VISIONARY - Music Inc. Magazine

Not Your Dad’s Guitar Method
To create a bona fide
children’s guitar method,
Jeff Schroedl had
to forget everything
he knew.
“When you watch your own
kids trying to play an instrument
at that age, you learn a lot
yourself,” said Schroedl, Hal
Leonard’s vice president of pop
and standard publications. “It
showed me that creating a good
method for kids isn’t as simple
as adapting an existing method.
It really requires a fresh start and
an all-new approach.”
That approach spawned Hal
Leonard’s Guitar For Kids, written
by Schroedl and Bob Morris,
former director of education
for Fender. Since its launch two
years ago, the book has become
one of Hal Leonard’s top-selling
guitar methods and was followed
up with Bass For Kids, Guitar
For Kids Songbook, and a pack
that combines the guitar method
and songbook. This summer, Hal
Leonard’s taking the lineup to the
next level, launching children’s
ukulele and drum methods. And
according to Schroedl, there are
more titles in the works.
“We haven’t done clinics or
workshops for this method at
all, which is an important point,
considering that it’s taken off,”
he said. “Piano students have
always started at an earlier age,
but with guitar, it’s typically been
9 or 10 years old. I think that’s
been [decreasing], and this is one
of the first methods to really address
that. You can effectively
start your son or daughter on
the guitar at age 6.”
SIMPLIFIED LEARNING
Open Guitar For Kids, and
you’ll immediately notice
several differences from a typi-
‘Creating a
good method
for kids isn’t
as simple
as adapting
an existing
method. It
really requires
a fresh start
and an all-new
approach.’
— Jeff Schroedl
cal method — larger chord symbols,
simpler page designs and a
slower-paced approach to learning.
“For kids that young, the
pages can’t look intimidating,”
Schroedl said. “They have to be
easy on the eyes.”
The book starts by teaching
one-finger chords, a C and a G7,
Jeff Schroedl
that only use the top three guitar
strings. From there, kids learn a
song, Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut,”
strumming G7 in quarter notes.
Next up is “Yellow Submarine,”
“The Hokey Pokey,” and with the
introduction of the Em chord,
“Get Up, Stand Up” and “Eleanor
Rigby.” (Hal Leonard’s generous
copyright library fleshed out the
method with a wealth of popular
tunes.) An accompanying CD
also features more than 30 playalong
tracks.
“We’ve identified a number of
one-chord songs and two-chord
songs, and there aren’t many,”
Schroedl said with a laugh.
By the end of the book, kids
are introduced to G, D and A
chords, as well as notes on the
first three strings.
“A traditional method is
much faster-paced and starts
with typically playing three notes
on the first string and three notes
on the second string,” Schroedl
said. “And it often introduces
two or three chords at a time —
full, open chords. This guitar
method begins with one-finger
chords.”
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
The method’s simplicity isn’t
only designed to appeal to
kids. Schroedl pointed out that,
given the economic climate, a lot
of parents are forgoing paid music
lessons and teaching their kids
at home. Guitar For Kids’ back
cover copy even encourages such
home-schooling.
“Obviously, it’s better to have
a professional guitar teacher
— don’t get me wrong — but
it’s very possible for a parent,
especially a parent with some
musical background, to teach
their own kids,” Schroedl said.
To aid parents, the methods include
melody cues at the bottom
of each page.
Not that Hal’s cutting music
retailers out of the mix. Schroedl
said he sees opportunity in crossmerchandising
the books next
to three-quarter-size axes and
adding them onto entry-level
guitar sales. And several dealers
have already incorporated the
books into their lesson programs,
including Eric Lacovara, buyer
at Berwyn, Pa.-based George’s
Music, which uses the titles in
its group and private teaching.
“These books are laid out very
well, and many of our teachers
use the method book plus songbook
with CD as supplemental
material during their lessons,”
he said.
“The nice thing is, if they can
get students started at a younger
age and teach them, obviously,
once they can play, they’re going
to graduate to other books, other
instruments and purchase other
[items],” Schroedl said. “It gets
them hooked at an early age.” MI
JULY 2011 I MUSIC INC. I 39