For those of you who don’t know, I do guitar lessons in the homes of my students.
I’ve always done it this way, and absolutely love it.
Something I started to notice shortly after I began teaching…. everyone had pets.
Mostly dogs, a few cats, some fish, and some other (more unusual animals).
Maybe it’s the area that I teach (Annapolis, Maryland is definitely a town that loves its dogs).
And since I do in-home guitar lessons, the dogs and cats generally like to inspect me and my guitar case.
To be fair it probably has the scents and smells of all of the other houses I visit (the guitar case… not me).
Since I typically write about guitar tips and tricks, I thought it may be fun to mix things up a bit and share with you some of the more unusual, pet-related-things I’ve witnessed during my guitar lessons
(warning… some of this stuff may be gross.. but still funny… read on at your own risk)
As a guitar teacher, my students frequently ask about online resources for learning the guitar (especially free online guitar lessons, youtube guitar lessons, and so forth).
It’s funny though…
A lot of my students seem to think I’ll be mad if they stray from what we work on in our lessons.
Definitely not.
If anything… I’m super excited to see them so interested that they’re willing to take additional time to learn.
So…
Here are the best free guitar lessons if you want to learn to play guitar online…
When you’re looking for a guitar for a child, it can be tricky to find the right size and style. I’ve written about it before (here), but I thought providing an actual specific instrument may be helpful. So here’s your step by step guide:
1. Don’t buy a “Toy Guitar”
If you want your child to learn, a toy guitar is barely even a guitar. It’s going to be really hard to stay in tune, and even harder to play. These guitars are usually set up so that you have to use a lot of pressure to press down the strings which will: 1) Make the guitar sound not-so-great and 2) Really hurt your fingers.
The $30 price tag may be appealing, and you may think, I’ll just get this for my child to try out. Don’t do it.
2. Be aware that if you buy a guitar for a child, they will grow out of it.
No way around this my friends. Your kid is gonna grow. By the time they hit 11, 12, or 13 (depending on their size), you’re probably going to have to upgrade to a standard size guitar. DO NOT buy a standard/normal size guitar for a child (unless they are really really tall). It will be so frustrating for them to learn to play (maybe even impossible).
3. Take a guitar lesson ahead of time (if possible).
I offer a trial-lesson. And I also provide a child-sized guitar if the student doesn’t have one. This does a few things:
It allows them to try out the instrument to see if they like it
It allows them to try out a lesson with me (to see if they like me)
It allows them to learn (at least a little) bit of music so…
…after our lesson, they can go to a music store and try out a guitar using what they’ve learned.
You really can’t go wrong with this guitar. It’s small enough for most kids. It’s made by a reputable brand (Hohner is super famous for harmonicas). It’s not super expensive (about $90). Plus you can sell it on Craigslist when they outgrow it and let someone else enjoy it.
