Kid Guitars
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The Benefits of Playing Guitar for You and Your Child!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
posted by SKWiley 12:43 PM
If your child expresses an interest in wanting to learn to the play guitar and asks for lessons chances are they will follow through and will want on their own. Age is not always the absolute deciding factor to determine a person’s interest in wanting to learn. Most children under the age of six don’t yet have the aptitude necessary to learn to play childrens guitar. Young children have the choice of kids acoustic guitars or kids electric guitars. You can spend some time with your child and call it music appreciation. Dance and play with them to music. They will develop coordination and appreciation for music, and one added benefit, they get to spend time with you. .
You might want to consider guitar lessons for your child. If you want your child to just have some fun and do something interesting, you might feel that it is worth the investment. If you are looking at seriously getting a head start on your child’s musical development getting them to learn proper technique from the start may be essential
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Believe it or not allowing your child to take guitar lessons might be one of the most beneficial things you can for a number of reasons. Music lessons in general are a benefit to children for a multitude of reasons. For example, music and mathematics go hand in hand, and in fact, music 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? Well, for one, a lot of kids are more interested in learning guitar simply because their favorite bands all have guitarists.
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 can cost anywhere from $20 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. It is also very important to protect your investment by purchasing a guitar case for your child’s guitar. Guitar cases for kids are available in different sizes to fit ¼, ½, and ¾ sized childrens guitars.
It isn’t easy being a parent and I hate it when I hear myself talking to my kids just as my parents once spoke to me. However nothing frustrates me more than to see my kids not understanding the value of a dollar and not recognizing the importance of taking care of what they have! For instance we bought our youngest daughter a kids electric guitar for Christmas and I have found it lying around the house in a multitude of places and everywhere except where it is supposed to be. Already my wife and I have had to replace several broken guitar strings that she says happened when her little brother got into her room and played her guitar without her permission. What I can not get her to see is that if she would put her guitar in the kids guitar case that we bought her none of these accidents would happen in the first place!!
We didn’t buy the guitar case for it not to be used. And when we bought the case for her we were unaware that guitar cases for children came in different sizes and styles. It seems that our children need to learn the hard way as I did. How soon we forget that we were stubborn when we were their age. I have told my daughter that if she breaks one more string, not only will I not replace the string but I will not pay to have the guitar fixed. How’s that for being a tough parent!!
The many benefits of learning to play an instrument!
Friday, April 8, 2011
posted by SKWiley 10:08 AM
While there are many different activities that your child can become involved with and as a parent you should encourage them to pursue their passion, music is wonderful pursuit to consider. And if your child is interested in playing an instrument in the band or orchestra, you can put a lot of faith behind this decision because there are many benefits to receiving a musical education. For one children learning to play a guitar or any other instrument often achieve a real sense of accomplishment. Parents might consider electric guitars for kids as they are relatively easy to learn, made for children, and kids love them! When they continue to grow and learn as a musician they’re sure to feel good about themselves.
Playing musical instruments also teaches children a sense of discipline. Again, learning an instrument is hard, and reaching any level of success is dependent upon dedication and discipline. There are also stress relieving qualities to playing an instrument, and this can be particularly helpful when your child reaches adolescence. And lastly, there have been many studies that indicate music helps young brains develop and thrive. Typically speaking, children that play instruments do better in school and in other areas of their lives
When most kids think of playing the guitar, they dream of being the lead singer and/or axmen in ‘A list band’ that sells millions of albums. While this may be an attainable goal for some, for most it may just be just a ‘pipe dream’. In today’s world it has become quite competitive to make it as a lead guitarist, (however that shouldn’t deter aspiring artists). When parents are looking at electric guitars for children and considering what to purchase they might take a look at the bass guitar. Bass guitarists are often the ‘unsung heroes’ in a band and there is sometimes less competition for a bass guitarist than lead guitarist.
While the bassist rarely makes it to the spotlight, musicians and true music fans know that the bass line is the true pulse of a song. Taking the time to learn bass guitar can not only improve your prospects for a musical future, but it will also give you a greater overall appreciation for the intricacies of music
When most people envision playing the guitar, they might think of a group of people sitting around a campfire singing songs well into the night or a group of casual friends humming familiar tunes with a group of friends while being accompanied by a guitar. Some people may even see themselves as the player of the guitar however no matter the situation, a guitar will need to be tuned. It is important that every musician knows how to tune their guitar properly. Here are some tips to keep in mind when tuning your guitar:
First try to listen while playing a note. When the note is still ringing try humming the note. Continue to play the note until you’ve managed to keep pitch with your voice. Play the second note using the very same technique, if your voice is higher, then the second note is higher. If your voice gets lower than the second note is lower. Make the necessary adjustments to the notes until they both sound the same. This process may take longer with less expensive adult sized guitars and discount kids guitars. However before you know it you’ll be able to tell the difference between the pitches without having to hum them.
There are tons of methods that teachers use when teaching their students how to play guitar, and there is not necessarily a right or wrong method. Having a background in piano before learning guitar is not a bad idea. As a matter of fact, most music teachers suggest learning to play the piano before learning to play another instrument.
The reason why the piano is good as a starting point is that it is unparalleled at training people how to read music. The layout of the keys makes learning to read and play music much easier. Even though some musicians claim to never read or write music, they are the exception to the rule, and a good grounding in musical notation is beneficial to any aspiring musician. This can be an expensive venture for parents who are pursuing musical ventures for their children. After a child learns the piano a good next option might be the guitar. One can find many discount childrens guitars that are of good quality.
Over the past several years, music-themed videogames such as “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” have received a lot of popularity from kids of all ages. The games are popular not only among preteens but also among college students as well. There is debate between older musicians and music shop owners as to whether these games are good learning tools for new musicians.
It remains to be seen whether these guitar-playing games will be beneficial for kids to learn to play a real instrument. Generally speaking, childrens guitars remain the best way for children to hone their skills at a young age. Playing a videogame and playing a real electric guitar require different skills, and a proficiency and one doesn’t necessarily translate to the other.
Over the last several months, I’ve been trying to expose my son to music that was so influential during my growing up years. While I try to be open-minded, it just seems that the majority of today’s music has lost its organic roots, and instead favoring a more slick, computerized technique. One of my favorite bands of all times, (and one that my son now likes also – is the Allman Brothers) I am thrilled that he can appreciate a band from the 1970’s!
Duane Allman’s masterful slide guitar playing technique inspired me to pick up a childrens guitar in my youth. I am taking my son to look at some childrens electric guitars tomorrow so he can pick one out to start jamming on and begin ‘rocking out’ to the Allman Brothers. Duane Allman utilized an empty medicine bottle to create a mellow, soothing sound that simply cannot be attained with a metal slide. Though I could never really perfect Allman’s technique myself, I did become rather proficient at playing the traditional way. I’ll will hopefully pass those skills on to my son.
As any guitar player knows, when learning to play guitar the first few weeks are the toughest. It takes a lot of effort, determination and discipline to keep progressing forward when you’re not sure you’ll make it a musician. In reality, not even the most naturally talented guitarist is any good after just a few sessions. Some evidence even suggests that the Beatles were a lousy bar band until they put in thousands of hours of rehearsal time.
In his recent book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell studies those successful individuals who amass great wealth and fame beyond most people’s imagination. Gladwell asserts that people such as Bill Gates and the Beatles are not merely geniuses who would succeed under any circumstances. Instead, Gladwell clearly states that they became great successes because of the hours of practice they put in honing their skills. Gates spent months tinkering with computers in his garage and the Beatles played to empty barrooms in Germany for several years. This theory will hopefully serve as an inspiration for kids – convincing them not to put down their childrens acoustic guitars or childrens electric guitars for years to come!