I've been teaching guitar lessons since I was 16, 12 years now. The hardest thing about teaching (in my opinion) is finding the right music for someone to start out with that will keep them going.
I don't like a completely structured learning style. Everyone learns differently and likes different songs. I won't go tell them to buy a specific book. I like them to have a notebook that they bring with them each week and I'll add to it, a personalized learning book just for them. (also saves them $10 - $20 on a book)
If they can't think of something they'd like to learn, I'll give them something of course. That's where the problem lies.
I have my own list of stuff to teach beginners, I'll suggest something and they'll usually go with it. But that's really not a style I like. There's a good chance I'm teaching them a song they don't like, and they're too shy to say something. They'll play through a song they don't like, learn it, and say guitar isn't for them. Ultimately leading to me losing a student.
I'm trying to build up a list of songs they can pick from, from many artist. I've started already.
The pivotal question I have here for the rest of you is this:
What song/songs did you start out with that made you really want to stick with the guitar? I'll add anything you guys say you started out with and loved to my list of songs people can pick from.
I'm also working on a 6 leveled list for beginner-beginner to intermediate-beginner, but that will be another thread sometime in the future.
Please, if you can think of the first few songs you ever tried and made you love the guitar, even if they're just intros to songs, list them here. (please don't just list bands, I want specific songs)
@corntastic - Jan. 13, 2014, 2:22 a.m.
The first time I ever played a guitar and realized I wanted to play it was christmas dinner at my parents friends house. I had my phone and someones guitar. My brother was there, and I really don't know what kind of music he listens to, if any. So to impress him or at least entertain him I decided to play Zelda music, since we both love it. And that's how I came across this site.
What I want to get at is that later one, after I had bought my own guitar, I tried playing guitar songs by rock bands and such. It was always very unsatisfying though because I had a cheap little amp and a cheap little guitar, and to me half of playing those songs is sounding like it, which I couldn't do with my setup. Who cares if I could play Achilles Last Stand perfectly, it didn't sound right and it didn't feel good. That brought me back to this site with it's rather diverse music. Playing pieces (mostly) written for other instruments didn't have that feeling of disappointment.
My suggestion then is to present to your students well known themes from games or movies they liked. In my tale, I specifically played Archards tab of Saria's Song. I've always thought it's so cool that one could play stuff like the theme to Jurassic Park or every Ocarina song in Zelda on a guitar without the need for a backing orchestra.
Sorry if I sort of rambled.
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