What is too young?

  • Thread starter Thread starter boogieman481
  • Start date Start date
B

boogieman481

New member
I have a friend that wants me to teach his daughter to play guitar. In fact, before he mentioned it to me she found out I was in a band and walked up to me and said "I wanna be a lead guitar player when I grow up!"... The girl is 5 years old. I am just thinking that this may be a bit too young to start her on guitar now. I have heard of people starting piano at that age but I would think that guitar in the beginning would be a little too physically demanding when your hands aren't developed yet. I am thinking that MAYBE I could get her to play open string chords on a small neck guitar with VERY light strings... but there is no way she could do bar chords. An thoughts/ideas/suggestions on the proper age to start?
 
Well I got my daughter one of those Daisy Rock acoustics and its very nice. The action is WAY low, about like my electric guitar, and the strings are as easy to fret.
Also, you can teach her one string melodies, as well as two and three string chords to start out.

BTW, my daughter was 8 when I got it for her but my son could manage it and he was 6.

I say, let her get started just take is slow. Playing happy birthday on the high E string to her friends could help her want to stay with it.
 
Back when I taught lessons, my youngest student was 6 yrs old. I personally think that is too young but his mother had talked to me before-hand and mentioned to keep the lessons fun and simple until he got old enough for his fingers to be effective on the fretboard. Heck, everyone is different, some mature faster than others, some get it some don't......some NEVER get it and should probably sell their stuff, BUT, if it brings them enjoyment, then the instrument is doing it's job for them!
 
No, it's not too young as long as the kid is getting something out of it. She may just learn to appreciate music a little more, but that's a good thing. Better ask what the expectations are. As long as it's low or no pressure, she could enjoy it and learn something.
 
boogieman481 said:
The girl is 5 years old. ..I would think that guitar in the beginning would be a little too physically demanding when your hands aren't developed yet.
Click to expand...

Have you seen the 4 y/o Asian kids wailing on violin or what-have-you? The "old enough" question is all about attention span and interest, not physical ability, IMO.

Are you able to seriously set up a guitar? I bought a $10 acoustic for my niece to beat on, it was pretty sucky. I found a set of itty bitty tuners for about $15, lowered the living hell out of the saddle and nut (each was at least three times higher than it should have been, you couldn't even tune it), and the thing is now completely playable. It's a little over 20" long, basically, in perfect scale to a toddler. A half-scale guitar would be fine for most five-year-olds.
 
I started at age 6. For the first year I wrapped myself around three chords. That has kept me pretty busy up to now.
 
You will have to make sure the action is super low. Kids at that age do not have tough skin and this can cause discomfort or pain which is the quickest way to turn them off. As far as the age thing, my daughter was playing single note meldoies on piano at 6 by ear and I had a hell of a job finding a teacher who would even contemplate teaching her, we eventually did and she still plays 30 years later.
 
I have given lessons to kids that young. You must never expect anything from them, especially practice. Their parents must never expect anything from them, like music. My advice is to teach them two or three simple chords, and then show them how many songs they can play with that simple knowledge.
 
An uncle showed me C, G, and D at age 4. Unfortunately he died and no one else took me serious about wanting to learn untill I was 9 and my sister's boyfriend showed me Am. The point I'm trying to make is that young kids can learn guitar if they really want to. The unfortunate thing is they do not have the strength needed to develope the finger dexterity and full size guitars are simply too bulky for most of them to handle. Young children can/will only learn what they want to, simple songs with 2 or 3 chords at most are best. Never push them to learn more, they will tell you when they are ready for something more complex. My theory is to introduce children to music at an early age, let them explore and experiment, then gently guide them into making music with an instrument. Lovingly correct them when they do something wrong and pour on the praise when they get something right. Never say or do anything to discourage them but at the same time always be honest with them. If they really want to learn they will bug you to show them more. If it's too hard they will tell you, if that happens just tell them, "We will come back to this some other time," so you don't loose their intrest while at the same time trying to expand their horizons. All you can do is have patience and show them as much as they are willing to or are capeable of learning.
 
I appreciate the input... I will talk to her parents and if they really want me to give her lessons, I will start her slow.
 
This is how my dad decided to work with me at a young age but it seemed to have worked well. I started playing when I was around 7 and I had some little old hand down from my uncle and my dad stuck some nylon strings on it. Talk about easy on young fingers :D Anyway after a year or so I remember he started to put real strings on it. After a few more years I got a full sized acoustic. Even though I'm assuming you'd want to take it easy on a young childs hands, playing the acoustic guitar for a good 7 years before I even touched an electric sure did strengthen my fingers. Then when I picked up an electric for the first time I felt like Superman. But that's just from my personal accounts.
 
Might wanna think classical.. Big nylon strings would be easier on the fingers, to learn individual notes on.. Chords with tiny hands across the wider fretboard might be a bit of a challenge though...

Rob
 
I think the real question here is how young is too young for groupies.
 
I think it was Kid Rock who once said in reference to the then pre-18 Olson twins... "If there's grass on the field.. PLAY BALL..!!!"

Rob
 
I started my daughters on violin at 4 . . . their teacher started her daughter at 18 months :eek:

I have a 1/4 scale classical guitar that is good for pint-sized kids.
 
I read somewhere that the synapses in the brain are still developing until a kid gets to be age 11 or 12, so by starting a kid off on lessons years before that, the synapses develop in a way to adapt to that activity. It's like the brain basically wires itself for whatever activity it is given during those years, so a kid who starts taking guitar lessons at 5, if he/she stick with it, with have a brain thats essentially wired for playing guitar by the time he/she is 11 or 12.

At least I think thats what it said. My folks didn't start me off on guitar until I was 13. :(
 
iwantmypie said:
my dad stuck some nylon strings on it. Talk about easy on young fingers
Click to expand...

I thought about a classical but the neck would be too wide... so the classical nylon strings would definatly be good... but would there be a tension issue putting the nylon strings on a acoustic guitar?
 
Would take a bit of neck rod adjustment, some nut cutting to take the wider strings, you'll have to tie a knot in the string ends since there's no ball end on classical strings and it MIGHT require larger holes in the tuners because of the larger strings, but it'd work...

Rob
 
mshilarious said:
I started my daughters on violin at 4 . . . their teacher started her daughter at 18 months :eek:

I have a 1/4 scale classical guitar that is good for pint-sized kids.
Click to expand...


At 18 months I was just starting to get the "taking a dump out of my pants" thing down. :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top