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Guitar recommendation for a 7 year old?

Foxy MopFoxy Mop Posts: 2,823
edited August 2007 in Musicians and Gearheads
So my daughter will be turning 7 at the end of August and has been bugging me for the last year for guitar lessons :D

She's finally going to get her wish and I was hoping someone can give me some advice on what brand/type/whatever electric guitar & gear would be good for a 7 year old.

She mentioned this but I wanted to see what other options there were :D

Thanks in advance!
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Comments

  • xtremehardy388xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    A strat squier is nice. SLIM neck. A les paul has a larger/thicker neck. Also, they're a little heavier. TRY to get an acoustic though....it's best to learn on an acoustic-maybe even a minature.
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  • Thorns2010Thorns2010 Posts: 2,200
    At 7 she is probably a little small to fit a full size electric, so try and find a 3/4 size one. Oh, and they do make a 3/4 size Hello Kitty one now too! :D

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Hello-Kitty-Mini?sku=512078

    As far as an amp goes, Peavey has several amps that would work just fine.

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Audition-Electric-Guitar-Amplifier?sku=481335

    My nephew has that one, and its not to bad for what it is, and it can't get THAT loud at only 7 watts.

    EDIT:
    xtremehardy388 wrote:
    A strat squier is nice. SLIM neck. A les paul has a larger/thicker neck. Also, they're a little heavier. TRY to get an acoustic though....it's best to learn on an acoustic-maybe even a minature.

    Not true at all about the acoustic. Rule of thumb is of the two (acoustic or electric that is) which one will encourage the student to learn and keep interest most is the way to go. Also physically an electric is easier to play because it has a thinner neck, strings are closer to the neck, and the strings are thinner.
  • PaukPauk Posts: 1,084
    Definitely get a 3/4 scale.
    When I first learnt to play guitar (I was 9/10) I had a really mean classical guitar tutor who shouted at me whenever my left hand was up against the neck (if that makes sense). I got annoyed with it and gave up after a few months because I didn't want her shouting at me. Didn't realise it was because my hands were too small to play a full size guitar until I started again at 15.
    Really wished I kept up with it when I was younger, kids pick things up so much faster.
    Paul
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  • Foxy MopFoxy Mop Posts: 2,823
    the 3/4 scale is what they call "short scale" right?

    These were the options I was looking at last night;

    - Hello Kitty Mini Stratocaster Electric Guitar http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?SKU=F51015
    - Star Short Scale Electric Guitar http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?SKU=DSTARSHORT


    Fowls.. that's exactly why I want to make this super fun for her. I too had a horrid music teacher and quit because of it (which I now regret). So I don't mind getting her an uber girlie guitar and putting her in a group lesson or "girls rock camp" to make it a fun experience and keep her motivated and interested in it.

    I know the instructor will tell us but how many hours would someone her age be practicing per week?



    p.s. thanks so much for all your responses! :D
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  • PJ-SinPJ-Sin Posts: 348
    Thats great!! My daughter just turned 7 too, and last year we got her into lessons (which she didnt get too far in, but thats a loooong other story) anyway, when we bought her a guitar she saw the Hello Kitty one and she wanted it too. We ended up getting her one in the shape of a flower.
    Remember its just a begginer guitar and dont spend alot of $$ on it, chances are she will grow out of it real soon.

    as for the practicing question, I would just say as long as she stays interested in it, let her practice whenever she wants.
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  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    Foxy Mop wrote:
    the 3/4 scale is what they call "short scale" right?

    These were the options I was looking at last night;

    - Hello Kitty Mini Stratocaster Electric Guitar http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?SKU=F51015
    - Star Short Scale Electric Guitar http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?SKU=DSTARSHORT


    Fowls.. that's exactly why I want to make this super fun for her. I too had a horrid music teacher and quit because of it (which I now regret). So I don't mind getting her an uber girlie guitar and putting her in a group lesson or "girls rock camp" to make it a fun experience and keep her motivated and interested in it.

    I know the instructor will tell us but how many hours would someone her age be practicing per week?



    p.s. thanks so much for all your responses! :D

    I didn't practice a whole lot, until it became fun. As soon as PRACTICING turned into PLAYING, it was better.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • DaytimeDilemmaDaytimeDilemma Posts: 2,008
    Wow, Hello Kitty Strat = Awesome.
  • PaukPauk Posts: 1,084
    For practising, little and often is best. Ideally it'd be an hour a day, but getting a 7 year old to practise that much may take the fun out of it. 20-30 minutes a day is probably more realistic.

    With learning chord shapes at the start it's all about training your hands to get the right shapes, so as long as she's practising a bit each day it'll get better. The key is to keep up the practise and make sure there's not much time between practises. In my opinion, frequency is probably more important than time spent at the beginning.

    It's hard to practise for long periods at the beginning as if you can't play chords then you can't play songs so it's pretty boring. But once the basics are over and done with hopefully the playing will become more fun and practise can slowly get longer.


    When I learnt guitar to be honest, I skimped on the practise. I learnt fine, but it just took longer and most the next lesson was spent recapping the last song. So in the end, practising pays out in the speed of progression. It's possible to practise loads and learn in 18 months what may take someone who doesn't practise 2-3 years to pick up. It's all down to dedication and learning at an individual's own pace.
    Paul
    '06 - London, Dublin, Reading
    '07 - Katowice, Wembley, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
    '09 - London, Manchester, London
    '12 - Manchester, Manchester, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen
  • edvedder913edvedder913 Posts: 1,810
    My son is 7 and has been asking for guitar lessons. How much do the lessons cost approximately? Is it better to do private or group?
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    edvedder913 wrote:
    My son is 7 and has been asking for guitar lessons. How much do the lessons cost approximately? Is it better to do private or group?
    Private is better.
    From a music school, about $15 a half hour or more.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • Foxy MopFoxy Mop Posts: 2,823
    edvedder913 wrote:
    My son is 7 and has been asking for guitar lessons. How much do the lessons cost approximately? Is it better to do private or group?

    I've been debating that too - my daughter will just be turning 7 and I'm wondering if a group atmosphere might be more 'fun' for her... so many decisions!
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  • Mantra SliderMantra Slider Posts: 35
    A short scale acoustic with nylon strings.
    They are cheap, easy to play, and don't require an amp to be heard.
    Also, if the child decides they don't want to play right away it will still be useful in 5 years.

    BTW - I think the best thing you can get an aspiring guitar player of any age is "Guitar Hero".
    It teaches kids how to play in time, develop finger dexterity, and have fun doing it.
    Learning guitar is not fun for a child. It's counter-intuitive to *play* which is what kids do best.
    My 5 yr. old daughter has waaay more interest in trying to play GH than a real guitar, and I encourage her to keep trying because I know it will get her hooked on playing music.
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  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?SKU=DSTARSHORT


    Those Daisy Rocks are great guitars! I was blasting one through a Marshall in Guitar Center once and that thing really put out!

    It makes a statement, too!

    If your 7 year old is a social person, maybe a group setting would be good for lessons, but sometimes if they're a little bit more shy, private lessons would be good for a start. It HAS to be a fun instructor, though!

    Good luck to you and her!

    Also, by the way, a nice little amp is the Roland Microcube:

    http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?itemid=29075&sourcetype=singleitemsearch


    It has effects and amp modelers on it, which she won't use yet, but they are great amps. They can run on batteries, too, so that she can go put a hat out in the park and make some cash to pay the rent! :D
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  • Thorns2010Thorns2010 Posts: 2,200
    Man, with this thread I feel as if I'm still at work! ;)

    Anyway, for lessons I would say if you want her to get anything out of it go private. We used to have group classes where I work but we stopped doing them because honestly the kids weren't getting anything out of the class.

    Several of the private teachers said when they took on students who came from the group class they had to start at the beginning with them anyway.

    Also think about it, a group of young kids wanting to learn electric guitar?? How productive do you think that would be? Also keep in mind that they might not have group classes for kids that young, when my store did it, it was for ages 12 and up. That and the class can only move as fast as the slowest person in said class.

    All in all though it is up to you to decide. And for private lessons, with you being in/by Chicago (right?) you'd probably be looking at $20-$25 a half hour lesson.
  • Foxy MopFoxy Mop Posts: 2,823
    Thank you all so much for your recommendations!!

    Today (8/29) was her 7th birthday and this is what we've ordered so far:

    Hello Kitty Fender Mini Squier Electric Guitar, Pink
    http://shop.sanrio.com/hello-kitty-guitar/58675-200601,default,pd.html

    Hello Kitty Fender Guitar Strap
    http://shop.sanrio.com/hello-kitty-guitar-strap/58347-200601,default,pd.html

    Fender Hello Kitty Motion Guitar Picks - Medium - 1 Dozen
    http://amazon.com/dp/B000OAHWHU/ref=s9_asin_title_1-1966_p/102-7080301-8248131?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0CM2Y6FQMMDZPJHB1GHN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=278240301&pf_rd_i=507846


    She reeeeeeaaaallly wanted the Stardust Elite series guitar from http://daisyrocks.com in midnight purple burst, but it only came in the full scale (24 3/4) size.

    She could reach the full scale guitars, so it was a hard decision to make. Ultimately, I followed all of your advice and stuck with the Mini. I want to make it as easy and as comfortable as possible for her to play, so she sticks with it. Hopefully the Hello Kitty Squier will be short enough for her - since we weren't able to demo it anywhere in person.

    Now we need to find an amp, stand & bag :D
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  • AnonAnon Posts: 11,175
    That is so cool! Haha love it. Coolest 7 year old going around! :)

    I hope she gets much enjoyment out of it.
  • brain of cbrain of c Posts: 5,213
    get her a marshall stack.
    d'oh!!!!!!

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