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Sorry it’s such a small photo, click the link to see a better picture on Amazon.
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:
4. Just buy this Hohner Guitar.
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.
UGH!! I remember how frustrating this was (and sometimes still is). Here’s the story…
You’ve finally got your chords down.
They’re sounding great.
No buzzing.
No muted strings.
Just crystal clear musical beauty.
One problem..
One big problem….
It takes FOREVER TO CHANGE FROM ONE CHORD TO ANOTHER!
How can you possibly play an actual SONG if it takes (what seems like) an eternity to change chords.
How do those musicians do it?
Here’s how….
Hope the new year is treating you well and you’re sticking to all of your resolutions.
I gotta give a shout out to everyone who has been commenting/asking questions on my site. It’s been super helpful to get feedback and your points of view.
So…
Now it’s your turn to show off all of your sweet guitar skills….
If you want me to feature YOU on the site (through an interview, video, or just share some audio of what you’re learning), shoot me an e-mail and let me know.
I don’t care if you suck, or if you are a guitar master. I want to hear (AND SHARE) your story with all of our readers/viewers.
Trust me… it is so helpful and motivating to hear about the progress from other people.
So e-mail me at jake@jakeposko.com (and maybe you’ll get kinda famous)! 🙂
Just a quick post today that I wanted to share.
My mom sent me this article from The Washington Post by Meghan Leahy, about how (as a parent) to handle kids who are perfectionists (really for the benefit of me, my wife, and our 4 year old daughter).
I saw some value as a guitar teacher as well.
Here’s a little story…
I’ve been teaching a 14 year old for about a year. Let’s call him Tyler.
Tyler had never really played guitar when I first started with him.
He’s super smart. Super busy. Has a ton of after school activities… Lacrosse, football, even a part-time job…. and all of the other social things that come along with being a teenager.
We started lessons and he picked everything up quickly…. until…
… we started doing some complicated versions of chords. Barre chords mostly. We were moving past the beginner stage and onto more intermediate stuff.
I could see he was struggling. I could also see that we’d been here before.
I remembered seeing this kind of frustration when we were learning some beginner open chord positions. So what did I do?
– I encouraged him. Yay!
– I reminded him of past successes! You can do it!
– I told him to keep at it!
None of it got through to him. The frustration remained, and he would say things like… “I don’t really need to know bar chords, the older chords sound better”.
I was suspicious.
We’d continue to learn, I’d continue to push, encourage, and all the usual teaching stuff. Every so often I’d find myself just empathizing with his frustration and struggle. I’d talk about my current struggles: learning difficult pieces and just not getting it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this is exactly what Meghan Leahy talks about in her piece in the post.
Of course I didn’t really understand the scope of what I was doing (in my guitar lessons). I know empathy goes along way when others are struggling, but I never really thought of using it as a teaching tool
For those of you who aren’t teachers or parents, there is still an incredibly important takeaway message here: we all struggle and progress. Sometimes it sucks (usually it sucks). Embrace the struggle.
That’s it. The struggle doesn’t get easier. But you don’t need to feel bad about feeling bad.
That’s it! If you like this article, and what some more tips, just sign up for my e-mail list to get some sweet guitar hacks (and other fun updates).
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
So you need some holiday gift ideas for your guitar player? No problem. I will totally hook you up with some ideas that won’t break the bank.
Here we go…
A capo is basically a little clamp for your guitar. I’ve been using this since I’ve been playing the guitar.
I strongly suggest anyone who is new to the guitar (especially kids) pick up a capo. I love this Kyser kind because it’s super easy to get on and off of the neck of the guitar. I have a bunch (and they come in multiple colors if you prefer something other than gold). Capos are especially awesome for kids because they can help smaller fingers get used to fretting notes and chords.
At some point, you’re gonna need to change your guitar strings.
I’ve been playing with these guitar strings for as long as I’ve been playing the guitar. There is a reason for that. These strings are super easy on the fingers. Do your fingers hurt when you play the guitar? These little babies will ease your finger pain (if only a bit). They have a coating on them that is easy on the fingers, cuts down on the screechy sound, and has a nice mellow tone. Get them. They’re awesome.
Same brand as above, but for electric guitars. I’d go with ta medium or light gauge.
Ok… So I’ve gone through at least 10 different brands/styles of tuners. And I always lose them (or leave them in sofa cushions or at gigs, etc). This is by far my favorite.
It is durable, easy to read, easy to use, and bright red (so it’s not easy to lose). I also recommend getting a tuner app for your phone (the app has definitely helped me in a a pinch), but these clip-on snark tuner has been awesome.
Pretty much any guitar picks will work (it’s all about personal preference). Good selection over here.
This is so cool… and it’s a good way to get rid of all those used up gift cards you’ll get this Christmas.
Pretty much any guitar cable will work. I’m not picky. Though I’d go with at least 10 feet of cable or longer. It’s just more convenient.
You know I’m not a fan of guitar cases. I prefer leaving the guitar out in the open where I’ll actually remember to pick it up and play or practice. Rather than leaning it up against a wall, I’d suggest a nice little guitar stand. I have at least one per guitar (or I use a guitar wall mount like this). Either way, keep those guitars out and ready to play.
If you’re a singer/songwriter, you may want to pick up something like this Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone. It’s an easy way to record your vocals and acoustic (or electric if you’ve got it amped up). It’s not meant for professional quality, it’s really just a nice way to get your music down. It’s a inexpensive and easy to use microphone. You can use it to add better quality to videos (especially if you like recording stuff and uploading it to youtube).
Should work with most current Mac or PC software/computers (check the specs just to be sure).
If you’re serious about putting some videos of your songs/recordings on Youtube, you probably want to use a webcam (that didn’t come built into your computer). I have this Logitech camera for my videos. It works great and it’s pretty cheap.
I used to use a pretty decent pair of bose headphones for all my recording (Youtube or otherwise). Until the cable/wire wore out and they became useless. I spent a month researching wireless headphones (that were affordable). I finally came up with these. I have not been disappointed. They hold a charge really well (i.e. excellent battery life). The sound quality is great. Easy to pair to multiple devices. Plus they have a microphone built in (that I use when paired with my phone).
Seriously… get these headphones.
If you have any other thoughts or ideas, leave them in the comments below. I’d love to know what you think (or if I missed anything).
Happy Holidays and all that stuff!
(Full Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission if you purchase through my site. But don’t worry – these products are awesome, I love them… if I didn’t I wouldn’t recommend them. I recommend them because they’re great… not because of the small commission that I make from them. If you have other recommendations, just shoot me an e-mail and let me know!)
(Photo Credit: JD Hancock)
This is such an awesome little song... and great for beginners (especially the version below). Artist: Anna Kendrick Song: Cups G I got my ticket for the long way 'round Em D G Two bottle 'a whiskey for the way C G Em And I sure would like some sweet company C D G And I'm leaving tomorrow, wha-do-ya say? Chorus: Em When I'm gone C When I'm gone G D You're gonna miss me when I'm gone Em D You're gonna miss me by my hair C G You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh Em D G You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
(Repeat Chorus)
Verse 2 G I've got my ticket for the long way 'round Em D G The one with the prettiest of views C G Em It's got mountains, it's got rivers, it's got sights to give you shivers C D G But it sure would be prettier with you
Chorus: Em When I'm gone C When I'm gone G D You're gonna miss me when I'm gone Em D You're gonna miss me by my walk C G You're gonna miss me by me talk, oh Em D G You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
(Repeat Chorus)
Artist: Vance Joy
Song: Riptide
Note: The tuning on this song is a little weird.
It's not 440 (as is pretty much every song in the universe).
If you're trying to play along with the recording it'll sound a bit off.
INTRO:
Am G C (x2)
VERSE:
Am G C
I was scared of dentists and the dark,
Am G C
I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations,
Am G C
Oh all my friends are turning green,
Am G C
You're the magicians assistant in their dreams.
Am G C
Ooh, ooh ooh
Am G C (One Strum)
Ooh, and they come unstuck
CHORUS:
Am G C
Lady, running down to the riptide,
C Am
taken away to the dark side,
G C
I wanna be your left hand man.
Am G C
I love you when you're singing that song and,
C Am
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
G C
you're gonna sing the words wrong
VERSE:
Am G C
There's this movie that I think you'll like,
Am G C
this guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City,
Am G C
this cowboy's running from himself.
Am G C
And she's been living on the highest shelf
Am G C
Ooh, ooh ooh
Am G C (One Strum)
Ooh, and they come unstuck
CHORUS: Am G C Lady, running down to the riptide, C Am taken away to the dark side, G C I wanna be your left hand man. Am G C I love you when you're singing that song and, C Am I got a lump in my throat 'cause G C you're gonna sing the words wrong Repeat 4 Times: e-----------3------------- B--3h5-5--------5--------- G--------------5---------- D------------------------- A------------------------- E------------------------- Am G I just wanna, I just wanna know, C F If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay, Am G I just gotta, I just gotta know, C F (One Strum) I can't have it, I can't have it any other way One Strum Per Chord: Am G C I swear she's destined for the screen, Am G C Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh
CHORUS 3 Times: Am G C Lady, running down to the riptide, C Am taken away to the dark side, G C I wanna be your left hand man. Am G C I love you when you're singing that song and, C Am I got a lump in my throat 'cause G C you're gonna sing the words wrong
This file is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song.
It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
So you’re having trouble learning the guitar. You want to learn guitar, but you can’t quite get the hang of it.
That’s ok. Don’t feel bad. Stop being a baby. Step up and take control…and own that guitar.
But seriously, here’s what you should do if your fingers hurt and you’re struggling to play the guitar…
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
So… oftentimes when new students approach me about lessons – they ask if their son or daughter is too young to start guitar lessons. Or they will ask “What is the best age to take guitar lessons?”
And the answer is….