1/2 sized kids guitar- left handed advice

clare_bear · July 2018

Hi all,

My son (6) seems quite keen to try to learn to play guitar & I'd be thrilled to get him a 1/2 sized acoustic. However, he's left handed. Obviously I'd prefer if he'd try it right handed, is that a realistic option? Could he happily learn right handed? Is it worth a try to see if he could? Or is it always going to feel wrong to him?

Advice from teachers, lefties or anyone with a helpful opinions gratefully received

ICBM · July 2018

Having a left-handed daughter who plays guitar and viola, I would suggest to try it right-handed first - it will make things easier later. She plays right-handed.

If he doesn't get on with it like that, it's very easy to convert a right-handed classical (at least, anything apart from a high-end one where the bracing may be different internally) to left-handed - you simply restring it the other way round

. Depending on whether the bridge saddle is at all angled you may have to flip that as well, but many aren't.

I would also suggest that if he's at least of average size or bigger for a six-year-old, try him on a 3/4-size not a 1/2-size. The quality difference between budget models of each is enormous, the 1/2-size are not much more than toys, whereas the 3/4s are more like a small proper guitar.

I work for a mail-order company which sells both sizes - if you can afford to spend a tiny bit more there's a big jump in quality above the most basic entry-level models too, for not very much more money.

pmbomb · July 2018

@ICBM do you have a link for what you regard as an OK 1/2 sized electric please? It just needs to be playable enough for my daughter to mess about on. (She's 7 but petite and the 3/4 I got for her is too big).

Phil_aka_Pip · July 2018

I'd say try him right-handed. There are lots of left-handed people who play right handed, I was in a band with such a person, I didn't know he was left handed until I saw him write something down.

If it doesn't work, so be it, but IMO it's worth a try. The chap in the band said you need equal dexterity with both hands anyway.

pmbomb · July 2018

Yeah agree with above. My recollection of first picking up a guitar as a rightie is it felt bloody awkward and it wouldn't have made any difference at that point playing a leftie guitar.

In fact I've never understood the handing convention, it makes sense to me that the dominant hand should be the fretting hand, if starting over.

ICBM · July 2018

pmbomb said:

@ICBM do you have a link for what you regard as an OK 1/2 sized electric please? It just needs to be playable enough for my daughter to mess about on. (She's 7 but petite and the 3/4 I got for her is too big).

Sorry - there is no such thing as a decent 1/2-size electric. None of them ever play properly or stay in tune, even with much heavier strings than you would really want for a child, although they feel lighter because of the short scale.

The best bet if you can find one is one of the older Fender/Squier Duo-Sonics, with the 22.5" scale - the body is also slimmer than a normal 3/4-size electric. (The current model is a 24" scale though.) The older ones can be identified by having both pickups angled, and only 20 frets (3 dots above the 12th not 4), like this -

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--ebqVwf0d--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1493503056/yrhxnjzumx6h07no8nwe.jpg

They're not actually very expensive, because the very short scale puts most people off.

pmbomb · July 2018

@ICBM thank you.

clare_bear · July 2018

Thanks all, that' really helpful. I've never really understood the hand convention either @pmbomb , using your weak hand for the toughest part seems like some kind of tortuous nonsense! My son had a quick pick up of a ukelele and seems happy enough right-handed, so that's good.

So next bit is what should I look at? He is very tiny for 6 @ICBM , which is why I thought of a 1/2 size. I have a Yamaha APX 500, which I guess is not hugely bigger than a 3/4 size. I'll give it to him to hold, but I suspect 3/4 may be difficult for him. I'm happy to spend a little more than bottom end, but 6 year olds are fickle

Any suggestions for a 3/4 sized classical/acoustic? And 1/2 size if any are worth it?

Cheers all.

pmbomb · July 2018

My daughter (a quite petite 7 1/4) has a 3/4 but it's too big for her, she has to have a capo on 4th at least.

I'm OK with waiting, if there not ready then they're not.

ICBM · July 2018

clare_bear said:

Thanks all, that' really helpful. I've never really understood the hand convention either @pmbomb , using your weak hand for the toughest part seems like some kind of tortuous nonsense!

It's because the right hand does the rhythmic part of playing and controls the dynamics, and if you're going to play proper fingerstyle, the movements are almost as complex. That said, if you want to learn the other way round it's clearly possible, there are many left-handed guitar players in all genres who play right-handed. (And as my daughter was told, there are no orchestral violin/viola players who play left-handed, because you'd have someone's eye out!)

clare_bear said:

So next bit is what should I look at? He is very tiny for 6 @ICBM , which is why I thought of a 1/2 size. I have a Yamaha APX 500, which I guess is not hugely bigger than a 3/4 size. I'll give it to him to hold, but I suspect 3/4 may be difficult for him. I'm happy to spend a little more than bottom end, but 6 year olds are fickle Any suggestions for a 3/4 sized classical/acoustic? And 1/2 size if any are worth it?

If he's very tiny for 6 then a 1/2 might be the only option for a while. They are usually pretty terrible though... my advice from the ones I have to inspect and ship is look for one with a zero fret, they tend to play better than the ones with just a nut, and be prepared to spend a fair bit on a decent set of strings - hard tension classical, which will make it play and stay in tune a lot better than the rubber-band-like ones they come with.

Avoid steel strings at that sort of size, they have the same problems of tuning stability, intonation and cheesegrater action as the 1/2-size electrics do.

The smallest/cheapest steel-string acoustic that's worth having is a Yamaha FG Junior (now called a JR1 I think) which is described as a 3/4, although the scale length is only 21.5" if I remember right, which is shorter than most other 3/4s.

The other disadvantge of a steel-string is that it can't be as successfully converted to left-handed if that becomes necessary...

clare_bear · July 2018

Thank you @ICBM. Much better guidance than my, "ooh a Union Jack 1/2 sized guitar. That looks pretty""

toescantalk · July 2018

My wee one is left handed and plays a 1/2 size Stagg right-handed. The nylon strings are best for getting their fingers used to it. I wouldn't spend much more than that initially as she still could give up any day! No issue with playing right-handed so far.

We also have a Brian Mini May we got off the forum when she wants to plug in and make some noise! But I got that when she was about 2

Phil_aka_Pip · July 2018

There's no hard-and-fast rule about what age people should start learning guitar but my mentors used to tell me that 8 years is the best. Before that, children are claimed not to have developed sufficient capacity for abstraction, and their manual coordination needs more development too. Having said that I have taught an exceptionally gifted 7 yo with good results. I have also tried teaching 6 yos at their parents request, and concluded that waiting for a year or two would in their case be a good idea.

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1/2 sized kids guitar- left handed advice

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