Is my brother too young to learn acoustic?

[ICBM]

Greetings!

My younger brother will turn 12 in a few weeks time (on the same day I turn 24... Crazy, eh?) and has expressed an interest in learning guitar.

We don't live together, and I only see him on weekends, but I'm more than happy to show him a few chords to get him started, and take it as far as he wants to go. I was taught by my uncle, and he thought best (and looking back, I wholeheartedly agree), to start on acoustic. My uncle told me it'd build my muscles up, and the initial pain would be worth it in the end! True, true...

Thing is though, I play my Ibanez EP-9 with 13/14s on it... I mean, he's a strong kid n all, but arm strength means bugger all the first time you try holding an A minor.

I would get him a guitar for his birthday, but he's a typical child (one could say a typical musician), who has fleeting interests in such things. If he kept it up for a few weeks though, I could find him a decent starter acoustic like my uncle did for me.

What do you think? Is 12 years too young for a child to be playing a heavy gauge acoustic? Should we get him a guitar if he keeps it up for a few weeks?

PS; I'm not restringing my baby to teach a child A minor.

Isn't that one of the guitars you were debating whether to keep or not?

If so I can't think of a better thing to do than restring it with 10s or 11s and lend it to him to use. You get to keep it, he gets a cool older brother for lending him it, and he might well develop an interest in music, without having to spend money when he's not sure what instrument is right for him yet... win-win-win-win.

Eminem is music too. The worst thing you can possibly do is decry his taste or try to force him to learn something you consider "proper" music. That totally negates the cool brother thing.

[longjaw]

My daughter is 7 and has started playing in the last month or so (I bought her a Lauren student guitar off ebay for £20) - she can now play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" right the way through (slowly) and is chuffed.
It took her a while to build up the stength to fret notes cleanly but she has now got the knack.
Next song will probably be "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" - rock n roll eh!

[Tenebrous]

Isn't that one of the guitars you were debating whether to keep or not?

Eminem is music too. The worst thing you can possibly do is decry his taste or try to force him to learn something you consider "proper" music. That totally negates the cool brother thing.

Yep. I was having a weird day to be honest...

I like Eminem! In fact he first heard Eminem through me But there isn't much guitar on the Slim Shady/Marshall Mathers LP... Is there any? I can't think.

I'm not trying to knock his taste in music at all, as most of what he listens to comes from us... But how can I teach him Eminem when there is next to no real guitar work?

[monquixote]

Yep. I was having a weird day to be honest...

I like Eminem! In fact he first heard Eminem through me But there isn't much guitar on the Slim Shady/Marshall Mathers LP... Is there any? I can't think.

I'm not trying to knock his taste in music at all, as most of what he listens to comes from us... But how can I teach him Eminem when there is next to no real guitar work?

You could teach him "Dream On" that's the basis of Sing For The Moment
Lose Yourself has some simple guitar as well

[Tenebrous]

You could teach him "Dream On" that's the basis of Sing For The Moment
Lose Yourself has some simple guitar as well

Ahhh nice one. I can work that out no problem If he can learn a handful of chords and that, it'd be quite a productive weekend. Cheers!

[musophilr]

He's not too young. Most people have the necessary coordination by the time they're 8 years old. Steel strings shouldn't be a problem, but heavy guages on a dreadnought is probably OTT. Try a smaller instrument with 11s on it. There's nothing wrong with classical guitars if that's what you like but I don't think nylon strings bend so well as steel ones.

[ICBM]

Yep. I was having a weird day to be honest...

I like Eminem! In fact he first heard Eminem through me But there isn't much guitar on the Slim Shady/Marshall Mathers LP... Is there any? I can't think.

I'm not trying to knock his taste in music at all, as most of what he listens to comes from us... But how can I teach him Eminem when there is next to no real guitar work?

By working out the chord changes and/or melody and playing those - you don't have to copy an existing guitar part.

I play covers of things like Kylie, Cascada and Rihanna songs on an acoustic guitar that have no guitar *at all* in the original recording. (I don't sing them! I have someone who *can* sing to do that .) It just doesn't matter as long as you can find the key and an idea of the changes. I know this is very far removed from the traditional 'guitar hero' style of learning and playing, but there's time for that later if he can pick up the basics of chord shapes and strumming in time.

In fact, I'd guess that the discovery that you *can* play almost anything, especially "non guitar" music, on a guitar is one thing that may make him interested in playing, rather than only associating it with a style of music he may not be very interested in.

[bertie]

started noodling on a steel strung acoustic at 8yrs - even my first electric at 13 yrs was of the 'iron-fist' action variety strung with piano wire.........so no he's not too young