Follow string number 1 up the neck until you reach fret number 12.
On most guitars, fret number twelve lies just after the double-dot fretboard marking.
If you place your fourth finger just behind fret number 12 and press down, you can strike the string to hear the note E Twelfth Fret, which is the correct pitch.
When you play the note D Third Fret with a down stroke, let the motion of your wrist carry the pick past string number 1 without any contact.
Now the pick is positioned to make an up stroke on beat number 4, and you have maintained your alternate picking direction when you play E Open.
As you become more familiar with alternating your picking direction, you will learn how far to pivot your wrist so the pick is positioned for the alternate strike.
In music, a small group of notes is a collection of sounds forming a motive.
A motive is often a repeated pattern in the music that is introduced early in the piece and appears throughout, only shifted or manipulated as the pattern continues to unfold.
Listen to this motive, and if you recognize it, continue by singing the next part.
When you played measure number 2, did the pattern of rhythm remind you of a song or piece of music you have heard?
If you play the measure twice, the song Jingle Bells may come to mind.
Let's use the same example and try the opposite pattern.
This time we'll start by picking the note G Open with an up stroke, then follow by picking the note G Third Fret with a down stroke.
In this case, you'll have to hop over string number 2 without hitting it.
In this measure, the note durations are lined up with the count numbers.
The distribution looks similar to a meter you have already learned.
Using the note A Open on string number 5, we'll play the eighth notes in the top line on the first pass, then we'll play the sixteenth notes in the bottom line on the second pass.
Count the beats out loud as you play.
On beat 1, the note E Second Fret is played with your second finger.
On the '&' of beat 1, your third finger plays A Second Fret.
On beat 2, your first finger plays G Sharp First Fret.
On beat 3, your second finger should still be holding E Second Fret.
Try this five note passage.
Often, the tonal center of the key can be determined by the last, lowest note of the composition.
In 'Angels We Have Heard on High', the last and only note in the final measure is the note G Open on string number 3.
In this case, the tonic note G, which sounds as the point of greatest stability in the song, is also conveying a sense of finality as the piece comes to an end.
The same chords remain after measure 14, but they are played differently.
The notes are played one at a time as the chord unfolds in a pattern of eighth notes throughout the measure.
The slur above the notes indicates to let the notes continue to ring as you move through the measure.
Chords played in this way are called Arpeggios.
These arpeggios follow a consistent picking pattern.
Try measures 14 and 15 now, and remember to hold the chords throughout each measure.