Guitar Hero Can Jumpstart Your Child’s Love Of Music

I’m a fingerstyle guitar enthusiast! So much so that I volunteer to write the Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar weekly newsletter. I’ll post my articles here for your musical pleasure. Be sure to check us out online at http://www.fingerstyleguitar.ca

Is tomorrow’s Chet Atkins playing Guitar Hero? In a recent episode of South Park, Stan & Kyle (two of the show’s main characters) are rocking out to the video game Guitar Hero as a roomful of their friends watch.

As they’re playing, Stan’s father walks in “You kids want to see something really cool?” and starts playing an electric guitar.

For a moment, the room is dead silent. Then, Stan asks, incredulously, “Dad, what are you doing?”

“I can actually play a lot of these songs on a real guitar,” the father responds. “Want me to show you boys how?”

Stan spits back, “That’s lame, Dad.”

But maybe not. Maybe Guitar Hero is the best recruitment tool a guitar teacher could have asked for. Think about it: what will happen when kids who play the game reach their twenties and playing a video game may not be “cool” anymore. They might decide to actually play guitar.

And while the immense popularity of Guitar Hero may deter kids from being interested in picking up the real instrument, I think it’s getting more kids into guitar. They’ll play with the toy for a while and then the next cool toy will come along and they’ll move on to that one. But any kid who has a real passion for guitar and music, will move on to the real thing.

The guitar is a unique instrument when it comes to the way people connect with it. The thing that drives guitar playing is a desire to connect with the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll (or in our case, the spirit of the fingerstyle greats). Anything that builds that spirit is going to build the spirit of the guitar.

When a kid gets filled with the spirit of music, they’re going to practice for hours a day. Desire drives the guitar business.

So why not come out to the Guitar Not Guns Fundraiser being hosted by the TFGA tomorrow night and help turn on a new generation of kids to the real thing. All proceeds will go to support the Toronto Chapter of the organization which aims to provide guitars and lessons to foster kids, at risk youth, and deserving children.

Hope to see you there.