Grade 1 to Grade 5

(30 min, 45 min and 1 hour sessions)

Buying instruments

It is a question that gets asked the most. What is the best instrument to get and when? Should we get something cheap first up and then something more expensive when we are better? That can be a good call. No-one wants to fork out £600 for a top digital piano for your child, only to be told after 6 months that the piano isn’t really what they want after all! However, playing on cheap instruments can become frustrating and lead to the learner giving up out of boredom, when a good instrument can inspire and ultimately help learn quicker (which means fewer instrument lessons!!). It really is worth reading reviews from websites like: https://musiccritic.com/ or https://consordini.com/

It is also worth visiting a good music shop (PMT in London or Musicland in Croydon), but sadly, there aren’t many decent music shops nearby. However, if you want to play ukulele or guitar and live in Dartford, Dingo Jacks on Lowfield Street may be a good starting point.

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Guitars

Ukulele: If the learner is aged 8 or under, I would strongly recommend starting with the ukulele for 6 months to a year before moving up to the guitar. As the ukulele is easier to play, the younger children will progress quicker and feel more engaged. A starter kit can be bought from Amazon for under £40. If your child will probably move to the guitar before long, something like this will be more than sufficient. It is a really good idea to make sure you get a strap as the ukulele can be tricky to hold.

Classical Guitar : Although you can pick up a starter set for about £40 – looking at you “Tiger Starter Set”, they can be a bit frustrating to play. Still if you are unsure about whether guitar is for you – why not! The Yamaha CS40II is a really respected guitar at the £100 mark.

Children (from 7 to 10) will need a ¾ size guitar. It really should be a nylon string classical guitar as steel strings will hurt the fingers. A starter kit can be purchased at a reasonable cost from Amazon for under £50.

However, for a bit more you can get one that comes with a strap and a tuner which is really useful. The “Acoustic Guitar Package 3/4 Sized (36' inch) Classical Nylon String Childs Guitar Pack Blue” is about £64 and has very good reviews.

Electric guitar You can get a starter kit for about £100 (Rock Jam or Tiger) but they aren’t really great quality and only get them if you are unsure or are on a budget. If you want to sound awesome, which I’m sure you do, it is really worth getting something of a slightly higher value.

An Epiphone SG Special isn’t too shabby (£160). However, as with everything, the more you spend the more you will enjoy playing the guitar.

Children ages 7 to 10 should start on a ¾ size. Something like a Squier Mini Strat (£130) is pretty good.

Acoustic guitars Once you have been playing the guitar for a few years, you might decide to try an acoustic guitar (with steel strings ). Two recommended and affordable models are the Yamaha FG830, A Fender FA-100, or an Epiphone DR-100. They are usually priced around £120. It is certainly worth visiting a guitar shop to try out various models.

You certainly get what you pay for, and a well-made guitar, although pricey can be well worth the money.

If you have time, my advice would be to head to a good guitar shop (I like PMT up in London) and try out a few models. Amps really should be tried out in a shop. Here is a link to their website. ptmonline.co.uk

I would definitely think about a Music Stand. This will really help keep the music up at a good eye level.