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:
THE PLAN was to pay off some debt, save some cash, and plunk it down on a 