Guitar for five year old

[Mickeyboro]

My granddaughter wants to play! Great news, but what to get her?

This has been suggested. General or specific recommendations/comments would be welcome!

 

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Junior-1-2-Classical-Guitar-Pack-Pink-by-Gear4music/19EL

Edited April 27 by Mickeyboro

[PaulThePlug]

Something that makes them want to pick it up, if thats pink, or one with skulls on... often the smaller sizes are still quite deep.

 

How about a small encore type electric? Or a diddy Strat Squier or Harley B type  Might be a little easier to fret and get a note to sound and keep the momentum.

[Skinnyman]

I read the title of this thread and my first thought was “Sounds like a good swap”.

 

😁

[leftybassman392]

I taught guitar in schools for many years. Here's a few thoughts you may want to bear in mind

 

Dunno about recent changes that might have taken place, but county music services used not to like working with kids under 7. 

 

That said, if the student is keen and the teacher/parent is prepared to put in the work (and be patient - a quality you will need in spades), I don't see why not.

 

Just a few pointers if I may:

 

1. Start small - as in 1/4 size guitars. There's no point in giving her a guitar with a neck she can't get her fingers round, as it will likely kill her enthusiasm stone dead.

 

2. I would suggest nylon strung at this stage. (tbh I'm not sure you can even buy a 1/4 electric, and even if you can, chances are it'll be poor quality. Most small electrics I've come across have been absolute rubbish.) Then again, times have changed since I last taught, so things may have improved.

 

3. You'll need plenty of patience (did I say that already?). When you've been playing most of your life, it's very easy to forget that at 5, everything is new. Early progress is likely to be slow and painstaking, and most of the bad playing habits I've had to try and sort out over the years had been acquired early on.

 

4. If she can maintain interest, you might want to start looking for a tutor after a few months. As I said, a lot of tutors don't work with really young kids, but if you can find a good one who does, that would be worth considering.

 

 

As always in such matters, this is all just my opinion based on my years of experience. Feel free to ignore any or all of it.

 

 

[tauzero]

I started on classical guitar (my brother's, as it happens). Very difficult to play barre chords (I have a classical guitar now, and still find it difficult to play barre chords on, 55 years later). A steel-strung acoustic proved much easier to play.

[BabyBlueSound]

My 5yo has a cheapo uke she gets out every now and then, and I also share my u-bass with her.

 

At this age she doesn't really care about fretting, but the right hand rhythm is already starting to show as she's trying to mimic the music.

 

I guess it builds a foundation!

[bass_dinger]

I would suggest a ukulele. 

 

It looks like a guitar, but has fewer strings to worry about.

 

They are taught at school too, I am told.

 

Quality of the cheaper instruments vary, so, try before you buy.

 

[chris667]

Full disclosure:I make some of my living from teaching people how to play the ukulele. Not kids as a rule, and not generally beginners.

 

It depends on the kid, of course, but I think there are various types of ukulele depending on what she likes, and how much time you are willing to spend with her.

 

She can start off with any of the cheapo wooden ones and these are fine if you pick a good one but about 10% of them are completely unplayable. As a guitarist, you will be able to spot an unplayable one as it will be like an unplayable guitar.

 

If you can't find one secondhand, I like these Junior Rockstar ones at Smyths Toys:

 

https://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/toys/arts-crafts-and-music/musical-instruments-and-karaoke/musical-instruments/rockstar-ukulele-junior-pink-50cm/p/168154

 

 

Because they're moulded plastic they're totally reliable and all have perfect intonation and action, as well as being very tough. They need a lot of tuning (the tuners are awful but they do work) and if you ever leave them in a car on a hot day you'll find they melt - when you take them out of the car the action will most likely be about an inch at the 12th fret! 

 

If you are near Derby I have a nice purple one that you can have for the £2.50 I paid for it in a charity shop.

[Ruarl]

A pricier option, but these look like a good idea. 
 

https://loogguitars.com
 

3 top strings from a guitar, on a child-sized instrument. Less to learn, and transferable to big guitar later. 

[leftybassman392]

24 minutes ago, Ruarl said:

A pricier option, but these look like a good idea. 
 

https://loogguitars.com
 

3 top strings from a guitar, on a child-sized instrument. Less to learn, and transferable to big guitar later. 

 

I've not seen these before, and would be interested to know the educational thinking behind the 3-string idea. Quality-wise they seem ok (as much as I can tell from a photo). Bit pricey though I think. Probably best to go for the 6+ range and let her grow into it. Notwithstanding the flash cards and app, OP should still be prepared to spend time with her (IMHO, obvs.). It would be good to monitor progress regularly even if she seems happy with the app and cards. As I said before I think, most bad playing habits are acquired early and can be a pain to unravel further down the line.

 

As always, just my opinion.

 

 

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by leftybassman392

[chris667]

I thought these looked interesting but £149 at Gear4music. 😯

 

That's a big investment for something that  for most kids will be a piece of sculpture.

Edited 4 hours ago by chris667

[chris667]

Another thing - the curriculum for music teaching in uk schools centres around ukuleles and guitars. I get the three string idea but I think that these aren't ideal.