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Ukulele or guitar?


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My little one wants to learn an electric guitar, but since he is only 7 his future teacher strongly suggests to start with an acoustic guitar or ukulele first. DS likes both of them the same and cannot decide which one to choose from. Maybe there are musicians here, who can tell me which instrument is the best to take right now considering that in 2 years or so DS is planning to switch to electric guitar, or it doesn't really matter?

 

Edited by rushhush08
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Well, I am learning the ukulele, and my dd9 started guitar when she was 7.  So I can give my non-expert opinion.

 

What I would say is that the guitar is a little harder, maybe especially for small kids.  Dd is quite a stubborn child, and learned to play chords, but a lot of little ones find they hurt their hands.  She also found she was limited a bit - once she got to some of the more physically difficult chords, she simply couldn't do them.

 

Some teachers don't teach little ones chords, but then there is a question of whether or not the child will find that satisfying - it won't necessarily sound the way he expects.

 

The uke is pretty easy, and easier on the hands for sure.  But you can get fairly far with it, if you really want to.  It's also easy to carry around, and not so much of an investment.

 

Since I started playing the uke last Christmas, my dd taught herself more chords on it than she knew on the guitar, and is having a ton of fun with it.

 

Anyway - it sounds like I am coming down on the side of the uke - really, I would go by his personality and maybe the size and strength of his hands.  If he's likely to get frustrated with the guitar, go for the use, otherwise let him choose.

Edited by Bluegoat
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My DD plays both classical guitar and ukulele. My DS plays acoustic guitar and bass (electric) guitar. If your ultimate goal is electric guitar, then an acoustic (steel string) or classical (nylon string) will translate much easier to electric. Ukulele is easier to play but the chords and strings are different than guitar.

 

When learning guitar, make sure you get a size that fits your child, and not a guitar that's too large. For the first few weeks, expect sore fingers. Five minutes of practice every day will go much farther than 30 minutes of practice 2-3 times per week. After about a month, the fingertips will develop calluses and it won't hurt anymore.

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I've taught beginners (mostly teens) on guitar as well as ukulele. I also have (not especially fond) memories of studying guitar as a little kid when the instrument was nearly bigger than I was.

 

The exact chord names aren't played the same, but the forms are the same (with the understanding that the standard 4-string ukulele is similar to the higher four strings of the 6-string guitar). So C major on ukulele is analogous to G major on guitar; F major on ukulele is like C major on guitar. And, of course, the I - IV relationship between the two chords remains the same. The fingers shift the same way when changing from chord to chord. If you took off the bottom two strings of a guitar, a ukulele player could almost immediately be right at home (larger size might be an issue).

 

I believe the huge advantage to beginning with ukulele over guitar is the very rapid learning curve. In a week, you can get good enough to be "performing" (which is mostly what music interest is about - kids don't want an instrument so they can "practice;" they want to "play"). You can quickly fit in with other players and do duets or play in a group. Having an honest discussion about goals might be very helpful. Many kids are interested in accompanying their own singing or in playing pop music. Classical guitar lessons with etude books and notation and tablature might not be the best approach. Pop and folk music is simple enough harmonically that with 3 or 4 chords learned, kids are able to play hundreds and hundreds of songs. It may be that's all they want. Or that may just be the start and they will get a desire to learn more and then those etudes will be just the thing.

 

Adding guitar later will be much easier if you already understand what chords are and how they are notated with symbols, how harmony in songs works, meter and basic strumming patterns, song forms, accompaniment, etc. Even things that might be considered "advanced" like transposition can be quickly learned on ukulele because for a number of different keys you are still talking only about one or two fingers. With the guitar, chords very quickly get to full and partial barres and three and four fingers. Little fingers aren't ready for those and frustration ensues.

 

A solid foundation of ukulele gets a lot out of the way and when you switch to the larger instrument with more strings, those basic concepts don't need to be explained all at the same time. And the kid is more developed physically, both in terms of hand/finger size and in terms of fine motor muscle control. As mentioned above, the investment is usually smaller too, so buying two instruments isn't financially crippling.

 

Now, there's lots about the huge field of music that ukulele isn't the best choice to teach - that's why in our family we also do piano and recorder and singing. But for starting out and generating excitement and a motivating kind of success (that isn't empty and unproductive), I'm sold on ukulele.

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Baritone ukuleles have the same finger patterns for chords as guitars, so they're a great starter instrument for kids. That's what my middle daughter took.  She never went on to guitar, but the teacher's other students did.  They have one less string than a guitar, so when you switch over to guitar, the kid just has to learn where to place a finger on that one string.  Other ukuleles, as I understand it, do not have the same finger patterns for chords, so the transition isn't as smooth.

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I'm confused by the above - standard ukuleles, even baritone ones, have 4 strings; guitars have 6.

 

(5-string ukuleles do exist, but these uncommon variants seem to be high end - $500 vs. $100 or less for an entry-level concert uke.)

 

If a student can handle the larger size of the baritone, and you don't mind paying perhaps twice the cost of a concert ukulele, then go for it. But for a 7 year old (OP), it might be unnecessarily adding a size obstacle.

 

 

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I'm confused by the above - standard ukuleles, even baritone ones, have 4 strings; guitars have 6.

 

(5-string ukuleles do exist, but these uncommon variants seem to be high end - $500 vs. $100 or less for an entry-level concert uke.)

 

If a student can handle the larger size of the baritone, and you don't mind paying perhaps twice the cost of a concert ukulele, then go for it. But for a 7 year old (OP), it might be unnecessarily adding a size obstacle.

 

I must've remembered it wrong.  Maybe it is 2 strings.  All the younger students at the studio, even young ones at 6 and 7 years old (when my daughter started) were using bari ukes with the intention of switching to guitar later.  Baris are certainly bigger than the other ukes but not at all a size obstacle for kids that young.  Keeping the fingering the same but adding in a couple of other fingers when switching to a guitar is a huge plus compared to using a uke that uses different fingerings. Why would someone choose a harder transition option when a smoother transition option exists and is in a closer sounding range to a guitar?

 

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This article has a little description of a tenor guitar (which is more like an octave mandolin without the double courses of strings) and a baritone ukelele (which is like a guitar without the two lowest strings.)

 

http://www.sixwatergrog.com/2013/03/is-that-tenor-guitar-or-baritone-ukulele.html

 

Edited by laundrycrisis
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Guitar. It is the same as an electric, as far as stringing therefore scales, chord patterns, etc. will be the same. The ukulele is a different instrument entirely. It is a fun one, but if the goal is to play electric start with acoustic guitar. Also, don't buy a toy. Make sure you get an actual instrument that plays well and stays in tune. Martin, which is a premium guitar maker, makes an excellent 3/4 sized instrument made of synthetic material (The Little Martin) that plays well and takes a bit more of a beating than the wood instrument. We have one that dd started on at age 9. It is still the one everyone grabs for a quick play. Have fun!

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Baritone ukuleles have the same finger patterns for chords as guitars, so they're a great starter instrument for kids. That's what my middle daughter took.  She never went on to guitar, but the teacher's other students did.  They have one less string than a guitar, so when you switch over to guitar, the kid just has to learn where to place a finger on that one string.  Other ukuleles, as I understand it, do not have the same finger patterns for chords, so the transition isn't as smooth.

If we choose ukulele it will be soprano only

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Thank you guys for your intake.

All of you have the strong points, but now I am completely lost and not sure what in the end we have to go for  :001_smile:

I think I should ask ds to point at one instrument and buy it on the spot as I hate choosing things for someone else. Beside I like both instruments. Both of the instruments have their own personalities and sound beautiful.

 

 

 

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Guitar. It is the same as an electric, as far as stringing therefore scales, chord patterns, etc. will be the same. The ukulele is a different instrument entirely. It is a fun one, but if the goal is to play electric start with acoustic guitar. Also, don't buy a toy. Make sure you get an actual instrument that plays well and stays in tune. Martin, which is a premium guitar maker, makes an excellent 3/4 sized instrument made of synthetic material (The Little Martin) that plays well and takes a bit more of a beating than the wood instrument. We have one that dd started on at age 9. It is still the one everyone grabs for a quick play. Have fun!

It's very nice guitar. I saw it with my own eyes, but the price!! :sad:

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I play both. I think which you should get depends on how serious they are about the guitar right now. 

You'll get a lot of mileage with a uke and you really can start playing "real" songs after just one or two lessons. That's a huge perk for kids. You'll learn to read chord charts, you'll learn strumming patterns, you'll learn lots of good stuff that will translate into playing guitar.

 

But if what she wants is to make real progress towards guitar RIGHT NOW, then she might just prefer to go with guitar. Based on my children, it would lead to far more frustration than it would be worth (ukes are just smaller, easier to handle, and easier for them to get their fingers on those little four strings instead of stretching out to get all six at times), but YMMV.

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It's very nice guitar. I saw it with my own eyes, but the price!! :sad:

$300 is a lot. I think it is well worth it. There are other options out there too. Honestly whatever you choose you'll want to get a decent instrument. playability and sound quality can make the difference between a beginner quitting or continuing. And you can always sell instruments when they're outgrown. Especially quality ones that hold their value.
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I'd not spend $300 on a guitar for a kid beginning unless I was very flush.  We spent about $100 and it's been fine, we picked the one the man at the store said stays in tune the best.

 

We'll spend on something more when she can get a small adult guitar.

 

OP - I'd really go with the ukulele.  It's really not hard to move from one to the other.  My dd, who as I said is stubborn, got to the limits she could on guitar chords within a year, and hasn't;t been able to move beyond that in almost three years - I expect she'll be able to once she has a growth spurt.  She learned twice as many ukulele chords within a week.  And she can read the chord charts and tabs for both - the method is identical.

 

If I were to do it over again we'd not start with the guitar.  A $100 Ukulele is quite nice, too, compared to a $100 guitar.

 

 

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It's a tough decision. I am feeling that Ds will stay without any instrument this year at all :w00t:

If your child has no real preference, how about the future teacher? Otherwise, go for the cheapest option! My kids each has a ukelele and they both love it. True that we also have a piano they both play. My younger daughter also plays the bassoon in school. The ukelele is a pretty cool instrument to play around with, alone or with friends, and easy to transport!

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