Is 9 too young to learn guitar

[NAF1138]

@squeegee

My son had his first guitar lesson today! It went well, but he’s really clumsy and has a good deal of difficulty pressing the strings and holding his hand position. The instructor recommended that I get him a guitar strap, which I guess he’ll shorten way up and my son will use it sitting down to maintain a good position for the instrument. He also recommended something to strengthen my son’s left hand, either a squeezable ball or one of those little spring-loaded hand exercisers. SqueegeeJr is supposed to learn the open chords C, Am, Dm this next week, and know the names of things (all the strings, parts of the guitars). So I’ll help him with that, and nag him to practice if needed.

YAY! That’s exciting. I was just wondering this morning what you had decided to do.

Did you give him the SG? What did you end up doing for an amp?

Personally I think the squeeze ball is better than the spring thing they sell. It’s cheeper and is easier to use safely.

I hope the little squeegee enjoys learning to play. It will bring him years of fun (and soon…chicks .)

[squeegee]

@NAF1138

YAY! That’s exciting. I was just wondering this morning what you had decided to do.

Did you give him the SG? What did you end up doing for an amp?

Yeah, he’s using the SG. That guitar has… issues, mostly with intonation from a frankenbridge I put on it. I may find another one for him to play that would be less eccentric. TBD. I bought him a headphone amp over at Guitar Center; it actually sounds really good, a decent clean tone, and a couple crusty dirt tones. I’ll get him a .5W combo when he’s ready.

Personally I think the squeeze ball is better than the spring thing they sell. It’s cheeper and is easier to use safely.

Yeah, I’d forgotten about squeeze ball hand exercisers until the guitar teacher brought it up. I’ll pop over to GC tomorrow and pick one up and a strap.

(and soon…chicks .)

Oh, god. Not yet! I’m not ready for that. It’s still great that I can tease him about gooshy stuff we see together on TV, and he totally gets creeped out. SqueegeeJr: “Girls? Nevar!!! <gag barf hak>”

[squeegee]

Oh, yeah – I was teleported back to being 15 and taking guitar lessons by the teacher telling SqJr to keep his left elbow at his side – “elbow in, elbow in!”. Wow, I actually flashed on my teacher 30 years ago telling me the same thing. Its amazing how now those basics are all automatic, and how there’s no way I can tell SqJr to do that, because I don’t really know I’m doing it!