Teaching My Son to Play Guitar

Me and James About Ten Years Ago

It’s hard for me to believe sometimes but my oldest, James, is now 11 years old. A few years ago, I bought him a guitar with the full intention of starting weekly lessons, but he wasn’t ready for it. He was eager to learn, but quickly got too frustrated to focus. Rather than push him, I backed off (one of my better decisions).

So here we are a few years later, giving this another go. Except that it’s different this time. Dramatically different. He is eager, patient, more mature, and has a healthy dose of determination. Plus his fingers are a little longer. As a matter of fact, I can’t seem to teach him quickly enough this time around! The first night we sat down, I had the intention of teaching him 2 or 3 open chords. He ended up learning 5. He has practiced every day, and I’ve sat with him almost as much, at his request.

We’ve had 5 lessons now, and every time we go over everything from last time, and I try (if he’s ready) to introduce a new concept or chord. Here are the things I’m teaching him.  After going over open chords I introduced him to power chords. Then barre chords–mostly for the concept that the shapes can move up the neck, but also to get some practice trying to finger them. I also introduced him to the pentatonic scale, and at his request taught him how to play part of the intro to Boston’s More Than A Feeling.  I also  showed him how to pull off, hammer on, and bend (in response to questions usually triggered by songs on Guitar Hero–I wonder if this has had a benefit for him in terms of finger dexterity…).

So, based on my experience, here’s my advice if you’re trying to teach your son/daughter guitar:

• Don’t force it! I was tempted but held off.
• They’re ready when they go after it.  This relates to the previous point, but I thought about my own experience with guitar.  I went after it!  I practiced off the radio in my room until late at night.  When I blew the speaker on my Gorilla amp, I bought a new one from Radio Shack and figured out how to wire it up!  Determination and initiative shows that they’re ready.
• Encourage them! The key early is them getting used to putting their fingers on the strings.  Accuracy will come.  I always tell James not to worry about perfect sound yet (there will be a time for that), just get the position right and practice.
• Use motivation. Take your son/daughter to band practice.  James sees our band practice at my house most weeks, and he wants to play with us.  So we’re working towards that!  Pretty motivating.
• At first, practice almost every day with them.  Once a week isn’t good enough when you’re first learning guitar.  The repetition is key.  We’re taking advantage of the summer nights to practice, since he’s out of school and staying up later.
• Give them the big picture, when you can.  Sneak it in.  For example, we talked about scales in general when I showed him the Pentatonic scale.  I used power chords to show him 12-bar blues.  When I taught him the open chords like E, A, and D, I showed him how those shapes can move up the neck easily as barre chords.  We also touched on some theory along the way.  He won’t get everything at this point (and I’m not expecting it), but I feel it is important to introduce concepts early.
• Leave a guitar or two out.  Easy access=practice.  My wife hates this one!    But I do it for myself, too.  I leave a guitar in the Living Room on purpose because I find that I’ll pick it up a few times a day.
• Keep it tuned for them.  Since his guitar is out, I make sure to check the tuning in the morning before I leave for work.  He’ll be more likely to practice if it’s in tune.
• Let him crank it up with your amp/effects for fun!  Show ‘em that ‘A’ barre chord and let ‘em rip!
• Put nice strings on the guitar, but keep the guage pretty light.  I bought these wonderful coated DR strings for James.  They are silky smooth and feel 100% better than the ones that came with it.
• When showing them how to play something, play extra slowly, repeat yourself, and be patient.  Remember that they are probably intimidated by your skills.
• Have fun! Try to emphasize their strengths and help them have a vision for being a great guitar player!  I always tell James he’ll have no problem because it’s in his genes. 

I’ll post more about my experiences teaching James guitar this summer.  I don’t consider myself a teacher, but so far we’re having a blast together.  And it seems to be bringing us closer, which to me is more important than anything else.

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