TakeLessons Offers Music Instrument Guide for Clueless Parents

Online, February 8, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Country singer Dierks Bentley released his newest album this week, with one song in particular catching critics' attention. Written for and featuring a section sung by Bentley's 3-year-old daughter, Evie, the song "Thinking of You" shows a much softer side of the singer, who is better known for light-hearted lyrics like in "Am I The Only One".

TakeLessons (http://takelessons.com), the nation's fastest growing music lessons provider, took the opportunity to share a video of the performance with blog readers, and show parents they don't need to be music stars to help their children get started with music lessons. The following is an excerpt from the TakeLessons blog post, which outlined a list of common beginner instruments to try out:

"- Recorder - Simple, cheap and sturdy. Great for the youngest music students.

- Clarinet - Similar qualities as the recorder, and a great step up once the child "graduates" from the recorder. The clarinet is bigger and somewhat heavier, but fairly easy to get a sound on and operate. From the clarinet, many students switch to other instruments, such as bass clarinet, oboe or bassoon.

- Flute - Another common instrument in concert bands, the flute can be fairly easy to learn. Keep in mind, however, it can be pretty hard to get the first tone out of a flute, and your child may be discouraged if it takes days or weeks to get it right. Advanced, dedicated flute players may have the opportunity to move up to the piccolo someday, usually after four or five years.

- Alto Saxophone - When most people say "saxophone," they're referring to the alto sax. It's the most common saxophone, and is of a size that can be handled by many different ages of people. From the alto sax, students often switch to other sizes of saxophone, such as the soprano (smaller), the tenor (somewhat larger), and the baritone (even bigger than that).

- Trumpet/Cornet - The trumpet is a common brass instrument, and the cornet is a smaller instrument that is very similar. Both are popular with beginners and experienced players alike.

- Violin - The violin is the smallest instrument in the violin family, a popular instrument among younger children who wish to be in an orchestra program."

By sharing the list with blog readers, TakeLessons hopes to continue engaging current students and help with any musical goals they may have. Readers are invited to share their thoughts by commenting on the TakeLessons blog, where they can also read about common singing mistakes, and comments are also welcomed on Facebook (http://facebook.com/takelessons).