Guitar lessons for 7yo

[Strawblue]

If your DC started guitar lessons around 7yo can I ask how they found them and what their progression was like to playing something recognisable etc?

Since I booked the lessons through the school I’ve been told by others that it takes a very long time for children to learn the guitar and I just wondered what other people found. I just want to ensure that DS expectations are realistic so he doesn’t give up after a month.

He will be learning on a classical guitar and the instructor says he “teaches notation reading and pupils will learn to play the melody of a song rather than strum chords. I teach finger picking in the classical ‘rest stroke’ style but also use a wide variety of other material including pop songs, blues, folk and flamenco. I like to develop the child’s aural awareness and use improvising and encourage composition.” A good chunk of that means nothing to me!

I've no experience with the guitar but I suppose it's like any other instrument, if they practice regularly, they'll learn faster. DD started a wind instrument when she was 9 and we were told 30 mins 5 times a week. She was playing recognisable tunes very quickly.

Depends on the teacher.
DS started (electric) guitar when we moved to the UK in Y6. He came home from his first lesson playing a tune.
He moved to secondary having got his grade 1, and spent the first half term producing nothing recognizable. We questioned it, he got moved groups, but with no progression after another term, we pulled him out of school lessons.
So, totally dependant on the teacher, and how they relate to the child.

DS started classical guitar lessons at around that age. Simple tunes very quickly! He was entered for a "pre Grade 1" exam relatively quickly which helped him focus his efforts. (I know that some DC hate tests and others like them). He's now in Y11 and is studying for Grade 7, and still really enjoys it.

Compared to most other instruments, it is hard to make a classical guitar sound awful, even wrong notes won't screech or wail. Which is a relief during practice!

As for the teacher's comments: some guitarists (more normally on the folk or 'bass' side of things) concentrate on learning chords to accompany other instruments or voices. There's a special way of putting that on paper ("tab"). "Classical" guitarists will normally play pieces written for a solo guitar, in "standard" musical notation which is more transferable to other instruments.

My DS learned both, did grades from age 7 so mostly finger picking but teacher also taught him some pop songs, so chord strumming etc. In hindsight I wish we'd started him on the rock school grades. He is 16 now and a very accomplished guitarist, he works professionally and plays lead and rhythm guitar as well acoustic solo stuff.

It really depends on the teacher, if the teacher can cater to the child's interests then it helps. The average child will take a while to be able to play anything they enjoy for a while, the older they are the quicker they generally pick it up. Once they have the motivation to practice more it really helps as they move along much quicker and it keeps their interest better.