Andrew Keppie: Kids Guitar Zone
Grades 3-12, with parental supervision
Kids can learn the basics of playing the guitar with these free lessons from Andrew Keppie. Lessons are presented through short video presentations that focus on one concept at a time.
Lessons start with the basics and single-string songs and progress through more complex chords. Lessons include:
- Lesson 1 – the parts of a guitar, how to hold a guitar, tuning a guitar and reading a tablature
- Lesson 2 – Learn to play some songs on one string including “Smoke on the Water”, “The Peter Gunn Theme”, “Summer Lovin'”, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, and “Seven Nation Army.”
- Lesson 3 – Play two string songs such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, “Blister in the Sun”, and “Jingle Bells” chorus.
- Lesson 4 – Three string songs include “Happy Birthday”, “Beat It”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”, “The Wheels on the Bus”, “The Skye Boat Song”, “1 2 3 4 5 Once I Caught A Fish Alive”, “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, “The James Bond Theme”, and “Jingle Bells” the verse.
- Lesson 5 – Songs on 4 strings are “La Bamba”, “Jack and Jill”, “Yankee Doodle”, “The Farmer in the Dell”, and “The Pink Panther Theme.”
- Lesson 6 – how to play chords and read chord windows
- Lesson 7 – Play “Wild Thing” with three chords.
- Lesson 8 – Using three chords, learn to play “Yellow Submarine” and “Shake It Off.”
- Lesson 9 – Learn to use power chords to play “Beat It.”
- Lesson 10 – Learn to play a simple version of “Gangnam Style.”
Most lessons include multiple videos and accompanying downloadable PDFs. Select the “Kids Guitars” link in the menu for some information on selecting a guitar for your student.
If you have a child interested in playing the guitar, this website will provide a good starting point.
