, no amount of picking accuracy will rescue it.
Quiz 2 of 7
You sing "Here comes the sun" over a plain D–G–A7 strum, no picked detail. What's the most likely reaction from a casual listener?
Right answer: B
This is the point. The song works because of melody and chord motion. The picked detail is what makes you sound like George Harrison — but the song itself doesn't depend on it.
§ 2 — Technique
Picking & Pull-offs
Two technique notes from today.
Alternate picking. You'd been playing the intro with all down strokes. Switch to alternating down–up. It feels more flowing, sounds more relaxed, and matches the way the song is actually played.
The hybrid pull-off. Index finger on the second string, second fret. Middle finger on the second string, third fret. Pick once. When you release the third-fret finger, the energy of the release sounds the second-fret note — you don't pick it again.
The pull-off is faint at first. That's normal. It gets louder as your release gets more decisive — not harder, more decisive.
Quiz 3 of 7
In a pull-off, what makes the second note ring out?
Right answer: B
The release is the strum. That's why "decisive" matters more than "hard" — a sharp release transfers the energy cleanly.
Quiz 4 of 7
You're hitting the top string a little hot today — getting that metallic ring. What's the fix?
Right answer: C
The metallic ring shows up when one string is getting more force than the others. Even volume across strings is the goal.
§ 3 — The Bigger Idea
Chord Economy
"Here Comes the Sun" is a three-chord song. D, G, A7. (Plus E7 once the singing starts.) That's it. The reason it sounds rich isn't the harmony — it's what George does with those chords across time. Picking patterns. Rhythmic motion. Melody on top.
John Lennon called it "George's Buddy Holly song." Buddy Holly built whole records out of three chords twisted in every possible way. Harrison learned from that.
"You don't need 12 chords. You need to do more with three."
This is the trap most new songwriters fall into. They make their songs interesting by adding more chords — eight, ten, twelve different shapes inside three minutes. It almost never works. The song gets busier, but not better.
Better move: take three chords and ask what you can do across time. Hold one for four bars. Move to another for one bar. Add a picked figure. Change the rhythm. The variety lives in the arrangement, not the harmony.
Quiz 5 of 7
A new songwriter shows you a 3-minute song with 11 different chords in it. Going by today's lesson, what's the most likely diagnosis?
Right answer: B
Pile-on harmony usually means another part of the song is doing too little. Melody, lyric, and rhythm carry weight that chord changes can't carry alone.
Quiz 6 of 7
"Here Comes the Sun" runs on three main chords. Where does the variety come from?
Right answer: A
Three chords, treated as a system. The interest is in what happens across the bar, not in the chord names themselves.
Quiz 7 of 7
Coming up on your exam song: how should chord economy shape your first draft?
Right answer: C
A small palette forces invention everywhere else. That's the whole game.
Running Score
0
out of 7
§ 4 — Reflection
One Question, No Answer Key
Write it down
Pick one phrase from "Here Comes the Sun." Describe what the estimated strum version of that phrase sounds like, and what the picked version adds on top. Which one do you think carries the song's emotional weight — and why?
§ 5 — This Week
Practice Plan
Estimated strum first. D, G, A7 with the rhythm pattern (one, two, one, one). Get it flowing before you touch the picked part.
Phrase by phrase. Take the picked intro one phrase at a time. Don't drill the whole thing in one pass — fix each phrase, then connect them.
Lighter right hand. Watch the top string. Keep volume even across strings.
Hybrid pull-off. Index second fret, middle third fret, pick once, release decisively. Listen for even volume between the picked note and the pulled-off note.
Send the exam-board guidelines. When you have them, forward to me so we can map our work to the rubric.