“David”

If you are the parent of a child who wants to play guitar, this story will illustrate the many ways you can help them.

Back in the days when I was teaching at Kenny Gill Music, David’s father came in to buy a guitar for his five-year-old son. He bought a ¾ size Martin, a very expensive guitar, which was the perfect size for a child that age. Many parents buy their child the cheapest guitar they can find. They figure they’ll get a better one after they learn to play. They don’t want to waste the money in case the child doesn’t learn, but it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the inadequate instrument causes the student to do poorly. It’s much better to get a good quality guitar that they can learn to play. This also sends the message that you believe in them and that you think they’ll succeed.

I started teaching David right away, and his father came to the lessons with him every week. Since David was so young, his dad learned with him to help him remember, and at home they would practice together. After a few months, he could play several songs and was doing very well, but he didn’t quit then. He took lessons for three years, and by the time he was eight, he could play all the popular songs on the radio as well as any adult, and he could make even the most difficult chords. When David was nineteen he called me out of a clear blue sky to thank me for teaching him. He said he was working his way through college playing guitar in his band. That really made me feel good!

When you buy your child a good guitar, get him lessons right away. Making them wait is discouraging, and it is bad for the guitar to go
un-played. The best strategy is to find a good teacher first and let them recommend the guitar you need.

Get involved in your child’s lessons. Older children don’t need you to practice with them, but they do need you to take them to the lesson each week, and they do need you to pay for the lessons, and they do need you to encourage and support them. Learning to play music is lengthy and difficult at best. Don’t take lessons for a few months and then quit.
Commit for several years, and your child will reach their full potential.

Meanwhile, if I can help in any way, please call.

Paul Daron (225) – 292-1044
www.guitarlessons292-1044.com

Thanks for reading,
Paul

“Giants”

My name is Paul Daron. I have been teaching guitar lessons in Baton Rouge for the last thirty or so years. I’ve been fortunate enough to teach thousands of very nice people during that time. Many are still friends today. This blog is about teaching guitar lessons and taking guitar lessons. Hopefully some people who play guitar will read it and find it interesting.

Sir Isaac Newton is quoted as saying, “If I have been able to see farther than others, it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants.”

When I first started playing guitar, I was lucky enough to take guitar lessons from a giant. Kenny Gill was a world class guitarist in those days. He had played all over the world and recorded two records that went to number one on the Billboard charts. He only taught for two years, and I got to be one of his students during that time. Since then Kenny has gone on to be even more widely acclaimed. Check out his website ---http://www.kennygill.com/

A few years later, Kenny hired me to teach guitar lessons in his music store. It was the first store in Baton Rouge that catered to professional musicians. All the other stores sold pianos and horns. Kenny sold huge drum sets, monster guitar amps, light shows, Hammond B-3 organs, and the finest guitars made. It was like Guitar Center is today. I taught there for three years and was constantly surrounded by giants. All the best musicians in town hung out there, and every time a touring band would play a concert here, they would stop by to chat and buy what they needed. For three years in addition to teaching my students and writing a guitar lesson book, I got to hang out with incredible musicians, hear their stories, and ask them questions.

If I had never met Kenny or taught in his store, I probably would have become a guitar player and teacher anyway; but I doubt if I could have gotten as far or as fast as I have.

My first bit of advice to guitar players is this: find a teacher who plays really well and who teaches really well; some one who plays the kind of music you want to be able to play: some one who has been doing these things for many, many years. Stand on the shoulders of giants, and you too may become a giant.

This is my first blog, and I plan to make other entries soon.
Meanwhile if I can help you with your playing, please call.

Paul Daron (225) – 292-1044
http://www.guitarlessons292-1044.com/

Thanks for reading,
Paul