If your child studies guitar, I'd love your help!

[EKT]

My younger daughter (age 6.5) has been asking to take guitar lessons for about a year now. Our family is very much into visual arts of all kinds, but I have basically no experience with music lessons, so I don't know where to start! What is a "good" (or the "usual") age to begin guitar lessons? What should I look for in a music school or guitar instructor? How much (roughly) should I expect to spend on a decent quality guitar? What else should I know?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice or insight you have to share!

[GoVanGogh]

We started around that age, but DS has larger hands. Our instructor said hand size and maturity to practice through sore fingers is better indication of readiness than age. Also, we went with a junior size electric guitar. DH remembers trying to learn to play guitar on a full size acoustic guitar. An acoustic guitar has a thicker body, with a sharper edge - can be a lot for a young child to work around.

[Arcadia]

There are small size acoustic guitars for children and petite adults. If you have a Guitar Center or equivalent big store, it is worth bringing her there to try out the acoustic and electric guitars as well as the ukeleles. One of mine decide strings are not for him while the other stuck to his choice of cello.

 

Price wise, I had tried many in the <$150 range for the smaller acoustic guitars that sounds good. The strings do hurt the fingers so be prepared to spend money on better strings than what came by default.

 

For lessons, there is classical, folk and jazz guitar. There are slightly different emphasis. Group lessons are usually more fun for a beginner and folk is usually more fun than classical. However that is very child dependent. Some children prefer individual lessons and the guitar playing the melody instead of strumming.

 

My nephew did classical piano, then strumming for acoustic guitar and now play jazz on electric guitar. Here kids start with suzuki guitar at 3 years old. There is a guitar school near to my home.

[SebastianCat]

My kids didn't start guitar until middle school, after each having had about 5 years of piano lessons. Because of scheduling logistics, they take lessons from different teachers, but each teacher has been a great fit for each child. DS's teacher emphasizes band-style worship music, and thinks middle school is the ideal age to begin guitar. DD's teacher emphasizes folk music, and has many students in the mid-elementary age range. I think much depends on the teacher and their willingness to work with young students, as well as the style of music they teach.

 

Places like Guitar Center sell (and buy) used guitars, as well as rent guitars. My kids started on an old hand-me-down from when DH took lessons as a child, then after a full semester of lessons, we bought each a new guitar. DS ended up with an acoustic electric for around $300, and DD got an acoustic for under $200. The folks at Guitar Center will play several guitars for you, so you can listen to the tone and quality of sound before you buy. They all sound different.

[wintermom]

We started guitar lessons when my ds's were ages 7 and 11. They both had 2 - 4 years experience with piano lessons already, so they already knew how to read music and rhythm, as well as being used to a regular practice routine. These helped, but aren't necessary to start.

 

Their teacher recommended starting on classical guitar, which has nylon strings (the lower 3 strings are nylon wrapped in metal). The nylon strings are easier on the fingers than steel strings. I love the repetoire of classical guitar music, and the fact that they learn to play melodies, chords, bass notes, and eventually all three together in beautiful music. Having these skills makes it so easy for them to play folk/accoustic guitar music, electric or bass. We are doing a combination of Suzuki repetoire, with popular and classical pieces. My boys have private lessons, and are also in a guitar ensemble with their teacher. 

 

I'd recommend doing a little research into the types of guitar lessons and groups in your area and see what appeals to you and fits your budget. We are a classical musical family and have been involved in Suzuki music for years, so it was easy and comfortable to stay within this system. There was an excellent guitar teacher at our Suzuki school. An enthusiastic, well-qualified teacher makes a world of difference in the motivation of children to practice and keep working on building their musical skills.

 

We love the guitar! It's portable, sounds great right from the beginning, and fun. It's a great instrument to play at any stage of life.

Edited May 13, 2016 by wintermom

[kirstenhill]

My DD started at age 9.5 and then DS at about 8.5. Even with a three-quarter size guitar (regular acoustic, not classical guitar), DS couldn't properly press down the strings until that age.

 

We've studied with three different teachers now for various reasons. The first one really pushed chords and DD could play and sing a lot of pop songs with chords, but didn't learn a lot of note reading or musicianship. The second and third teachers have worked a lot more on note reading/playing and music theory. It would depend on what you are looking for, but I would just ask potential instructors what they emphasize. At the first studio where DD started, they typically recommend starting younger students (5-8 year olds) on ukulele instead of guitar due to the small size.

 

ETA: We've done lessons at a music store/studio, with an independent instructor who taught in her home, and with a music studio that specializes in in-home lessons. One of the biggest differences with an independent instructor vs some kind of school/studio/store is that an independent instructor might not offer recital or performance opportunities, especially if he/she just has a handful of students. However, our independent instructor was also the cheapest because she didn't have overhead or mileage.

Edited May 14, 2016 by kirstenhill

[Bluegoat]

My daughter started guitar when she was 7.  She isn't really learning one particular style, but she uses a classical guitar because we wanted nylon strings and the one that was avialble was, we were told, a good child's guitar that would stay in tune.

 

So - with an acoustic guitar you can mix styles of music and guitar if you want.

 

What I would say is that for children, compared to other typical beginner instruments, the guitar isn't especially easy.  The fingers get sore, it can be physically frustrating, and difficult for children to get a nice sound.  All of which can contribute to frustration.  My dd already had some piano and ability to read music, and she is very stubborn, which helped her persevere.

 

I know a few kids who started on ukelele which has similar principles to guitar, and might be a good option for a smaller child.

[Paige]

Our co-op starts kids at 8, so my DD began at 8. She's too little and it's been really hard on her. Even with a small guitar, her hands are too small and it is hard for her to hold. She's small for her age, but the people at the school said it was fine. She's been really frustrated with it this year and has little tolerance for painful fingers. My older DD started at 11 and it has been going much better. 

[EKT]

Thanks so much for all the comments so far...it's really helpful!!

[dauphin]

I am not experienced in music/music instruction but I can share my experience. My daughter started guitar lessons at her request as a barely 7-year-old. Her instructor said that, for him, taking students at 7-8 yo is pretty unusual, he generally starts around 9+. Maturity and willingness to practice have been demonstrated by DD enough that we have continued for a year and half. Yes, the student has to be willing to push through the initial finger-toughening stage. We have a half-size guitar IIRC and it suits her okay with some room to grow. She can't do bar chords yet but IDK if that would be a problem on an even smaller guitar or not? And I think the price was around $100-$150. 

 

HTH! 

[Donna]

My ds started guitar lessons at 6yo and after a few months wanted to quit because his hands were too small to play what he wanted to play and the young guy teaching him was not very experienced. He quit for about 8 months then went back to it again at a little over 7yo and took off. He plays professionally now and teaches workshops in his preferred style.

[hepatica]

Guess it depends on what you are looking for. All three of my children learned in a Suzuki classical guitar program. They started at ages 3 and 4. There is absolutely no problem starting guitar at these ages, but you do need small (child size, not petite adult) guitars. If you want classical music education then this is the way to go. My children are 15, 12 and 8 now, and all three are accomplished musicians. They play in classical ensembles and a guitar orchestra. My middle child is also now learning electric guitar. 

 

If you are not going into a program with appropriately sized guitars then it is probably best to wait a few years. You could try piano or something else in the interim.

[Bluegoat]

Guess it depends on what you are looking for. All three of my children learned in a Suzuki classical guitar program. They started at ages 3 and 4. There is absolutely no problem starting guitar at these ages, but you do need small (child size, not petite adult) guitars. If you want classical music education then this is the way to go. My children are 15, 12 and 8 now, and all three are accomplished musicians. They play in classical ensembles and a guitar orchestra. My middle child is also now learning electric guitar. 

 

If you are not going into a program with appropriately sized guitars then it is probably best to wait a few years. You could try piano or something else in the interim.

 

I don't think many people have kids take guitar lessons on adult sized guitars these days - child sized ones that aren't terrible are reasonably priced.  Many kids seem to have issues with finger strength even with an appropriately sized guitar.

[hepatica]

I don't think many people have kids take guitar lessons on adult sized guitars these days - child sized ones that aren't terrible are reasonably priced.  Many kids seem to have issues with finger strength even with an appropriately sized guitar.

 

I think the finger strength issue comes from having kids doing chords before their fingers have developed enough strength. That is the beauty of the Suzuki repertoire. Most kids will have been playing for about two years before they encounter any chords, and even then it's just a two-finger chord. Over the last decade, I have seen many, many children ages 3, 4 and 5 begin on tiny guitars and have no problem. 

[eternallytired]

My son started at 6.5.  I've never heard of the Suzuki guitar program, but he's working with Childbloom, which offers lessons for 5+ and has locations around the country.  Having done Suzuki violin as a kid, I see a lot of similarity.  Childbloom recommends half-hour lessons in a group of 2-4, with 3 being the ideal number.  (And while I was skeptical of group lessons, it is more fun to go and see friends each week and it's fulfilling to learn early on how to play in an ensemble and adjust to other people's pacing.)  They start by learning proper technique through playing pieces that are noted by string number and fret number, and then once their technique is solid they move to learning to read music a few notes at a time.  It's a classical program, which DS likes a lot because you play the melody--not just random chords that don't really sound that much like the song you wanted to learn.  That said, after learning to read music, they do learn standard chords, as well. 

 

We got a 1/4 size Cordoba Protege, which was recommended to us by Childbloom as being a reasonably-priced but well-made option.

[redsquirrel]

My son started guitar at age 14 after about 10 years of piano lessons.  His teacher is a skilled music teacher, who teaches at a music school. He mostly teaches piano privately, but made an exception for my son.  My son was going to quit music if we kept doing piano, so his teacher agreed to let him switch to guitar.

 

His teacher will work with piano students as young as 3-4, but prefers older students for an instrument like guitar. There are a lot of things to take into account, such as hand size and strength. Also the ability to move the hands when you can't see them is a big deal. It's one reason why many instruments aren't started until older elementary or middle school. Piano can be a great first instrument because you can see your hands in action. That said, he wouldn't not allow a student to study guitar if that was what she really wanted, as long as the parents know that progress will be slow. If it doesn't bother them, then it wouldn't bother him.

 

I've heard of the Suziko guitar program, we have a full blown suzuki music school in our town, but there wasn't a teacher for guitar.  if I had a young child who wanted to play guitar, then I personally would look into that method for that particular instrument. I like Suzuki, but I don't think it is the be all and end all of music instruction. However, it can be useful for instruction of some instruments that aren't typically offered to very young kids.

[Paige]

I don't think many people have kids take guitar lessons on adult sized guitars these days - child sized ones that aren't terrible are reasonably priced.  Many kids seem to have issues with finger strength even with an appropriately sized guitar.

 

This was our problem. My dad got DD a child sized guitar. My dad plays and has about 10 guitars and knows a good guitar. Two music store managers also looked at it and said it was a good instrument. The managers played it themselves and said it was fine and had a good tone. The instructor in our group lesson was prejudiced against child sized guitars and told her it was a toy, wasn't good, etc., and she felt terrible. Mr Instructor wanted her to get a big guitar, which we did. My intent was to show him how ridiculous it would be, and he agreed once he saw her with it, but by then the damage was done. DD refused to use her small guitar which made it drastically harder to learn. 

 

Even on the small guitar, DD had trouble enduring sore fingers and holding it up correctly, however. She's about the size of an average 6yr old, so ymmv.