Kid Guitars
Posts Tagged ‘crazy guitar’
My beloved father loves to spoil his grandchildren and he knows his youngest grandson has a special birthday coming up, (after all it’s not every day that a boy turns ten years old!) He has been asking and asking us what he can get his grandson for his special day. Since my mother died two years ago his focus has been even more on the respected task of “spoiling the grandchildren”. We told him the other day that what our son wants the very most is a “really cool” electric guitar. His very first reaction was, “I’m not going to get a crazy guitar for any grandson of mine.” However when I spoke to him today he says that if we pick out the guitar we think our son will like, then he will gladly pay for it!
Now my husband and I have the lucky task of picking out the best kids electric guitar we can find. Since our older son has also played guitar he has already given us some suggestions. I think this will be fun and as a family we can make this a project that we work on together. If only we could all be ten years old again, even just for one day!
My oldest son, now fourteen has been playing guitar now for almost six years. He had been begging us to get him an electric guitar and we finally relented and got him a childrens electric guitar. He has pretty much played it to death and now he wants a new guitar. He has shown me some pictures of some cool guitars and says that if we get him a new guitar now we will not have to get him a birthday gift when he turns fifteen in June. My husband and I do feel that it is worth the investment since he has shown such passion for the “crazy guitar” this far.
I only insist that in his quest to be a “Rock God” he complete his studies and attend college because I think life is tougher these days without a college degree. He “reluctantly” agrees to this and I think he feels that going to college is more of an opportunity to play in a really cool band and get as many gig as possible on his way up the ladder. Oh well, what is a parent to do? At least my child does have interests in life and thus far has been a pretty good student without a lot of effort.
The term “cool” is highly subjective, and nowhere is this more apparent than in popular music. While some groups think that bands like Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback represent the pinnacle of coolness, others simply view them as sellouts. Conversely, some people see bands like Radiohead and of Montreal as being too irrelevant to be cool, while others see them as cutting edge avant-garde musicians.
As can be imagined, the definition of a cool guitar player varies as much as the distinct tastes in music that people hold. Some enjoy the breakneck playing that is the trademark of heavy metal, others the minimalistic nature of acoustic music. Although defining “cool” is often a task of futility, the beauty is that every person is free to define it for themselves.
During the 70’s there was one band that towered over all of the others: Led Zeppelin. Arising from the remnants of The Yardbirds, the band featured the premier musician at virtually every position in the band. While all of the members are now famous—or infamous depending on whom you consult—the guitarist Jimmy Page stands alone in rock lore.
Not only was Page the most prolific guitarist of his time, but he also added to his allure due to his associations with magic and the occult. During concerts, Page would employ an assortment of crazy guitars and accessories to enhance his performance. From using a bow to play his guitar to the famous double-necked model used for the epic “Stairway to Heaven,” Page’s stage performances have become a thing of legend.
Do you have a hard time relating to your kids? It is amazing to me how much each generation changes form the one before. Whoever thought in the 1980’s that today’s kids would all have their own personal phones, talk on the computer at night and become addicted to Xbox? I guess each generation feels entitled to their“own”stuff. My kid Steven is no exception. He has all of the gadgets that he feels are his “right”. Now my wife Maryanne says that Steve is requesting an electric guitar for his birthday or Christmas. What will it be next?
I guess we will begin looking for one soon. So I asked my wife, “Where the heck are we going to find a crazy guitar for Steve?” Maryanne says we can look at some local music stores or we can probably find a lot of good deals online. Maryanne says she knows someone who can give Steven some good guitar lessons for beginners that will expose him to different kinds of music other than just rock and have him learn the proper basics. So I wonder what he will want next year?
Everyone is familiar with the traditional legends of rock guitar, names like Henrdix, Townshend, Clapton and Paige. There are countless other guitar virtuosos, however, who are constantly overlooked. Few people have heard of Joe Satriani and Jeff Beck, who have had just as great an influence on the evolution of guitar and rock music in general.
The one notable characteristic that the vast majority of world famous guitarists share is their unparalleled showmanship. Crazy guitar antics like Hendrix’s burning of his axe and Townshend smashing Keith Moon’s drum kit are the things of rock legend. Some of the world’s best guitarists are often overlooked because their mellow demeanor prevents them from gaining media attention and creating controversy.