[beefyb]

Hi everyone, Need advice my 9 year old son is wanting to learn how to play the electric guitar and was wanting to know is it better to start by learning to play acoustic or just to start him on the electric?

[Mara]

I learned on an acoustic. Everyone I've ever talked to about this says to learn on acoustic first, but other people may have more opinions. Acoustic is a lot different but I think it's easier to go from acoustic to electric than vice versa, although I'm really terrible at electric guitar for lack of practice.

[Chinchilla of Doom]

Acoustic. As mentioned above it is easier to switch from acoustic to electric then the other way around.

[Kentl]

Acoustic for the reasson alredy stated and a few others one that springs to mind, ofmr what i seen eletric as the same playabilty as a Acoustic will cost more

[jeepnstein]

It all depends on your son. What does he want to play? Is he disciplined and methodical? Or is he all over the place and kind of a free spirit?

I find that electric and acoustic are kind of worlds apart. The electric will be easier for him to play at nine years old because they are strung lighter. An inexpensive electric that is playable is much easier to find. His friends will probably all be tending towards electric instruments in a few years. I'd leave it up to him.

Be warned that learning the guitar is a bit of a grind, especially at first. Your son will run headlong into a world of music theory and musicians that is not at all what a beginner is expecting to find. Theory is important. And I'm going to say reading music is important, too. Mostly because it helps you learn theory. And later it will help when you want to go to the studio or audition for a real gig. At first it all seems so intimidating to a non-musician that it will scare off many. Have your son take a two-pronged approach to the problem.

1) He should have fun and play a bunch of junk from tabs he can download from the internet or from his buddies. This is how you build up the songs you "know". If it's no fun then why bother? And chicks dig it.

2) He should also be grinding through the Mel Bay series or one of the other method books. This is where he'll learn theory and sight reading. It will be a drag at first and then he'll notice his playing moving forward in ways his friends will never experience. Theory rules guitar playing.

A basic electric guitar, a small solid-state practice amp, and a headphone amp will serve him well for a couple of years. He'll also need a tuner, some picks, and a method book. Are you going to teach him or get a teacher? There's nothing wrong with having both an electric and an acoustic. They don't have to cost a fortune as long as they are playable. Oh, and you should also introduce your son to this site. It's the safest place on the Internet for a youngster to interact with older players who can help guide him along.

[dtaylorl]

If he wants to play electric, then start him with electric. jeepnstein is correct in saying that it takes a lot of discipline and isn't always easy. My own experience has been that you wont learn unless you decide that you want to learn. Making him learn his second choice could potentially take away some of that desire.

[Rainer.]

You should let him play whatever will motivate him to practice and play the most.

In the end, the most important thing is practice, and if he doesn't want to practice on an acoustic, then what's the point?

[to_be_released]

If he's anything like I was as a boy, I'd recommend starting him on acoustic with electric as a reward to work towards once he's mastered the basics. This would provide him with incentive to practice as well as helping him become a more rounded guitarist. That tangible reward could help him persevere through the initial learning curve.

[martinedwards]

nothing will put a kid who wants to be a Rock Monster off guitar quicker than a nylon strung acoustic!

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Electric. While it is physically easier, it is the same as an acoustic. Most of the people who say acoustic first in my experience have viewed electrics as essentially not a real instrument. Rainer hit the nail on the head. I can play acoustic, but I don't that regularly because I like hard rock. I play what I like.

90% of the time I play electric. Now it could also be noted that switching to acoustic is no hard task for me at all. I just generally can be a lot sloppier on an acoustic and get away with it. (I tend to play really sensitive instruments that are very unforgiving by choice.) I know a lot of folks will tell you otherwise, but I can be much sloppier on an acoustic and still sound decent.

I would recommend a made in the usa peavey predator as a good first instrument myself. They run around $75 on ebay and are pretty solid instruments that I would play without hesitation. It is an instrument that can grow with him and can stand a few upgrades later and be a very nice pro level instrument after a while, at a budget price.