Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Guitar for Kids: Hal Leonard Guitar Method

Top positive review

Great curriculum - I've used this for 9 years!

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2020

I am a licensed school music educator. I have used this method book for over 9 years in my fifth grade guitar classes. I also use the Ukulele Method for Kids. It is my favorite method book and this is why:
1. It is paced well and covers all the basics in a systematic way that young kids understand.
2. The photos are large because that is developmentally appropriate for kids. One of the bad reviews criticized the photos, and they are enormously helpful to the students.
3. I LIKE focusing on the chords first because most amateur guitar players intend to use chord strumming, not plucking melodies. I personally, find the chords easy to learn as a beginner.
4. The SONG CHOICES are awesome! My students learned about the Beatles and some other performers with these more "current" song choices as opposed to folk songs they have never heard before.
The only thing I add as a teacher is the transition from easy "one finger" chords to the full chord fingerings.

I highly recommend this course, especially with a teacher to facilitate the learning. I give this my endorsement after having used it for 9 years in a school classroom. Hal Leonard got this one right.

7 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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David Larson

Badly Needs to Be Updated

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020

As a guitar teacher, I decided to try a new curriculum, but this is badly outdated. It was probably excellent for its age, but my student and I had heard almost none of the songs before, a necessary element to enjoying the book. I will admit that I'm pretty young, and I definitely didn't live in the 70s and have not heard most the songs included in this book. Unless you're teaching a 40-year-old, I wouldn't recommend using it.

One person found this helpful

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From the United States

Music Mom

Great curriculum - I've used this for 9 years!

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

7 people found this helpful

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A. Klonicke

This is really, truly where you begin!

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

I'm an adult with no music knowledge, just like a kid. I never had the opportunity to play an instrument, but wanted it so badly. I'm teaching myself and I'd never be able to do it without THIS specific book. I love it. You learn a little, play a little. You learn more you play more. There are cute kid songs and some oldies. It is fun to learn and so much less frustrating than other books I've tried. Other books say they are for beginners, but they are really naturally talented musicians who were just born with "it". Those are frankly just too difficult for me. Buy this book as a bucket list item for yourself, as I did, or buy it for a child you love.

8 people found this helpful

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David Larson

Badly Needs to Be Updated

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

One person found this helpful

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dirtsounds

best guitar instruction book for kids that I have found

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

I have taught guitar for 12 years and was very excited when I found this book. After using it, I feel that it has been well thought out and addresses the challenges of teaching children so wonderfully. It is designed to give success early on and quickly. I also bought the Alfred Kids Guitar course book and will say that I absolutely prefer this one. This book starts out extremely simply, as does the Alfred and gets kids playing music right away, but it is much less distracting visually. It also has licensed great popular songs for use in the book whereas the Alfred uses mainly public domain tunes or songs made up for the book. The teacher parts are written out as well as the melody notes to sing along with. The other book only includes strum bars and chords, so unless you use the cd every time, it is not clear what the melody is. I let my 8 year old son start using this book and he loves it. I decided to teach the Alfred book to my 5 year old to avoid competition with his brother but he preferred the Hal Leonard because there is no singing on the cd and he thought the pictures were "stupid." I recommend the listening cd that comes with it. The sing along factor really helps kids. We have it in the car while drive to get the songs in thier heads, then when they practice they already know how to play and sing them. I love that I can teach a brand new beginner and send them home playing a song the first day. I think the age recommendation is right on, however some eight and nine year olds will progress through this very quickly and may need the next book soon. I think maybe even older beginners could find use for it as a way to quickly learn basic concepts and find success. I only wish the follow up book had as many great songs as this one.

67 people found this helpful

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D.B.

Audio Not Supported - Some Diagrams Appear Incomplete

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

I am frustrated. The price of the book is supposed to have 30 audio examples. When I go to the pages that are supposed to contain audio, I receive a message that audio is not supported. I have tried my PC using the Kindle Application. I have tried it on my Android Smartphone. No success on either. I also go to pages where diagrams are not appear. Very, very, very disappointed.

3 people found this helpful

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M L

A lot of good information to know and songs to learn.

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2021

Verified Purchase

When my product arrived, the box was damaged. Even though my new book was a little bent in a few places, it will still be usable. Even though the book is intended to be used by kids, I look forward to learning the information and songs contained inside it. I plan on using it alongside my son. Seller is highly recommended and I look forward to do more business with the seller in the future.

Helpful

Top Gear Mama

I would recommend this book for kids 9 or older

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

I would recommend this book for kids 9 or older, or kids who enjoy their parents' choice of music. For younger children (ages 5-8), I would recommend the Alfred's Kid's Guitar Course 1. The songs in that book are more recognizable and the content/style is for younger children. That being said, I've used this book as a supplement to the Alfred book to break things up. They compliment each other well because they use the same one finger chords.

10 people found this helpful

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snackman

Great!@

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2011

Verified Purchase

I disagree with the person who says this book is not much different. It is WAY different. Most Kids and beginners books focus on overloading people with notes and boring songs.
This book has notes on first three strings ...that's it! About as much as one can handle in a few months worth of lessons..it is just an INTRODUCTION to notes not a "learn it ALL RIGHT NOW or else!"....
This book's focus is on making music and making music FUN. It starts off with short chords which is VERY different from all the other books out there, most books make you drudge through the notes for months and months until you finally learn how to read...which you never do...and you quit...not ever getting to the REAL guitar job of playing accompaniment And the songs are fun and MUCH different from other books. I highly recommend this book. I have been teaching guitar for over 15 years and have struggled to find anything that really is FUN and educational for young people. This book has a good balance.

111 people found this helpful

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ANDY SORENSON

Not for beginners or small kids

Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

I felt that this was a little difficult, especially for a someone picking up a guitar for the first time and I'm an adult.
My 12 year old certainly could not do some of the things considered "for beginners".
*Start with learning notes and work on chords after, this book focuses more on chords and it is hard for kids to hold the finger positions to get proper sounding results and can become easily discouraged.

2 people found this helpful

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Luciana

Great for beginner but reading music and knowing proper sound was hard.

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book made it easy to get started playing guitar without any prior knowledge. However, I wish there was a cd to accompany it as I didn't know the tunes of all the songs or the correct tones of the chords and notes as I have little music knowledge. I also would mind more instruction on how to properly read music. The great part is that I learned a few notes and chords and could at least play to the tunes I was familiar with such as hokey pokey and yellow submarine.

2 people found this helpful

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