Choosing a guitar for your child may seem like a daunting task. At this early stage, it is important that you get something that is right for them and will help your child develop their love of playing the guitar. This article is written for you if your child is under ten, and they are interested in learning the guitar.
How do you decide which guitar is right for them?
When choosing a guitar for your child, the limiting factor is actually not the age of your child but their height.
Watch our video with Guitar Teacher Darryl for the full illustration of how to measure up a guitar for your child.
For your child, the first thing required if you need to sit them down and try out the guitars we are looking at today.
If you live in London and you are looking for guitar lessons, come to speak to us directly and we will help you pick the perfect guitar. If you are not based in London, you can still use this information when you go to a guitar store to find a guitar for your child. We would recommend going into a store with your child so you can see what fits them best.
First Thing To Do:
First thing you need to do is have your child sit down, and the first guitar you want to try is the ¾ classical guitar. Which looks like the following image:
The second guitar I would also check the size of is a full size electric guitar. It may seem odd considering a full size electric guitar for a child. As we will explain below, there are benefits to getting a full size electric guitar and specific reasons why a child can play a full size compared to an acoustic guitar.
With both those guitar, you want to check if the child can reach along the neck and also if they can stretch over the guitar to strum the strings of the guitar.
The 3/4 size classical guitar will fit most kids from age 6 and above. Very very rarely do I ever see a child needing a half size or even a quarter size guitar.
Benefit of Playing with a Full Size Electric Guitar for a Child:
The benefits on why it’s worth checking if they fit with a full size electric guitar is because:
1) The guitar can last a lot longer, even into their adulthood, so you don’t have to worry about them growing out of their guitar.
2) They also get more enthusiastic about playing because they can plug in the guitar, and sound like a rock star! (If you are worried about noise, they can practise nearly everything without the guitar plugged in and the electric guitar will be quieter than an acoustic guitar)
For an electric guitar, they come in various shape and sizes but generally they have a very thin body as you can see the image of Darryl, our guitar teacher with his electric guitar. This means your child can reach around easier to strum. The neck of the guitar is slightly longer than the ¾ classical guitar, but you may find your child can reach. There are plenty of videos with six-year-old kids playing full size electric guitars. This does not apply to full size acoustic guitars because they have a very large body, which makes them difficult to strum with shorter arms.
If you find the electric guitar to be more expensive. It is a much better investment as they won’t grow out of it and can keep their guitar till adulthood.
In summary, the steps you need to take are:
1. Take your child to a guitar store
2. If your child is above the age of 6, ask for a ¾ classical guitar and a full size electric guitar.
3. See if your child can comfortable reach the top of the neck to play the frets and be able to strum all the strings comfortably at the same time.
4. If they can reach the full neck on the full size electric guitar, this is more likely to be a better investment for you. Otherwise, the ¾ classical guitar will also work. If your child is still struggling, then a half size guitar may suit them better.
I hope this article has been helpful to you. If you are based in London and you are looking for guitar lessons for your child that will help them develop confidence, learn to understand music, build a skill for life, then come contact us, we will be more than happy to help you pick the right guitar for your child.
We have extensive experience in teaching kids and helping them become amazing guitar players, surpassing many adults who have been playing for more 20 years. We are so confident that we offer a free introductory lesson, so you can see what we offer here and ensure your child is ready to take the next step into the world of guitar.
Please click on the button below which will take you through to our contact form for you to contact us further.