Best Age to Learn Guitar
A lot of people wonder whether there's a best age to learn guitar (and if so, what is it?) There are really two answers to that question, so let's look at both in detail and decide what age to start guitar lessons for the best results.
First of all, I'll discuss the best age to start guitar lessons in a perfect world. In practice though, most people are already past the ideal age for guitar lessons. But in the wider question of when to start guitar lessons, age is not the most important factor.
Regardless of what age guitar lessons start, there are some steps you can take to improve more quickly. Don't get too caught up in the technicalities - just learn to play naturally. With regular practice that fits around your day-to-day commitments, you'll get there in the end.
Optimal Age is 7
First of all, the 'perfect world' scenario, and the absolute best age to learn guitar is around seven years old. Remember we are considering what age to start guitar lessons - even starting at the ideal age, it will take some time to master the instrument, and very young children often don't have the attention span to stick with it.
Younger than 7, it can be difficult to hold a heavy full-sized guitar, or for the hand and fingers to reach the strings correctly. Some of these problems can be solved by looking at different types of guitar, including adult-sized guitars and smaller child-sized models.
In general, electric guitars are lighter with a narrower neck, and smaller electric guitars for kids will still produce a good sound, whereas smaller acoustic guitars lack the body size to resonate in the same way. You can find more general information about the differences between the two in my guide Electric vs Acoustic Guitar for Learners.
Advantages of Starting Young
So why is 7 the best age to start guitar lessons? There are actually lots of reasons why 7-year-olds find it easier to learn guitar, and why this is the age at which children start to find their focus and put in the time and effort to improve.
When we are younger, our brains are still learning and adapting all the time. New knowledge and opinions form every day, along with new motor skills such as those needed to strum a guitar, pick out the notes, and operate the switches and foot pedals that alter the sound of an electric guitar.
On top of this, kids have more free time. Lessons can be scheduled in the evenings and weekends, and there's plenty of time to practise after school. In fact, school itself can be a motivating factor, as children at that age are starting to feel the effects of peer pressure and wanting to look cool in front of their friends.
All of that being said, there are lots of reasons why it's easy to learn guitar at any age. But on balance, seven is the ideal age for guitar lessons.
Why Age Does Not Matter
Although all of the above is true, there are also reasons why when you're deciding when to start guitar lessons, age alone should never be the deciding factor. I would argue that there are significant benefits of learning guitar at any age, from school days through to retirement.
There are plenty of famous guitarists who started late and prove that it doesn't always matter what age guitar lessons start...
Taj Farrant
First, let's look at one who started young. Taj Farrant gained fans worldwide with appearances on The Ellen Show when he was aged just 9 years old, as well as the 2019 season of Australia's Got Talent. Described as a mini Carlos Santana, he landed a recording contract with Universal the following year aged 10 - the first signing the label made in the 2020s.
Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry is on just about every "guitarists who started late" list you'll ever see. In fact, Berry's musical career started young and he began to learn blues guitar after being inspired by a friend in a high school talent show. However, his professional music career only started at the age of 29, quite a late start for a man who would go on to be regarded as the Father of Rock & Roll.
James Lewis Carter Ford
Better known as T-Model Ford, nobody knows exactly what age the blues guitarist first started to play, as he didn't know his exact date of birth. The story goes that Ford's first guitar was a gift from his fifth ex-wife when she left him. He was completely self-taught and after a lifetime of problems with the law, finally became a successful recording artist in his 70s.
Of course, not everyone is trying to become a professional recording artist. Maybe you just want to maintain the dexterity in your hands as you get older, or play a favourite tune for a loved one at an upcoming birthday or anniversary. Learning guitar is about setting those individual goals, defining your measure of 'success' and deciding when you've reached it.
Final Verdict
To sum up: if you want to be a child prodigy, you need to be a child. But none of us is getting any younger, so if you're interested in learning to play guitar, do it as soon as possible. The sooner you start learning, the faster you'll progress and the further you'll get overall.
While I won't deny that brain plasticity - the ability to learn new skills - is better when you're younger, that doesn't mean you can't learn guitar at any age. My own learning journey has spanned many years and multiple different tutors in Hong Kong and Leeds. You can read more about it here.
So if you've spent years thinking about learning guitar, or you've just found your inspiration for the first time recently, the answer is the same regardless of how young or old you are: the best age to learn guitar is the age you are right now.
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