Guitars for kids

I believe letting them find themselves in whatever they decide to play. Whether is guitar, piano, trumpet, etc. They'll find what works for them. If you push them into something they may not want to do, they will push back. My daughter for example has grew up on music. Nothing has been pushed on her and now she's just a ham for the stage. She's 9, sings, plays guitar, keyboards and has entertained with many local and pro bands.

Only lessons she's had is watching and listening to the numerous musicians she's around from day to day. Sure some them have showed little tricks of the trade (including myself), which has advanced her musically beyond most. It's what she wants to do. Also when they see the attention it brings, they'll fall in love with the limelight too.

Good luck on your endeavor.

joe

PS.. the small guitars such as the 3/4 guitars are hard to get and keep intonated.

My grandson started taking lessons at age 7 (about 10 months ago). He's doing very well with it.

Are there any features out there that I should be concerned with when looking for an acousitic guitar. Other than the size of course, should I be looking at nylon vs. steel strings (can you buy a nylon and upgrade to steel later), how do the starter guitar sets at Sears measure up (I believe they are Yamaha), etc.

As far as features, the main 'feature' of beginning guitars should be that they will accomodate a young learner, guitars need to be able to intonate, stay in tune and be comfortable.

When you're asking about nylon to steel upgrading: You can't put steel strings a guitar meant for nylon strings (well, you can, but you don't want to) if that's what you mean.

Apparently traditional wisdom has dictated that the nylon string acoustic is the way to start. I tend to disagree with this, as I think electric guitars are just as easy to play, and have an added "cool" factor that's super important to kids.

Of course, you want to buy for the learner, not yourself. If they're not interested in an electric, then that's a poor choice, the same goes for the nylon string or any other instrument you're considering. A musical instrument is a very personal decision, let the person who is going to use it help make the decision.

At six, it's size that matters most. A 6-year old won't be able to even come close to handling a full size guitar.

3/4 size and 1/2 size guitars are available, but harder to find. I have a 9 year old student who's working with a 3/4 size, and it's just a hair too big for him yet - at 6, I'd almost certainly recommend a 1/2 size guitar.

Two quick rules of thumb for figuring out a guitar size for a very young student: first, it's critical that their hand be able to reach at least a 3-fret span without forcing a stretch. Four frets is even better, but kids grow - if they can reach 3, we can start with basic finger development. Second, they need to be able to handle the instrument. If they stand next to it, and the headstock is more than a few inches higher than their waist, it's too big - when they hold it, the fretting arm will stretch out too far to be comfortable, their picking hand will be awkward in reaching over the guitar, and they'll end up having to hold the face of the guitar at too large an angle - which puts strain on the fretting hand wrist.

Even if it's the right size, it's hard to handle. Although the guitars are smaller, the bouts (the two thickest parts of the body) conform to the shape of a full size guitar... and a half size guitar really isn't half size, it's just called that. That part can be worked around - if you have an instrument that she can reach, have her sit right at the side of her chair, so the bottom of the lower bout hangs over the chair edge.

As far as stings go, get nylon. They require less pressure to get a good tone, so they're not as frustrating for a young beginner. That means either getting a classical style (which means you'll need to learn how to tie a classical knot for her - young fingers usually aren't dextrous enough yet), or searching for a store that carries ball-end nylon strings.

One last thing to realize about half size guitars is tuning... since the scale length is a lot shorter, the strings will have more slack in standard tuning. That means they'll buzz against the frets. You've got a choice of using standard tuning with higher action, or having the guitar set up for a higher tuning - I'd go with GCFBbDG tuning (standard tuning a third higher) and a good setup. That will make it a bit easier on her fingers... but you'll need to make sure her teacher knows that's how it's set up, and the teacher (and you, if you want to jam with her) will need to capo at the third fret.

I agree with undercat that electrics are as easy to fret, but finger pressure isn't the only consideration. Electric guitars in half size tend to be junk - at least all the ones I've seen - and 3/4 size present the same problems with finger reach, in addition to being a lot heavier than an acoustic. For a 6-year old, I'd go acoustic with nylon strings.

We found a teacher for my son who recommended a Jay Jr. 3/4 size acoustic with steel strings.
She also recommended, since he was only six, that I might want to take lessons with him - I've only been playing for about a month, trying to self-teach myself.
So, last night we had our first lesson together and we had a great time. My son is very enthusiastic to play and seems to have some good rhythm in his strumming - probably better than mine!
Thanks for all the replies.