My son wants to play guitar!

Danerada

Goatee Practitioner
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Apr 26, 2012
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Stevensville, MD
So last night my 11 year old son and I were in the living room and he picked up my wife's uke and started plucking on it. After about 5 minutes he asked if he could see my HB II. I said sure and got it off the wall for him. I showed him the pentatonic scale and a D chord and it was a difficult stretch for him so I handed him a strat and the neck was better suited to his hand size. He plucked out the scale a couple of times and then made the D chord and strummed it until he could hear all three notes clearly. He then looked at me and said "yeah dad...the guitar is my instrument". So we fooled around on the guitar until he had to go to bed...awesome night.
 
So last night my 11 year old son and I were in the living room and he picked up my wife's uke and started plucking on it...So we fooled around on the guitar until he had to go to bed...awesome night.
He/you need one of the upcoming SE245 soapies. It has to happen. And since your lovely wife is SO supportive and amazing (feel free to use that line...I'll extend a one-use license), I'm confident she'll agree. :D

I'm here if you need other helpful advice. :rofl:
 
He/you need one of the upcoming SE245 soapies. It has to happen. And since your lovely wife is SO supportive and amazing (feel free to use that line...I'll extend a one-use license), I'm confident she'll agree. :D

I'm here if you need other helpful advice. :rofl:

This is a STRONG possibility!
 
So last night my 11 year old son and I were in the living room and he picked up my wife's uke and started plucking on it. After about 5 minutes he asked if he could see my HB II. I said sure and got it off the wall for him. I showed him the pentatonic scale and a D chord and it was a difficult stretch for him so I handed him a strat and the neck was better suited to his hand size. He plucked out the scale a couple of times and then made the D chord and strummed it until he could hear all three notes clearly. He then looked at me and said "yeah dad...the guitar is my instrument". So we fooled around on the guitar until he had to go to bed...awesome night.

Gotta be a night you'll never forget. Good for you both. Just imagine the good times ahead!

Goldtop Lloyd
 
Lloyd, I share a similar experience with my son (about 18 years ago). It so happens that I lost my 1973 Fender Telecaster to my son pretty much the same way (he was hooked the first time he picked it up) ....but I gained an awesome musician. He went on to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He's waiting for his big break but one day it will come.
 
Good times Dane, you'll always have someone to jam with now

It never works that way. By the time they can play well enough to jam, they're over jamming with you, they want to jam with their friends.

But my son works in the studio with the guys in 30 Seconds to Mars. So...yeah, maybe a little more fun for him than messing around with the old fart. ;)
 
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It never works that way. By the time they can play well enough to jam, they're over jamming with you, they want to jam with their friends.
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I remember that moment with my son, but we started with A...
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That's great! Get him started on regular lessons, and encourage him to get at least the basics of note-reading down early, so that if he decides to go pro, he won't have to turn down lucrative show and studio work because of the reading. Of course, he'll need to develop his ear too. My stepson's stepdaughter (would that make her my step-stepdaughter?) is 14, she's been playing guitar for a couple of years--she really digs it but she still can't play a song all the way through! Her teacher has been teaching her modern hard-rock stuff (Black Veil Brides, Avenged Sevenfold) from tab--no theory, not even the names of the notes. Not a good way to teach, in my opinion, and I'm afraid that she'll lose interest if she doesn't develop some skills that she can use in a band situation--right now, if you ask her to play an E power chord, she doesn't know where E is--but she can play it; she just doesn't know that it's E.
 
My youngest son is an avid player. He has also become a decent songwriter. Unfortunately he never wanted to spend much time playing anything with me. I did get him to perform "Wish You Were Here" with me live at a small gig once. I have it recorded on video. That was awesome.
 
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