Parents often ask us about the best age to start guitar lessons. Guitar is one of the most asked-for instruments we teach, but it is also one of the trickiest to start very young. Unlike a piano, where pressing a key makes a clean note straight away, a guitar asks small fingers to press steel or nylon strings firmly against a fretboard. Therefore, the right starting age depends less on the birthday and more on three things: hand size, attention span and motivation.
Hand size and the best age to start guitar lessons
To play a clear note, a child needs to reach around the neck and press a string down hard enough to stop it buzzing. Most children manage this somewhere between six and eight. Before that, however, it is often physically uncomfortable, and discomfort is the quickest way to put a child off. In addition, the right size of instrument makes a huge difference. For example, a full-size guitar is far too big for a young child. As a rough guide:
- Ages 5 to 8: half-size guitar
- Ages 8 to 11: three-quarter-size guitar
- Ages 12 and up: full size
Nylon strings are also kinder to beginner fingers than steel. Still, ask your tutor before buying, because children vary a lot and it is easy to get the wrong size.
Attention span
Above all, early guitar involves repetition: the same chord change, the same picking pattern, until the fingers remember it. As a result, a child who can focus for ten to fifteen minutes will cope. For 6 to 8 year-olds we therefore teach 15-minute one-to-one mini-lessons, moving to weekly 30-minute guitar lessons from about age eight.
Motivation
This is the one that really decides it. For example, sore fingertips are part of the first few weeks for every guitarist, and the children who push through are the ones who actually want to play. If the idea came from your child, that is a very good sign. However, if it came from you, it may be worth waiting until they ask.
Too young for guitar? Start with ukulele
The ukulele is the perfect stepping stone, because it is small, light, has only four soft nylon strings, and children can strum a real song within a lesson or two. In addition, everything they learn, from chord shapes to strumming and rhythm, transfers directly to guitar later. See ukulele lessons. Meanwhile, for three to six year-olds, our Early Learning classes build rhythm and listening skills that make any instrument easier.
The best age to start guitar lessons, age by age
- 3 to 6: general music classes, or ukulele towards the top of this range.
- 6 to 8: ukulele or a half-size guitar in 15-minute mini-lessons.
- 8 to 12: for most children, the best age to start guitar lessons. Weekly 30-minute lessons on a three-quarter or full-size guitar.
- Teenagers: often the fastest learners of all, because they are driven by the music they love. Acoustic, electric or bass.
- Adults: it is never too late. In fact, adults make up a large part of our guitar students. See adult music lessons.
Acoustic or electric first?
Either. It is a myth that you must start on acoustic. In fact, electric guitars have thinner necks and lighter strings, so they can actually be easier on young hands. Ultimately, the best first guitar is the one that makes your child want to pick it up.
What comes next
Once a young guitarist has a few months of lessons behind them, playing with other people is the fastest way to improve. Our Play-In-A-Band classes take students aged 8 to 19. In addition, for those who want a goal to work towards, we are a recognised exam centre for RGT, LCM and RSL. For example, the RSL Awards site shows what the guitar grades involve.
Try a lesson and see
If you are not sure whether your child is ready, the simplest test is a free first lesson. Their tutor will know within a few minutes. Then they will tell you honestly if it is worth waiting a little. Call 0114 274 8939, email info@asmusicschool.com or book your free first lesson.