Loog Guitars’ Electric Instruments For All Ages
More than a toy but a range of instructional tools with an AR app, games and built-in amplifier
Instruments can be particularly difficult to master at an older age—especially without previous experience from earlier formative years. Loog Guitars, having recognized this, designs guitars for kids—age 3+ to 12+—that are entertaining, easy to learn and good-looking. Their newest line of electric guitars with built-in amplifiers is available to back on Kickstarter now.
“We started out making three-string guitars, so for us innovation was never about adding features. Quite on the contrary, it was about taking away until you got the simplest, most basic way of playing and learning,” Rafa Atijias, Loog’s founder and CEO, tells CH. “We feel that with our new guitars on Kickstarter we are still going in that direction: while other ‘smart guitars’ add LED lights, USB ports and technologies that sometimes feel foreign in a guitar, we try to use technology in a more subtle way.”
The guitar comes with an interactive, AR-capable app—with games, avatars and instructional videos—but it doesn’t detract from the true mission of Loog: to teach kids to play the guitar with fluency, to the point where they can perform their own songs.
“We try to stay focused on the experience: how the instrument itself, the deck of flashcards that come with it, and the accompanying app, help you play your favorite songs on guitar,” Atijias says. “Because when kids are able to do that, they feel rewarded and stimulated to keep learning and playing, acquiring skills that stay with them forever.”
What’s differentiated Loog from heritage guitar brands is their capability to combine the new and old—to draw kids in with games but still be as effective as daily lessons off sheet music. Kids can play music from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and more on their guitars—the Loog Mini (3+), Loog Pro (8+), Loog Pro VI (12+)— but it is tailored to them, with no need for extra equipment or speakers.
“When we started out about eight years ago, we actually didn’t want to include an app or do anything digital,” Atijias adds. “Early on we realized that in order to fulfill our promise—to make it fun and easy for kids to play music—we needed to offer content, and that an app was a great platform for that. With this version of the app we are taking it further by incorporating augmented reality which basically lets you learn guitar by using the selfie camera. In a way, it’s similar to what kids already use on Instagram and Snapchat, but instead of cute dog ears—nothing wrong with that!—they see dots that show them where to place their fingers to play chords and songs.”
The trio of Loog electric guitars are available to back now on Kickstarter.
Images courtesy of Loog Guitars
