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Question: My son wants to play electric guitar!?
my son desperately wants a Epiphone les paul or a fender Ilbanz and i am going to get him but will he struggle to play one because he is still a kid and his fingers might not be long enough or is it for every finger size along as you like slide your hand closer or something and is the guitar to long for his hands, oh yeah and which guitar is better excluding the priceWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Hi Edwardo!. Hand size shouldnt really matter, unless he mentally lets it matter! A couple of guys come to mind when you mention hand size!.!.!. Kenny Wayne Sheppard, and Johnny Lang!. I think these guys were about 12-13 years old when they got their first record deal! So!.!. they already had been playing for a heck of a long time to be that good!.
(There much older now!.!.probably late 20's or so!.)

I started on Upright bass at 9 years old, (that was my FOURTH instrument by then!) and was playing a half size bass!. It was still a challenge for me!.!. but kept playing!. 40 years later, im now playing 7 and 9 string basses, and my hand size I feel I got short changed on! But proper technique helps that!. Ive seen guys with huge hands over the years struggle with playing stringed instruments, just because of the technique they use!. In turn, guys with smaller hands if trained properly have no problem playing instruments that just seem to big for their hands!.

I do agree with a couple of people here on how much you should spend on his first guitar!. I definately would not start out with lets say a $649 Epiphone Les Paul Custom, with gold hardware!. Ibanez and Epiphone make some wonderful starter packs in the area of 249-299!. If you have a guitar playing friend, might be wise to take him, as I dont trust salesman in most guitar stores!. Sometimes due to commission they let money get in the way of choosing the best instrment for the student!. also, in this pricerange of 29-299!.!. the quality on guitars is hit and miss!. Dont get me wrong!.!. theres some wonderful instruments out there in that price range!.!. but!.!. always helps to have a seasoned player along for that purchase, as he would know things like how playable the fretboard is, and how well the frets are set in the neck!. He/she would be able to play a guitar and tell if the neck has any bends or warps in it!.!.!. if there are any problems with the electronics, and how well the neck and body line up!. Over the years ive seen some guitars come off the "shelf" that were completely unplayable, and had to have the neck adjusted, string height changed, and, wiring problems!!. The seasoned player once picking the guitar that he/she thinks is best can then be given to him to hold to see if its comfortable in his hands!. Remember, at a young age letting a student make the decision based on how it feels to them may not work!. They might tell you one instrment is more comfortable than another just because it looks better!

Im also not sure if its an electric or an acoustic your son wants!. A lot of people might say you have to learn on acoustic first!. Bear in mind, an instrument that a student does NOT want to learn will probably just sit in a corner and collect dust!. But, an instrument that is willingly chosen by the student will be one that gets played alot, and the student will learn alot faster!

Hope this has helped!.!. and good luck!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Sure you should get him a guitar and let him play it!. Having short fingers and small hands is a problem many have, yet they are very good at guitar!. Keep encouraging him to play, let him practice on his own!. DO NOT force him to practice everyday!. If he is truly interested in learning the guitar, he will practice on his own!.

Don't buy him an expensive guitar, get him a relatively inexpensive one, for a max of $200!. Or you could get one of those guitar starter packs that offer guitar and amp together for a good price!.

Once he's gotten a little familiar with the guitar, give him this site: http://www!.billyrayfan!.com/countryguitar!.!.!.

While it is mainly for beginner country guitarists, there's a lot of vital info in there that any guitarist should know!. The guy there also adds tips every now and then, they're very helpful!.

Please do not discourage your son from playing the guitar!. Tell him he's doing well!. Praise him if he learns a new song!. Guitar lessons are optional!.

This is an interesting page that discusses Acoustic vs Electric guitar:
http://www!.billyrayfan!.com/acousticorele!.!.!.

Hope you found that usefulWww@QuestionHome@Com

Okay, Have him do this and i promise he will be playing like a rock star!.

Have him form his hand into a bear claw like!. Then lift up one finger at a time and put it up and down up and down!. But don't have him move the other fingers!. Then after doing each hand for like 10 mins do combos Thumb and middle finger etc!.!. I had the same problem and i did this for only one day and i could stretch my fingers all across the fret board!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

What!!? Where are these people finding $100 strats!? I've seen this answer multiple times on Beginging guitar questions!. Not good! Fender Strats are Expensive!

The Epiphone Les Paul is a great Beginner guitar!

Ibanez are really cool too!. Depending on what Ibanez!.

Bring him into a retail store and let him hold one!. We don't know how old your child is, but most beginner guitars have small frets!. the best thing to do is just put a couple guitars in his hand and see what feels best for him!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

dont so that have him join band
jk
but seriously dont buy him an expensive guitar to start on he could give up because hes not getting better get him like a hundred or two hundred stratocaster

but not one of the ones you said Www@QuestionHome@Com

You can buy him a normal size guitar and put a capo on it so he has better reach on the guitar that way he can grow into it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

it wont be too much of a prob!. take him with you to the guitarshop and let him hold these guitars tell him to pick the one that feels more comfrontable!. not which one looks coolerWww@QuestionHome@Com

wait!.!.!.how old is he!?!?!?Www@QuestionHome@Com