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What age to start guitar? How to start?


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My 10 year old has been taking keyboard/piano since age 3 1/2. He's doing very well but is losing motivation. He has expressed interest in learning to play guitar. Is 10 a good age to start? If you or a child play guitar, how and when did you start?

 

I'm also not sure if we should continue piano along with guitar or take a break from piano...

 

Any suggestions would be welcome!

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10 is a great age, especially after years of piano. My oldest son started guitar ay 8.5. His teacher preferred that he had taken piano lessons for at least 2 years, but in his case he caught right on then started piano. He practices 1-2 hours per day on his own. He just loves it. We started next son on piano, then around the same age will start guitar lessons with him. He is 7 and has a scaled down guitar and plays around a little, and does strengthening exercises.

 

I would say go for it, but continue piano. Maybe require 15 minutes per day of piano. The music theory is the same for each. I think the two compliment each other nicely.

 

P.S. I know the piano and do lessons with my kids. I'm learning the guitar now from my son. We have a teacher that comes to our house...priceless!

Edited by BookFanatic
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My DS started guitar at age 5, with a $50 guitar we purchased at our music store. The owner described it as one step above a play guitar. He played and took lessons for 2yrs before I added in the piano. We purchased a 3/4 size guitar for him. He lost interest in both :(

 

This past summer DH motivated DS to pick the guitar back up. DH agreed that if DS played an hour a day for 6m they would build an electric guitar together. He's been using Utube and the internet to learn songs and is presently also building his second electric guitar. For his birthday we gave him a mandolian. Now the problem is that he is always playing one of his guitars :)

 

Carole

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10 is a great age, especially after years of piano. My oldest son started guitar ay 8.5. His teacher preferred that he had taken piano lessons for at least 2 years, but in his case he caught right on then started piano. He practices 1-2 hours per day on his own. He just loves it. We started next son on piano, then around the same age will start guitar lessons with him. He is 7 and has a scaled down guitar and plays around a little, and does strengthening exercises.

 

I would say go for it, but continue piano. Maybe require 15 minutes per day of piano. The music theory is the same for each. I think the two compliment each other nicely.

 

P.S. I know the piano and do lessons with my kids. I'm learning the guitar now from my son. We have a teacher that comes to our house...priceless!

 

Thanks, 15 minutes is a great compromise. Maybe I will get him some self-teaching books and discontinue the piano lessons if he starts guitar lessons. I hope he loves guitar as much as your son! Our piano teacher comes to the house and I have to agree that it is wonderful.

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My DS started guitar at age 5, with a $50 guitar we purchased at our music store. The owner described it as one step above a play guitar. He played and took lessons for 2yrs before I added in the piano. We purchased a 3/4 size guitar for him. He lost interest in both :(

 

This past summer DH motivated DS to pick the guitar back up. DH agreed that if DS played an hour a day for 6m they would build an electric guitar together. He's been using Utube and the internet to learn songs and is presently also building his second electric guitar. For his birthday we gave him a mandolian. Now the problem is that he is always playing one of his guitars :)

 

Carole

 

Carole thanks for sharing this, I hadn't thought to check youtube. I didn't even know there are smaller guitars, I need to start at the music store and see what is out there. We have one older guitar that would probably qualify as one step above a toy, but it is huge.

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