Posts Tagged: guitar lessons for kids

Playing a musical instrument is something that, if you want to be good at, you need to commit to at an early age. Yes, adults can learn musical instruments, but it is much easier for children to pick up an instrument. Of course, one of the hardest musical instruments to learn is the guitar. There are a lot of guitar lessons for kids out there, but before signing up your son or daughter for guitar lessons, think about how you want it to go. Here are some things to consider before you commit to guitar lessons for kids.

First of all, music lessons of any type are difficult for children, and this is no exception when dealing with guitar lessons for kids. The reason for this is that musical lessons take a long time for “good” results to emerge. I know that I had to play the piano for three or four years before I could play with any sort of satisfaction in my abilities. I watch my young cousin play the cello, and she has some time still before she can play well. And there are definitely reasons to think that guitar lessons for kids would be even more frustrating.

Why is that? Well, guitar is a very tricky instrument. On the one hand, you have the guitar as an accompanying instrument. This is what you usually hear from guitar during a pop or rock song on the radio. This is called playing in chords, and while it is not easy itself, it is much easier than playing melodic strings of notes on the guitar. Playing the guitar means having a ambidextrous approach – the ability to move your hands independent of each other to, on the one hand, pluck or strum strings, and on the other, to hold down the strings at different frets, usually quickly.

Guitar lessons for kids are great if your child is motivated and passionate about the guitar. As I mentioned above, learning the guitar can be a lengthy and frustrating process and having a good teacher can make that time less and less frustrating. However, children are especially notorious of losing interest in activities with great speed. So, you need to make sure that your child really wants to play guitar before committing to guitar lessons for kids. If so, you can believe that guitar lessons will seriously improve your child’s ability and enjoyment of playing the guitar.

Ever since I bought that Rock Band video game for xBox last Christmas, my 10-year-old son has been obsessed with guitars. He plays the game every single day, but that’s not enough for him. He really wants to “learn for real,” and has been begging me to let him sign up for a class. I’m actually happy that he’s interested in a creative pursuit like playing an instrument, so I’m all for this turn of events. That’s why I’ve recently been looking for information on guitar lessons for kids.

Back when I was a child and wanted to learn how to play the piano, there was only one option available to me. My parents had to find a teacher who lived relatively close by, and I had to go to her house once a week for an hour-long lesson. The rest of the time, I would just practice on my own, which usually consisted of playing the same song over and over again because I didn’t know what to do next. Needless to say, I never got very far in my musical pursuits!

Anyway, after checking around, I learned that there are lots of different guitar lessons for kids available these days. Of course, I can always go the private teacher route for my son. Websites like Craigslist are chock-full of ads from experienced musicians offering cheap guitar lessons for kids, so finding a teacher won’t be a problem. But I think I’ll hold off on that until I’m certain my son’s interest is genuine and this isn’t just some passing fancy that he’ll get tired of in two weeks.

Online guitar lessons for kids are an alternative to getting a private instructor. There are numerous websites that offer completely free basic tutorials for beginners. At first, I didn’t think that would be a very good idea for a 10-year-old who has no idea what he’s doing, but after visiting the sites, I’ve changed my mind. Many of them provide video clips where someone walks you through the entire lesson step-by-step, and I think these are straightforward enough that my son can understand them.

Another possibility here is purchasing guitar lessons for kids on DVD. There are a couple advantages to this option, including the fact that my son would probably be a lot more comfortable going through a lesson in front of the TV instead of standing awkwardly in front of the computer and squinting down at the tiny screen. In addition, it seems as though there are entire series of guitar lessons for kids on DVD, meaning I can start with a beginner level and then work up through intermediate and advanced levels as my son’s skills develop. This is a definite plus, and will probably turn out to be the deciding factor for me.

I’m glad there are so many fun and easy guitar lessons for kids out there, as this increases my odds of finding a delivery method that will be perfect for my son. I’m sure he’ll be excited to start, no matter which method we choose!