They think that they just can't play or it's not for them. But the truth is, it's hard! A lot of times it's not that the person can't play. I've known parents who have went out and purchased a guitar for their son/daughter to learn how to play and the parent will say, I went out and bought them a new guitar and now they leave it laying in the closet to collect dust. And I ask, what kind of guitar?
Their reply,its a brand name or I don't know but I paid up to $100 or more on it. Through the years of playing and teaching others, I realized its not the brand or how much it costs, its how the guitar is made that makes it easy or hard to play. I recently went to Snookie's Pawn Shop at the down town mall in Charlottesville and they had good used guitars around $55 that would be excellent guitars to learn on. They were easy to fret, small necks and they had a good sound. Some of the brands I had never even heard of, but its not the brand that makes it easy to play. Whatever you do, I'm not putting Wal-Mart down, but simply stating the honest truth, DO NOT buy their guitars! They are cheaply made and will NOT stay in tune! They are truthfully a waste of your money. If you want to buy a child's guitar ( they will have smaller necks) look around in pawn shops or online on Craigslist, E- Bay, etc, before spending a lot of money. If you buy a standard size guitar for your child, take them with you and get them to put their hands around the neck. If the neck is thick,they will more than likely struggle to chord the guitar and that will discourage them because it makes it very difficult to learn. Another reason why people give up is because it hurts. When learning an acoustic guitar you have to apply a lot of pressure to the strings with your finger tips. Over time, and faithfully practicing you will develop callouses and after that point, it doesn't hurt anymore and that is when it becomes fun!! I taught my older Brother how to play guitar when I was 17 y/o. He told me he couldn't play because his fingers were too fat. I've heard several guys say that through time. With practice and a good teacher, having fat fingers isn't the problem, it's how to place your fingertips and how you hold the guitar at the neck. With a good teacher these small tips will help you go a long way! Call me today and let me help you get started on the way to a new and awesome hobby that I promise you will never regret!!!