Author: Brian Parham

Why Does Music Education Matter? Interview with Dr. Mark Pipes

What are the most important musical skills every student should focus on developing? Why are scales so important for musicians? And why should we care about music education at all? These are just some of the questions Dr. Mark Pipes and I discuss during a forty-minute Zoom interview. Who Is Dr. Pipes? Dr. Pipes is […]

Black History Month: Prince

Continuing our celebration of Top Guitarists for Black History Month, we highlight the artist who brought the electric guitar back to popular music. When we think of the greatest guitarists in history Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley come to mind. A decade after them Jimi Hendrix reinvented the electric guitar (literally). With so many talented […]

Is Guitar the Best First Musical Instrument for Children to Learn?

Parents, like you, already know the many benefits of your kid learning an instrument. However, we do have a rundown of ALL the benefits in an earlier post, “The Looong term Benefits of Guitar Lessons for Kids.”   In this post, we are going make the case for your kid’s first instrument and even compare […]

7 Surefire Ways to Suck at the Guitar

Man muss immer umkehren or, loosely translated, “invert, always invert.” – Carl Jacobi. I first learned about inversion from New York Times bestselling author, James Clear. In his blog post, Inversion: The Crucial Thinking Skill Nobody Ever Taught You, Clear tells the story of the German mathematician Carl Jacobi, who was well known for his ability […]

Top 3 Guitar Songs from Taylor Swift’s “Evermore”

For kids who learn to play the guitar, Taylor Swift is a role model who inspires them to play and compose on their instrument. With this poetic and intimate album, Taylor Swift’s Evermore goes deep in the journey of heartbreaks, friendships, and lost connections. The album was produced in a surprising collaboration with Aaron Dresner […]

What Age Can Kids Start Learning Guitar?

By now, most people are aware of the benefits of playing a musical instrument. Over the past few decades, studies have shown kids exposed to music education demonstrate improved language abilities, strengthened neural connections, increased focus, memory, empathy, and self-confidence. But at what age can kids start learning guitar? Well, I’ll answer that question in […]