Thoughts on Guitar Pedagogy and Andragogy (Part 1)

Teaching children and adults are two very different things, much like the difference between preparing French cuisine and a Chinese banquet. No doubt there are certain basics to be observed in the teaching of both the child and the adult (eg. respect for the learner, clear simple explanations etc.), there are certain issues that I personally feel must be addressed in regard to teaching these two category of guitar students.

Guitar Pedagogy (Strategies for teaching guitar to children):

1) Doing more musical exercises and less explanation. Children are generally not so interested as to why you must generate the strength from your knuckle to play a rest stroke. Noo... they just want to play a simple Yankee Doodle tune and be happy. So start with that first.

2) Slow progression of musical exercises. I've seen children attempt solo guitar (use of thumb and fingers simultaneously) after the fifth lesson. They might spend up to one year only play single melody notes in the first position, consolidating their musical learning.

3) Give rewards or treats. Children love rewards for their effort. Candies, stickers or little stationary gifts work wonders for their self esteem and urge them to be more involved in their learning.

4) Praise and encouragement. Eliminate the scolding and more reasoning as to why they should practise. The more you scold them, the more they detest your lessons.

5) Handholding for the first few months of lesson. You probably have to constantly adjust their fingers constantly due to their lack of physical strength and tenacity.

6) Encourage parents to sit in during lessons and help them during practise time. This is probably the most effective way to train a musical genius. Children really progress rapidly with their parents' involvement.

7) Invent guitar games for them. Turn sightreading into a mini quiz and challenge them on scale playing. Children love anything with a tinge of fun element.

I will share about guitar andragogy on my next blog post. Cheers!

Generalist or Specialist

"If you learn everything, you cannot go in depth. You will be floating, of no significance to anything or anyone."

This came about during a discussion with a fellow classical guitarist. I explained my philosophy that as a musician, we can no longer simply play one style of music and ignore every other genre available to mankind. He disagreed. He said that ours was a generation of superficality, skin deep but of no substance.

My reply was that classical music is beautiful and sweet, but choosing only that and disparaging every other genre (just like Daniel Barenboim did on BBC radio), is liken to that a person saying I am going to only wear blue shirts for the rest of my life.

(Point of note: I also spoke to a lot of rockers who disparage other genres,
and for these rockers I don't feel angry, I feel sad because they don't know what they are missing out.)

The guitar is a democratic instrument, portable, popular and adaptable. Instead of trying to box it into a small fit, we should instead utilise its strengths. Play jazz, learn classical guitar techniques, try some hawaiian slack key tunings, pick up the electric guitar and play some Van Halen tappings. Embrace some Peruvian folk songs as your repertoire.

The world has changed, globalised. We Singaporean musicians need to move on. Western musicians have no qualms about crossing musical boundaries. So what about us? We are already left behind.

Think about it.

Guitar Buying Tips in Singapore

Hiya all,

Let's kick start the year with a "Where to buy guitars and stuff" guide in Singapore. My students often ask me this question so I feel the need to put it down on stone so that everyone out there may benefit from the information. (Warning!! It's a long post! Read only if you have time.)

For the beginner guitarists, it's easy to be overwhelmed (and conned) by the choices available in Singapore in regard to the matter of purchasing a guitar. For many guitar students, they simply buy a guitar from their music school or from Yamaha music (simply because most Singaporeans have already associated guitar with Yamaha, kudos to them, they have been very effective in their marketing.) I wrote this unbiased (I try to be....) guitar buying guide for two reasons:

1) To share my experience and help beginner guitar students get the best deal in Singapore. Too many lousy China made guitars being peddaled by unscruplous businessmen out to make a quick buck. Too many guitar students being cheated.

2) To help them see that what their music school offers may not always be the best. I submit this to you. This is my personal opinion. You are welcome to disagree. The places recommended are not in any order of rating. Emphasis will be on classical/acoustic guitars.

Ok, here goes...

a) Maestro Guitars
Very good quality guitars available for the beginner students. They do Singapore proud. Affordable quality beginner classical guitars. You can't go wrong with a Maestro. However, I am told by professional classical guitarists that Maestro still has a long way to go before their concert series guitars are able to match up with the Spanish makers in terms of tone and colour. Their Blueridge acoustic series are also worth a look. Impressive sound. Excellent before and after sales service. http://www.maestroguitars.com/

b) Davis Guitars
Good range of acoustic, classical and electric guitars. Their guitar strings are probably the cheapest in Singapore. I recommend the Takamine acoustic guitars. Great place also to pick up quality guitar accessories. Value for money. Good service though shop space might be a bit cramped due to crowd. A must-stop for guitarists.http://www.davisguitar.com/

c) Swee Lee Music
They've been around for years. Huge selection of classical, acoustic and electric guitars.Try out the Manuel Rodrigues classical guitars. A little expensive but Spanish-made guitars are always worth the money. Congress (China made) guitars are a good choice for the amateur weekend player. Cheap and good.Ibanez acoustic guitars are also another excellent choice. My favourite is the Ibanez Art Wood series. They also carry a huge range of beautiful Epiphone electric guitars. Try asking for a discount at the shop. Oh... and did I mention that they hold two 50% sales a year, somewhere around June and December? http://www.sweelee.com.sg/

d) City Music Centre
Lesser choices than Swee Lee. However, they have great sales service and quality products. Check out their Custom Acoustic classical/acoustic guitars. Affordable and excellent!They also carry the amazing VariaX electric guitars and the famed Martin Co. guitars. Annual year end month long December sale. Miss it at your own peril! You'll regret it. http://www.citymusic.com.sg/

e) The Guitar Workshop
Level 3 Bras Basah Complex, tucked in a corner. Great range of well-maintained second hand guitars and new guitars, and excellent service by friendly people. I always go there for my guitar repairs. Cheap and good.

f) Luthier Guitar Centre
Luthier housebrand classical guitars are excellent in terms of sound and volume. Owner Yudi Kwok was a former professional classical guitarist so he knows his stuff very well. Check out his Azahar guitars made in Spain. Sweet crisp clear tone. www.luthierguitar.com

g) Guitar 77
If you are into great sounding electric guitars and you don't spending a little more, check out Guitar 77. They carry quality products and have built quite a following amongst electric guitar players in Singapore. If I am not mistaken, the owner is a well known rock musician so he knows his stuff. http://www.guitar77.com/

God Bless. Happy Shopping!!