How to Choose a First Guitar

  So you've taken the leap and decided to start playing the Guitar - good for you! I can honestly say that if you stick with it, it will be one of the best decisions you've ever made. And you can do it through old age - I can't say the same for jogging and my knees! However, before you start serenading, jamming, and rocking out, you need to get an axe (musician's code for an instrument). While there are many opinions out there about which guitar to get as a first instrument, there are three considerations that I think all Guitar Players can agree upon.

  One of the biggest issues that plagues neophyte Guitar Players is Ease of Play. Some guitars are just simply easier to play than others. Generally speaking, of the three main types of Guitar, Acoustic, Classical, and Electric, there are three levels of Ease of Play between the different Guitars. On average, most Guitar Players will tell you that an Acoustic Guitar with it's heavy steel strings is the hardest to play, a Classical Guitar with it's nylon strings is moderate, and an Electric Guitar with it's light,  metal strings is the easiest to play. With this in mind, there are two schools of thought in terms of why to choose one Guitar over another:

• Choose the harder guitar to play(acoustic) because once you've mastered that, everything else is easy. 
• Choose the easier guitar to play (electric or Classical) because you'll be able to succeed earlier on with basic concepts which will boost confidence.

  Another thing to consider about picking a first Guitar is of course, Price. Like everything else out there, there's a huge range in price for Guitars. From $60 for the cheapest acoustic Guitar, to $5000 for a custom electric, there are a lot of choices. So where's the middle ground right? My opinion is that for around $100, you just can't beat a Classical Guitar. They're great for everything from Classical, to Bossa Nova, to Pop Music. Ok, so playing heavy metal on a Classical Guitar isn't going to happen, but then again, you don't have to worry about blowing out a speaker either.

  The third piece of this puzzle here is Logistics. While there's nothing really complicated logistically about Playing or owning a Guitar, there are some things to think about. For starters, while Electric Guitar is my favorite, it's a little more involved than the various types of acoustic Guitars. An a Electric Guitar requires an amplifier, cables, and occasional repairs (see Jack Repair, Truss Rod Adjustment, and Intonation). Another thing to think about is that when electricity is unavailable, so is your Electric Guitar! And because of that, you can't really bring it camping with you.

  So with all this in mind, my pick as a great first Guitar is a Classical or Nylon String Guitar. They're inexpensive, easy to play, and portable. In my estimation, you just can't go wrong with one. And even though I'll never give up my Electrics, I'll always have at least one Classical Guitar. Guess what I bring with me when I travel!

 Stay tuned for the next installment of Have Guitar Will Travel.

How Should I Practice? (part two)

  Hopefully last week's article on practicing helped. However, there's more. While working on your Theory, Technique, and Repetoire are all very important, still there are some other details to consider. You might ask, how often should I practice? And for how long? How do I know if I'm improving? Well, here are some tips to help round out your practice routine.

• Frequency: I often liken practicing Guitar to exercise ; it's better to do it 30 minutes a day for 5 days then several hours crammed into one day on the weekend. In short, you need lots of repetition and time for it to sink in. To paraphrase Martial Arts legend Guro Dan Inosanto, you have to do something 2000 times before it really sticks.I think the same concept applies to learning the Guitar.

• Length: If you can practice 8 hours a day, that's great. But we both know that's not happening. Even I don't have time for that these days. But, the more the better. If you can get in an hour or so an night, you'll begin to see a lot of improvement. Additionally, it's a good idea to break up your practice into segments. For example, if you know you've got an hour to practice, split up your time into 3 or 4 sections. Maybe 10 - 15 minutes for a warm up (technique) 10 -15 minutes to work on your timing / reading / etc (theory), and the rest for songs and goofing off. That's fair isn't it?

• Measuring Improvement: Well, I'm going to toot my own horn here, but the best way to get quick and accurate feedback is to study with a qualified Teacher. That way you're not guessing ; he or she can tell you what you specifically need to work on and what you're improved upon. It can save you a lot of time and headaches. If lessons aren't in the cards for you right now, try recording your playing about once a month and sit down to review it periodically.

 I hope that gives you some ideas and incentive to hit the books a bit more with your Guitar practicing. So remember, yes being good at Guitar is hard, but that's why it's so special when you learn to play something on it. And, that Guitar playing is all yours - no one can borrow, buy or steal it away from you. It's a hard earned thing. Alright! Everyone to the woodshed - HO!!!


Tune in next week for the next installment of Have Guitar Will Travel.

How Should I Practice? (part one)

   Practicing Guitar has never been an issue for me. I've always loved it and while trying to get better at Guitar has been frustrating at times, I've always practiced. In fact, for my first 10 - 15 years of playing, the idea of missing a day of practice was an anathema. However, even though I used to practice 3 - 6 hours a day, now that I look back on those years, I can say that the way I practiced wasn't always optimal. These days, I think I have a better method for getting things done in the "wood shed".

  At some point early in my playing career, my teacher at the time Paul Wingo, made a list of about 8 things that all players needed to do in order to get better at Guitar. The list involved repertoire, transcription, listing to others, composing, etc. What I took away from that beyond the specifics of the list, is that practice isn't only about learning tunes. While playing songs is usually the fun part of playing a musical instrument, doing other things in addition to that can actually help you play those songs even better! For beginners, I've come up with 3 areas of focus to help structure a students practice routine :

• Technique: Even working some basic scales with the correct down and up picking can sharpen your skills way beyond what you might realize. And if you don't know about things like arching your fingers, making the C chord sound clean is going to be very difficult!

• Theory: While some think it's boring, just remember, if you can't keep a beat, you'll never be able to play with anyone else or jam out with your favorite song. Remember, anyone can play a song badly; we wan't to sound good when we play, right?

• Songs / Fun Stuff: All work and no play is no fun - and playing Guitar is supposed to be fun! Not to mention that there's a lot of good, practical knowledge you can pick up from learning songs.

This list is by no means the end all of practice routines, but I think it can really help students who are just starting out or who don't have any structure to their daily practice. When in doubt, ask your Teacher to give you some pointers. Give it a try!


Tune in next week for the next installment of Have Guitar Will Travel.

What Age to Start Music Lessons

  I've been Teaching Guitar for over ten years now and for six of those year have owned / operated my own studio, The School of Music. Every day, we get calls from parents wanting to set up music lessons for their children. And a least once a week, the parent of a very young child will ask, "At what age do most kids start playing an intrument?". "Well...", we'll say, "......6 years old is a good starting point, but it really depends on the kid.....". Let me explain.

  The biggest issue I've noticed with teaching very young children (3-5 years old) an instrument like Guitar, is that most of them have a hard time focusing for more than a few minutes. Since most Music Lessons are 30-60 minutes long, it can be a real challenge for a 4 year old to sit still for a half hour and focus on their instrument. The same problem often continues when they get home and have to practice every night (which is really important).

  The other big stumbling block for teaching young kids an instrument, is communication. While the schools are teaching  kids to read and write at a younger age these days, many preschoolers cannot reasonably understand much of what needs to be taught in a music lesson. Things such as note/letter names and counting are crucial to understanding any musical instrument. So, if the child hasn't learned his or her ABC's yet, learning a G chord won't have a lot of significance.

  So, with that in mind,  it does really come down to each individual child. What I usually do at my studio, is try a single lesson so that the teacher and parents can evaluate how things look in terms of potential progress. If we think the child can sit still for 20-30 minutes and understand some of the basic concepts, than it's a safe bet that things can progress very nicely. If not, it's no big deal. There's nothing wrong with waiting a year and trying it again later on.

  In conclusion, Music Lessons for young children are wonderful (ok, yes I know I am biased). And while the idea of having one's 3 year old blazing through a Bach Invention on the Piano sounds thrilling to most parents, it's not very realistic. Actually, that's difficult teens and adults! I think a better, more optimal approach is to introduce children to an instrument around the age of 6 and really have the parents involved. There's nothing better than sitting in on the lesson and really finding out what your child needs to practice each night and how to do it. In many cases, you may learn just as much about music as your kid!

 Tune in next week for the next installment of Have Guitar Will Travel.