Classical Guitar

STRING INSTRUMENT

INSTRUMENT INFORMATION

The classical guitar is part of the string family of instruments. The classical guitar is made of wood and has six strings that are typically made of nylon. Other styles of guitars may have parts or strings that are made of other materials, such as steel strings. Some guitars are electric, meaning that they are plugged into an amplifier which can increase the volume of the instrument. The classical guitar, however, is acoustic, which means it is typically played without additional amplification or without being plugged in. The guitar is played by strumming, plucking, or picking the strings with the fingers or fingernails of one hand, while the fingers of the other hand press down the strings along the neck at various positions to create different pitches or notes. The guitar can play both individual notes or combinations of notes simultaneously to create chords.

MEET THE INSTRUMENT

In the following video (2:03), João Kouyoumdjian presents the guitar, and details how this instrument is constructed and how it makes sound. This video can be enjoyed along with your children in class:

After watching the video, you can engage the children in discussion about what they remembered or noticed about the guitar. Children may share ideas about other instruments that it reminds them of, or other music or sounds that they have heard before. Some questions that may initiate a discussion:

• Do you remember some of the names of the parts of the guitar?

• What did João do to make sound on the instrument?

• What is the guitar made of?

• Does this remind you of any other instruments that you have seen before?

MUSIC

In the following videos, João performs two different pieces on the guitar. You may choose to play these videos together in the same class session, or play them on different days to create multiple music experiences for the children.

With each experience, you can watch and listen along with the children. While listening, you may notice that the children move their bodies along with the music, and naturally show what they hear through bouncing, clapping, dancing, patting their legs, or almost any other movement that you can imagine! This is part of their music learning, and you can encourage them to move while they listen.

After you watch and listen to each video, depending on the age of the children, you may initiate a discussion about what they heard and saw. Children often feel more comfortable contributing if the questions are specific; abstract questions (such as “how did it make you feel?”) may be difficult for the young child to answer. Some questions that you may consider are:

• Was the music fast or slow? Loud or soft? Smooth or choppy? (etc.)

• Did this music remind you of other music or sounds that you’ve heard before?

• What kinds of movements did you make when you were listening?

And, after you have listened to both pieces, the children may be able to make comparisons:

• What was the same about these pieces of music? What was different?

ABOUT THE MUSICIAN