Thousands of professional guitar teachers around the world use this simple method to teach kids to "really" play (rather than play with) a guitar
Step 1:
Have Children learn to form and strum the eight easiest and most useful chord shapes for any beginner (not just children) to learn
Step 2:
Help Children to become able to move between those chords while having genuine FUN!
A tried and trusted first guitar lesson involves having a child learn, form and then move between the first two chords (G and Em) that they need to know
Or just go right to the detailed explanation of how to teach your first children's guitar lesson.......
Two more of the eight chords that kids need to learn first There are two backing tracks associated with this lesson The first concentrates on the new chords (D and C) whilst the second asks a child to combine all four of the chords encountered so far into a single repeated sequence (G-Em-C and D)
Introducing "Rock" Guitar using a chord that they already know (G) and another new shape (A) This tends to be a very popular lesson as it gives kids the chance to unleash their inner Rock Star (and who does not like to do that?)
Follow the link below to be taken to a more detailed eplanation of kids guitar lesson 3 and ti pick up the free lesson plan for this very popular session
The last three chords that a beginner needs to learn to play in time to music This one features a lazy "funky" type of backing track and introduces children to the final three chords that they will have to learn at the beginner stage (see lesson five for what happens next?)
Recap of the material covered to this point and preparing for the next stage
Having learned eight chords and how to move between them it would seem sensible to just carry on learning more chords It would seem sensible but it is not! After the "best" eight chords for a beginner have been mastered experienced and effective guitar teachers know that what is required now is a period of consolidation during which the chords covered up until this point are re-presented to students in more challenging ways (usually faster chord changes and more complicated strumming patterns) The download contains loads of backing tracks designed to do just that
You dont have to sign up for a "monthly newsletter" and I don't want your email address so I can hound you around the internet offering you "free tips" designed to try to part you from your hard earned money I hate all of that stuff and I presume that you do too
This site gives you a tried and tested method for teaching children to play the guitar completely free of charge and that plan works irrespective of whether you elect to make it much easier to carry out that plan by buying our (quite frankly very economically priced :)) resources
The resources that you can download now are made up of a whole load of easy to use Beginner's Guitar Backing tracks, Chord Charts, Certificates Of Achievement, Blank guitar Neck, chord and tab sheets etc that have been designed to get kids (and adults too) playing guitar "properly" from the very first lesson
Four of the five lessons outlined below have backing tracks to go with them (lesson five is a recap session designed to monitor and ensure progress before the next stage of study). Each backing track is a couple of minutes long and features a simple rhythm section accompaniment which cycles around the chord sequence used in the course of the lesson You can hear short samples of each of the backing tracks below
It is important to realise that what we are trying to do here is to use backing tracks and handouts to help kids to learn the eight chord shapes that are best for a beginner When they can form the shapes then other backing tracks are introduced which require them to move between the chords more quickly in order to increase fluidity and technical ability
I have been told on more than one occasion by folks who understand the way online marketing works way better than I do that I should split the resources on this site into a series of $25.00 packs covering kids stuff, adult beginner's, intermediate and advanced materials and that I should run some kind of subscription and membership service That way I would get to earn more money from both professional guitar teachers and folks setting out to teach guitar from a standing start
The folks who tell me this are probably right but to be honest I just don't want to do it I'd rather give somebody a bargain than a feeling that they spent twenty five bucks on the "wrong" package and to get absolutely everything that would be useful to them they have to stick their (digital) hand in their (actual) pocket again and again
This may change in the future but at the moment I love the buzz that I get when somebody who bought my stuff gets in touch to say that they can't believe how much material there is included in the download
We now take a more detailed look at our effective series of guitar lessons for younger players
This first kids guitar lesson involves a child in changing between the chords of G and Em in time with a backing track which provides a very simple bass and drum accompaniment This first lesson is used by guitar teachers around the world to get their younger students off to a flying start on the instrument. The graphic above shows the lesson plan that you can screenshot or download now by following the link above
You can probably download all of the backing tracks and handouts on this website to your phone and run your lessons with nothing more than a smart phone and a guitar.
There are a whole load of free guitar tuning apps that you can get for your your phone, tablet or PC and a whole lot of videos up there on youtube that tell you how to use them. However you choose to get to a situation where the guitar is in tune it is vital to realise that even if the right fingers are being sent to the right places at the right time if it is not in tune the guitar will sound awful!
Even for kids who do not have particularly small hands it can be a good idea at this stage to use the "reduced" one finger version as the simplicity of learning two shapes which use only a single finger (the third) of the fretting hand produces great sounding results from the start and helps to create the belief that "they can really do this"
This is a very important stage and (although I sell chord charts etc) it is important to realise that "the knowledge is no good if it stays on the paper" Ensure that your student can play the two chords from memory without the need to refer to chord charts before moving on to the next stage
This is absolutely fine because just a few short minutes ago they didn't know any guitar chord shapes at all
Because the two shapes are simple (and use the same finger) it does not take long at all to learn to move between them
This is perfectly normal and is not a problem and it is easily and effectively addressed during the next stage when the backing tracks come into play You can help the child to improve by encouraging them to arch the fingers of their fretting hand so that they press the strings down with their finger tips rather than allowing their fingers to mute the strings that they are not supposed to be fretting
I have been teaching children to play the guitar for most of my adult life now and to be perfectly honest this is just about the only thing you need to pay attention to at this stage of teaching someone to play the instrument
Playing along to backing tracks solves this problem because changing repeatedly between the chords makes them better at it and that is the case with all eight of the chords that any beginner needs to learn first
Playing the guitar is not just learning how to form chord shapes. Just as important is the (often overlooked at this stage) ability to strum chords in time to an instruction or with other musicians. This is a great time to introduce the concept of tempo and "counting in"
Have your student count rhythmically from one to five. Then have them count and replace the word "five" with a single (downward) strum of the G chord. Do the same with the Em chord and repeat the process for a few minutes until they get used to the idea of replacing "five" with a single strum.
It may seem like a minor consideration but it really is an important skill to develop Being able to respond in time to whatever else is going on is an absolutely fundamental musical skill and it is vital that you pay attention to this area before progressing to the final part of this first lesson (where the real FUN is!)
Here is a short snippet of the backing track that we have put together to go along with this lesson. The track is a simple bass and drum accompaniment which goes around and around two bars of each chord. It is deliberately simple (some of the other backing tracks that you can hear samples of on this page are way more "produced") and is designed to allow kids and those instructing them to focus on the sounding of the chords
Click below to hear a short section of the backing track at the core of this lesson
Click above to hear a snippet of the simple guitar and bass backing track that goes along with this lesson
We have a whole load of backing tracks for beginners and we have recently introduced a whole load of guitar backing tracks for intermediate and more advanced players that you can hear if you follow this link The new tracks are perfect for musicians of any age who have mastered the basics and are ready to move on to more advanced materials
It can also be helpful (and fun) to ask children to sing along with the strumming pattern that they are using. For the "down-up-down-up" strumming pattern used in the video above I currently use the phrase "sau-sage-and-chips". Using this sing along technique is not just for fun though as kids who may struggle when being asked to play an unfamiliar set of "down-up-down-up" movements with their strumming hand often find the task easy when joining in with the sound of their own voices.
Keep scrolling to find out more about using one finger versions of guitar chords for younger children or............
If you look closely at the illustration above you will see that the two chords (G and Em) are presented as "child friendly" one finger chord shapes Using these "reduced" shapes during the first few weeks of playing can be a great way of giving a child belief and confidence and can help set them up for a lifetime of guitar playing
The "reduced" chord shapes are a great way of making learning guitar "easy" for the first few lessons but the reality is that full shapes are no more beyond the reach of children than they are of adults and issues that mey seem to be about stretching the fingers on the fretboard are just the same dexterity issues faced by older learners
Above you can see the certificates designed to recognise and reward kids for their work in moving from the "reduced" to the "full" chord shapes
By the end of the fourth lesson kids will be able to form all eight chords that they need to learn first (with three of them G, Em and C in "one finger" form) Lesson five is the beginning of a recap period where one (or more) lessons can be dedicated to adding fingers to the shapes already learned in order to play "full" chords and there are handouts and certificates (like the ones above) designed to address the situation and to encourage young guitar players to "keep up the good work"
Our download also includes a whole bunch or resources for teaching ukulele and the one finger chord shapes help children with smaller hands to make rapid progress on the guitar
The graphic also shows both the lesson plan and the certificate that you can download free designed to accompany this lesson
The certificates of achievement that accompany the children's guitar lessons are a great way to keep kids motivated and "on task" during the early and intermediate stages of playing guitar. Without wanting to resort to "psychobabble" folks of any age (as evidenced by the endless quest for "likes" and "retweets" or schemes such as "employee of the month" awards etc) respond well to such external validation and recognition of their achievements that can serve to spur children on and increase their effort and commitment.
I came up with the certificates after many years of teaching guitar to younger kids and even I was stunned at how popular they proved to be upon their introduction to my lessons (and how much some students focus and application went through the roof when there was "something to win" at the end of a guitar lesson)
I dont want you to sign up to anything or harvest your email address so we can chase you through cyberspace trying to part you from your money (I hate that and presume that you do too) All of the free stuff on this website is exactly that........Free!
This site is built on a very simple premise. We give away immediately useful free stuff and if you like the look of it and feel that you will find it useful you may elect to buy (and download right away) the entire paid for $25.00 package (that contains not just the chord sheets and backing tracks for the children's guitar lessons but everything that you see on other parts ofthis website too (the download also includes a whole range of materials suited to older and intermediate/advanced guitar students)
You get all of the chord sheets, backing tracks and certificates that you can see on this site (not just the kids stuff) that will save hundreds of hours of work regardless of whether you are setting out to be a professional guitar teacher or just want to start the child (or grandchild) in your life off developing a skill that they can use over a lifetime as their love of music (and of making it) grows
The people who tell me this are most probably right but to be honest I just don't want to do it I'd much rather give somebody a bargain than a feeling that they spent twenty five bucks on the "wrong" package
This may change in the future but at the moment I love the buzz that I get when somebody who bought my stuff gets in touch to say that they can't believe how much material there is (over 450 PDFs and thirty five backing tracks) included in the download'
After checking on the progress made during and since the last lesson (where the chords of G and Em were introduced) the teacher introduces two new chords (D and C) and encourages a student to play along with a backing track that uses the new shapes Following that a new backing track is brought into play that requires a learner to strum all four chords (G Em C and D) in time to a band
There are also certificates that can be awarded at the end of the lesson (Kids love them!)
This lesson introduces two new chord shapes (C and D) and then after again working with a backing track that moves between the two chords students are given the challenge of playing all four chords learned to this point (G Em C and D) along with a new backing track
Following the First Kid's Guitar Lesson your student should have become used to forming the two chords (G and Eminor) that any novice guitar player should learn first. This lesson is designed to follow on from the first and to build on the foundation already established A child will encounter two new chord shapes (C and D) and will be introduced to the correct fingering for the full Em chord
As is the case for all guitar lessons make sure the child's guitar is in tune
At the start of this session it is a good idea to spend time ensuring that a child has retained the knowledge (of the two chord shapes) and the capability (playing those chord shapes in time to a backing track) that they worked on in the first lesson. It is important not to become discouraged as a teacher if they are still having trouble remembering the chord shapes that you showed them during the course of the last lesson.
They are kids and forgetting stuff (like cleaning their teeth or taking gym kit to school) is what they do. Remember the "Guitar Teacher's Mantra" which is something like "By the end of the lesson they will not be playing perfectly but they will be playing better". Gradual progress is what we are looking for here and during these early stages it is best not to get hung up on a quest for perfection.
If your student still has trouble remembering the G and Em shapes then spend as long as is required (even if it is the entire lesson) making sure that they can change between the two shapes in time to music
You may also like to take the opportunity at this point to introduce the full Em chord shape (which actually requires no stretching of the fretting hand and will be playable by even the smallest children) You can then award the certificate to recognise and reward a child's achievement before moving on to the two new chords
When you are sure that your student can move between the chords of G and Em the chords of C and D should be introduced The D chord requires a student to group their fingers together closely and as a result there is no need for stretching and so a one finger version of the chord is not required
Using exactly the same process as the first lesson have your student learn to form and move between the chord shapes in their own time When they are somewhere near being able to do it then introduce them to the backing track that requires them to move (slowly) between the D and C shapes in time to music
The printed material featuring the new chords is designed to complement the backing track that you can hear a snippet of below There are handouts covering both full and "reduced" one finger chords as well as a certificate designed to celebrate a childs acheivement when both versions of the Em chord are learned
The section of video below looks at the second part of the lesson where all four chords are combined and used with a G-Em-C and D backing track
The second kids guitar lesson makes use of the two chords (G and Em) studied already and adds two new ones (C and D) to the mix. The first backing track goes around and around the new chords of C and D leaving plenty of time (two bars) between each chord change to allow students to get used to forming the shapes and the second backing track combines all four chords learned to this point (G em C and D) into a single repeated progression
There is also an opportunity to award a certificate of achievement (shown above) recognising the child's ability to play the full Em chord shape (see graphic above) if you choose to introduce the shape during this lesson
The reality is that no matter how small their hands are kids will have no real problems playing the full Em chord shape as there is no "stretching" of the fingers involved when playing the shape The one finger Em shape used during the first lesson can be looked at as a way of making things simple to get a child off to a flying start and this new shape (which simply adds another finger to the "easy" Em chord) is an "easy win" with regard to making real progress on the instrument
Here is a link to the FREE lesson plan for this second session for future reference
The way that technology has progressed means that it is now perfectly possible to teach guitar using your phone and the materials on this site fit in perfectly with that idea
Tour the site to see what else you will be able to download NOW!
Take a look at the video footage below to see how this first children's "Rock" Guitar Lesson lesson will look and sound
The track features a fun "Rock God" vocal intro and also has a vocal outro to let everyone know that the track is coming to an end
Children tend to love this guitar lesson and during the group lessons that I teach it is by no means rare for them to request that we go back to it time and time again It is also a great backing track for later in the programme when kids are ready to play power chords and bar chords All of the backing tracks in the download can be re-introduced in the same way when the basics have been mastered and more advanced ways of playing (such as the use of bar chords) are required
Lesson three (download the lesson plan here) is very popular!
A new chord (A) and one they already know (G) over a lively rock backing track (take a look at the video above to see how it works in practice)
This lesson can provide an ideal opportunity to introduce the "full" G shape which requires a little more in the way of stretching with the fretting hand
At the end of this session you can award another certificate of achievement (shown above - just click the text to get it now) recognising the child's ability to play the full G chord shape if you choose to introduce it during this lesson
A driving bass and drum groove and a rock vocal intro and outro (which lets everyone know that its about to end) make this one a favourite with both youngsters and older learners alike. During guitar lessons kids often request this one for the sheer fun of it. This is the last bass and drum only backing track for a while as the ones which follow on from this one often feature a keyboards player too
All of the PDF handouts, backing tracks, chord sheets and certificates that you need to teach guitar
Because... I am "doing the internet wrong" (apparently)
I have been told on numerous occasions by people who know far more than me about this "web marketing" malarkey that I should be dividing the materials into any number of separate packs (Kid's Stuff, Music Theory, Adult Lessons, Jazz etc) and charging $25.00 for each of them
I much prefer the buzz that I get when somebody contacts me to say that the materials are too cheap (they really do!) than have someone feel that they bought the wrong package or have to choose between a bewidering array of downloads
According to these folks (who are probably right) I should also think about setting up an organisation that guitar teachers (or would be guitar teachers) can pay to be a member of while I "drip feed" them materials and "pearls of wisdom"
I'm not knocking that but the truth is I can't be bothered to even think about it never mind actually doing it It seems too much like a job and I dont like spending my time doing things I dont enjoy (which is why Im a guitar teacher in the first place)
I came up with this stuff originally simply because It's the material that I would have found most useful but didn't have access to when I started out teaching guitar
As concepts go it really could not get much simpler than that
This site is run by a real flesh and blood human (me) If you buy the stuff and (on the rare occasion) anything goes wrong with the download process you just email me (see "contact us" in the main menu) and I send you new links
In any event after purchase (within 24 hours but usually quicker than that) I send an email (not computer generated) on behalf of my bank manager thanking you for your money to ensure that the download process worked out
The fourth children's guitar lesson features the final three new chords (Am, Dm and E-none of which require a great deal of stretching) that a beginner needs to learn and features a slightly "funkier" backing track
The lesson is based around a new progression in which two bars of Am are followed by a single bar of Dm and E chords (see chord sheet in the illustration above). A funkier groove and supportive keyboard pads to let your young students know where they are in the progression. This is a great one for the "sausage-egg-and-chips" strumming pattern (see the video above if you have not got a clue what I am whittering on about)
The fifth kids guitar lesson is recap session where progress so far is assessed and rewarded with a certificate if desired The lesson provides teachers and learners with an opportunity to refine and reinforce skills and capabilities developed during the course of the first four sessions
The lesson plan that you can download by following the link above is a very important one as it involves both the teacher and the student in measuring progress to this point and also provides a framework that will allow an educator to plan for future improvement and development
If you elected not to introduce any of the the "full" chord shapes of G,C and Em this session provides an ideal opportunity to use the backing tracks etc again in order to ensure that kids are familiar with the full shapes before moving on to the next stage of guitar playing
Here is the Lesson Plan for this children's guitar lesson
This lesson provides an ideal opportunity to award the certificate (shown above right) which features all eight full chord shapes and recognises the end of this "first phase" of children's guitar study Lesson five presents a great place to take stock of progress
The graphic below shows the certificates that can be awarded to your younger guitar students during the early stages of playing They cover the period of time between when they have mastered two simple one finger chords right through to where they can play the F chord (where they will be required to hold down two strings with a single finger) This is the point where a beginner can be regarded as being an intermediate player
A single "one off" payment of $25.00 will allow you to download everything that you see (not just the children's guitar teaching materials) on this website NOW to your phone, tablet or PC
Although there are a few other useful chords that can be introduced on an "as required" basis the next stage of learning to play the guitar properly is on of "consolidation of skills and capabilities already developed"
Release a child's "Inner Rock Star" with more rapid chord changes and an exciting backing track
Here we take a look at how we can effectively ensure that a child learns to move between chords quickly and "in time" to music while still making them feel that they are just having loads of fun.
I like to use the following track which features all of the Major Chord shapes (C,G,D,A abd E) covered to this point to help my students get used to changing chords quickly The great thing about this progression for me is that students are obliged to work hard (moving between the C,G,D,A and E shapes) for the first two bars before being given a "rest" during the second two measures (when they stay on the single chord of E) before being plunged back into the "tricky" bit again The fact that it does not sound a million miles away from a Jimi Hendrix "classic" does no harm either
If you can take a student from the point where they can't play the guitar at all to a situation in which they are playing along with backing tracks in the style of Jimi Hendrix in just a few short months then I think you are entitled to a pat on the back
After the material (learning to move between eight chord shapes) in the first five lessons has been effectively covered then the remaining backing tracks can be used in the service of the following two objectives....
and
There are a series of other useful chords (A7 D7 G7 Cmaj7 etc) that have more complicated sounding names but which are no more difficult to play for a novice player than the ones covered up to this point Lessons during this "second phase" of learning should be concerned with making sure that playing starts to feel "natural" and with introducing students to new chord shapes and musical styles and genres
When teaching children to play the guitar the emphasis needs to be on the word "play"
Helping kids to develop a facility on the guitar requires a slightly different approach to instructing older guitar players
Children are less likely to take on board the notion that they have to practice technical or theoretical elements of guitar playing for their own sake or for a notional reward (a better technique) at some indeterminate point in the future.
"Children's Guitar Lessons should be All About having instant Fun!" and the teacher who does not take this simple fact on board when giving guitar lessons to kids will simply not cut it
In addition to having fun, in order to maintain and increase levels of enthusiasm kids need to feel that they are making good progress on the guitar
Apparently one of the biggest regrets of most adults is that they did not learn to play a musical instrument when they were younger Many of them tried but "failed" and became convinced that they were "tone deaf" and trotted out the "I dont have a musical bone in my body" line that I have heard all of my professional life and it is a tragedy
If you offer a child the chance to become a guitar player most of them will initially be very enthusiastic and we can of course use this initial enthusiasm as "fuel" to get them to become functioning musicians
Experienced guitar teachers all over the world use this easy to follow method using handouts, chord charts,certificates and backing tracks to get their young students to "really" play the guitar from the very first lesson
They are well on their way to mastering something that can become a lifetime skill rather than just another 'thing that they tried to do when they were young but could not make any real progress with"
After that they should be presented with more "challenging" backing tracks and strumming patterns (see the video below for a more detailed explanation of this process) that require them to move between the eight shapes more rapidly, becoming better guitar players as they do it
When they can move between the eight basic chord shapes in time to music they will be at the point that they can move on to more advanced material such as bar chords and more involved chord shapes (such as the "dreaded" F chord) which requres a student to hold down two strings with a single finger
The more advanced materials on this website fully cover this stage of learning to play too
Turning a beginner (child or adult) into a guitar player really is that simple! The children that you teach get to start from nowhere and end up "really" playing the guitar from the first lesson and along the way they will have loads of fun (the only thing that they should care about at their age!)
Three of the eight shapes (the ones that require most stretching with the fretting hand for younger or "smaller" children) are commonly presented as "reduced" one finger shapes during the first few lessons to get kids used to moving between them before moving on to the "full" shapes by the end of the fifth lesson
The use of reduced chord shapes during the first few lessons is a great way to help children feel that they are making rapid progress on the instrument (because they are!) and when "full" chord shapes are intoduced they are not new shapes but merely additions to the chords that they already know
The material up here is designed to help ensure that we avoid a situation in wich a child sets out to learn to play the guitar before giving it up because it is "too difficult" Learning guitar (or any skill) is easy if the person in charge of the education process presents you with a series of appropriately challenging tasks in the correct order
You can download a free copy of the full backing track and the handouts that go along with it if to your PC, tablet or phone you go to our guitar teacher's backing tracks page
You can hear a short extract of the track here....
click the box below to....
A lot of the other backing tracks (we now have 35 backing tracks and over 80 chord charts/handouts to go along with them) give a teacher the opportunity to help their students (both young and old) to re-inforce and refine the skill of being able to change between appropriate guitar chords fluently and in time to music as well as to take them on to more advanced material with relation to bar chords and single note/solo guitar playing
Above you can see a bunch of blank tab and chord grids especially produced with kids in mind which allow you to introduce them to single note riffs and figures that you (and they!) want to play A lot of the resources can also be used as colour in activity sheets if required I often send children home with them instruction to learn the tune and colour in the sheet (the one judged the best gets a plectrum as a prize)
You can download everything that you see on this website(chord sheets, handouts, backing tracks, giant chord grids etc) for a single payment of $25.00
There is no "club" or organisation to join and no annual subscriptions to pay I will not "drip feed" you the resources over a period of time in return for a monthly or yearly payments. I have been advised many times by people much wiser than me to change my business model in order to "maximise income" and while it may make perfect sense in some ways I reckon life is complicated enough without all of that. Just check the stuff out, buy it if you like it and then use it for the rest of your life
When a child can play and move between the chords covered up to now they can be said to be ready to leave the "beginner" stage behind. The next phase involves mastering more technically demanding chord shapes (like the F shape which is the first chord that they will have encountered in which they are required to hold down two strings with one finger) and bar chords (where all of the strings are held down in a variety of "moveable" shapes)
On the left of the graphic above you can see a certificate that marks the end of the first stage and the start of the next phase of guitar lessons
A wise old guitar teacher once shared his "secret" with me he said that "Teaching guitar is like throwing mud at a wall" (I would like to point out in the interests of accuracy that he did not actually use the word "mud" but a less pleasant word for a much less pleasant but often similarly textured substance but for the sake of decency I have paraphrased a little)
"Some of the mud sticks to the wall and some of it falls to the floor" he went on "Our job is to work out what has stuck and what has fallen Then we fling the stuff that has fallen down back onto the wall until its all up there"
Not the worlds most pleasant analogy (especially if you factor in his original choice of substance) but after all these years of teaching it remains the single best definition of guitar teaching that I have ever come across If you examine this notion on a deeper level it gets to the very core of what we do as educators Its about the wall (the student) its about the "mud" (the subject) It is not about the teacher
The material on this part of the site sets out how a guitar teacher might go about teaching a child (or a group of children) to play guitar from a standing start and it is (almost) that simple! The only thing to remember is that they are kids! They forget stuff Sometimes they dont get to practice (quite rightly) because it is sunny outside and they have "better" things to do. It is important not to obsess over how much they retain information Typically I find they can often forget the names of chords that they have not played for a couple of weeks although when prompted they are able to play the shapes relatively easily rather than having to re-learn them This is real progress although it may not look like it They are developing the motor skills required to operate a guitar
Studies have shown that a child's effective atttention span in minutes is roughly equivalent to his or her age in years and armed with this information we can help them to progress without really practicing too much formally. You can get to see great progress in playing by simply encouraging kids to practice guitar during the commercial breaks on TV. When the adverts kick in they should mute the set and play or better still the adults in the room can play with them by using the "Simon Says" game outlined below Without wanting to go "over the top" about spending "quality time" (rather than everyone just poking their phones) with children its got to be a whole lot more fun than staring at a screen thats firing new ways to part you from your money at you.
A device that I find useful when teaching guitar to individual students or groups of children is a variation of the old children's game "Simon Says" where you would say (for example) "Simon Says E minor" before counting in 1-2-3-4-. If you dont use the phrase "Simon Says" then no matter which chord you tell them to strum they are not supposed to play it
The game provides a great fun way of getting kids familiar with guitar chords and the element of competition introduced seems to have the effect of concentrating the mind. It is perfectly possible to get great results from a group using this simple game and the chords on the "First Guitar Chords" sheet for an entire lesson. They are learning to move between chord shapes (you can shorten the count in to "3-4" to speed the changes up if required)
Below is an image showing our range of letter sized mini-posters that you can print for your teaching studio wall and/or distribute to your younger students. Two of the chords (C and G) require relatively large stretches in order to sound the thicker (lower pitched) strings and as a consequence are often presented in a "reduced" one finger form during the first few weeks of guitar lessons.
Below are some of our printable sheets that show the "reduced" one finger versions of three of the chords. The links below the image will allow you to download free samples of some of our resources aimed at guitar teachers with younger students.These resources are easy to photocopy and I have had great results with groups of kids running informal competitions with children competing to see who can do the best job of colouring in the sheet between lessons (first prize a free plectrum!).
These resources seem to go down very well with kids and parents alike and help to keep children engaged with the instrument even when they are not playing it.
The download features literally hundreds of sheets and more than 35 backing tracks. I'm not going to bang on about what incredible value this represents as the internet is awash with people who bombard us with offers that are "too good to miss" or are there "for a limited time only" and all of that sort of thing. This is a long established website that has been helping guitar teachers to go about their business for more years than I like to think about. Just take a tour of the site and see for yourself before thinking about using our materials(or just download a whole load of free stuff if you like?)
Included in the download are a whole set of resources designed to help those who use ukuleles as part of their daily teaching activities and to offer guitar teachers who do not yet teach the ukulele but who may wish to make use of an opportunity to "branch out" into what could prove to be a lucrative and rewarding area
We offer (among other things) chord charts and backing tracks for this versatile and increasingly popular instrument. The materials are designed so as to allow a teacher to teach ukulele and guitar players within the same group session. Follow the link below to find out more
If you study the material on this page you will see a selection of the best chord shapes to introduce to children in the early stages of playing. One of the images features a handout that goes along with an early stages (or even a first?) guitar lesson that requires the student to move between the chords of G and Em (playing a single strum of each chord as it changes) you will observe that the G chord (which in its "full" form requires that the student should be able to stretch right accross the entire width of the neck to play the bass notes to be found on the E and A strings) can also be played with a single (the third) finger just so long as only the four thinner strings are strummed or struck with a plectrum (the X's above the E and A Strings on the diagrams indicate that the student should not strike or pluck those strings).
By following the diagrams a child can be moving between two very important and great sounding chords within minutes of being introduced to the guitar. Great for developing that all important feeling of "Hey I Can Do This!" which will encourage kids to pick the guitar up between lessons
Below you will find a set of quick links to a series of five guitar lessons for kids. You can download and print "at a glance" lesson plans for each of the five lessons from these pages but we suggest that before you do this that you take a look at the material presented underneath the links to give you an "overview" of the whole thing (then scroll back and follow the links to the freebies if thats what floats your boat)
Over forty sheets to download and print today. Designed to run alongside the "Backing Tracks and Handouts Package described below. All of the resources that you need in order to teach kids to play guitar. Chord Charts, One finger (reduced) chord diagrams. An opportunity to start them off the right way!
An important part of the $25.00 "Deluxe Guitar Teacher's Download" available from this site are a set of thirty five backing tracks (standard mp3's) with over 80 handouts/chord charts which is all that you need to get started teaching effective kids guitar lessons. The tracks are based around the eight chords that a beginner should learn first and a combination of full and "reduced" chord shapes (one finger versions of C, G and Em) can be used as required.
At the end of a lesson you can drop the backing tracks onto CD's and mp3 players or even email them to your students if you like
You might also like to take a look at our page dealing with the "First Eight Guitar Lessons" that form the basis of a teaching programme for younger and older guitar students alike.
You can read a more detailed explanation of how the handouts and backing tracks might be used if you visit our "First Lesson" page which gives a detailed guitar lesson plan suitable for a complete novice (kids and adults)
With beginners it is often a good idea to resist the temptation to teach them loads of chords. Instead experienced guitar tutors know that a much more effective technique is to teach them a few guitar chords that will allow them to do loads of things?
Below are details of a few songs that I find that kids (and adults) just starting out seem to get a buzz out of being able to play (you can also add "anything by Ed Sheeran" to this list :).
"Wild Thing" (two strums on A followed by two on D two on and E chord and finally two more on A) always seems to go down well and has the advantage that there is a gap between each chord change so that students have plenty of time to move their fingers on the guitar neck.
"Rockstar" by Nickelback (one bar each of A D G and A again for the main part of the verse) and "500 Miles" by The Proclaimers (Two bars of G followed by a bar each of a C and a D chord) also seem to hit the spot. In addition I have also had some good results results teaching power chords to kids using songs like "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" by Green Day (the verse features two even strums on F followed by two on Ab, Eb and Bb repeated for the verse until you get five strums on C). This gets students used to moving power chords around the neck and prepares them for the full bar chords to come.
When first introducing Children to guitar chords it can be a good idea to speed progress by teaching them to play three and four note versions of some guitar chords suitable for kids rather than the full voicings favoured by more mature learners.
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The teachwombat guitar teaching resources feature chord sheets aimed at guitar students with smaller hands designed to give results and encouragement to younger players. Once they have got used to the "easy" versions of common chords and their dexterity and reach improves they can be gradually encouraged to move on to more conventional shapes as appropriate
Below you can see our printable colour guitar "mini-posters" of the best chords for a beginner to learn that you can print and distribute to younger kids. The posters can be used to decorate a child's bedroom or playroom and make a great memory aid. They can be given all at once or introduced gradually in a "guitar chord of the week" way. Its up to you really?
I don't want to start this very important and relevant section with a "cop out" but the rather predictable answer is that it depends on the individual child rather than its age. If I suddenly "lay down a law" on this little bit of the internet that says eight or nine is a great age to start playing the guitar because thats the age that I start to teach groups of children in schools then folks out there in the real world would quite rightly howl about a fresh from the maternity wing kid they once saw on the internet who made Jimi Hendrix look like Forest Gump. I dont start teaching groups of kids until they are about eight or nine years of age mostly from a classroom management point of view. Anyone who teaches groups of students will know well enough the variety of "dynamics" that can exist within different groups and if you factor in the behaviour and attention span of a group of seven year old children then it shouldn't be a surprise that sometimes a lesson would not go to plan.
So as a general rule of thumb I would say if you are teaching a single child with a reasonable attention span for its age then (at a push) six or seven would be a reasonable age to start playing the guitar. There will be exceptions and it all depends upon circumstances but at this kind of stage the main thing is that lessons need to be FUN!
Children wanna play guitar stuff that's relevant to them. I teach guitar to kids aged eight upwards and their parents are typically in their late 20's and early thirties. The music that these kids hear at home reflects that reality.
Some single note suggestions......
Simpsons Theme That three note thing from Shrek and (strangely?) Smoke On The Water(!) You can still get them into playing the odd Christmas Carol on the guitar because as streetwise and cynical as todays children may regrettably be they still love the season of getting free stuff but in the main, along with the classic rock they want to play the music of now (or at least of the fairly recent past).
It may be a good idea (not just with children?) to teach fragments of songs on guitar rather than whole complete pieces of music? This way your customers feel as if they are learning more and are less likely to get bored and frustrated by being forced to bang away at the same thing for hours on end
Here are a few ideas that I have found effective to mix and match during recent kids guitar lessons aimed at children who are complete beginners
Its nice to have a few sheets with versions of simple tunes and figures which use only a single string for absolute novices (this also has the advantage of allowing students to get a pleasing result from a guitar that may not be properly in tune)
The theme from Shrek
Happy Birthday
Police Siren (E string 3rd fret to the E string open and repeated as required)
Smoke On The Water (single note version starting from an open A string)
The teachwombat guitar teaching resources have a range of sheets with JUMBO sized Tab and notation so that you can easily create your own "Master copies" of often used fragments or licks (these sheets have large graphics designed to be studied from a distance ideal for shorter segments of music) from there it's just a case of scanning or photocopying the originals to ensure that you have a library of material that you can add to and use over and over again.
There is money to be made (and a lot of satisfaction to be derived) from teaching guitar to children but as with "regular" instrumental instruction the key to an effective, stress free (and profitable!) lesson is preparation.
I've seen the books and the "teach kids to play guitar" stuff thats out there and some of it (while worthy) is a bit wide of the mark.
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" "Merrily We Roll Along" and all sorts of stuff like that? They have Playstations and School Of Rock for crying out loud!!
Show me a nine year old kid who wakes up with a burning desire to play "Twinkle Twinkle" and I'll show you a child stolen from the 1950's and beamed into the present day (and to be perfectly frank he or she would probably have been a bit of a wierd kid even in the 50's).
The only real reason that the stuff like "Frankie and Johnny" and "Merrily We Roll Along" is in the guitar books in the first place is so that the publishers don't have to pay the composers and owners of the songs because they are out of copyright. The fact that a tune is out of copyright presents no incentive for a nine year old kid to want to learn it on their guitar .
As Guitar and Bass Teacher's we have to compete with the free stuff that's up there on youtube (some of which lets face it is very good) so it would seem a bit silly to rely on out of copyright tunes that are recognised by an ever decreasing number of people?
As well as the lesson plans and the resources it is important to make sure that attention is paid to making sure that you have the best type of guitar for a child and we look at the notion that the conventional wisdom that has come to dictate that nylon strung "classical" guitars are more suitable for children has become outdated
That was a "typical" bit of unsolicited customer feedback that fell into my inbox. Another typical response (honest!) is that the stuff is way too inexpensive but what can I do about that (other than raise the price and I'm not about to do that)?
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Cheers! Rob!
Teaching guitar to kids or to adults.
The teachwombat stuff gives you just about everything you need to start or improve a guitar teaching business!
