He might not stick with it….

We hear the phrase “he/she might not stick with it” referring to a child’s interest in music and the parents need to invest in an instrument.  I can certainly understand that concern.  As a parent myself I know that kids often do not stick with those things that only a short while ago were ‘gotta haves’.  Our son’s interest in BMX bikes is a good example.  But music is a little different.  Sure, there are plenty of people who tried and gave up playing and I feel safe in saying that most of those regret not being able to play.  A recent study suggests somewhere in the area of 70% of non musicians wish they had pursued playing a musical instrument.  And I honestly have never heard of someone who can play a musical instrument who wished they couldn’t.

Much of the concern comes from previous failed attempts at music, usually through a school band program.  Now, please understand that I think all instruments are great and that I’m very happy schools have music programs but there is a common problem which causes little ‘Timmy’ or ‘Suzie’ to drop out.  One point is that the child is rarely playing music that correspondes to their actual listening habits.  A person who listens to Green Day is not going to enjoy playing Sousa marches most likely.  The other issue is that the instrument the child is given is often not what they’d choose if given a free pick.  In some cases it isn’t even the first choice out of a limited offering (‘No, you can’t have trumpet, we have too many now, here’s a clarinet’).  Of course this leads to drop outs.

If you want to get your child into music, hurray for you!!!  It is absolutely one of the greatest gifts you can give a child.  It isn’t seasonal, there is no age limit, it allows for creativity and expression and exercises the brain!  Certainly investing a lot of money into an instrument where longevity of interest is concerned may not be wise but investing in a playable, worthwhile instrument that the child can and wants to play is smart.  Bottom of the basement priced instruments often have playabilty issues but great beginning instruments can be found at reasonable prices and allow the student to really have a chance at making your investment worthwhile.  So….

Consider the child’s interests – music they listen to, instruments they are truly interested in not what slot they can fit in a band

Instruments they can handle (no Tubas for 5 year olds)

Instruments that don’t impede their chances of learning a continuing (guitars with high action, warped necks, flutes that don’t note correctly, etc.)

Teachers that want to teach what the student wants to learn while at the same time, teaches what they need to progress.  Teach a man a song and he only plays that song, teach him how to play music and he can play anything

Over and out, Bob C., Campbell’s Music Service, York, PA

www.cmusicshop.com

The Guitar Hero Effect

Bob from www.cmusicshop.com (Campbell’s Music Service) here.

Some of my peers have been debating whether the video game, Guitar Hero, is good for the actual guitar market.  Some argue that the game makes guitar playing look easy and when faced with the challenge of really playing a guitar they will become disheartened by the actual effort needed and give up quickly.  Others argue that it is a gateway to real guitar playing, that after the ‘toyish’ effect wears off kids will yearn to play the songs on real guitars.  I’ve seen both happen but what the greater effect on the whole has yet to be seen.

I think one good thing is the exposure to great music that features the guitar.  Getting kids to interact with the music seems like a positive step towards actual music making.  Another thing is the fun factor, playing music is fun and getting that message out is nothing but good.  But there is the dark side, that Guitar Hero acts as a sort placebo to real playing.  Almost as if we have a guitar playing genetic need that gets its fix from the simulation of playing guitar on Guitar Hero.  The fear is that kids will not go deeper into the next step of real music making which has a great drawing power that can immerse people into it.  That people will stop at Guitar Hero or Rock Band who might have scratched the musical itch with real instruments.

As I mentioned, I’ve seen both happen but I’m just one small corner of the world.  We’ve had one student quit because, although he was good at Guitar Hero, he couldn’t reconcile that real guitar required real effort and practice.  We’ve seen other folks say that Guitar Hero made them want to attempt real guitar.  I guess we’ll have real answers in a couple of years when the game has run its course.  I’d love to hear your input, please post a comment.

Guitar Buying through the ages

I’ve said it a hundred times and believe it more every time I say it.  There has never been a better time to buy a guitar (or most any musical instrument) than this time in history.  We have more options, brands, variations, color choices and so on than ever before in the history of mankind.  This is one reason I’m so adamant about exploring all the guitar world has to offer.  For the first time buyer, there are more brands and styles at very good prices that are infinitely better than much of the beginner junk that was around for previous generations to get started on.  For the high end player, there are more custom models and brands that virtually any thought that can be applied to a guitar can and will be done, for a price of course.  For the intermediate player, the world is wide open and affordable.  We’ll classify the intermediate player as someone not really pro but not beginner either, in other words most of us that have been playing for a while.  In this price range there are so many good companies that make guitars you could easily gig with but won’t cost you an arm and leg, like ESP and Ibanez.

Namm at Nashville 2008

Just came back from Summer Namm in Nashville, TN.  Namm stands for National Association of Music Merchants for those who don’t know.  Anyway, twice a year they hold shows where dealers, vendors, manufacturers and other industry folk get together to show or see new product.  We were there for 3 1/2 days and even though it was small by comparison to the winter shows, we barely got to see it all.

It was a lot of fun but I have to say I didn’t see much, especially from the larger manufacturers, really groundbreaking.  New colors, some new options but most of the innovative stuff was coming from the smaller companies.  I was excited by some of the models I saw at the Vintage (that’s the brand name) Guitar booth – relic versions of vintage guitars but much more affordable than the Fender Custom Shop stuff, revamped classic designs.  Michael Kelly guitars and Traben basses also had some great products with really cool options and woods.  There was lots of interesting new gear at the Digitech booth.  I was especially excited by the Hardwire series which are boutique style pedals with greater versatility and more reasonable pricing compared to a lot of the boutique stuff.  We should have some of those in pretty soon.

Some non product related highlights for me was meeting many members of our independent dealer group, the MSO (www.musicstoreowners.com) for the first time face to face.  This group is dedicated to preserving the independent dealer, you know, the ones that actually teach, repair, service, etc. your instruments.  Our group also got a lot of recognition from Namm, the vendors, the music press and people in general, so that was great.  Also, I can’t forget meeting Cousin Dean (Dean Campbell of Campbell American Guitars, no relation) in person.  Great guy.

We also got to see Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Jam at the Ryman Theater.  Players included Muriel, Tom Bresh, Richard Gilewitz (who’s done clinics for us), Rick Vito, Larry Carlton, Victor Wooten, Ladd Smith, Rob Ickes and special guest, James Burton.

If I think of anything else….

Where is Brand X?

Originally posted on the CMusicBlog at www.cmusicshop.com on May 27, 2008

Sometimes I have to take a step back and remember that most folks don’t understand the workings of a business like ours. They might wonder why we don’t carry this brand or that. Well, I’ll try to explain some of what goes into this issue.

One thing we have to consider is what demands a brand may place on us and if we feel they are reasonable for our business. Some of the larger known brands place demands on stores that can be too much, whether it is the amount of money or actual pieces needed to carry the line. Other times that line may be overexposed in other places like Guitar Center, online or catalogs. Sometimes the line just doesn’t fit into our overall plan. Maybe we already have that type of instrument well represented with other lines or maybe there is another local business carrying that line, which would make it less sellable for both stores. Sometimes there just isn’t enough room for more products.

There is a lot to consider when choosing lines to represent. The first thing the public sometimes isn’t aware of is that we own the instruments you see. They are not given or loaned to music stores, we have to buy them. So, if we see issues with selling them, for any of the above reasons, we don’t want to get stuck with them, because in 99 cases out of 100, the brand won’t take them back.

So, when you see that a store doesn’t carry a particular brand, remember there are a lot of factors that enter into that decision.