Kid Guitars
Archive for February, 2011
Most of my fondest childhood memories center around a common theme – they involve music in some form or fashion. In fourth grade, I got my first taste of how rewarding it is to play a musical instrument. In sixth grade, our school band teacher held tryouts during the first week of school, eventually he made the final call and we waited in anticipation as to whether we would be allowed to play it in the band.
I wanted to play the drums more than anything, and when he approved of my choice I was absolutely ‘over the moon!’ Playing the snare drum was so exciting, and I got the opportunity to switch over to the xylophone when a song called for it. The school band gave me the tools and the background I needed but was never my ultimate desire – it was merely a foundation to get better at the drums so I could one day join my own rock band. What I really wanted to do was start a garage band. In elementary school, I did convince my parents to get me a childrens drum set after putting my parents through an exhaustive search of childrens drum sets telling them that finding the ‘right’ one was absolutely crucial. My friends and I never made the big time, but playing in my best friend’s garage with a ragtag assortment of guitarists and bass players was more than worth it!
When you hear the word ‘slur’ what might immediately come to mind is incoherent ramblings of someone who has had way too much to drink. What probably would not come to mind is a technique known by seasoned musicians and performed by classical guitar players. Slurring is similar to hammer-ons and pull-offs, a technique that electric guitar players use.
This technique can be performed not only on full sized acoustic guitars but on childrens acoustic guitars as well. Like the hammer-on, it takes some time to perfect. In slurring like the hammer-on, the fretting fingers should be holding a note after a single pick. Then, without a second pick, a few fingers are used to slap out the next note on a higher fret. Pull-offs are achieved by literally pulling a few fretting fingers off the fretboard to reveal a lower note that’s already being held by a single finger
Getting The Necessary Tools Without Going Into Debt
Have you ever listened to a recording of your own voice? In today’s times we have the opportunity to hear our voice home movies, answering machines and voice mail. When we hear our own voice in a recording we can have an array of responses from some mild apprehension to outright embarrassment. Recording one’s voice can often prove beneficial as we often don’t sound the way that we think we do. For a recording artist, being aware of how one’s voice sounds is absolutely essential!
Beginning guitar players can take advantage of the same technique when they practice. The best part is that the quality of the recording device doesn’t make much difference. This is good news for beginning guitar players and parents who are just starting to have their child learn to play the guitar. So not only is there’s no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a pricy recorder but parents can consider cheap kids guitars and not sacrifice quality. The important thing is that the children learn to identify their mistakes through listening to their own work on their very own kids guitars!
Discount Children’s Guitars, a Nice Option for Children
Sharing the experience of having your child learn to play an instrument can be rewarding for both parent and child. Not only does a child get a chance to hone their skills and sharpen their natural talent and abilities but it also supplies an outlet for daily frustration. If you feel that your child has some natural musical ability it is probably a good idea to expose her to a vast array of instruments and let her choose. Hopefully she will choose ‘one’ instrument’ so that a true bond between your child and her instrument of choice can develop
But before you rush into a purchase, it’s good to know beforehand what each instrument will bring to the table. While it probably goes without saying it’s still important to note that if your child chooses the drums, prepare yourself for the continual banging ahead! You may need ear plugs. You might consider cheap childrens guitars. Don’t take the word ‘cheap’ to mean that the guitar will be lacking in quality because in most cases you will not only receive a fair price, but you can choose from acoustic or electric, both excellent options
When most people think about playing the guitar, they sometimes imagine a group of people sitting around the campfire singing songs and roasting marshmallows. You might even be envisioning yourself as a guitar player. If this is the case you will need to learn how to keep your guitar tuned. In this article a few tips on keeping your guitar tuned will be discussed. These tips are not only applicable for full sized guitars but also beginner childrens guitars as kids need to be concerned about these issues as well.
First it is important to listen to and play a note if the note is still ringing try humming that note. Then continue to play the note until you’ve managed to keep pitch with your voice. Play the second note using this same technique, if your voice is higher, then the second note will be higher. If your voice gets lower than the second note will be lower too. You can continue to make the adjustments to the notes until they both sound the same—this may have to be done more frequently on cheaper acoustic guitars. Soon enough you’ll be able to tell the difference between the pitches without humming them.
Learning to play the guitar with accompaniment
For many years, children have had a fascination with the guitar. Along with the piano, the guitar is one of the instruments used most when a soloist performs. The radio as well as music videos are filled with guitar music. People appreciate different aspects of the guitar from the pageantry to it’s crisp melodic tone. As parents we want to help children reap the many benefits of learning to play this wonderful instrument.
In truth, the full potential of kids guitars can only be unlocked when they are played with some form of accompaniment. In today’s times, children and parents will have to make a choice between acoustic guitars for kids and electric guitars for kids. The Rolling Stones didn’t just stumble upon their talent and success overnight; rather, they spent tens of thousands of hours honing their act. If kids don’t have the luxury of strumming their guitar alongside a drummer, ( as many often don’t) a metronome is a very good alternative. It will keep the child’s playing on track and give him a benchmark for timing purposes which is extremely important.
Unfortunately there are too many people who hold the belief that that children can begin to learn to play the guitar with a normal sized guitar. A lot of parents believe that children will eventually ‘grow into’ a full sized guitar. Parents can choose from acoustic guitars for children and even electric guitars for children, regardless a guitar can be found to fit a child’s size and frame. In order to truly maximize their productivity and minimize the learning curve, a childrens guitar should be tailored to the unique specifications of each child. It is important to remember that he or she will be sitting still for the duration of the guitar lessons and frustration will more than likely set in if the guitar feels too large and difficult to manage.
As a general rule of thumb, any child age 11 or younger should start with a three-quarters sized guitar. The scale length is also a significant factor; this refers to the measurement of the neck of the guitar from one end to the other. When the frets are closer together, it’s much easier for young kids to form chords which are necessary building blocks when learning to play guitar.
Unfortunately too many people view drummers as reckless maniacs who bang on their drums needlessly making noise with no real purpose. These critics believe that drummers do not possess any real musical ability. This bias is seen most with people who play in rock bands. While it may appear this way to the untrained eye, nothing could be further from the truth! The drummer is extremely important because he and/or she keeps the rhythm for the whole band and sets the tempo for the song, (no small job!)
The importance of the drummer is most evident in the great bands where the drummer is at the forefront. There are a number of classic bands such as Led Zeppelin and Nirvana, where the drummer is in the forefront. Showing your child videos of these drummers could be just as helpful as having them take drum lessons. Parents have a lot of really cool kids drumsets to choose from when shopping for their child!
Learning a musical instrument can be incredible exciting as well as very challenging, so the last thing you want to do is put unnecessary roadblocks in the way while your child is learning how to play. First and foremost you always want to make sure that the instrument fits properly. If it’s too big or too small, it will make the entire process of playing more awkward than it has to be.
That’s why it’s always best to consider child sized instruments. With guitars for instance, parents can choose from kids acoustic guitars and kids electric guitars. Here is a guide to give you a generalized idea of what size guitar to purchase for your child. If he or she is six years or younger, you’ll probably need a ¼ size guitar. From seven to eight, most kids will need a ½ size guitar and from nine to ten most kids do well with a ¾ size. If your child is eleven years or older, a full size guitar will often work well. These are, of course, guidelines. It will really depend on the size and growth of your own child
If you took a poll and asked most young children what instrument they would like to learn to play, the answer often seems to be the guitar and my nine year old son is no different. While I am excited for him to learn to play an instrument, I must admit that I’d rather not hear an electric guitar played incessantly from his bedroom.
I have decided to take the middle ground and introduce him to the guitar gradually. I have decided to start looking into some kids acoustic guitars. We will start with this first and let him spend time learning the nuances of the guitar. I will see how he does and if he seems to really have an interest and shows some ability, I will consider upgrading him to an electric guitar.