Suggestions on Musical Instruments for 7Yo

The great thing about the guitar is that you can carry it anywhere plus there is that cool factor =).

My dd is 8 and is in her 3rd year of classical guitar. A child who can read can be taught how to read music. It is an easy transition from guitar to piano (classic notes not chords). Success does require commitment ... practice, practice, practice. The next thing you know he'll be playing with
out looking at his hands (quite an exciting feeling).

I talked to someone who teaches several instruments about this recently. He recommends piano. He also teaches guitar, but won't teach to kids under age 10 because their hands simply aren't big enough or strong enough to work the strings.

I am biased, because I've been playing piano almost as long as I've been feeding myself, but I absolutely think the piano is the best instrument. :) And I don't think I'm being totally unfair...I also play guitar, harmonica, flute, and oboe...I just happen to like the piano best. :)

For one, piano lessons (when done properly) will give the best OVERALL music experience, with everything from theory to reading music to practice to having a trained ear. If you learn the piano, you can often go on to excel at many other instruments at will (which is why I eventually picked up so many other instruments.)

Seven is the perfect age to start piano, because the hands are finally big enough and strong enough to handle it, and the child is still young enough to easily grasp the concepts. I teach piano, and the children who start earlier (4,5) don't tend to really pick it up quickly...it's years of practice, where the 7-12 year old student can pick it up and easily move on to more advanced levels.

Guitar is a wonderful instrument, but it is painful to play at first while calluses form on your fingers and it's not an instrument that comes with easy success...whereas with the piano, your child can be playing a song after his first lesson that he will recognize and enjoy. I am not against guitar lessons, but I think it's an instrument better left to later years.

Wind instruments are really out of the question until lung capacity has grown.

Drums can be started at a very early age and if you're brave enough, that's a good option as well. Again, though, this is why I like piano...it's technically a percussion instrument and you learn everything about rhythm that you would learn with the drums, except you also get beautiful music. :)

I don't know the "best".

When our daughter was around 4 we bought a Casio keyboard and she still plays that now and she's 18.

Our school offer guitar starting about 5th grade.

In 6 th grade it's required to have 1 year of either, orchestra, band, or choir.

Our daughter chose orchestra and the violin and little did we know... She's a natural. We love it!!

Good luck!

It should be something that HE is interested in.
There are child sized guitars.
My friend's son, takes guitar. He likes it. HE chose that instrument.

I took piano as a child. I HATED it. It was my parent's idea. I HATED it.
I took it for 2 years, and finally they said I could quit.
I would even runaway when it was time for the lessons.
We had a piano at home too.
Its an expensive instrument.

My kids take piano. THEY, wanted to.
THEY like it.
THEY want to continue.
So it is a happy learning experience for them.
Because, they, want to.

I love piano and one daughter just started it. The other started violin at age 8 and it sounds like if you're going to do violin, even more impt than other instruments to start kind of young. I do know guys who play guitar though and it's such a great hobby. If I had a son, I'd be tempted by piano but ultimately pick guitar I think. It's portable, kind of a social instrument etc. But have you asked him? My daughter was surprisingly adamant about violin since she was 7.

Find out what kind of instruction is available in your area, and what going rates are. It will not matter how much he wants to play the cello, for instance, if nobody within an hour's drive teaches cello.

Then, after you've found out what the possibilities are, take him to performances - lots of performances of as many different kinds of music as you can find that include the instruments that lessons are available for. They don't have to be professional performances - school recitals, church performances, coffee house jams all work. Point out the different instruments and sounds. Observe which ones he likes and which music he gets excited about. Also show him videos of performances and listen to music at home. After you've been filling his world with music for a few months, then ask him which instrument he'd most like to learn. Let him pick from a list of the ones you know you can get lessons on.

My girls started piano lessons at age 5. I love the sound of the piano and highly recommend it. My FIL owns a music store. Kids that want to play guitar start at around age 12 because younger than that, their hands are not big enough to play the instrument properly.

Our Piano teacher won't teach guitar till the kids have taken piano. My son is getting his new book that is teaching Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spiderman, etc. He is very excited. His ultimate goal is to take guitar but he knows he has to do paino for about 2 years.

Piano.

Absolutely piano.

I don't claim to know "the best" but if you take piano now, you can play percussion (drums, marimba, ect) better later. Piano music is nice.

What matters is that it's something your child is interested in and wants to do. Also, that he is disaplined enough to practice on a regular basis.

Children as young as 3 begin playing the piano and violin. They are both great instruments for the beginner. However, if he is interested in the guitar, then go for it. They do make child sized guitars.

Piano is great to start at that age. I wish I had started my oldest at that age. If you can't get a piano until they are advanced they can usually get by with a key board. My son used one for the first two years.

My daughter started with the guitar when she was 8 years old. My husband, who also plays guitar (which is why she was inspired to learn it), really wanted her to start with piano because he says it builds the foundation for all other instruments, but she wasn't interested. When she hit middle school she dropped the guitar and joined the school orchestra and learned to play viola, which she did (and quite well!) for 5 years. Although she liked viola, she didn't "love" it and decided to stop playing after her sophomore year in high school. But she still wanted to play a musical instrument, so, at 16 years old, she started playing piano. And do you know what she says? That she wished she had listened to her father and learned the piano first! She now truly has an appreciation for how foundational the piano really is to learning/playing other instruments.

So if your son is really interested in playing music, try to encourage him to start with the piano for 2-3 years before moving on to the guitar. The key to getting him to enjoy the piano is to find a teacher who will allow him to choose the musical pieces he plays. Otherwise it will quickly turn into a chore/bore for him . . .

My 11 year old has been playing guitar since age 8.

I suggest that you get him a "grand concert" sized guitar instead of a dreadnought. It's a smaller guitar than the dreadnought, which makes it easier for those of us with shorter upper bodies (like women and kids) to handle, but it still sounds lovely. It's also still a standard guitar, so you don't have to worry about your son growing out of it like a kids' guitar. We own an Ibanez PF Series grand concert guitar that wasn't too costly ($199) and sounds great. It's my favorite, even over several other, more costly guitars in our house.

I started on the violin and then the Tenor sax. These are great for kids who are not coordinated like me. I couldn't do the piano because I didn't have the finger skills, I tried and tried.
But, really, he needs to learn to read and enjoy music wherever and whenever he can. Let him pick what he wants and do it. Music is so wonderful for SO many reasons....