How to teach kids to play?

[Toogy]

My almost 8 year old daughter has expressed interest in learning how to play guitar. I have tried showing her some things, but I don't really even know where to begin.

Any pointers for teaching children how to play guitar?

[cpo]

I'll definitely be interested in the same information. My 7 year old is in the same boat. I bought him a little 3/4 scale classical acoustic, and he is fairly interested. I can tell, because when I am practicing, he'll come down and pick that thing up and start strumming. Very distracting, but I LOVE IT!

We also have a keyboard (I don't play piano) but I have been using it to teach him a little bit about music --what little I know! . I think the linear layout of the keys is easier for him to understand. However, I don't know how far I should take that vs showing him more stuff on the guitar.

So anyway...I'll be keeping an eye on this one!

[Sinster]

Ditto..

How do you get a 12 yr. old interested in playing guitar. He plays the Sax.. but has no interest in the guitar. He is a natural at the Sax but has poor practice habits and it drive me nucking futs.

[fast1]

why don't you get her to a music school? learn the basics right?

[River]

This thread needs Jonesy. My Les Paul Forums - View Profile: River

[peter679]

I guess I'm lucky, my son Jack just turned 3 and loves the drums, piano, and guitar.. My wifes an instrumental music/band director for a High School (so since he was in the womb he's been here's band music and jazz band music) not to mention my daughters an amazing piano player (14) ... my sons been lucky in the aspect that he's surrounded by music and instruments (obviously not me and my horrible abilities).

anyways, I know with my daughter my wife would introduce the instrument to her and then play abit with her.. now she's just very good, and she hope to goto Julliard one day (plus she's an amazing ballet dancer).. Jack likes to strum the guitar, play with the guitar, help with the guitar.. loves to play the drums he has his set and he uses my Ludwigs, and he'll sit at the piano on his own and watch tv and play... I think it's a matter of just introducing and letting them figure things out, then educating them on it. The earlier the better.. although I talked to a few guitar teachers that said start them on piano then at around 12 start them on the guitar.

[Sony Oengui]

Does she like music? She listens to music often?

What motivated me to learn how to play was being able to recreate the music I like with my own hands.

You may try starting at that, showing her how to play a song she likes... (VERY simple stuff, obviously). Once she is hooked, you can teach her the basic chords and all the other crap.

[TeleDog]

I am not a music teacher, so I can only speak from my own experience.

First you need to measure the interest. Many kids say things they don't really mean and there's nothing wrong with changing your mind about picking up guitar, maybe she'll like piano better or something.

If she is really interested, then of course, you should buy her a guitar but not what YOU think is good but a guitar that appeals to HER. If she hates the guitar, she'll never play it, kids tend to be particular about looks and feel, so you need her input on that and buy a guitar that's not a piece of shit, but something that can actually be played. You don't need to go all out, but you need to buy something that's quality. Again, kids are particular about those things and if the guitar fails or breaks down, it could mean the end of your kid's interest in the instrument.

If the kid's very young, a short scale guitar can be a good idea, smaller hands could benefit from such a guitar. You want your kid to feel at ease with the instrument, not bullied by it.

I say the quickest way to get her hooked is to teach her something that produces immediate results, some quick 1-4-5 progression would be ideal, they sound good in any order you play them.

Then, if she's really interested and wants to explore deeper into the world of guitar, you should consider classes. Be careful, picky, very picky about the teacher you select.. Nowadays, you have to be careful but also remember that the teacher's influences and style will also be your own child's very first influence and his style will inevitably impact your kid's.

Again, not a music teacher, just my two cents.

[Toogy]

If my daughter was going to pick a guitar, she will want this, no doubt in my mind. lol

Washburn Hannah Montana 3/4-Size Electric from zZounds.com!

[Jason]

I'd get her a couple of really simple music books. I started playing guitar when I was home alone one day and bored. Found my mom's old classical guitar in the closet, along with some ancient beginner's book. Had some really simple versions of well-known songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, etc. Most of it was single note stuff, then it started getting into chords and such.

I'd make sure that she has some material like that so she can work independently on it. But, obviously at her age, she'll need some one on one help as well. I'd just get maybe a couple copies of the material so you can each easily see it when practicing... teach her how to read the TABs and maybe even notation eventually. I think it would just be much easier to start out with books rather than trying to come up with your own lessons from scratch... though I'm sure you'll start to get ideas as you teach her.

[aerochris]

Originally Posted by Toogy

If my daughter was going to pick a guitar, she will want this, no doubt in my mind. lol

Washburn Hannah Montana 3/4-Size Electric from zZounds.com!

oh my goodness!! How could you go wrong at this point??

[PapaSquash]

My daughters (4, 6 and 9) just got a PeeWee Les Paul. Somebody gave it to me and that's about what it's worth. It's a little bigger than the ukelele that Daughter 2 plunks around with. It ain't much but If you tune it to ADGCEA you can capo your guitar on the 5th and teach them "Hot Cross buns" and "mary had a little lamb." Stuff they can play on one string. (If you try to tune it normally the strings are so loose it's ridiculous)

My 9-year-old is in a choir and is starting to learn the recorder at school so she knows a bit of the scale and has a sense of what intervals mean. When she figured out that the next string down was the same note as the fifth fret she just lit up.

[PINKBITS]

I'm sure their are a lot of people out there that believe if you haven't been professionally trained to play the guitar you shouldn't teach.

IMO that's bullshit.

I teach a young guy at the moment and my way of thinking is simply to teach them stuff they like. Like anything, if you enjoy doing it you will learn faster and learn it better.

He was originally being taught by a professional, and yes he is a fantastic guitarist. However, his parents have told me that since I have been teaching him he has progressed more in the last three months than he did in two years with the other guy. He's not being bogged down with theory and being bored.

The kid just wants to rock and can you blame him.

Now I'm certainly not saying to dismiss the technical, theoretical side of guitar. I just reckon a guitar is meant to be played and enjoyed.

I actually started teaching him Phantom of the opera by Iron Maiden this week. The idea was to draw him in with something cool whilst improving on his technique and feel for song dinamics.

He is doing really well.

[watchunglava]

my girl is not quite 3 yet , she "plays" key board , harmonica , and guitar .

she is constantly taking my picks and dropping them in the whole of my acoustic

[cpo]

Originally Posted by watchunglava

she is constantly taking my picks and dropping them in the whole of my acoustic

Ha...sounds like a good time to deploy a sound hole cover!

[cpo]

Originally Posted by Sony Oengui

What motivated me to learn how to play was being able to recreate the music I like with my own hands.

Originally Posted by PINKBITS

my way of thinking is simply to teach them stuff they like.

This it absolutely true, so great points. I know from my perspective in receiving lessons, that aligns with my experience. I don't "take lessons" so to speak, but I do get some limited "instruction" from a very good friend of mine who is one of the most amazing musicians I have ever met.

It's challenging, however, if he wants to have me learn and practice things that I just am not interested in. Rudementary example: If I want him to break down a song I like -- to teach me how to play it, and why the chord progressions or melodies are the way they are...but he wants to teach me the circle of fifths or scales...it is difficult to keep my "attention". I NEED to know circle of fifths and scales, but I WANT to learn a song. I guess my point is that right or wrong...if you want to keep them interested, it seems like teaching them what they want is better than teaching them what they need to know. Like myself...they will probabably eventually WANT to learn scales and the things that were once boring..then that's probably the best time to start digging in. I'm 35...but I imagine that would apply to a 6 year old too.

I started out teaching my son some basics about MUSIC...but I think now I am going to find a way to simplify a song he likes and show him how to play that (hoping to get it all on one string!) As his interest progresses...we can start looking at the mechanics.

Thanks for the interesting discussion.