Monthly Archives: June 2014

Guitarists love gear! But what do 7-year-old beginners actually need? And are there some things that they totally don’t need?

A scaled down guitar?
Definitely, if you are serious about pupils learning a good, reliable, adaptable  technique. You would not try to learn any other instrument, or any other sport or hobby, using equipment that was the wrong size for the pupil. Why do parents persist in sending their 7-year-old children to lessons with full size guitars?

A footstool?
Yes. If you want to teach pupils a good, flexible, adaptable technique (see above) then you need the guitar tilted and the fingerboard up Continue reading →

If I had to nominate an ideal age to start guitar, I would probably say seven. There seems to be general agreement on this among the teachers I know, and among parents too, judging by the number of new enquiries I get every year for pupils around this age.

Seven seems to be a sort of golden mean. You can start younger, but children’s hands (or minds) will often not be ready for the task. You can of course start later (you can start any time) but at seven you have time on your side. Continue reading →