Members Zooey Posted June 26, 2005 Members Share Posted June 26, 2005 I've been called upon to teach guitar to my 11 year old neice. Thinking back to my own guitar beginnings in 1980, I started on acoustic, strumming "Rock my Soul in the Bosom of Abraham" and other hokey folk tunes that probably aren't going to cut it with a kid today. Assuming she isn't going to be interested in the John Denver tunes I learned 24 years ago, what should I teach her? Snow Patrol? Avril Lavigne? What can an 11 year old hear on a corporate radio station and produce a reasonable of facsimile of using just an acoustic and some basic open chords? It's not that I'm stuck in dinosaur land without contemporary tunes to draw upon, it's just that the music I listen to either isn't appropriate for solo beginning guitar, or isn't going to appeal to a kid. For example, there are a dozen Shins tunes she could pick up easily, but I don't know of any 11 year olds listening to the Shins...do you? I'm determined to teach her something that will excite her and get her over that initial hump. BTW, she likes to sing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cackalacky Posted June 26, 2005 Members Share Posted June 26, 2005 Ask her what she likes before you meet up with her so you can prepare some initial ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members buddastrat Posted June 26, 2005 Members Share Posted June 26, 2005 That's a tough age. Sometimes they grow up listening to a lot of parent's music and are familar with some cool stuff. Simple stuff like Ode to Joy is easy and familar to everyone. An easy version of Sweet Home Alabama is cool to start with too. I had a ten year old boy who hasn't heard much music. I asked him to make a list of a few songs for the next lesson. He came back with: Old MacdonaldTwinkle TwinkleAre You SleepingTNT! I laughed when i saw that last one. I asked him where he heard it and he said on his friend's video game!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zookie Posted June 27, 2005 Members Share Posted June 27, 2005 I agree with asking her what songs or bands she has heard and what she would like to know. She may not have even thought this through so far as to think she might eventually play the songs she likes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheBlueGuy Posted June 27, 2005 Members Share Posted June 27, 2005 I started a lot of kids off with the Peter Gunn riff. It's recognisable, cool-sounding, and doesn't have too many notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members can't remember Posted June 27, 2005 Members Share Posted June 27, 2005 You could... Have her bring over some CDs and transcribe them for her while she listens and watches. Of course, don't give here the barre chord versions until later but it's a good way to introduce open chords and ear training. I'm not a teacher :jb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angus_Poser Posted June 28, 2005 Members Share Posted June 28, 2005 classical gas. everybody loves classical gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angus_Poser Posted June 28, 2005 Members Share Posted June 28, 2005 Originally posted by buddastrat That's a tough age. Sometimes they grow up listening to a lot of parent's music and are familar with some cool stuff. Simple stuff like Ode to Joy is easy and familar to everyone. An easy version of Sweet Home Alabama is cool to start with too.I had a ten year old boy who hasn't heard much music. I asked him to make a list of a few songs for the next lesson. He came back with:Old MacdonaldTwinkle TwinkleAre You SleepingTNT!I laughed when i saw that last one. I asked him where he heard it and he said on his friend's video game!! I think that was on the latest tony hawk skatboarding game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members davecon Posted June 28, 2005 Members Share Posted June 28, 2005 Allan Holdsworth ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 335clone Posted June 28, 2005 Members Share Posted June 28, 2005 For what it's worth, I am against trying to teach kids on acoustics. Give 'em a cheap strat and an amp with distortion and they will stay interested. Ask her what she likes to listen to. If it is acoustic, then I'm wrong. My bet is it'll be more in the good charolette/ linkin park type stuff.Hard to play on an acoustic. Have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members darkmonohue Posted June 29, 2005 Members Share Posted June 29, 2005 What a great opportunity! I'd teach her to play Liz Phair's "{censored} and Run." Imagine the effect of having an 11-year old lament how badly men treated her "even when I was 12." It would be a bit like those little girls singing "Iron Man" in the "Rock School" documentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flanger Posted June 29, 2005 Members Share Posted June 29, 2005 Originally posted by Zooey What can an 11 year old hear on a corporate radio station and produce a reasonable of facsimile of using just an acoustic and some basic open chords? Greenday - I Walk Alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mockingbich Posted June 30, 2005 Members Share Posted June 30, 2005 Originally posted by 335clone For what it's worth, I am against trying to teach kids on acoustics. Give 'em a cheap strat and an amp with distortion and they will stay interested.Ask her what she likes to listen to.If it is acoustic, then I'm wrong.My bet is it'll be more in the good charolette/ linkin park type stuff.Hard to play on an acoustic.Have fun Yeah - I started lessons on an acoustic in the 2nd grade and got bored and quit. Then bought a strat and cheap amp at 15 and haven't been the same simce:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GorillaLover Posted June 30, 2005 Members Share Posted June 30, 2005 Originally posted by davecon Allan Holdsworth ? I wish the first thing my guitar teacher had taught me was that weird sweeping intro to City Nights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adamsj Posted July 7, 2005 Members Share Posted July 7, 2005 I've got an 11 year old girl student (and a 9 year old girl, 9 year old boy, and more in that range) The stuff that works for the one 11-year-old girl -- who is musically a little more mature than most, perhaps -- is some Jimmy Buffett her parents have played around her, plus some Hilary Duff tunes ("Fly" and "Shine") plus a remake of "If YOu Believe in Music" by two other Disney stars (I think their names are A.J. and Ali or something like that). Then she's asked to learn some Dixie Chicks. Check out the Disney channel for music targeted at that age range, and ask her to pick some tunes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axeman79 Posted July 7, 2005 Members Share Posted July 7, 2005 Originally posted by 335clone For what it's worth, I am against trying to teach kids on acoustics. Give 'em a cheap strat and an amp with distortion and they will stay interested.Ask her what she likes to listen to.If it is acoustic, then I'm wrong.My bet is it'll be more in the good charolette/ linkin park type stuff.Hard to play on an acoustic.Have fun I have to agree, my dad got me an acoustic when I was younger, i tinkered with it, but found it boreing, later when I finally got an electric, I really got into playing, not 'till later on did I eventually became appreaciative of the accustic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zooey Posted July 7, 2005 Author Members Share Posted July 7, 2005 Thanks for all your advice. I've got a session with her this weekend, and I'll find out what she wants to play. As for the electric/acoustic question, I think it's more common to start with electric than it used to be. I wouldn't discourage a kid from picking up the electric if it would keep him or her practicing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adamsj Posted July 7, 2005 Members Share Posted July 7, 2005 electric: I've got a 9 year old who plays an electric, one on acoustic who would probably prefer electric. I've got an 11 year old who plays an electric, and one on acoustic who probably also would prefer electric. Electric's are generally easier to play too, so that's another consideration for a very young student. And regardless, try giving them the lightest gauge strings possible, which would be .008s, if anyone still makes those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ESPImperium Posted July 8, 2005 Members Share Posted July 8, 2005 What about starting her off on some chromatic runs and getting her to hold the guitar correctly??? Also ask her if she intends to play mostly standing or mostly sitting, it was an invaluable pice of advice i picked up as it made my technique better in a couple of weeks, once good technique is established its not easy to go back and it will stick at such a young age!!! Song wise, get her to write out a list of the 10 best CDs, even 5 best CDs will be a good grounding, then you can check out the track listings on the internet and have a song off of one ready for each week if you think its easy enough for her. Even borrowing a couple of CDs and listening to them your self will help!!! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Buttcrust Posted July 9, 2005 Members Share Posted July 9, 2005 Teach her how to play Stairway:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vere Posted July 13, 2005 Members Share Posted July 13, 2005 lots of the little kids know jack johnson. some of that is easier chords. also, there is a cut of tristan prettyman doing "toxic" by britney spears, who many 11 y/os like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members janehung Posted July 14, 2005 Members Share Posted July 14, 2005 Avril Lavigne - Nobody's Home (uses Em, D, C, G chords, capo on fret 1 but you don't need to capo it) In case she likes Avril Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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