My motivation for writing guitar materials for children was that traditional self-instruction methods offered little by way of guidance or inspiration. Instead, my early models were the Suzuki Violin Method, as well as other children's tutors for violin and piano, and I have tried to apply to the guitar whatever that I found useful in these sources.

The most fundamental question also proved the most vexing - 'How to begin?' Even in so-called 'enlightened' modern methods, common assumptions regarding a young beginner's capability were often unrealistic. Introducing rest stroke before free stroke was helpful in building confidence more quickly in playing. And as the thumb is strong, accurate and able to play tonally uniform scales and arpeggios more easily than i-m-a, I thought perhaps that starting with the thumb could make the learning even more accessible.

Children age five or six know at least some numbers and letters; virtually all else must be conveyed through the teacher. My next concern was, therefore, to find ways to sustain the young beginner's interest in the basic phase, where so much is demanded yet so little repaid. Duos in three parts - two parts accompaniment, one part solo - generate interest and are challenging for both pupil and teacher.

Thirty years have now passed that are marked with continuous experimentation and revision. The path to success, though never easy, has at least become well trodden.
 

How to use the Basic Method

The Basic Method, contained in Volume 1 of the Luse Method, is comprised of five parts. Parts I-IV are thumb books. Parts I-III, written with pre-literate pupils in mind, carry minimal text that is reinforced through copious teaching graphics; adult students are referred to Study Guide for Parts I-III for more in-depth discussions of technical and musical concepts. As a new and interesting activity, Part V, which introduces rest stroke, can be started anytime upon completion of Part III. Some beginners may remain in Part I for several weeks while other may be ready to begin Part II (thumb + left hand) almost immediately.

Skill is, of course, acquired progressively. Boxed 'Exercises' should first be played uniformly and later with appropriate accents. Reinforcement being fundamental, these exercises are collated at the back of the book under 'Daily Warm-up.' More exercise material is included in Parts II and III in the form of 'Join and Jump' patterns, where basic fingerings are played across the fingerboard.

From the outset, technique is always pursued in two distinct levels: first, note uniformity, and then expression. A thorough grounding in basic accents, articulations, and phrasing, among others, equips the learner with the basic expressive tools and principles. In this way, elementary music becomes much more fun to play, while tension is minimised.
 

Starting a young beginner

Lesson format and frequency
A big advantage of the private lesson format over the the classroom format is that learning can proceed according to individual capabilities. Classroom guitar instruction for young beginners, although attempted in many different formats and guises over the years, has so far not taken off and remains a great challenge and opportunity.

Two 30-minute individual lessons a week is ideal. Alternatively, one-hour lessons can be padded out with a good children's theory programme.

At the lesson, successful 'performance' of an item - at first attempt only - merits a star. To perform musically and without mistake at first attempt is a lofty goal; indeed, stars are seldom awarded. Successful 'lesson play' of a piece at any subseqent attempt rates a tick.

Getting ready for at-home practice
Supervised practice at home is essential when starting the very young. (Otherwise, start at a self-reliant age, usually nine or ten.) In order for the designated at-home supervisor to effectively monitor the child's practice at home, the former will first have to take at least two lessons with the teacher:

With the supervisor primed, the at-home practice set-up (see the study guide) prepared, and a scaled-down guitar selected, junior is ready for practice. Remember to tune the guitar before and as required during each session; for children, this is most easily done using an electronic tuner.

It is important to appreciate that the younger the pupil, the more guidance is required. As to the question, why bother starting the very young? Won't teenagers quickly catch up? While this may be true technically, the taproot of pure music essence may not be planted nearly so deep.

Robert Luse
15 March 2002
Singapore

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