Danny White;2016806 said:
I know quite a few of y'all play the guitar here.
My son, who just turned 7, has expressed an interest in learning.
Wanted to see from those who play what they think a good age is to introduce a kid to the guitar?
Also, he's far more interested in playing the electric guitar, so I wanted to see how much of a difference there is between learning one or the other (acoustic versus electric)? Should he try learning on an acoustic first and then transition over if he really gets into it, or can someone learn on an electric first?
Lastly, if he's just getting started, any recommendations on a good starter guitar for a little kid?
Thanks in advance!
There are two things to consider with the acoustic vs electric question.
You can start and learn on either. Some argue that it is better to start on acoustic as normally the starter/cheaper guitars are harder to play due to the string action. By string action I mean the distance the strings are from the fret board.
It can be tougher on the fingers of a starter (will be tough anyways starting) but it will be much tougher on most acoustics compared to electrics.
So if they can get the acoustic down, when they do eventually move to electric they will find it easier to play in most cases.
However as I said you can start on either guitar. Sometimes when first starting out if you start with an acoustic it can be somewhat boring because you want to rock out with an electric with the amp going and some distortion and so on...depending on what type of music he would want to play.
Another thing to consider is if you get an acoustic, chances are you will hear him playing it even if he is in another room, but if you get an electric guitar and amp...you can get him a pair of headphones to plug into the amp. Just something to consider.
As far as starter guitars...since he is so young you may want to look into finding a guitar that fits him more than a full sized guitar. I know dean makes some guitars they call Baby Guitars...no they are not baby sized but they are a tad smaller than their normal sized guitars. I would imagine some other companies make similar guitar sizes as well.
You can go to
www.musiciansfriends.com and look for starter packs in guitars and they always have some cheaper guitar packs. Some will include the guitar, a gig bag, an electric tuner (electric tuner is good for a beginner), strap, picks and an amp. Some starter packs vary so you would just have to see which one gives the best items.
When the kid is starting out, you really don't want to pay for an expensive top of the line guitar and amp only for him to be bored with it after a month or so.
It will be hard getting his finger tips used to fretting and getting muscle memory for his fingers while he learns chords and notes so it can be frustrating for someone, especially of that age. However the beauty of starting that young is if he is really into and keeps up with it he can become pretty good in a short period of time...esp with live guitar lessons.
I can not stress enough how much quicker one can learn and grow with someone there to actually play guitar with them as opposed to trying to learn it all out of a book or video.
Hope that helps out some.
Links to electric guitar value/starter packs
Link to acoustic/electric (they are acoustic guitars in shape and can play alone, but also have the ability to be plugged into an amp as an electric
Link to acoustic starter/value packs
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