Selecting the Right Guitar

• Firstly, it's important to make sure you get the right guitar. Depending upon the age and size of your child, he might not be able to handle a full-sized guitar. Half-sized guitars are available for the smallest guitarists, typically those who are under nine years old. For slightly older kids, 3/4-sized guitars are available. A child who is over 5' tall should be able to play a full-sized guitar. The child may have a preference to learn on an electric or acoustic model, and either is fine. However, remember that if your child is left-handed, they will require a left-handed guitar.
  
  

Left-hand Position

• For right-handed guitarists, it's the left hand which holds the neck of the guitar. The left thumb should be on the rear side of the neck, with the pad pressing down flat against it. The pupil should now find that their wrist is bent slightly forward, and all four fingers are all able to reach the fretboard of the guitar.
  
  

Holding down a Note

• Make sure that your kid's left-hand fingernails are trimmed, as long fingernails can stop the fingers from pressing down effectively onto the guitar's fretboard. To sound a note, guitarists press down with the tip of her first finger onto a string directly behind, but not touching, a fret. Make sure that your finger does not touch the other strings -- it should arch over them, which might be uncomfortable at first. For beginners, it might be easiest to learn fretting by using the thinnest string at the bottom of the fretboard. Be aware that pressing down on the strings might hurt your child's fingertips at first, but after practising regularly, he will develop callouses, a tough layer of skin which protects the fingers.
  
  

Picking out Notes

• For beginners, it's wise to buy some picks, which are cheaply available at music stores. For absolute beginners who can only pick out individual notes, start with heavier-gauged picks. For right-handed guitarists, picks are held in the right hand between the first finger and the thumb. Once the child is able to hold down ("fret") the string in the correct manner, plucking that string with the pick will sound a note.
  
  

Next Steps

• This foundation will allow the pupil to go on to learn basic melodies and hopefully kindle a lifelong interest in playing guitar. A big step forward is learning scales, such as the chromatic and blues scales, which will give the budding guitarist a grounding in music theory, and teach her the links between the different notes on the fretboard.