Recommendation

Here is a video filmed with fellow BML teachers Colin Killalea and Robby Sinclair. It was conceived and wonderfully shot and edited by my brother, Travis Brooks. The music was written by Colin Killalea and performed by Pocketknife.

Is it a harmonica? Is it an accordion? No, it's a Melodica!

Last week I finally bought a Melodica. It was something I had been meaning to do for a LONG TIME. It's such a great instrument. It needs NO ELECTRICITY, only air from your lungs. Therefore it has this built-in meditative thing that only wind players and singers get that someone like me -- a guitarist and a knob-twiddler -- just never gets a chance to experience. You have to breathe WITH your music. A novel idea!

This instrument has shown up on so many different recordings.
Just look at the Wikipedia page for Melodica!

If you want to buy one - or two like I did (one for a friend) use this link:

Hohner S32 Student 32 Melodica

Here's a little video of me using the Melodica to practice the synth part to 'Model Party' by Corbu.

The following is a list of essentials for the beginner guitarist. My goal in assembling this package is to keep costs low and quality high. The package includes links to a guitar that is easy to play, an amp that even the pros use and other important accessories. Let me first take a moment to discuss the most important factor in choosing a beginner guitar: playability.

MAKING A SOUND

Most people would agree that the act of playing a single note on a guitar is more difficult than playing that same note on a piano. Guitarists have to use one hand to press and hold a string at one end of the instrument and another hand to pluck that same string at the other end of the instrument. Pianists however, need only drop their hand to the keyboard, using gravity to help depress a key.

WHAT TYPE OF GUITAR IS THE EASIEST TO PLAY?

STEEL STRING acoustic guitars tend to require a lot of hand-strength to play. Many people assume that acoustic guitars are great for beginners (and they can be) but its good to know that even the most expensive steel strings require more effort to play than other types of guitars while some inexpensive steel string guitars can make it nearly impossible to get a good sound. Stringing a steel string guitar with Folk strings made from Silk & Steel can help to soften the touch a bit. Many of our students enjoy the ease of playing these strings provide:

Martin M130 Silk & Steel Folk Acoustic Guitar Strings (11-47)

NYLON STRING acoustic guitars tend to be MUCH easier to play than their steel string counterparts. The reduced string tension with nylon strings makes for a much more playable instrument, however the wider fingerboard width can make the instrument difficult for small hands.

ELECTRIC guitars tend to be the most playable of all three types because:

• they can be set up with light gauge strings - easy on the hands!
• they are easily adjustable in their action and intonation - easy to fix!
• they are available in smaller sizes - mini guitars for kids!

1. GUITAR

This guitar is one of the best buys at $99. It's a mini-guitar that's sized for kids, but still looks just like the same Fender Strat played by Hendrix, Clapton, et al.

Squier Mini Strat Electric Guitar (Rosewood)

If a mini-guitar is not needed, here's the FULL-SIZED version of the same guitar:

Squier Affinity Strat Electric Guitar (Maple)

2. AMP

The amp is a classic. It can run on batteries or an adaptor. It might have been the first portable amp and in my opinion it is still the best. You open it like a book to change the tone.

Pignose Legendary 7100 Portable Battery-Powered Guitar Combo Amplifier

3. INSTRUMENT CABLE

You'll need a cable to plug the guitar into the amp. Monster makes great cables with a lifetime, no questions asked warranty. ALL of my cables are Monster. I tend to use the next step (or two or three) up from this particular one but we're cutting costs while maximizing value here.

Be sure to choose a 12 FT cable. The others will either be too long or too short to go from a guitar to an amp.

Monster Cable Standard 100 Instrument Cable

4. TUNER

I also use this tuner. It is important to have a chromatic tuner to help train the ear to hear what an 'in-tune' guitar actually sounds like. It's under $20 and it's the best thing out there for this price. I also own a $180 Peterson tuner, and it's amazing, but for the price you can't beat the Korg.

Korg CA1 Chromatic Tuner

5. GIG BAG

Lastly, if the little rocker needs to travel to his or her teacher's studio, you might want a bag to protect the MINI-GUITAR.

Fender Deluxe Gig Bag for Mini Strat

Here's a bag to fit the FULL-SIZED guitar. It doesn't provide much protection, but it gets the job done and is less than $20. I have one of these bags for my Fender Mustang guitar.

Fender Standard Electric Guitar Gig Bag

CONCLUSION

All tallied, the mini-guitar package weighs in under $275 - $20 less if you don't need a gig bag. Fortunately, the amp, cable and tuner will prove to be useful after the child's hands have outgrown the mini-guitar. Unlike other beginner guitar packages I've seen, the quality of these indiviidual pieces insures their value over time. If the full-sized guitar is chosen the price is $75 higher, but then nothing can really be 'outgrown'.

Hopefully you've found this article helpful. Feel free to ask us any questions!