12 replies to this topic

[ambetanterik]

Hi all,

So yeah, my father is retiring next month. He's been a construction worker since the age of 14, and it now reaching the age of 60, and he is retiring next month (he worked his entire life for the same company btw!). He used to be working all the time: if not at work, he was always doing work on his own home or at my or my sisters place. He is the type of guy that just cant sit still, so since he is retiring, he is really gonna need a new hobby!

So i suggested that i bring him my Alhambra C1 classical guitar, to see if he likes it. He has never tried to play music, but i think there is a good chance that he might like it. Of course ... i will have to tutor him a bit. Any advice on that? Whay type of songs do i best start with? What techniques to focus on? Is it best to start with chord-strumming songs from the start, or is it necessary to do more simple songs like "old macdonals" etc?

A penny for your thoughts ...

[mset3]

Ambetanterik,

Congratulations to your Dad on his retirement next month. It sounds like he sure deserves it.

I would start him off on some basic I - IV- V chords. Take some simple songs and play along with him. When I first started learning to play the guitar, I learned with a friend. It was great and made learning fun. We were playing songs in no time. Good luck with it and have a good time.

Mike

[eddiez152]

There are entire list of tunes that only need three chords or basic I-IV-V combination.

[eddiez152]

Confidence comes with being able to perform even when its simple and that leads to a hunger for more. Its great that your gonna help him get started.

[karcey]

ambetanterik, on 07 March 2012 - 02:00 PM, said:

So i suggested that i bring him my Alhambra C1 classical guitar, to see if he likes it.

I assume he's accepted that it could be interesting to learn to play.

My first step would be to show him all the styles of guitar music and find out from him which one takes his fancy. If he enjoys singing then a few chords to back up some songs he knows would be a sensible place to start. On the other hand, if he's not a singer his strumming might not be enough for him. If he enjoys technology and is happy to play around with recording some tracks, he might want to play lead.
Could be, if he doesn't want to sing or record, he may be turned on by the prospect of playing some gentle fingerstyle tunes.
I'd be very careful to make sure he understands what is available, and what style of music he wants to work at, because we all know, there's effort required to achieve the skill and many get turned off if they can't see that they're going where they want to go.
While nothing is set in stone, agreeing with him exactly what he'd like to play will make the lesson planning much easier.

[ambetanterik]

karcey, on 07 March 2012 - 11:12 PM, said:

I assume he's accepted that it could be interesting to learn to play.

Not at first. His first reaction was mildly negative. But the day after he apparently gave it some thought, and he is now eager to try it. But anyway, my father is a bit reluctant in trying new things, so sometimes he needs a little push

And indeed, maybe its not a bad idea to explain him what strumming is and fingerpicking. I can actually bring my classical guitar and my steelstring guitar, since my steelstring is heavily underused anyway. If he prefers strumming the steelstring might be a better choice.

Now i need to find some simple songs

[Baza 07]

Hi as i'm new here i dont want to seem negative,but
i cant see this working,i'm the same age as your Dad
but the difference is i always wanted to play.
I dont think you can suggest this as a hobby,its something
thats in your blood,a bit like motorikes you either love em or hate em.

Does your Dad like any sport on the tele,ie Cars Fishing ect

Best of Luck anyway

[RolandC]

The first song my teacher ever gave me was Bob Dylan's version of Knockin' on Heaven's Door. If your dad is 60, he probably knows it.

It's a very simple progression (G - D - Am7 - G - D - C, repeat) and is normally played at a slow tempo so when you are just beginning and are slow transitioning chords it does not sound so jarring.

[Baza 07]

RolandC, on 08 March 2012 - 05:39 PM, said:

The first song my teacher ever gave me was Bob Dylan's version of Knockin' on Heaven's Door. If your dad is 60, he probably knows it.

It's a very simple progression (G - D - Am7 - G - D - C, repeat) and is normally played at a slow tempo so when you are just beginning and are slow transitioning chords it does not sound so jarring.

I'm not sure thats a gudun,60, just retired,...Knockin on Heavens Door

[paulg1630]

wild thing so easy A-D-E-D-A repeat over and over

[Baza 07]

paulg1630, on 09 March 2012 - 07:52 AM, said:

wild thing so easy A-D-E-D-A repeat over and over

Now thats better

[Stu74]

I can suggest another easy Bob Dylan song.
Blowin in the Wind.
I play it simple using A,D and E.
I will double check on that though its a little while since i played it but either way it is a piece of cake.

[dutchman063]

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