My 4 year old loves guitars. I would like him to start learning. At what age do you think is good for a boy to start learning electric guitar?

If his hands are big enough and strong enough to hold a ball, he can hold and play a guitar. =)

Really? That is cool! I am excited about your answer. I think I know what santa is going to bring this year. My 4 year old loves music and is always playing imaginary guitar. I guess if he starts at this young age--he could be really good at it by the time he hits his teen years.

I believe he is going to be my country music singer. I swear he knows all the words to all the country songs..lol

I agree that if he's showing an interest in guitar, then he should be allowed to try it.

I'd also suggest it would be great if he had access to a smaller scale neck, with a nice easy action so he doesn't get discouraged.

Music should be no different than sports. If a kid shows interest in baseball I'd bet his parents let him play it. So if he wants to play guitar it's a good thing for him to at least try it now. You'll know soon enough if he's not interested.

I think part of the thing that confuses some parents is "What will they play", and the choice I know is harder for some of my parent friends who are not musical, therefore they are the blind leading the blind. We were lucky in our area to have a good school teacher that actually gives small classes during the summer for extra music help.

Some schools offer general music courses in the summer, especially colleges who likely have community music programs. Getting an all around music education at an early age is sometimes better. That's much more up to the parents' discretion, though. It can save from spending lessons on an instrument that the child might not play, though.

That is one of my fears. Going out and buying my children instruments only to have them decide after I spend all the money, that they don't want to play them anymore.

Wow, that is pretty young but why not right? Get him started early and he might be the next Nick Jonas or Kevin Jonas (He is the one that plays the guitar I think).
You will have to let us know how he does when you get him one.

musichound, the good thing with that is you can always sell the instruments on craigslist or through a local trading post. It's a hassle but at least you can get your money back. It's always worth trying to get your kids to play.

My daughter really wants to play an instrument. I have been hesitant to let her because I am afraid she won't make up her mind. You are right though, I could always sell them if she doesn't like them.

They do offer renting them at her school as well, but it is almost cheaper to buy an instrument.

Part of learning new things for any age is repetition. I never liked veggies until I knew they could be fun. Just saying, what works for one might not work for another but anytime you can make learning fun, its a good thing.

...or even continue to hand the instruments down! I have an old concertina (a type of accordion with buttons instead of keys and a tenor range) that was owned by my great-grandfather, who passed it down to his son, who played it, and to my father, who kept it in a box. And now I play it. It's really cool having a vintage instrument! You never know how things will play out.

i guess the earlier the better! as long as he can read the chords/notes then its better for whom for a tutorial ..

It's important to get a child the proper guitar to start learning-you don't want to to buy a 4 yr old a Les Paul Standard and then wonder why they couldn't play it...the guitar weighs more than the kid lol! Check out stores like Guitar Center and online sites like Musicians Friend and American Music Supply for beginner guitars that are more suited for kids-they're usually smaller in size and easier to play, which will help keep the child interested instead of giving up out of frustration.

Fender Squier makes several 3/4 size electric guitars that sell for around $125. A 3/4 size acoustic guitar is also a good bet and there are a few playable models from Washburn and Taylor that sell for under $100. I've found that the biggest drawback for younger musicians -- not just young guitarists -- is that they don't realize it takes practice to learn to play, and they have short attention spans. It helps to know musi ctheoryand to bea able to read music, but a lot of beginner guitarists want to jump right in and play chords before their hands are big enough to handle it. My first bass teacher sacred me away by asking me to write a walking bass line to some chords in the first lesson. I knew theory but I had no clue what he was asking for. He didn't explain the instrument or anything. A good guitar teacher will probably mix reading and teaching from recordings to keep up the player's interest.

When I was 13 I walked into my first guitar lesson and played the instructor a tape of Van Halen's "Eruption" and asked him to teach me how to play it. He chuckled and pulled out the good old Mel Bay chord books and made me learn "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and all that stuff before I even started to learn simple power chord riffs. Looking back on it now, I'm glad he did.

My daughter will be 2 next month and every time she sees one of my guitars she walks up to it and strums the strings. I place my fingers on the fingerboard and she'll play the string I'm holding down and smile! She's been trying to play since she was maybe 1 yr. old so whenever she wants to start lessons is fine with me!