How young to start on guitar

Mark, you son's age should not be a barrier in learning to play guitar. Like a lot of things, guitars come in various sizes and there are numerous guitars sized for children and small hands. I always recommend starting children out with music lessons as it allows them to learn the fundamentals early and also provides some encouragement and accountability for them. A good guitar teacher can assess the size of your son's hands and direct you toward appropriately sized instruments. You'll need to decide between an electric or acoustic model - electrics tend to be a little easier to play and probably have more of a fun factor for kids but they're also more expensive with the amplifier; your son will probably let you know his preference. Most online and brick & mortar music vendors offer starter packs that include what you will need starting out and are reasonably priced.

As far as the frustration factor goes, children (like adults) vary in their level of maturity and frustration tolerance. How does he do in school learning new concepts? How about at home learning to ride a bike? Play a new sport? Learn a new video game? If he generally does well in these areas and you can get him past learning to play an F chord, he should be fine.

The research is clear that children who learn music theory and how to play an instrument do better at math and academically in general. It's a skill that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. Now that your son has expressed an interest in playing guitar, strike while the iron's hot; the benefits are many.

Hey Mark,

I think you've received some really great advice so far in this discussion, touching on all the bases.  I wanted to add some emphasis to the learning-music-theory aspect. If you really want to give your son the wonderful life-long gift of being able to express himself via music, I would highly recommend finding someone that can teach him music theory and get him started right away. Now will be the easiest time for him to learn it, or I should say begin learning it, since the endless nuances and ways to apply the knowledge, new instruments he'll take an interest in, etc., will provide him with a seemingly infinite pallet of opportunities to learn more.

You could just buy him a guitar and see what happens, but if you want to dramatically reduce the hauntingly high odds of it fading away to the "I used to play..." status (typically due to the frustrations of the learning challenges, whether initially or even later, along the way), focus on his entering the world of music theory as establishing the foundation on which he will then be empowered to build in his future. Knowing the theory, he will no doubt be perpetually intrigued by how it applies to the guitar as well as the many other musical instruments he encounters in life, and will likely be one of those guys that seems to be able to quickly learn to play any of them he happens to take an interest in.

Since your son is showing the interest in the guitar, you may want to seize the opportunity and consider striking a deal with him to begin learning music theory first, with the incentive of his getting an instrument a few weeks, or months later (depending on how his interest evolves). It won't be what he has in mind, of course, but it would be really effective in making the guitar, and any other instrument(s) he chooses in the future much easier to begin learning and more importantly, continue in learning to master.

Kevin W.

After reading through this, I have to say there are a lot of good points posted.  My nine year old has recently decided to learn to play the guitar so he can "rock out" with dad, and I was very supportive of it.  He is musically inclined, is learning to play the saxophone, and seems serious about it.  I checked with the local music store about lessons (I still take lessons with a private teacher) and they told me that they don't accept students under 12 years old.  However, my guitar instructor is willing to take him on as a student.  I have taught him basic open chords and powerchords, but I feel that he would benefit from a professional teacher with more patience and skill than I have.  I think it's important to start out with a qualified guitar instructor because this instrument is quite difficult to play and easy to develop bad initial habits which can be hard to break.  Like they say; you won't have a solid house unless you have a solid foundation.

With regards to handling a guitar, I feel it's better to start children with a full-sized instrument as long as they are comfortable reaching the frets and handling the weight of the guitar.  You can buy smaller scale guitars, but at the ages of 8, 9, 10 or so they will grow quickly and the instrument will not fit them as well.  Electric guitars are a great choice for many reasons, including the fact that they will produce sounds that will make the kids feel like "rock stars".  And really, like most things, it all boils down to how the child feels.  If they like it and enjoy playing, they will play more often and will tolerate the monotony of scales and finger exercises if they are getting sounds that make them feel "cool".  So I have no problem with a kid who wants to practice minor pentatonic scales with the gain maxed out on their 10W amp.  The point here is that they are doing it, enjoying it, and learning.

When buying a guitar, most music dealers sell starter packs.  A lot can be bought in the $200 range and are of adequate quality for a child who wants to learn.  If they decide they don't like it, in many cases the package can be sold and much of the initial cost can be recovered.  Many of the guitars are modeled after Fender's Stratocasters with similar style, colors, and tremolo, but in my opinion these fulcrum tremolo guitars are not a great choice for new players due to the fact that (in my experience) these units, expecially the introductory models, go out of tune quickly, are difficult to set the intonation on, and the lure of the fulcrum tremolo is distracting and disheartening for new players.  Keeping it as simple as possible is the key here.  Save the whammy bar for later on when they can actually learn how to use it.  Buying a more expensive guitar won't make your child a better player initially.  But if you can learn to play well on a "lower level" guitar, a better guitar will be more appreciated later when the skills warrant a better unit.

Should you allow your child to learn the guitar at a young age?  Absolutely.  With the current trend toward eliminating music education in schools, if you have a child interested in learning music, it's only responsible to help them out as these arts are slowly disappearing from our society.  My best recommendation would not be for what guitar to buy, or what brand is better, or what "do it yourself" book is best, but to locate the best guitar instructor you can.  In the whole realm of learning the guitar, it's the best investment you can make.    

I see that Kelly McGann of Music123 is recommending something cheapoer than the Yamaha.  I have no connections with the shop, but any place that doesn't try to sell overpriced stuff when it is not necessary gets my vote. Anyone wishing to buy an instrument could do a lot worse than discussing it with the customer service reps here (and taking other independent advice, of course, to be sensible).