Introduction - 10 Songs in 10 Days for KIDS!
In this video
Welcome to my series 'Learn 10 songs in 10 days for KIDS'
After the popularity of my original 10 Songs in 10 Days series, I had a lot of requests to make a similar course but that was more suitable for children. Around the same time, I created a video where I offered an easier way to play beginner chords on guitar, which is here.
When I was 8 years old, my older brother showed me how to play the C major chord, and I REALLY struggled. I got lots in school guitar lessons and everything I learned just put me off from wanting to do it. It wasn't until i was 13 and my hands were big enough to play open chords easier that I got the buzz for learning and playing guitar.
So, I put these ideas together and came up with the concept of this course! I think it will appeal to all beginners, kids and adults alike. I wanted kids to be able to learn from it without feeling talked down to or patronised.
This course does not replace my other popular 10 Day series, or my comprehensive Beginners Course, which includes practice routines, over 100 song tutorials and a more complete guitar for all beginners.
Rather, it offers a starting point that kids and teens searching youtube can stumble upon and will hopefully give them the belief that they can learn guitar!
Watch the introduction video to get more of an idea who this is for. Some of that is written up below with further helpful links.
EVERYBODY who plays guitar as an adult wishes they had started earlier.
START NOW!
Here are some FAQs to help find out if this will be right for you or your child.
Who is this series for?
Kids, teens any beginners still struggling because of small hands
Adults and families welcome!
Under 6 years old? Another option is to try Ukulele lessons for now
What makes this course unique?
Features many chords that can be played with ONE or two fingers only (ideal for small hands)
Features newer songs from around the last 10 years by modern artists (I love the Beatles, but I wasn’t interested in them when I was 10 years old)
No capo needed!
What is the IDEAL age to start?
HATE to put an age on things, kids are such different sizes at the same age. However, this is ideal from 6, and I really believe that so many more children could be amazing at music if they had more help and guidance between 8-12. If a child is under 6, I usually suggest they are best starting on Ukulele because they are small, cheap, easy and fun!
Here's a very old video from when Andy first started teaching guitar one to one. This student was 6 years old when he was taking lessons with Andy.
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What if I can't play every day?
A big factor of this series is to encourage anyone to pick up their guitar as close to every day as possible.
This is not always possible, and this is fine! Just pick up from where you went off, or go back a lesson or two as a recap!
Why does it takes me many days to learn one day of content?
This is also fine! I get a lot of comments from other 10 day courses that it can take '2 months to do 10 days!'. This is just a fact of life sometimes, but the fact people DO get to the end of the 10 days without giving up even if it takes longer just proves the power of this format. The YouTube algorithm also seems to push this kind of content to a wider audience than my other lessons, so hopefully this will help more people find it and they can learn in their own time.
Which guitar should a child start on?
First of all, buying a new guitar is often a luxury many kids don’t have. Therefore, ANY guitar you can get hold of is better than no guitar at all (but hopefully it has 6 strings!)
Things to watch out for when purchasing a guitar include;
Choose a guitar that the person WANTS to play. It has to appeal visually to the learner
Thinner, smaller body guitars are great, such as 3/4 size or 'Travel Size' Guitars
Steel string guitars are fine for kids, and a better option than Nylon String guitars in Andy's opinion
Here are my thoughts on Steel VS nylon string guitars.
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Acoustic VS Electric guitar for kids
This series works for both acoustic and electric guitar. There are pros and cons for each, but either is great to learn on.
Some things to consider are;
Electric is easier to play than acoustic, but can be too complex for some with amplifier and leads etc
Acoustics are simple and great, but consider a 3/4 size or travel size guitar for children and teenagers
See more of my thoughts on Electric VS Acoustic guitars for beginners >> here
How to tune a guitar
Watch this video for how to tune a guitar for kids and adults
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Share your progress!
Share a photo or video on instagram or facebook and use the hashtag #AndyGuitar if you want me to watch and comment!