When is it a good time to start to play the guitar? Let me answer the question this way: When is it NOT a good time to start the guitar Seriously, the only not-so-good time is when the student is under 5 years old, because usually the smaller hands are not yet strong enough and the hand-eye coordination is not quite as advanced. At some of the music schools I have taught the recommendation is not to start before the student is 8 years old, and I used to agree with that assessment, but just lately I have started with two new students who both just turned 6 and they are doing a fine job learning the basics. As always – there are no hard and fast rules for everyone.

When students start to learn the guitar, a private guitar teacher can guide the student through the basics like learning to play some chords and basic strumming techniques, finding out about the string (note) names, playing some first, easy scales. All these exercises can help the student to find his way around the guitar, help her finger strength and dexterity and build a basis for soloing in the intermediate lessons.

Apart from these more “dry” examples of basic “exercises”, I incorporate “real” examples of music as soon as possible and pick songs to learn together with the student. It makes learning a lot more fun for the student and encourages her/him to be creative and to bring in his/her own ideas. All this helps the student to make the instrument their own, which is a very different feeling from trying to please parents or teachers or doing it because the student “has” to. Of course this principle is true for all students, young and old. More control over the material encourages most students to practice more.

Which Style Works Best?

Various students may want to concentrate on different things. Some may want to learn to play fast lead guitar licks, others may want to jam along with their favorite music. Some might have a desire to write songs or to perform with a band. The kind of genre and type of instrument the student veers to also can vary. It can be one private guitar student’s wish to shred some Metal riffs on an electric guitar while another student wants to strum chords to Singer/Songwriter or Pop/Rock songs on an acoustic guitar. Whichever it is, private guitar lessons can help the student to achieve his or her goal. All genres ask different techniques from the guitar student and they are all valuable.

Starting with the guitar can be challenging. The hands and fingers will have to use muscles in a way they have not done before. There also is a lot of hand and eye coordination involved and the student often has to decide where to look first – right or left hand?

How To Teach?

Gentle guidance, patience and encouragement is the best way forward here in my view. Gentle guidance, because most students do not excel with harsh and strict treatment. Patience, because the brain has to be given time to absorb the new information before it can become muscle and body memory. How long that takes varies from one student to to the next. I use encouragement in my private music lessons, because negative feedback will lead to negative emotions connected with music and music-making and will eat away at the student’s self-confidence. We want self-confident music students and people!