In addition to developing our musicianship skills through listening, playing, and practicing, I’m spending some time helping my students develop some improvisation skills, or as I like to call it “noodling” skills, in class this fall. Once your child is advanced enough to play the notes of their first songs confidently, the guitar holds infinite potential for creativity through improvisation. To start dabbling at home, take any one of the source scales from the skill-building songs (yellow, blue, gold, purple) and play it from low pitch to high pitch until it is easy. Then have your child:

1) Create as many three, four, and five note patterns as possible using notes from the source scale.
2) Experiment with different rhythms while playing those patterns.
3) Do what feels good and have fun.
4) Try writing favorite patterns down either in code or notation for more advanced students.