|
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | My friend and business partner has a 6 year old son who seems to be quite musically gifted, and was very excited about my guitars. I invited him to come over to teach him a little about playing guitar. We just had our first session, and to me it's both fun and challenging.
I try to start out with teaching him some basic skills, how to sit and hold the guitar and pick. Then my idea is to start out with just playing one string, picking melodies using a major scale focusing on playing cleanly, and making him listen carefully to how the tones go together. From the single string I thought we may harmonize on two strings, then move to triads. It all depends on keeping it fun for the boy, to me it's just a great opportunity to share my love for music, and I think I'll learn a lot too, if this works.
Being a total amateur, and not used to dealing with kids, I wonder if anyone has advice or comments on my approach and way of thinking. :rolleyes: |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Yeah...I teach about 16 to 20 lessons a week. I usually don't take them that young though. I've had a few 7 and 8 year olds, and they just don't have a very long attention span. As long as you keep your sessions short, and emphasize the "fun", you should be OK.
Usually I start them out by teaching the parts of the guitar. I point out that whenever I say "up" or "down", I'm talking about pitch, not direction. I also give them "homework". I start them out on the first string open, and ask them to try to figure out "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". It all stays on one string, and it's a great way to test their ear, and get them used to the way the fretboard works. When they are ready for chords. I usually start with the key of A. C's and G's are just too much of a stretch for little fingers. Remember that if you have them playing songs they know and like, they will enjoy it more, and so are more likely to practice. Also, I usually don't start them using a pick. They have enough to worry about with their left hand, and trying to concentrate on holding the pick properly will only distract them. When they are learning a song, I have them break it down into small parts, just a few notes or chords. When they have those down, they can be looking at their left hand, instead of the paper. This is VITAL. If I catch them looking at their right hand, I hold a sheet of paper over it so they can't see it. They are always amazed that if they look at the string they want to pluck where their LEFT hand is, their Right hand almost always gets it right.
For chords, I have them study their left hand while they are on the chord, then, keeping their fingers in that position, I have them lift their hand just slightly, so it is hovering over the chord, but not touching it, strum the open strings, then put their fingers back on the chord.
Remember, give them songs they like. If they ask for AC/DC or Bach, or anything in between, you can simple it down so that they will be able to play it. Also, remind them that they call it PLAYING guitar for a reason. They should be having fun. And as long as they continue to practice, it's OK to explore and experiment. Let them get creative, and even if it sounds lousy, praise their sense of adventure. Eventually, as they gain more skills, their experiments will start to sound more like music.
Oh, and one more thing--for some reason, if you start practicing and it feels like you're starting to "get it", then all of a sudden you can't get it right and start sounding worse, put the guitar down and do something else for 20 minutes. When you come back and try again, you'll be amazed at how easy it is, and how much better it sounds. It is also VERY important to have them go through whatever you taught them AS SOON AS THEY GET HOME. If they wait 'til tomorrow, or even later that evening, they will lose the feel of it, and forget most of what you showed them.
Have fun with this. There is nothing more rewarding than helping to bring the lifelong gift of music to a child! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
Remember, give them songs they like.
There is nothing more rewarding than helping to bring the lifelong gift of music to a child! CS,
Excellent post! 
I had been awaiting a knowledgeable reply, since I'm not a musical educator, so that I could emphasize the 'fun' aspect. As a kid I took piano for two years and never got to choose what I wanted to learn. Therefore I gave up the piano lessons and went full bore with baseball and half azzed learned guitar on my own (still am...).
It's amazing what the kids can accomplish once they get 'hooked on polyphonics'!  |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | CS, thanks for your good advice, I have to admit that a lot of my motivation here is purely selfish, since I know from earlier experience that teaching actually is a learning process even for the teacher, at least when you're a freshman, you have to learn the stuff over again and be more aware of details and quality than when learning yourself. Plus I find it both fun and inspiring playing a little with this kid that's absorbing the music so totally with a good ear and a great sense of rythm. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3411
Location: GA USA | Erik, here is the blog I made to go with my class for beginners.
I have three lessons, and I cover half a lesson a week.
Maybe you'll find something interesting. Comments, suggestions and corrections are appreciated.
Free Guitar Class Blog |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | Captain, your blog seems to cover the essentials for learning to play rythm guitar. From a brief look at it, one thing I'd like to add is the major scale, and also perhaps how chords are constructed. I really don't see the reason for using the term E phrygian scale, when you just could call it C major, especially since the major (ionian) scale is not mentioned, nor the modes.
To me this approach is not exactly what I look for. Starting out with G and C chords for a 6 year old kids small fingers seems rather tough for me. I'll focus on teaching and encourage him to find melodies playing single notes, starting with one string, then adding another string to increase the range of tones available, and if he still is with me and think it's fun, we may start with some harmonization like thirds and sixths, leaving triads and chords to come even later. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Great posts, all!
Do people agree with the 3/4 classical as the best type of guitar to start a kid on?
Also, how many of you are like me - never got single lesson but consider themselves a reasonably OK player now? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3411
Location: GA USA | "Reasonably OK" is about right. I'm on Workshop Live now, so I'm getting lessons for the first time. I see plenty there to keep me going for a while. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | By 'Reasonably OK' I mean I can play plenty of the music that I like (but there's obviously much more I'd love to). |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 161
Location: Atlanta GA | I fall into the "never had a lesson" but "reasonably OK" catagory.
I sometimes think of taking lessons, but at some level I worry about adding any facts to my fantasy world. When I started 30+ years ago, my ambition was to be able to play at the Andy Griffin level (you know, where he and Barney sit on the porch and strum on Sunday afternoons)Well I can do that as well and probably better than Andy could so what's left to know? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | Ol' Ang never went above the 3rd fret. Obviously he knew where the money was..... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 161
Location: Atlanta GA | Moody, the tone of your email implied there is something above the 3rd fret. I guess you believe there is life on Mars as well...
Nothing good could ever happen above the third fret. ( I guess the only exception would be if a capo were involved.) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Who are Andy Griffin and Barney? TV show? surely not the PURPLE Barney!!!
Re the 3rd fret - I agree, anything you can't play with A, C, D, E, G is just showing off. Someone should make guitar with just 3 frets - shoudl be cheap to make and the risk of fret buzz would be minimal.
Sorry - way off topic again |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | I have been teaching my nephew.
He wants to learn songs so we learn songs.
We also have performed together. Well then his dad says "why dosen't uncle al teach you to play lead" well the reason is I dangle that as a way for him to become serious on guitar. I told him that he could not learn to improvise without learning the finger exercises scales etc.
so now we are playing scales and finger exercises and still learning songs.
I need to start him on rhythm exercises also.
I could not teach for a living because kids don't want to learn to play correctly, they just want to rock. the school or rock mentality where kids play "suzuki" like rock tunes just bothers me. sure we can all learn something from rote but with no feeling passion or knowledge about what goes on behind it, it seems kind of pointless.
It seems that guitar is one of the few instruments where it is "OK" to not learn in the traditional manner. that sorta bugs me.
although at the experience music project I saw video of hendrix playing and using his thumb to play bass notes that you could not do unless you had a huge hand like his. perhaps the pawdereski of guitar? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | One more suggestion...when kids "get it", give them an opportunity to celebrate, even if it is just 30 seconds of talking, jumping up and down and high-fiving. They have a lot of energy and sitting quietly while learning an instrument can be unnaturally restrictive. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| 
|
|
| |
Slightly ot? - teaching a friends kid
