What and where can I purchase a guitar beginner 6 year old?

I have always been musically inclined and my son is ready to learn an instrument and he chose the guitar! I am a violinist, so I loved the choice (no matter what it was). I don’t know much about guitars and wanted to know if anyone had any insight for my 6 year old. And, does anyone know a good quality beginner guitar produced for young players like my son?

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Tags: beginner, guitar, purchase, year

3 Responses to “What and where can I purchase a guitar beginner 6 year old?”

1. bevrossg says:

   May 12, 2010 at 3:06 pm

   Check and see if there are any Suzuki – type guitar classes. A music store might know.
2. Brian D says:

   May 12, 2010 at 4:05 pm

   You can get the little acoustic guitar made by First Act for about $20 at Target, Toys R Us and other places. I bought one for my son when he was three. It’s actually a pretty decent instrument – especially for the price.

   If you want to jump into a higher quality instrument right away you might want to check out a baby Taylor made by Taylor guitars. I’m not sure on the price but I’m guessing they are around $300?

   Whatever you decide on, make sure the guitar isn’t too big for him. The average “dreadnought” style acoustic guitar does not work well for young children.

   From my experience as both a father and guitar teacher I think that you should take it slowly with him and make things more like a game than work. If you get private lessons make sure the teacher has experience with kids this age. Go for 15 minute lessons – 30 minute lessons are too long!

   I host the free Beginning Guitar Podcast at http://www.MyOnlineGuitar.com/wordpress It’s not geared towards children but it is something that you could listen to together and you could help pass the information along to him. Since you already play violin you will have no trouble at all doing that.

   Best of luck to you both,
   Brian
   http://www.MyOnlineGuitar.com
3. R U Kind says:

   May 12, 2010 at 8:08 pm

   Ovation makes a 3/4 size that is perfect for young beginners. Mostly because it’s close to indestructible. My son started at six on his 3/4 Ovation and he is still playing and learning at twenty one. You want a guitar that has enough quality to do things like stay in tune over an extended period of time. A lesser expensive guitar will most likely have “cheap” tuning mechanisms and tend to not stay in tune for very long. Not good when you have a young one that just wants to play.
   Lessons for a young person should be mandatory. It’s not fair to a young human to put an instrument in their hands and expect them to figure out how to play it. The trick is to get them playing early. It keeps them interested in playing and thirsty for more. A good teacher can greatly help them keep interested in playing. I agree with Brian that you should start them slow and make it as fun as possible. We took our son to see the “Greats” as they came through town. A live performance by an accomplished musician can be a powerful thing to a young mind. There’s nothing like giving a young person an up front example of how fun it can be to play guitar. As soon as your young one progresses to a full size guitar have them get a Don’t Fret Note Map for their guitar. It will be one of the best things you do for them short of giving them good lessons from a good teacher.