Alfred's Teach Your Child to Play Guitar, Book 1: Guitar Book & CD

This book removes the barrier between "I don't know how to teach guitar" and "my child wants to learn." The Parent Guide transforms each page into a teachable moment with concrete steps, follow-up suggestions, and review strategies that work whether you read music fluently or not. The included CD captures every piece professionally performed, so your child hears what they're working toward and internalizes phrasing and dynamics naturally.

Friendly and encouraging from the first page. The material moves forward at a pace that respects beginner attention spans while building tangible skills quickly enough to stay satisfying. Young players experience genuine accomplishment because they play complete pieces from the start rather than isolated exercises.

This book is designed for parents who wish to introduce guitar to their children before enrolling them with a private teacher, particularly those teaching at home who need clear, scaffolded guidance. It works equally well for educators in homeschool co-ops or community settings who oversee small groups of beginner guitarists.

• Encourage your child to listen to the corresponding track before attempting the piece on their own; hearing the intended tempo and expression first makes the learning phase feel more purposeful.
• Create a consistent practice routine that mirrors the Parent Guide's lesson structure rather than jumping randomly through pages; repetition and sequence build genuine progress.
• Play along with the CD recordings once your child feels secure with a piece; the added instrumentation makes practice feel like performing, not drilling.
• Celebrate small wins after completing each page or mastering a new technique; early momentum keeps young players engaged through the foundational material.

Use this book as a bridge between casual interest and formal study with a teacher; many children who begin here will transition smoothly into a professional instructor's curriculum with a solid foundation in place. It also serves homeschoolers or independent learners who may eventually work with a teacher part-time while continuing self-directed practice at home.

• Proper left-hand finger placement and right-hand picking technique
• Reading basic single-note melodies on the staff and fretboard
• Understanding rhythm notation and simple time signatures
• Transitioning between open chords and moving between strings
• Following tempo and dynamics from recorded models
• Building practice discipline and establishing consistent routines