Kid Guitars
Kids Guitar Information
Archive for November, 2009
Many children want to learn to play an instrument and it is good to have them start to learn at a young age. Instruments for kids such as childrens electric guitars are made and tailored specifically for children. You can purchase a book of beginner’s guitar chords and a book of easy starting songs. Start by teaching basic chords in the first position of the guitar. These include C major, G major, A major and minor, E major and minor, and D chords. There are others, but these are good, basic chords to start with kids. They’re easy to play and appear in a lot of beginning songs.
Teach the eager guitar student strum patterns while teaching how to pick the strings. Trying to teach the two elements of playing by teaching one first and then the other can be confusing to the child. It is important to not teach scales in the beginning because scales typically hold no interest for the child and can often result in losing their attention. Get to songs right away. Use a book of simple standard kid songs that make use of the beginning chords. Allowing a child to begin playing songs will not only hold their interest but also strengthen their chord playing skills.
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I am a music teacher and a parent. I have seen for years how kids instruments have provided not only an important hobby but taught discipline, skill, and the importance of experiencing passion! I have watched many of my students in their budding music careers. My two older children first learned to play guitar on good quality and easy to learn childrens acoustic guitars. They still play guitar to this day and while they both have their own careers they still enjoy playing and believe that this hobby has added so much dimension to their lives.
I love children and I have enjoyed sharing the love of music with them! I have seen for many years that kids who develop hobbies at a young age often do better scholastically and go on to good careers. I will be retiring from teaching in a couple of years but my love for music will always endure!
Teaching Young Drummers a Sense of Rhythm
Friday, November 27, 2009
posted by Strumming-Along 6:37 PM
While some people are fond of mentioning that their children were born with a natural sense of rhythm, it’s possible to teach even the most woefully rhythm averse kids to stay on the beat. There are three basic ways to get a young drummer on track in terms of establishing the rhythm necessary to master a percussion instrument. The first is listening to music in a passive way. Some people develop rhythm via audio osmosis.
The second technique involves active listening. Encourage kids to focus on various parts of the song, in effect drowning out everything else. Start with the kids drums track and then tell him to listen carefully to the bass guitar. Finally, you can set up a metronome for your child to play along with. Adjust the tempo to a speed in accordance with your child’s level of experience.
Christmas time is the time for festivities, fun, being together and MUSIC! I perform in a band with three of my very closest friends. We’ve known each other since childhood and we all LOVE Christmas because it is the time when we perform for family and friends in town. It is a great homecoming for everyone! Nothing would make me happier than to have my son Eric join me on stage one day! He has LOVED music his whole life and now expresses an interest learning to play the acoustic and electric guitar. My wife and I agree that we want to start looking at amateur guitars for Eric.
I am excited about this and I know Eric will be a fast learner, after all it’s in the genes! He has been begging us for several years to let him learn to play guitar. He is in good hands because I will teach him and so will the many friends in the business who will show him different styles of playing. I think it will be another fantastic Christmas!
Good Posture Makes for Perfect Practice
Thursday, November 26, 2009
posted by Strumming-Along 6:36 PM
We’ve talked at great length about how important posture can be for a beginning drummer. It can mean the difference between kicking out a steady beat and creating a lackadaisical framework for more sloppy music to build from. Posture is just as important when practicing childrens guitar. There are two primary positions that are appropriate for practicing electric.
Both positions call for one foot to be slightly elevated. In the casual position, a right-handed guitar is placed on the right thigh, with the right foot elevated. Classical position requires that the neck of the guitar is tilted upright, with the guitar perched on the left thigh and the right left leg elevated. The proper positions for classical guitars differ slightly because the right hand should be better positioned for picking.
Our son Christopher has just informed us that next semester he will be taking guitar lessons as an elective. He seems SO excited about this and says that he would like us to look at some beginner electric guitars with him for a Christmas gift. After speaking with Christopher’s teacher, she informed us that what we need to look for are beginner childrens guitars. She told us where we can find some that are of a good quality and are reasonably priced. She also said that the kids would be learning on beginner acoustic guitars. The teacher also mentioned some good learn to play guitar instructional DVD’s that would be good for Christopher.
As parents we have always encouraged our children to pursue their interests and have told them that as long as they do their very best we will do whatever necessary to support their hobbies and interests. Christopher says that he has wanted to learn how to play guitar for awhile now and maintains that he will keep up with his studies and continue to play on his baseball team. We shall see. We’ll keep you posted!
Why is it that we start celebrating Christmas practically right after Halloween? In my days Christmas seemed to start later and last longer. Oh well perhaps I’m just nostalgic for the “old days” and remember things as better than they actually were while they were happening. Anyway, my ambitious and illustrious son, Tom says that what my grandson wants THE very most for Christmas is a kids electric guitar! Tom says that he has been looking online at childrens electric guitars and still has not made up his mind. What is a grandma to do? In my day we got our children maybe one or two gifts for Christmas like a baseball mitt and gloves.
I am not super comfortable with the internet so I guess a trip to our local shopping mall is in order. Tom says that I could go in on the beginner electric guitar and some learn how to play guitar instructional books and DVD’s. I can be “hip” like the rest of them but you’ll never stop me from yearning for the “good old days”!
Throughout history, the most beloved musicians have not always been the most technically proficient. In fact, when they started playing rock songs in the early 1960s, the Kinks and the Who grabbed listeners’ attention not with their musical chops but rather with their raw energy. Such artists as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Black Sabbath would continue in that tradition, and all of these acts had one major theme in common.
All of them relied heavily on the use of power chords – chords that lack a third degree and are therefore neither minor nor major. By mastering a few power chords, children can learn basic rock songs on their kids guitars and have a solid foundation for more challenging music to come. The idea is not to bite off more than one can chew. Instead, encourage children to develop musically at their own pace.
Oliver wants a drumset and nothing else will do. He assures me that Santa has a bigger sleigh this year and is sure to have room for the childrens drumset he saw in the music store the other day. Oliver doesn’t realize that we have been in a recession this year and perhaps even Santa has been affected by it, (parts may just be too expensive to get this year).
My brilliant husband seems to be amused by it all. So in addition to looking for Ipods, a new Wii and inline skates, it looks like I will also be searching for childrens drumsets! After all if Santa has a new sleigh this year then we might as well fill it up and if he can also fit a diamond ring for me then we’ll really be set!
When they are just starting out, many kids have a hard time focusing on the actions of two hands at once. This ability to multitask effectively will come with practice; in the beginning, it’s best to simply remind kids not to stop strumming. It’s perfectly understandable that most of a child’s attention will be focused on fingering the fretboard. After all, the right hand just has to strum along, right?
In fact, the role of the right hand is slightly more complicated than that and certainly more important than it would seem. In addition to strumming, the right hand must operate as a sort of metronome, keeping time with each upward and downward strum of the strings. If this motion stops for any length of time during the course of a chord change, all timing with kids electric guitars will be thrown out of whack.