Guitar for 7 yr old??

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 09:50 PM

Baritone uke is a good idea until they figure out it's not a guitar and can't sound like one. Until then it'll go swimmingly.

Find the players comfort zone by trying several instruments according to the ample advice here, and get the one which suits.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 06:39 PM

What about a baby Taylor?

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 04:20 PM

Yes, old geezer! Baritone ukes are great for young folks to start with.

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: GUEST,the old geezer
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 04:04 PM

I've been teaching Guitar for many decades, and it took a couple of them for me to figure out that if the child begins on a Baritone Ukulele, it is small enough to fit their little hands & body. It is tuned to the same notes as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th strings of a Guitar,[D-G-B-E from low to high] and it has nylon strings to boot. Since it only has four strings, the neck is much more comfortable for little fingers & hands. Anyone who plays Guitar can help her play simplified chords--just like fingering an open chord except only use the fingers you'd use for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th strings. One can get a decent Baritone Ukulele for about $50-$60 at most any Music store which carries a variety of Musical Instruments. Then as the child grows, their fingers will be ready for a Guitar, & the parents have had time to save up $$ for a good one.

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 03:08 PM

When I was a kid, I was discouraged by nylon-string guitars. My fingers couldn't hold down the thick nylon strings (they kept popping out from underneath my fingers) and I didn't like the sound they produced. It didn't sound like the guitar-sound that my 1960s folk-idols were producing (on steel-string acoustic guitars), though I was too young to know why and no one explained the reason to me. Also, all I had access to was a cheap guitar with frets all out of position etc. Consequently, I didn't learn to play guitar until I was in college and got a steel-string starter guitar.

My advice to nosluap57: Find out what kind of guitar music your granddaughter likes before purchasing a guitar. If she likes the classical-guitar sound, go classical. If she prefers acoustic and has no objection to forming calluses on her fingers, find a small acoustic guitar and string it with extra-light strings or silk-and-steel-wound strings, perhaps tuned a whole-step down to lessen the tension until she builds up some finger strength and calluses. Or, as Richie suggests, she may prefer the electric guitar (in which case, you should consult her parents about how much noise they'll permit!)!

Or is it her dream to play a totally different instrument?

This "taste factor", plus the choice of a quality instrument itself (and PLEASE make sure you get a quality instrument!), may require more research than you have time to do a week before Christmas. But who says it has to be a Christmas present? You could give it for her 8th birthday... or as a special present any time of year! (Valentine's Day, perhaps?)

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: GUEST,Sapper at work, heading for Ilford railway d
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 01:57 PM

My daughter was about 7 when she started to play classical and at 14 she has just passed her grade 6!
If you are i n the UK, we may have a suitable guitar we could pass on for a nominal fee!

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 08:50 AM

Yes
Listen to kendall

Though if you are short on cash, don't make the mistake of spending money on just a guitar that could be spent on a guitar and lessons!

Kids need lessons or they don't know what to do (in most cases)

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 08:29 AM

kendall...Good advice. The number of disappointed players with cheap axes as you describe far outnumber the satisfied ones, particularly if the student has any kind of ear. This issue is a major one for instructors (I have about 55 students currently), and advice often not heeded by those actually making the purchase.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: kendall
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 08:11 AM

Don't go for cheap as top priority. If you buy something that is impossible to tune, she won't stay with it and you won't be able to sell it to anyone who knows the difference.
Consider a major brand baby size.

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: s&r
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 03:44 AM

We teach a lot of seven year old children. Generally 3/4 size classical(nylon) is ok unless the child is small for her age. Steel strings tend to give problems with small soft weak fingers: making music should not hurt. We have good starting material for this age group. PM me and I'll send you some of the pieces we use


Stu

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 06 - 10:22 PM

Go to shopgoodwill.com and buy a small First Act guitar and string it with soft strings. You will pay about twenty five to thirty dollars...

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: Mooh
Date: 17 Dec 06 - 10:09 PM

Agreed. Many if not most 7 year olds can't handle much string tension, especially on steel; and unless she's inordinately large for her age, get a nylon strung guitar.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: Leadfingers
Date: 17 Dec 06 - 10:00 PM

I will go along with Ritchie - A SMALL nylon strung will be easier to play , but PLEASE make sure its not too big for her !

Subject: RE: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: Richie
Date: 17 Dec 06 - 09:01 PM

Nylon strings are easier to play.

Next easiest is electric guitar.

Last is acoustic steel string.

You can pick up an small size (1/2 size) or 3/4 size for around $50 in North Carolina.

Make sure you get a smaller size.

Richie

Subject: Guitar for 7 yr old??
From: nosluap57
Date: 17 Dec 06 - 08:49 PM

I would like to buy a guitar for my 7 year old granddaughter.

I am trying to decide which would be easier for her to learn on, a classical, or an acoustic.

I would rely on my experience when I first started, but I was quite a bit older, so it may not be meaningful.

Your advice and thoughts will help make a sweet little girl very happy this Christmas.

Thanks.