Learning guitar can be a daunting task. While shredding on Guitar Hero has made the instrument even more popular with kids, mastering six strings and developing finger dexterity, muscle memory for chords and the required callouses to reduce uncomfortableness require real work and dedication. The payoff is great but the journey may be difficult. Making things easier, however, is a fantastic new project launched last week on Kickstarter: The Loog Guitar.
Brainchild of Rafael Atijas, a musician and master's student at NYU, the Loog Guitar is a reduced scale three-string guitar. Shipped as a kit, the guitar is actually customizable and can be assembled from three different body types, two different neck scales and an assortment of pic guards. Parents and kids assemble the guitar together in about fifteen minutes and is a great project in itself. The guitar ships with three nylon strings, a book teaching how to play the guitar and chords and the sustainable guitar stand made out of cardboard.
Inspiration for the guitar came from a variety of sources. First, Rafael saw a need for a well designed guitar that can grow with a student after seeing his own nieces and nephew try learning regular kid's guitars. As a musician, Rafael understood that by reducing the number of strings on the guitar, learning would be simpler and wouldn't necessarily reduce the musical capabilities of the instrument.
Additionally, the Like A Bike bicycles served as inspiration for the guitar's eventual design. Like A Bikes are toy bikes for little kids to help with coordination and balance. As they don't have pedals and are constructed from wood they are much simpler then regular bikes yet mimic their function. They also feature a natural wood finish and a certain elegance in their construction.
These two concepts combine into a product that beckons experimentation, and in fact, Rafael encourages it. Being a musician myself, I resonated with this project. I asked about alternate tunings and using acoustic guitar strings on the Loog. Rafael replied saying that they're shipping with the 5th, 4th and 3rd strings and recommending an open A tuning (A E A), but that standard tunings would work.
I also appreciate the design and methods Rafael is taking to bring the guitar to market. Not only is Kickstarter a wonderful way to back a project and get something from your support, it helps innovative products such as the Loog guitar get off the ground. I've already backed the project and look forward to receiving a guitar for a more in depth review.
So if you want to introduce guitar to your kid, consider backing the Loog Guitar project on Kickstarter. Don't let the fully funded state of the project fool you as you can still pledge support to pick up a guitar at a discount. And if you're still not convinced, listen to Rafael describe the project in his own words in the video below.
