choosing a guitar for my daughter

My 9yo daughter has been asking about a guitar for about 3 years now. She hasn't really shown a true interest in LEARNING music until just a few months ago however, so we've not done a lot with anything other than her recorder. But recently she's been teaching herself basic songs on her "toy" 2.5-octave piano and the recorder, and I think it's time to actually start looking for an instrument for her.

We had a picnic in the park yesterday with the in-laws, and my SIL & I were discussing electric-versus-acoustic for little girls. My niece is 6 years old and learning on an electric guitar right now, because while she WANTS the acoustic, the electric is easier on her fingers. That sounds like a pretty good argument to me - for all that I know about guitar. Does anyone have any other opinions or suggestions though? My dad has played bluegrass, classical & folk guitar for longer than I've been alive, but I can't go to my dad about this... the first think he'd tell me is that it's acoustic or nothing. He's just a teensy bit biased, you see. Here's what I can think of to ask... but if anyone knows any other questions or suggestions, please share?!? This isn't quite my area of expertise and I'm not quite sure yet what even to be asking!

Looking at the company I'd have chosen first, I found a 3/4-size Fender Stratocaster on semi-permanent sale for just over $100. Budget-wise, that would be okay for us. Through other stores I also found ones by Squier, Hohner and Crestwood all within about $10 of each other. Is there another name out there? Would one of these be good? Is 3/4 the right size... or is she big enough for a full-size? (I'm rather doubting that, but am not sure - she's 4'7" tall right now and not likely to grow beyond 5'3") I have NO idea which brands are good, or last, or anything really. My dad plays strictly accoustic and has used the same guitar he brought home from Spain during the Vietnam War all my life... and has never really cared for electric, so he's not likely to know much about brand-names or dependability.

Also, what other "goodies" would be good or necessary to pick up for her? I know a bit of piano and have been trying to save up for a harp so I know just a bit about stringed instruments - but not enough to know what's "needed" and what's "fluff." I'm assuming a bag & the strap would be pretty necessary, but they all seem to come with those. What about electric tuners, mini-amps, extra strings, (is it better to have some on hand or get them as-needed since only one or two of the strings are likely to snap anyway?) or any of the other doodads they sell for these? And is there a brand of lesson-book that's "better" than the others, or is it pretty much personal preference - like it was with piano books?

Oh yes - I suppose another good question might be... would it be better if I were to learn a few months ahead of her, or alongside her? I read music - though not the guitar chords, and I was trained for over 6 years in classical piano & am self-taught in soprano recorder and alto wood-flute so I'm not starting "from scratch" musically, but while I have slightly stronger fingers I have no other experience (or finger calluses) with guitar other than a basic knowledge of "this is this, that is that... and here's how you make a chord" She on the other hand is relatively motivated musically, and has the very real capability of passing me up quickly if she were to apply herself. (motivation being just a bit tough to pre-judge with a 9-year-old)

I am thinking of picking one up for her somewhere between December & February so I've got some time to learn, compare, wait for sales & all that... I'm just not quite sure where to start!

love,
mom

 

here we go, get her Kerry Fuckin' Kings' guitar.

 

id get her a nice epiphone they sound great with a cheap price

 

I not sure about where you live but around here the smaller music stores (they also give lessons) will let you come in and try out any guitar they have as well as amps, FX pedals etc. They are also very good at having instructors on hand to help and answer pretty much all the questions you asked.
Then there are the larger stores like Guitar Center (national chain) with an enormous selection of instruments that can also be tried out so you can find that perfect tone and sustain.

 

if you actually want her to become good at her instrument then get her an acoustic... it'll work her fingers and build the callouses she needs to play... it will inspire her with its warm sound... it doesn't require an amplifier...

seriously, don't start her on an electric that would be a big mistake and will probably involve her losing interest after she doesn't sound like the electric screaming guitars that you hear on the radio. acoustic is more for less, just because electric is easier on the fingers doesn't mean its easier to sound good with or even learn with.

i wouldn't get my kid an electric if he asked, its start on an acoustic then move to an electric when you have the ability to handle the amps.


as far as brands go, just get her something from guitarcenter, not something from Toys R Us or Wal Mart. a toy guitar is just a toy, not an instrument. it wont have good tonality, it will have fucked up frets that make it hard to learn on, it will have bad intonation at the 12th fret and it will break after serious use.

 

I agree with those saying start on an acoustic. probably a nylon string. I've seen smallish nylon strings go for less than 100$ around here.
When I started it was on a 3/4 takamine jasmine (the student version) it was great to learn on and i still play that guitar to this day (and i've been playing for 4 years now)

 

I actually think completely opposite as far as the acoustic/electric debate goes. I'm really really glad that I started with electric. Distortion makes a ton of stuff a little easier to play. And trust me, guitar is frustrating enough as it is. And yeah, though in a lot of cases, it's better to learn the hard way, aka, playing acoustic instead of electric, I definitely think that having an easier time learning in the beginning is probably the reason I'm still playing today.

 

becoming a world class musician shouldn't ever be easy... i thank my discipline for every day i played for hours after hour until my fingers bled just so i could get over the learning curve that seperates musicians from hobbyists.

do you want a child to twiddle around on an electric playing the occasional nirvana cover or weezer song, or do you want a finger picking Paco de Lucia. make the smart choice, not the convenient and easy one.

 

i agree with mmg. let her learn on acoustic. my first guitar was acoustic and it can be harder to play but worth it. then you get an electric and everythings easy

i still love my acoustic, its my favourite guitar.

 

I'm not trying to say that it should be easy. It shouldn't. By any means. I play till my fingers bleed, wrap them in tape, and keep playing. I'm trying to say, when you first start playing, it hits you really hard just how difficult it is, and it becomes really easy to lose motivation. I think taking just a little bit of the edge off and making it a little easier just to get you over the first initial hump can potentially make the difference between sticking with it, or quitting.

 

it sounds like mama is gonna give her that little push when things get frustrating. but really a music teacher will pretty much take care of any "hump" that presents itself. i never had a music teacher, but i never really needed it... i was always looking up stuff online or in the library, practicing it then doing something else.

 

Yeah, teachers can help too. I only took two or three lessons, which basically just showed me that I'd learned most things incorrectly. So I got to relearn technique.

I guess acoustic would be suitable. Basically, difficulty is the last thing you want when you're beginning, so if you have something to keep you motivated you should be fine.

 

i always thought that playing guitar would get me laid, but really it was playing the sousaphone and bass.


sousaphone + bass guitar skillz + band camp = getting laid.

 

I don't think that I ever would have associated the sousaphone with being a chick magnet....Interesting...

Yeah. I don't know why I started playing. Glad I did though.

 

its all in the lips

 

Ha. You've got a good point there

 

lol... thanks everyone!

I think we've finally decided to go with a 3/4 size acoustic for her... and definitely the nylon strings. As for teachers she's got a grandpa & an uncle that both play, and I'll be learning alongside her. (smaller hands - a 3/4 will probably fit me alright as well) I play piano, alto wood-flute & soprano recorder and am saving towards a harp for myself so the guitar sounds like a nice in-between instrument that might help me strengthen my own fingers as I help her through the first year or so.

She wants desperately to learn, and after talking to about 2 dozen guitar players in-person she's had all but 3 of them recommend going with the acoustic first & has decided to try that. We've talked about finger calluses & pain... but she's a stubborn kiddo and I really think she's ready to tackle this. Her big brother is working on target archery & developing his own set of calluses right now so we're ready for a bit of whining.

love,
mom

 

Very cool. Yeah, glad to hear you guys decided on something for her and are ready to get going.

Probably a good choice going with the 3/4 acoustic and the nylon strings. The nylon will help give her an easier time as she tries to get used to the the strings, and she builds up callouses.

If you have any questions or need help with anything as she's trying to learn, you're more than welcome to PM me. I should be able to help you out.

~Seth~

 

Awesome MOM, my parents never bought me a guitar. and they called me a talentless idiot when i told them i want to be a musician.

get her some lessons! yes!

 

lol... thanks!

She's fallen in love with one by Luna - which is apparently made in the same factories as Dean guitars, but a fairly new company. I found a local dealer, and we'll be going down this evening to see what they're like in real life. I know what a sound "body" should look like, and I know what a good guitar sounds like... is there anything other than the obvious we should be looking at/for?

If we get the one she likes, it comes with a cloth gig-bag, stand & strings. We're also going to get her an electric tuner because EVERYONE we've talked to says it's all but necessary. I could get it pretty darn close by ear, but I wouldn't be nearly so confident about getting things perfect. Anything else we should be looking at or considering?

love,
mom