Listening to the grandson

Grateful_Ed

Student Of The Blues
That is awesome Grritz! My Great-granddaughter recently turned 5. She's still in the stand the guitar on it's strap button and spin it phase.
I showed her that. It was the only thing that got her attention. Hope she keeps spinning it until she gets more curious. ;)
 

tommytubetone

Great Lakes
That's great Grritz!! My daughter has an acoustic which is basically a decoration in her living room. Many years ago I was visiting her and broke a string on it. She recently gave us a virtual tour of her new place and the string was still broken. :whistle::rolleyes:
 

MarkRobbins

Blues Junior
Yeah, I took my granddaughter to the guitar shop, helped her pick out her guitar, several different picks to try, a tuner, extra set of strings with the promise that I'd help her when it was time to change the strings and help her with her lessons. I think she messed with it for about two days. :(
 

Grritz

Still seventeen... between the ears
Yeah, I took my granddaughter to the guitar shop, helped her pick out her guitar, several different picks to try, a tuner, extra set of strings with the promise that I'd help her when it was time to change the strings and help her with her lessons. I think she messed with it for about two days. :(
It happens. Probably a lot.
What started me with our grandson was that I noticed he liked to watch me play once in a while and would hold my guitar and tinker with it, pretending to play. When I asked him if he wanted a guitar, he said "yes." So we bought him a Squier mini-strat just like his grandpa's Stratocaster (that was important to him) and amp, etc. And he knows they are HIS TO KEEP, whatever happens.
We DO NOT make him practice. We DO NOT nag when he doesn't. Occasionally, we'll encourage him to spend more time with the guitar, but he is never made to feel like it is something he HAS TO DO! We have made it clear to him that he can have lessons and he can have the guitar forever and it is his decision whether he wants to proceed.
We don't even use the word "practice." We talk of "play." We want him to understand that it is play...and fun. And if it stops being fun, he is free to put it down...for as long as he wants.
The kid is only eight years old. We're not gonna force anything here.
He has the skills...that's apparent when he does his lessons. He can do it. But it's up to him to decide if it's what he wants. If he does...great! If not, there will be no guilt, no recriminations. He will have tried it...and we will have given him the opportunity to try it. And maybe, when he's a teen, he'll try it again.
It's a gift...it's his to do what he wants with it. That's it.
 

Many Moons

Biking+Blues=Bliss
That's nice to hear Grritz.:) My grandson enjoys playing with his mums little electric guitar that she got when she was seven or eight. He has quite good rhythm, (for a 4yr old) but unfortunately he has his grandfathers attention span.:rolleyes:
 

JohnHurley

Rock and Roll
And maybe, when he's a teen, he'll try it again.
It's a gift...it's his to do what he wants with it. That's it.

Of course if you can find some movies to watch together that trick him into liking it more?

Beatles hard days night?

What other good guitar movies are there for a kid under 10?

Edit:

Blues Brothers!

School of Rock!
 

Grritz

Still seventeen... between the ears
Of course if you can find some movies to watch together that trick him into liking it more?

Beatles hard days night?

What other good guitar movies are there for a kid under 10?

Edit:

Blues Brothers!

School of Rock!
Good idea!
 

Dr. Ron

Nuthin’ But The Blues!
That's cool Grritz. I have been giving my grandson weekly guitar lesson for almost a year. It is
very rewarding....though a bit frustrating at times. He's 12 y/o and actually using the Guild 3/4 size
acoustic that I started with when I was 12. He's growing so fast, that I'm grooming him to go electric, though I'm not sure what the parents will think!
 

MarkRobbins

Blues Junior
That's cool Grritz. I have been giving my grandson weekly guitar lesson for almost a year. It is
very rewarding....though a bit frustrating at times. He's 12 y/o and actually using the Guild 3/4 size
acoustic that I started with when I was 12. He's growing so fast, that I'm grooming him to go electric, though I'm not sure what the parents will think!
Get him a practice amp with a headphone jack. That's how I practice on my electric, and it's quieter for the rest of the house than the acoustic is.
 

Grritz

Still seventeen... between the ears
Been there, done that with my grandson. But I'm told he likes his family to be his "audience" every now and then when he plays for them!
 
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