News Flash
Who's Eddie Van Halen?
A few years ago a young guitar student of mine walked into the room looked at my concert t-shirt and said, “Van Halen? What is that, some kind of band or something?”
My jaw dropped as I couldn’t believe that this guitar student had never heard the name Eddie Van Halen. Ok, I understand that pop music stars rise and fall as the decades pass but I think most of us at least know the names of the big stars like Bon Jovi, Beatles & Beethoven. Come on now, this is EddieVan Halen we are talking about and this is guitar class.
Here are 4 facts about this guitar wizard that even fans might not know.
1. One of the most famous guitar solos ever recorded is called Eruption. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Eddie revealed that the legendary guitar solo track was never supposed to be recorded. He and the band were at Sunset Studios in
2. Van Halen's drummer is his brother Alex. As kids Alex started out on guitar and Eddie was a drummer.
3. Gene Simmons of KISS "discovered" Van Halen and financed their first demo recording. He also wanted the band to be renamed Daddy Longlegs.
4. That's Eddie Van Halen playing the guitar solo to Michael Jackson's Beat It.
Want to learn to play like Eddie or your favorite guitar hero? Click here to get connected with a teacher
If We Can Save Just One Guitar...
Guitar Maintenance - 4 easy tips to care for your guitar
In my last post we learned what to look for when shopping for your first guitar.Now that you took the time to learn about guitars, let’s talk about how to take care of your new baby.
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| Photo: Gregg O'Connell |
- Don't leave your guitar in the car for several hours in hot or cold weather.The extreme temperatures can cause big problems. Guitars are made of wood so environmental changes can make the wood expand and contract leading to warping and cracking.
- When you finish playing or practicing your guitar, wipe the strings and fret board with a soft lint free cloth. Our skin has oils and sweat that can cause the strings to wear out or rust.All guitar strings will wear out sooner or later but a simple wipe down after each use will buy you some extra life and save you a few bucks.
- Keep your guitar in a case or on a guitar stand.I have seen too many guitars with broken necks, bent tuning pegs, and chips in the body due to being left on the floor or because they were just leaned up against the wall.
- Little brothers and sisters alert! Have you ever had a child get a hold of a pair of glasses, model airplane, your CD collection, your favorite book, or just about any item you don’t want broken? For the love of God, please be careful when letting a toddler near your guitar.
If taken care of properly you should be able to sell your guitar once you out grow it or give it away to let another budding guitarist enjoy it. If you don’t follow these tips, you may end up buying a replacement as the trash man hauls the abused instrument off to the heap.
Click here for more information about music lessons for you or your child
Autism & Special Needs
Key Music Center is dedicated to offering the best musical experience to all people including those with special needs. Our award winning teaching studio opens its arms to those students with the option of Music Therapy.
With Board Certified Music Therapists on staff, we don't just offer music lessons with a patient teacher but a professional and experienced teacher licensed and degreed with additional training in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Music Therapy (NICU-MT).
We provide individual and group music therapy services in our family friendly teaching studio in Norcross. Our programs include adaptive music lessons, early intervention, Kindermusik, mental health support services, and therapeutic support of individualized goals.
Medical insurance benefits often cover the cost of Music Therapy. We will help you every step of the way & look forward to meeting your child or loved one.
Guitars Are Like Shoes
Guitars Are Like Shoes : A Guide To Buying Your 1st Guitar
When shopping for a guitar you will quickly notice that there is more to it than a block of wood with some strings on it. When looking to buy a guitar either for yourself or a child, think about shoes. You want the right guitar for the occasion.
Size: Have you ever seen a child try to wear their parent’s shoes? My kids do that & end up tripping all over the place. Just like it’s hard to walk in shoes that are too big, it’s also difficult to play a guitar that’s too big.
Here is a chart that will help you match the guitarist with the right guitar.
Style: While some people prefer boots & others prefer sneakers, most people own both. That’s how I feel about acoustic guitars vs. electric guitars. The difference is in style & tone but you don’t have to commit to just one or the other. The basic layout of the two is the same and most guitar players will hop from one to the other depending on mood or to compliment the style of a particular song. So if the guitarist prefers to play Taylor Swift, then an acoustic guitar would be a smart purchase. On the other hand, if AC/DC is your inspiration then look into an electric guitar.
Budget: I already mentioned that acoustic guitars are generally more affordable. An entry level model can purchased for $100-$200.
With Electric guitars keep in mind that they are more versatile than acoustic guitars but require an amplifier & instrument cable. This means that you will need to invest in some additional equipment & you won’t be playing it around the campfire since the amplifier will need to be plugged in. You can find package deals & save a few bucks, but expect to pay $200-$400.
In either case you can spend less but you also can easily spend more. Be careful going too cheap as these low quality guitars can be more difficult to play resulting in the student quitting in frustration. Of course you can buy used off craigslist.org or even some retail shops. My students often email me links to what they find to get my input before they buy. If you have an instructor, ask them if they would be willing to help you too.
So basically the guitar needs to be the right size, fit your personal style, and fit your budget. Choose the right guitar for your situation and get with a great instructor that will walk you through the steps in learning to play it.
Are you looking for a great guitar teacher? Click here to tell us more about you and let us help you find a teacher.
Too Young For Guitar Lessons?
Here is a topic that is very close to my heart. Not only have I have made my living teaching guitar to students of all ages for the past 20 years, but I am the father of three small children.
Who wouldn’t want to learn the guitar? It doesn’t take long to realize that guitar players get most of the glory and are often the coolest people in the room. You don’t have to be a fan of Guns N Roses to know the name Slash but how many people can tell you the name of their drummer?
Don’t feel bad though. Most great and successful musicians were not child prodigies either. They just practiced and worked at it. So, back to the question at hand; at what age is a child ready for guitar lessons?
I have taught thousands of guitar lessons over the years, and from my experience children under six have hurdles that make learning the guitar challenging. Now before you close out this screen and decide to wait before registering your child for lessons, please read on as the answer to this question isn’t as simple as throwing out a number.
Here are 3 common problems and solutions to consider:
1. Whose idea was this anyway? There is a difference in guitar lessons being the child’s idea versus the parent’s idea. Obviously dragging your kid to their first lesson no matter how old the child, is a sign that that things may not go well.
Solution:Talk to your child about music. Listen to a song they like and talk about the different sounds you both hear. Go online and watch live videos of fun child friendly artists and talk about the different parts of the performance. Point out the guitars, drums, microphones, etc. Don’t be pushy and don’t dominate the conversation. Let your child talk and make observations. This will develop a curiosity and maybe motivate them to try something new.
2. Motor skills: This is the big one. Undeveloped motor skills is the top reason younger kids struggle with guitar lessons. It's also the reason that you want a good teacher and not pick some guy with a Craigslist ad.
Solution: At our teaching studio, we have teaching techniques that we use to combat this. It’s about understanding the student’s limitations and knowing how to adjust for them. Let me say it again…Get a professional teacher!
3. The bad experience: Once a child is open to the idea of music lessons, we don’t want to put out that fire. If the child’s first foray into music lessons is with an instrument that is too cumbersome or requires cognitive skills that are not yet developed, it could lead to the student quitting. Some will leave feeling that music is not for them. The truth is that kids of any age can benefit from music classes, but the path they were on was not right for them.
Solution: This is an area once again where a professional teaching studio is the way to go. At
Bottom line is that you want to introduce your child to a fun and friendly environment with a teacher that can nurture their inner Beethoven. This can be done at any age. The tool may be guitar, piano, drums, or singing but more importantly it's who's teaching them.
Chris Harris has BIG news
Congratulations to
This is not the first time Chris has been picked up to play big shows as he has been hired to play guitar for acts that have taken him on a tour throughout the US and Europe. His band members have played with Earth Wind and Fire, Bette Midler, Jennifer Lopez, & Paula Abdul.
Chris Harris teaches all things string including guitar, mandolin, viola, and violin at
