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My eight year old niece wanted me to teach her to play guitar. I got a real cheap 3/4 classical guitar for her and this afternoon I tried to give her a lesson.
It didn't go well.

I gave my nephew lessons, but he was eleven when we started. Now he doesn't even need me. He only calls me if he's stuck on a particularly difficult song.

It's very different with Emma and her tiny fingers and short attention span.

Anybody have experience with teaching a child this age? Any tips, tricks that might help?

I couldn't even teach her a G chord using just the top three strings.

Hmmm....

You could try teach her the melody line of a easy quot;popularquot; song that she likes, on only the top string.

You just need to get her interested in learning!

When 'teaching' someone quickly for a laugh, i go straight for smoke on the water played on the bottom E. When they hear the tune and can almost do it straight away (or get something remotely similar) it spurs them on to learn it alot more than trying to get them to contort thier fingers into a chord shape.


Originally Posted by ForbesWhen 'teaching' someone quickly for a laugh, i go straight for smoke on the water played on the bottom E. When they hear the tune and can almost do it straight away (or get something remotely similar) it spurs them on to learn it alot more than trying to get them to contort thier fingers into a chord shape.

1

i am teaching my 8 y.o. son ... i got him a 1/4 size classical guitar, and it fits his hands nicely ... i am using a method book that i got at the local music shop that gives lessons and sells sheet music and books etc ... it came with a CD to let him hear what it is supposed to sound like ... we take it very slow and i let him stop when he has lost interest ... good luck

this is the book we use ...

from : localhost/www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...697239-5848016

Check out the children's guitar method published by FJH. Really good method. It starts out with a simpified tab based on nursery rhymes and other songs kids know and then introduces some standard notation n' stuff. Chords come in a little later once thier hands are getting stronger and more flexible. I used this with several of my young students and I think it is the most accessible method for children(aside from the kid's method I wrote for ZapGuitar.com of course!! ).

Mike

smack her.
j/k

Tabs are great for young kids. there much easier to understand than tribitional sheet music. most chords are really hard because of there small hands I mostly teach them simple melodys and scales. Start with small chords like em. From my experences teaching young kids 90% of a lesson is entertaining them, if the're praticing 10% of the time your going great. Good luck it's hard teaching someone that young, but it's also alot of fun.

I have been trying to teach my seven year old. He wants to be a rockstar...but doesn't want to work for it!!

I bought him a little scaled down strat because he wanted a guitar like Daddy's. He actually has a really good picking hand and is good at moving it around making cool noises...but the fretting hand is giving him trouble.

I finally found something that he seized upon though, after desperately attempting to teach him even a basic chord. I just taught him to alternate pick two notes per fret on the high E. From the first to the last. He can do that now, and add some effects if he likes...he likes the Wah-Wah and this keeps him interested...because he is making rock and roll noises.

At least he is developing the coordination required to advance when his hands grow a bit larger and stronger.

That Smoke on the Water idea is killer too. That is next.

Mike

if you want to make a kid more eager, stick Eruption on and say

quot;I used to be useless on guitar, but then I practiced for 5 hours a day for a few weeks and recorded thisquot;