Los Angeles Music Teachers Blog - Los Angeles Music Teachers

How To Choose A Guitar In 2 Simple Steps

3/14/2019

How To Choose A Guitar In 2 Simple Steps Classical Guitar The classical guitar is a type of acoustic guitar that is typically built with a relatively wider neck and smaller body size. Generally, this guitar tends to give a more distinctive sound than the standard guitar due to its nylon strings. Unlike steel string guitars, nylon string guitars are most recommended for practice because of their easier feel. Aside from being easy to play, classical guitars are also less expensive. Nevertheless, they are less boisterous than steel guitar when it comes to sound production. But the still remain the best guitar for my first lesson at Los Angeles music teachers. Acoustic Guitar Also known as steel string guitars, acoustic guitars are typically designed for use with sound. Unlike classical guitars, these guitars are built with steel strings for the purpose of creating a much louder sound. When compared to classical guitars, acoustic guitars are preferred for strumming chords because they sound much better. It is not advisable for learners to practice with steel stringed guitars seeing that they could be deterred by their sharp strings. At Burbank music school, younger players will have to keep practicing with classical guitars until they have developed the necessary qualities required to handle a stronger guitar. Electric Guitar Electric guitars come in varying sizes, shapes, and electronics which can affect the sound they produced. These guitars are different from acoustic and classical guitars. Without external amplification, electric guitars can hardly make any sound. Sounds can only be produced when the use of vibrating strings which are responsible for transferring magnetic energy into electrical energy. Most electric guitars are made of solid wood except for some jazz electric guitars that do have a cavity. The guitars can be used to produce a wide variety of sounds by simply tweaking, shaping, and transforming the signal. These rocking instruments are recommended for learners of all ages at Burbank music school, due to their smaller than usual sizes. Knowing what to play It is very important for anyone learning to play the guitar to know what they want to play. Basically, you should be able to choose the right instrument to play. First of all, you will need to know the kind of music you enjoy listening to, as well as the type of music you like to play. Various music styles are played with different types of guitar. You can find the best guitar for my first lesson at Los Angeles music teachers. Choose a suitable instrument Your desire to become a professional guitar play depends largely on your ability to choose a suitable instrument. It is best to choose something you are very much comfortable with. Common factors to consider when choosing a guitar to practice with include, weight, size, feel, and comfort. The best way to accurately determine the right size of the instrument to practice is to use the player’s age and height. At Burbank music school, kids are not allowed to try an electric guitar until they are 13 years old or have shown strong abilities to handle such an instrument.

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What Is The Best Time Length For Music Lessons?

3/11/2019

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What Is The Best Time Length For Music Lessons?
Knowing how to choose a lesson length is an important aspect of learning music. Unfortunately, not everyone learning a musical instrument, particularly new students, knows how to choose a lesson length. This is why it is very common to hear people ask, “what is the best time length for my child’s music lessons?” This post is set to guide parents and music students on how to choose the right lesson length so as to enable them to make the most progress possible.
Here’s 7 basic factors will help music students to choose the best time length to get the most out of their music lessons.
Goals
An experience teacher knows the importance of helping their students to set goals. Goals are generally established to give each student a clear idea of what they want to achieve, not only long term, but for each week. Weekly lesson goals should be clearly expressed and set by the teacher and agreed upon by the student. Goal setting is an important aspect of learning that cannot be underestimated. Learning how to choose an appropriate goal can go a long way to help you obtain the best time length for music lessons which depends largely on your ambition and the amount of time you have to practice on a daily basis. If you don’t have much time to practice you need to take shorter lessons with less demanding goals, otherwise you are bound to get frustrated and quit. 2. Concentration
It is imperative for every music student to learn to play with focus and accuracy. This means that a student needs to learn HOW To PRACTICE efficiently. Interestingly, this cannot be achieved without a high level of concentration and help from the teacher on how to break down each musical problem and work on the pieces before putting it together into a whole piece of music. It is a bad habit for a musician to make mistakes while playing. The best teachers know how to teach good concentration skills so that you’re always focusing on the right things. Your concentration levels will determine the length of music lesson you take. Consider taking a shorter lesson especially if you find it difficult to concentrate for a longer period (about an hour).
3. Comfort
Generally, it is difficult to achieve progress in an uncomfortable state or situation. If you’re uncomfortable with your teacher or the environment is distracting you need to try a new teacher or environment. There is no value in getting stressed out while learning music. If you’re not comfortable, tell your teacher. It’s their job to make sure you are always feeling comfortable and in control. Progress is the best solution to achieve comfort. If you’re not progressing, your teacher is to blame. It’s the teacher’s job to give you the right level of difficulty and the right amount of homework. If it’s not working, get a new teacher.
4. Teacher
Music teachers play an important role in helping learners achieve their goals regardless of length of the lesson. When it comes to learning music, there is simply no need to dish out long tiring lessons. However, sometimes a good work out with the teacher can be very helpful if the teacher has lots of experience teaching and has a sensitivity to the limits of the student. A good teacher can nudge a student past their present limits just the way a good trainer can push a student in a workout in a gym. The most important thing for every music teacher is to provide the necessary information required to improve learning. This can go a long way to enable the learner to find the best lesson length set. Note that too much information can overwhelm the learner. Long winded explanations and stories can turn into information overload and just confuse the student. Be aware of this and let your teacher know when you experience overload. The best teachers talk very little and can explain how to break down a problem into small fragments. Repetition of the correct small fragments are the key to successful practicing. The best music teachers keep explanations simple and short.
5. Experience
Experience, they say, is the best teacher. It is important for learners seeking to know what the best time length is for music lessons to ensure that they build on their experience levels. Studies have shown that the more experienced a person is at a thing, the longer he or she is able to concentrate the more the student will be able to build confidence. So start off with shorter lessons and shorter assignments so that you can easily master each lesson every week. If you get too ambitious it can lead to burn out, so be careful to get the proper level of assignments and amount of homework each week.
6. Ability
Like experience, ability is built over time. Your ability to focus will ultimately allow you to take longer lessons and help you to master each weekly lesson plan. As you learn HOW to practice correctly, your ability to focus and achieve more in each lesson will increase and your ability will go up more quickly. This can help you identify the best time length for music lessons at that particular point in the process. Develop your ability to learn and you will find ample time to achieve mastery of each lesson.
7. Practicing time
Finally, the amount of time you practice, will also play an important role in deciding your lesson length. So make sure your teacher is giving your clear set goals for your practice each week. And if you can only afford 30 minute lessons then start with that. Having the help of a master teacher for 30 minutes a week can help you or your child save years of frustration.
8. Your Personal Budget
Last but not least, your budget may have a real contributing factor in determining the length of time that you ultimately choose regardless of all of the above, especially if you have multiple children that you need to take music lessons. As above, if 30 minutes is all you can afford, then by all means do 30. It’s much better than the frustration and humiliation that a child can feel amongst other young musicians in the band if he is struggling while others with lessons are way ahead. But that said, the more time you can spend with your teacher the more you can learn, so if you can afford hour lessons, then by all means do it.

If you need further help deciding the best amount of time for your or your kid’s music lessons call one of our staff at Los Angeles Music Teachers or come to our Burbank location. We will be happy to discuss any of your concerns and help you to decide on the best length of music lesson for you or your child!
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FAQs for Violin Sizes

3/7/2019

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Most parents who want their children to engage in violin lessons do not really know the right instrument suitable for them. Looking for an instrument that your child will play is simply the first thing to do before even commencing violin lessons. Unfortunately, finding the right information can be very difficult as there are lots of options available. When it comes to choosing a suitably sized violin for children, there are certain things parents need to know. Knowing what violin size is right for your first lesson is important for every learner. So, whether you are looking to find the right violin size for your child who has just begun violin lessons or you want to change the instrument your child has been using to learn for a while, here are some helpful answers to questions that may bother you. Why are violins made in different sizes? The violin is a musical instrument designed to be played by any person including young and old people. This is why they come in varying sizes. One good way to comfortably enjoy learning is by knowing what violin size is right for your first lesson. What are the different sizes of violin available? Violins are varyingly available in 8 different sizes. Aside from the neck and the scroll, the size of a violin is measured by its corresponding body length. From the biggest to the smallest, here are the different sizes of a violin – 4/4, 7/8, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, and 1/16. While the biggest violin can be about 36cm long the smallest sized instrument is 23cm long. How can I know a befitting violin? The easiest way to know a befitting violin is by holding up the instrument to see if you can comfortably reach the notes with the left hand. Who are these violins meant for? Depending on the size of their arm and how comfortable it feels, older children (i.e. those above 10 years of age) usually require a full-size violin. Any violin that feels too heavy when being held up by the child is not suitable for learning. So what violin size is right for your first lesson? Children need an instrument that they are comfortable to play with. To this end, they are free to go on with any size of violin that they are comfortable with. What size is suitable for my 5-year-old? When it comes to choosing sizes for children, there are no easy rules. Measurement remains the only best and easiest way to find the right size for your child. How do I find the right measurement for my child? While in a standing position, let your child stretch out his or her arm with the palm facing upwards. Use inches or cm to measure from to the wrist from the left side of their neck. Why is it important to choose the right violin size? Children are not comfortable with playing a seemingly heavy violin. As a matter of fact, they can experience neck and back pain while playing an oversized violin. You can know what violin size is right for your first lesson by not choosing an oversized, or undersized instrument.

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