Opinions on the Smart Start Guitar Method?

[Mitch]

Hi all. Wondering if anyone has tried this method with kids and what you think
of it. Thanks.

Mitch

[David Hajicek]

Mitch:

Never heard of it. My kids grew up thinking everybody played guitars, just
like everybody talks. I showed them three chords and after that, they were
playing and playing well! I wish I could have picked it up that easily.

Dave Hajicek

Post by Mitch
Hi all. Wondering if anyone has tried this method with kids and what you think
of it. Thanks.
Mitch

[Dave V]

FYI,
If I recall correctly, it works by retuning the guitar into a certain chord
(G?) so the kids can strum along without any (or very little) fingering.

It might be an easy way to get them used to rhythm and making noise on an
instrument for the first time, but I'd expect they would have a tougher time
transitioning to standard tuning later on.

Post by David Hajicek
Never heard of it. My kids grew up thinking everybody played guitars, just
like everybody talks. I showed them three chords and after that, they were
playing and playing well! I wish I could have picked it up that easily.
Dave Hajicek

[Rick Turner]

As the husband of "SmartStart" author Jessica Baron Turner, I think I
can answer some of your questions about the method which at sales of
over 110,000 copies has become the number one selling kids' guitar
method in the US. Please accept my bias here; I am a fan of my wife's
work!

"SmartStart" is in fact a standard tuning readiness course, and the
transition from open "G" into standard tuning is extremely smooth and
painless. The transition to standard comes about 3/4 of the way
through each of the three SmartStart books. It's a sneaky and almost
subversive switch as the student already knows several of the chord
forms with just one more finger to add to really master the first set
of standard tuning chords.

What Jessica has done is to build a set of steps to scale that
incredibly difficult virtual cliff which all beginning guitarists face
when first attempting to make music on the guitar. By first
emphasizing rhythm and using the open "G" chord augmented with very
simple partial chord forms for the "4" and "5" chords, the method gets
folks playing and enjoying the experience NOW. I've seen this in
action at some of the Guitars in the Classroom lessons in which
Jessica teaches grade school teachers how to use the guitar as an
adjunct and reinforcement to core curriculum teaching as well as
supplemental music education. I've seen teachers come in having never
strummed a chord and leave with permanent smiles from the joy of
actually making music on guitar by the end of a one hour lesson.

[Tim Alexander]

Post by Rick Turner
As the husband of "SmartStart" author Jessica Baron Turner, I think I
can answer some of your questions about the method which at sales of
over 110,000 copies has become the number one selling kids' guitar
method in the US. Please accept my bias here; I am a fan of my wife's
work!
"SmartStart" is in fact a standard tuning readiness course, and the
transition from open "G" into standard tuning is extremely smooth and
painless. The transition to standard comes about 3/4 of the way
through each of the three SmartStart books. It's a sneaky and almost
subversive switch as the student already knows several of the chord
forms with just one more finger to add to really master the first set
of standard tuning chords.
What Jessica has done is to build a set of steps to scale that
incredibly difficult virtual cliff which all beginning guitarists face
when first attempting to make music on the guitar. By first
emphasizing rhythm and using the open "G" chord augmented with very
simple partial chord forms for the "4" and "5" chords, the method gets
folks playing and enjoying the experience NOW. I've seen this in
action at some of the Guitars in the Classroom lessons in which
Jessica teaches grade school teachers how to use the guitar as an
adjunct and reinforcement to core curriculum teaching as well as
supplemental music education. I've seen teachers come in having never
strummed a chord and leave with permanent smiles from the joy of
actually making music on guitar by the end of a one hour lesson.

Rick -- I think your wife has a great program and I support it
wholeheartedly. In fact I think she might find some very interesting
cross cultivation with slack key players as the Open G tuning is
standard Taro Patch tuning. My 8 year old daughter and I have been
working on some slack key instruction materials from Patrick Landeza
-- having met Patrick at the Swannanoa gathering I referred him to
Jessica's Smart Start program. Patrick is a former teacher/school
administrator and is known as the mainland's Baby Master of Slack key.
Patrick's in Berckely and I would think his playing (slack key in
general) would absolutely bowl over kids of elementary school age.

I guess I would have to say anything that gets young kids playing
chords with guitar quickly and progresses them to standard tuning
rapidly (while making it fun) has to be a good program. And this does.
I support it and if I had more time to volunteer locally (PTO,
baseball board, soccer programs, girls scouts, etc.), I might be in
inclined to create a local "Guitars in the Classroom" program using
Jessica's model. My hats off to her for doing this at a time when
children are receiving so little music education in public schools.

Camalex
Tim Alexander

[Rick Turner]

Tim, thanks from me and on behalf of Jessica. She is very aware of
the slack key tradition, and we got to spend a bit of time with the
Pahinui brothers a number of years ago in LA when they were taping a
TV show with Ry Cooder. The music of Hawaii is a great example of
how you can stay in an open tuning and work magic.

I think it might have actually been Pete Seeger who first inspired
Jessica to explore open tunings; Pete has always been one of her
heros, and he wrote her a very sweet postcard in support of her
writings. Pete did Leadbelly's "Poor Howard's Dead and Gone" in open
"G", as I recall; not sure how Lead' did it...

[Dick Thaxter]

Post by Rick Turner
Tim, thanks from me and on behalf of Jessica. She is very aware of
the slack key tradition, and we got to spend a bit of time with the
Pahinui brothers a number of years ago in LA when they were taping a
TV show with Ry Cooder. The music of Hawaii is a great example of
how you can stay in an open tuning and work magic.
I think it might have actually been Pete Seeger who first inspired
Jessica to explore open tunings; Pete has always been one of her
heros, and he wrote her a very sweet postcard in support of her
writings. Pete did Leadbelly's "Poor Howard's Dead and Gone" in open
"G", as I recall; not sure how Lead' did it...

That was the first song I learned in a open tuning. I think it was
about 1964 and it was from Pete Seeger's guitar instruction book.

Dick Thaxter

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Rick Turner
As the husband of "SmartStart" author Jessica Baron Turner, I think I
can answer some of your questions about the method which at sales of
over 110,000 copies has become the number one selling kids' guitar
method in the US. Please accept my bias here; I am a fan of my wife's
work!
"SmartStart" is in fact a standard tuning readiness course, and the
transition from open "G" into standard tuning is extremely smooth and
painless. The transition to standard comes about 3/4 of the way
through each of the three SmartStart books. It's a sneaky and almost
subversive switch as the student already knows several of the chord
forms with just one more finger to add to really master the first set
of standard tuning chords.
What Jessica has done is to build a set of steps to scale that
incredibly difficult virtual cliff which all beginning guitarists face
when first attempting to make music on the guitar. By first
emphasizing rhythm and using the open "G" chord augmented with very
simple partial chord forms for the "4" and "5" chords, the method gets
folks playing and enjoying the experience NOW. I've seen this in
action at some of the Guitars in the Classroom lessons in which
Jessica teaches grade school teachers how to use the guitar as an
adjunct and reinforcement to core curriculum teaching as well as
supplemental music education. I've seen teachers come in having never
strummed a chord and leave with permanent smiles from the joy of
actually making music on guitar by the end of a one hour lesson.

Hey Rick! Thanks so much for this reply. I am just beginning to teach guitar lessons to young children and teens and was interested in the SmartStart method because of what you've described here. I live in Asheville, NC and there are tons of guitarists/musicians/instructors here, however not many that I've run into who really understand children's psychology. Not sure if lessons will be a long-term thing for me, but right now I really enjoy doing it! Thanks for your info. :)

Asher Leigh