Choosing the right size guitar for your child

So your son (or daughter of course) has decided that they want to learn a musical instrument, and after much deliberating they have chosen the guitar. So you leave the music shop with a dreadnought style acoustic guitar and wait for your daughter (or son) to become a rock star, only to discover that the neck is too thick or they can’t even reach over the instrument. What a lot of parents don’t realise is that the guitar that you choose can have a big impact on your learning. Let’s start with the size of the guitar. Imagine trying to play a keyboard on the top shelf at the supermarket, pretty much the same as a four year old trying to play a dreadnought acoustic. Guitars come in four different sizes; ¼ size, ½ size, ¾ size and full size. A small child (or person) should test out all of these sizes to check which would be most appropriate. Make sure that they can touch their first finger and their thumb around the neck, and that they can reach all the strings with their right hand. Most importantly, however, make sure that they find it comfortable to hold and play, because obviously this is most important. Size of guitar is very important for the learner.

Another thing to ponder upon is the kind strings that the type of guitar you choose uses. If you are picking a guitar up for the first time, it would be best to go for nylon strings. Steel strings can be a bit uncomfortable on untrained hands. There are a few differences between types of strings, so I suppose that they should be listed. Nylon strings are the most comfortable, and they have a softer sound. Unfortunately this lilting sound is not favoured by the younger, noisier generation, who would much prefer the sound that a steel string acoustic guitar makes. Steel strings however, are thicker and harder on the fingers. This can put a person off from playing the guitar, as they will have sore fingers every time they pick the guitar up for the first few months. It should be explained to the learner that, no matter how rubbish the nylon strings sound to them, they will have a positive effect on their learning. If that does not work then try bribing them with chocolate or sweets. The nylon strung (or classical) guitars are recommended for new guitarists, and they won’t be a waste of money because classical guitars can be used for classical music, which is an entirely different genre with new challenges for an experienced player.

Chances are that if your child says that it wants a guitar, they will mean an electric guitar. These are the ‘cool’ guitars that make a big noisy sound. Which, to be honest, is probably the last thing that you want around the house at ten o’clock at night when you have work in the morning. Point taken, but also, these types of guitars are, in this teacher’s experience, not fantastic for learning on. Unamplified, they don’t pick up the subtle mistakes that everybody makes at first very well. This can lead to sloppy playing in the future, which isn’t particularly good. Acoustic guitars also have quite a percussive sound which is handy for helping with rhythm. For a decent electric guitar with a decent amp and a decent lead, it will set you back at least £200. That’s being optimistic. You can pick up a good sounding acoustic with good action for just over £100 easily. You also don’t have to worry about possible expensive repairs if the electronics go wrong. The acoustic guitar is also probably the more difficult of the two to master; this has positive effects on your electric playing when you come to it.

So the guitar that you choose will definitely impact your playing, especially if it is your first guitar. Learning on the wrong size guitar can create serious problems, such as the inability to stretch on a guitar that is too big, could result in bad habits. So choose carefully and if in doubt call John at www.musiccorner.co.uk on +44 161 303 9966 and he can give advise on the guitars we sell.

or see our range of children's guitars at http://www.musiccorner.co.uk/Guitar-Shop-Small-Childrens-Guitars-Cases/c4941_4697/index.html