When your child decides they want to take private guitar lessons, they likely have a basic understanding of what that means. However, while they understand that these lessons will help them reach their goal of playing guitar, they may not understand how they’ll get there.
There may be some other questions or concerns raised to guitar teachers about taking lessons. These concerns can make them anxious and actually affect their learning and performance.
That’s why guitar teachers like for students to get these questions out in the open early in their relationship. Here are some of the questions your child may have that they should ask at their first guitar lesson.
1. When Will I Be Able to Play a Song?
Many students want to know how long it will take them to be able to play more than just a few notes or chords. They want to know when they’ll be able to play their favorite songs. There are a few different answers to this.
First, students will be able to play simple songs pretty early on, often after a few weeks of lessons and practices. However, most students want to know when they can play more than “Happy Birthday.”
The answer to that depends on the difficulty of the song and the student’s dedication to practice. The more they work on their guitar skills, the quicker they will be able to play songs they love.
2. Do I Need to Practice Daily?
If it at all possible, yes. These practice sessions don’t need to be that long—30 minutes is enough. Even ten minutes of practice a day is actually better than doing two hours of practice once a week. All of these short practice sessions add up to more than a single cram session, so players should do their best to get in some guitar practice every day.
3. Am I Too Old for Lessons?
Some older children and teens wonder if they’ve missed their chance to learn the guitar because they didn’t start lessons earlier. The good news is that you’re never too old to start lessons!
There are adults who didn’t learn to play guitar until after they retired from working, and there are those who started playing when they were very young. It doesn’t matter when someone starts their lessons as long as they’re dedicated to practicing and doing their best.
4. Why Do My Fingers and Hands Start to Ache After Playing?
A beginner player is not going to have the hand strength they need to play for long periods of time. Don’t worry, though—with daily practice, you’ll build up that strength in no time!
That said, if your hands or fingers do start to hurt while you’re playing, you do need to take a break. Some soreness is normal when you first start playing, but if that pain lasts for several days or is severe, it’s not normal.
Take a break, talk to your teacher about it, and consider mentioning it to your doctor if severe pain continues.
5. Will Being Left-Handed Make It Harder to Learn Guitar?
Not at all. However, you may want to look for a left-handed guitar or even string your right-handed guitar upside down to make it easier to play.
Talk to your teacher about wanting to play left-handed so they can provide you with resources on how to make it easier to learn. You may want to go ahead and learn to play right-handed anyway, simply because there are more guitar options out there and most lessons are written for players who are right-handed.
Where Can I Sign My Child Up for Lessons?
Contact Lessons in Your Home! We have a large staff of Atlanta guitar teachers (as well as other major cities) who can work with your child in the privacy of your home. Our teachers will come right to your home for every lesson, plus we virtual music lessons, too. However, our online music lessons are being taught by local music teachers with live lessons tailored to your child! Give us a call to discuss your details and set up a lesson.
