Since there is alot of guitar talk lately

[silverbear]

Thanks everyone for the response. The combo that was posted looks like a decent deal. I found a place for lessons about 35 miles away. $60 per month. 4 times a month 30 minute sessions. That a good price?

Seems reasonable to me...

 

[heavyg]

Little bit of an update for those who care

Just spoke with the guy who got my son excited about and wanting to play guitar. He plays in a christian band I had come out and play at our church for the youth group. Anyways. He said he would be more than glad to give my boy lessons. $10 per lesson. I thnk him teaching him will keep him more interested due to him being the reason he fell in love with the idea to begin with.

Now I just have to decide on the guitar to buy him.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Little bit of an update for those who care

Just spoke with the guy who got my son excited about and wanting to play guitar. He plays in a christian band I had come out and play at our church for the youth group. Anyways. He said he would be more than glad to give my boy lessons. $10 per lesson. I thnk him teaching him will keep him more interested due to him being the reason he fell in love with the idea to begin with.

Now I just have to decide on the guitar to buy him.

Just ask your son. Would he rather have an electric or acoustic.

www.musiciansfriend.com has starter guitar bundles for both.

Acoustic starter packs

Electric Starter packs

Or you could just get a little of both with ...

Acoustic/electric starter packs

Let you son look over some of those and pick the one he wants that is within your allowable price.

 

[heavyg]

OH I already know he wants electric. He is a rocker at heart. He loves watching guitar solos on youtube.

Just ask your son. Would he rather have an electric or acoustic.

www.musiciansfriend.com has starter guitar bundles for both.

Acoustic starter packs

Electric Starter packs

Or you could just get a little of both with ...

Acoustic/electric starter packs

Let you son look over some of those and pick the one he wants that is within your allowable price.

 

[theebs]

I would let him noodle around with it before you start forcing lessons on him. If he is excited about lessons that is different but I would be careful you dont turn it into a school like activity.

I have never had a lesson, and it shows but the people I knew who did always were learning stuff that can be learned through repitition.

the most important thing is that he likes it and that he understands it requires patience and dedication. Unless you are a prodigy, you dont just pick up and start plucking through string skipping apreggios!!!!

I do think it will help him in school though, it always really helped me focus.

good luck to you guys.

 

[heavyg]

Your right. I dont want to force anything on him. EVer. But as I have said he has been driving me insane for over a year to get him a guitar and lessons. I think going the route of using Alex it will help him enjoy it more.

 

[theebs]

Your right. I dont want to force anything on him. EVer. But as I have said he has been driving me insane for over a year to get him a guitar and lessons. I think going the route of using Alex it will help him enjoy it more.

I think your right. Chances are he will love it and will not be able to put it down.

Tell him to prepare for very sore fingers and callouses....well worth it and tell him they go away in a few days and dont come back after the first time!

 

[Seven]

I'd suggest starting with an acoustic if only for the reason that it's more helpful in building up finger strength early on.

Which fingers? The fret fingers or the pickin' fingers? It all depends what his favorite reporte' is.

 

[CowboyWay]

Thanks everyone for the response. The combo that was posted looks like a decent deal. I found a place for lessons about 35 miles away. $60 per month. 4 times a month 30 minute sessions. That a good price?

This may not be a popular theory around here, but I stand by it.

Forget the lessons for now. Make your kid learn his chords. A, E, D, C, G

When he learns those 5 chord he'll be able to play many, many songs.

You go and pay for a $60 lesson its going to go like this...........

Teacher.......Hello, do you know your basic 5 chords

Kid...........Nope.

Teacher.........Go home and learn them. $60 please, thank you, come again.



Ask me how I know this to be true, I dare you.

 

[heavyg]

This may not be a popular theory around here, but I stand by it.

Forget the lessons for now. Make your kid learn his chords. A, E, D, C, G

When he learns those 5 chord he'll be able to play many, many songs.

You go and pay for a $60 lesson its going to go like this...........

Teacher.......Hello, do you know your basic 5 chords

Kid...........Nope.

Teacher.........Go home and learn them. $60 please, thank you, come again.



Ask me how I know this to be true, I dare you.

Im almost always up for a dare .....soooo......How do you know this is true

 

[theogt]

Which fingers? The fret fingers or the pickin' fingers? It all depends what his favorite reporte' is.

Eh. Even if he was going to do some pretty intricate classical stuff, he'd still be better served having his better hand on the fretboard.

 

[CowboyWay]

Im almost always up for a dare .....soooo......How do you know this is true

Kind of a rhetorical question, but...............Cost me $60 to find out that tidbit of info.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Im almost always up for a dare .....soooo......How do you know this is true

Every guitar teacher should start out with those basic chords. Every guitar student should start out with those basic chords.

I am sure the teacher would show the student these chords and not just say go home and learn them.

The teacher will probably also show him how to pick the strings, whether that be with a guitar pick or his fingers.

Those chords are the basic foundation to the guitar. A person learning guitar should practice those enough to have them put into muscle memory.

By muscle memory I mean he should be able to do all of those chords without thinking about it. Transition between the chords. Do those chords with out even seeing it. It will take some time to do that. When first starting out you have to train your fingers to get in the right position for each chords as there are multiple fingers and different frets for the chords. There are multiple ways to play the chords as well...that comes with picking hand style.

Learning the chords is just the very basic thing that one should start out with.

He will find that after learning the basic chords he can play many songs or make up many of his own tunes. The songs he may play with those chords may start off as a stripped down version of a song, but that is just the the start.

While doing this he will also build good coordination between his picking hand and fretting hand. He will build up his callouses, he will build up his finger strength and also that muscle memory I talked about earlier. One other thing that it will do is help train his ear, which can really help a guitarist.

As I said, it does not mean the teacher will say...learn the chords and come back while not saying or teaching anything else. But the teacher SHOULD be teaching the chords as a basic lesson to start with. The teacher may first teach the student what each part of the guitar is and other things of that nature but the chords is the most important start to learning guitar.

 

[theogt]

This may not be a popular theory around here, but I stand by it.

Forget the lessons for now. Make your kid learn his chords. A, E, D, C, G

When he learns those 5 chord he'll be able to play many, many songs.

You go and pay for a $60 lesson its going to go like this...........

Teacher.......Hello, do you know your basic 5 chords

Kid...........Nope.

Teacher.........Go home and learn them. $60 please, thank you, come again.



Ask me how I know this to be true, I dare you.

Then learn bar chords and you've mastered rock n' roll.

 

[heavyg]

Every guitar teacher should start out with those basic chords. Every guitar student should start out with those basic chords.

I am sure the teacher would show the student these chords and not just say go home and learn them.

The teacher will probably also show him how to pick the strings, whether that be with a guitar pick or his fingers.

Those chords are the basic foundation to the guitar. A person learning guitar should practice those enough to have them put into muscle memory.

By muscle memory I mean he should be able to do all of those chords without thinking about it. Transition between the chords. Do those chords with out even seeing it. It will take some time to do that. When first starting out you have to train your fingers to get in the right position for each chords as there are multiple fingers and different frets for the chords. There are multiple ways to play the chords as well...that comes with picking hand style.

Learning the chords is just the very basic thing that one should start out with.

He will find that after learning the basic chords he can play many songs or make up many of his own tunes. The songs he may play with those chords may start off as a stripped down version of a song, but that is just the the start.

While doing this he will also build good coordination between his picking hand and fretting hand. He will build up his callouses, he will build up his finger strength and also that muscle memory I talked about earlier. One other thing that it will do is help train his ear, which can really help a guitarist.

As I said, it does not mean the teacher will say...learn the chords and come back while not saying or teaching anything else. But the teacher SHOULD be teaching the chords as a basic lesson to start with. The teacher may first teach the student what each part of the guitar is and other things of that nature but the chords is the most important start to learning guitar.

He had his first lesson tonight. And Alex showed him two cords. Worked with him about an hour on it. He will be back next week. Told him to practice all week. If he is ready he will show him more at that time. If not he will go over the ones he just showed him. He was very patient with him.

He has me about talked into getting a bass and learning that. lol.....He said it is really easy to learn.