Kid Guitars
Archive for January, 2010
When you think about playing the guitar, you probably are imagining a group of people sitting around the campfire singing songs and roasting marshmallows. Maybe you are envisioning yourself as the guitar player. If this is the case then you’re going to have to learn how to keep your guitar tuned. No one will want to sit and listen to a guitar that’s out of tune. Here are a few tips on keeping your guitar tuned to its best potential:
Listen to and play a note. When the note is still ringing try humming that note. Continue to play the note until you’ve managed to keep pitch with your voice. Play the second note using the same technique, if your voice higher, then the second note is higher. If your voice gets lower than the second note is lower. Make the adjustments to the notes until they both sound the same—this may have to be done more frequently on cheap acoustic guitars. Soon enough you’ll be able to tell the difference between the pitches without humming them.
Playing guitars is a valuable and rewarding experience that brings groups of people together. Once you start playing regularly, you won’t want to stop.
I am a caring dad and as far as my children go, I’m in it for the long haul. I have been my kid’s greatest supporter and you might even say, a big fan! My son loves to surf and while my wife and I are sometimes terrified that he will get hurt, he couldn’t be happier and that in turn makes us very happy! Now my middle son says that he wants to be a rocker and believes that he has what it takes to make it in the ‘big time”. I hope so but as a parent you want to encourage your kids while also giving them a dose of reality and that can sometimes be a really hard task.
My wife and I have decided however that we are going to give it a whirl and are now looking for kids electric guitars. His birthday is this coming May so I think we will have enough time to find the perfect kids electric guitar suited just for him. We will insist that on the way to this “rock god” status that he intends to obtain, he must do his homework and not decide to one day drop out of school. We also want him to continue playing sports and live a well balanced life. I guess as parents, that’s all we can ask.
Would your child like to have the opportunity to learn to play the guitar? If they would then there are plenty of good quality childrens electric guitars now available that can bring them plenty of satisfaction in the future. But along with purchasing the right sort of guitar it is important that you purchase the right sort of amp as well. But how do you know which amp for your childrens electric guitar is best? Below are some tips that could go a long way to making sure that the amp you purchase is the best one for your child and their guitar.
Look for an amplifier that comes with the most basic features and allows you to adjust the volume and tone. However, what you will find with a great many of the traditional amplifiers is that they come with both reverb effect and gain control. These additional controls can give your guitar more presence or spatial echo effect but are not required when learning the basics of playing this instrument. Look for amps that childrens electric guitars can be connected to that have at least two inputs on them so they can practice with a friend or a teacher. Also they can use it for connecting a microphone as well. If your child will be having private one on one lessons elsewhere make sure that the amplifier can easily be transported. There are plenty of these on the market today and although the wattage may be low they still will produce plenty of sound. Give your child a cool guitar with am amplifier and he is set!
Music has been a part of mine and my family’s life for many years. As a teenager, (back in the dark ages) I played drums in a band. I just loved that, much to my parent’s chagrin. My parents were from the Big Band era, (music I also love) but to my parents there is no other type of music. Now my young son seems to also want to listen to the beat of the drum. His birthday is in a couple of weeks and I have my eye on a childrens drumset that I think he would love!
If he grows up and wants to play in a band this is ok with me as long as he is happy and can make it on his own! My oldest daughter has played piano for years and while she isn’t playing piano for a career, it is a very important part of her life and she does still love to perform. We will get some drum lessons for our son if he wants. I will say that life without the sound of music would be pretty dull and I think my family would agree!
Things To Consider When Purchasing A Guitar For Your Child
When it comes to childrens guitars whether the acoustic or electric kinds there are certain factors that one needs to take into consideration before purchasing a guitar. If you fail to purchase the right guitar for your child then this could prevent them from wanting to learn how to play. So how does one know which is the right guitar to buy for your child? Below are several tips on buying children’s guitars whether it is an electric or acoustic that you may find helpful.
Make sure that the guitar you purchase is one that has been fully inspected and can be adjusted so that your child is able to play it easily. This will also help to ensure that the sounds produced are of the highest quality and allows your child or their tutor to tune it properly. So don’t be afraid to ask the seller what work has been carried out to the guitar to allow it to be played more easily. Childrens guitars which are not set up correctly or poorly made will make playing less enjoyable and will make it less likely that your child will develop proper technique. It is important that you purchase a guitar that is the right size for your child. Make sure that your child is able to reach round the guitar with both of their hands properly. If you find that they need to have their arm high up in order to reach over the guitar then they will probably find it difficult to play because of this uncomfortable position. This could also cause further pain down the road. Finally there are many good quality cheap childrens guitars that can more than meet your child’s needs. Don’t be afraid to look at several sources, (i.e. the internet and your local music store). Good luck!
Christmas was almost a month ago and my son’s love for his new beginner electric guitar has not waned. He got a guitar for Christmas and my husband and I agree now more than ever that the money was well spent. At times we have to nudge him to get other things done, like homework but I am happy that he seems to love playing so much. He really appears to be a quick learner and I know he hopes to play in a band in the not too distant future.
I am always happy to see my kids so happy and my husband and I were delighted when our daughter recently developed a love for horseback riding. I am glad that the beginner guitar has been such a hit with my son but even more, it’s just so great to see him smile!
My daughter seems to show some natural musical ability. As an infant she would tap the edge of her crib in a specific rhythm. As a toddler when music was being played on the house my daughter would take her hand and clap to the beat or pretend she was playing the drums with whatever object was available. She has watched both of her parents play guitar and she will start to sing and pretend to play the guitar at the same time. My wife and I have begun to look at acoustic guitars for children as we feel that this would be the “perfect” birthday gift for her!
I love my daughter and want to teach her the importance of being the person she is truly meant to be. If guitar isn’t it then so be it. I know she will try on “many new hats” in her lifetime and this is fine with me, (provided they are decent and safe). She really seems to love music and I do believe that a childrens acoustic guitar will make for a wonderful birthday!
Life is a never ending story that is constantly being written and rewritten. As a parent the story has a lot of content as my children add a lot of spice to this never ending novel and journey. My young and very energetic son says that he wants to be a drummer and that will be his career. He has watched his cousin play drums in a band and wants a drumset like his cousin. So I have been tossing around whether to get him a kids drumset. He does have a birthday coming this March and I know he would love to have a new drumset. I have just started to search beginner drums online to see what is available and how much this might cost. I am impressed that so far what I’ve seen is not as expensive as I had originally thought.
My son playing drums will open another new and exciting chapter in our lives. Our family is very supportive of each other’s interests but I must say that our cat who “freaks out’ at the smallest sounds, might not be too happy!, oh well you can’t please them all! If my son is happy then that just adds even more spice to our family’s life story!
January can be such a “blah” month. However I must say that one of the highlights for me is celebrating my baby girl’s birthday, (she will be eight years young this year!) We just celebrated Christmas and my daughter knows that sometimes she can’t get everything she wants because we just spent a good bit of money at Christmas. However just prior to Christmas my wife and I researched beginner guitars as we knew that our daughter would love to learn to play guitar. After a long search, (we wanted to find a good quality guitar that was in our price range), we found a beginner childrens guitar that we believe she will love! We’ll know for sure on January 27th.
About six years ago we bought a kids drumset for our oldest son and it was quite a hit! He plays drums in a band with three of his closest friends. We are delighted that he does in fact plan to go to college. My kids have grown up with music and as both my wife and I have performed in a band at our church. We are holding our breath but also looking forward to January 27th!
Guitar lessons for kids might be one of the most beneficial things you can do for your child for a number of reasons. Music lessons benefit children in far more ways than just enabling them to play an instrument. For instance, music and mathematics go hand in hand, and in fact, music itself is very mathematical. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the two, and music lessons can definitely have an indirect effect on your child’s mathematical reasoning. So, why take guitar lessons or all instruments? Well that’s mostly just a function of the kids’ interests. You’ve heard the horror stories of kids who were forced to take piano lessons only to grow up to hate the instrument. A lot of kids will be more interested in learning guitar simply because their favorite bands all have guitarists, whereas only a few might have pianists.
Finally, you may be saying ‘guitar lessons are expensive aren’t they?’ Well they can be, but they don’t have to be. A good one-on-one teacher will cost anywhere from $20 an hour to $50 an hour, but when your kids are just starting they should be fine with a lower cost teacher. You might consider buying your child a DVD based guitar course. Kids are amazingly in tune with technology, and tend to learn quickly from watching demonstration. There are some excellent courses that will take your kids through beginning to advanced technique, at their own speed, allowing them to learn whenever they want. Keep in mind that there are many very good quality cheap electric guitars available online or even local music stores in your area. Purchasing a kids guitar and guitar lessons will likely be well worth the investment for you and your child.