quote:

---

Greg Koch, 42, an internationally known guitarist and clinician for Fender Musical Instruments, called the backlash despicable.

He said most 8-year-olds don't have the strength or attention span to pursue guitar or can't endure the calluses.

---

I can vouch for that. My son is 8, and he can barely pay attention through a 1 hour soccer practice.
 

---

Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
 
Now see, I spent half my childhood doing just this...except that my dad was the one playing guitar with the band and I was the one falling asleep on the pub couch. I can't speak for what it's like in the US but there are pubs and there are pubs, not all of them are what you call child safe, but let's be honest, not many of the nasty blood & sawdust type places would book a musical act anyway, so I don't see a problem so long as the kid is supervised.

There must be some law that covers child entertainers as the US does have child actors, no?
 

---

Posted by Josh (Member # 1884) on :
 
That kid looks like Fred savage pretending to be Ray Charles
 

---

Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
 
*grinds teeth* Yes, let's stop a talented kid from pursuing art because of labor laws. Fu-cking-hell.
 

---

Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
Oh, he can still work/perform- he just cant be paid for it.
After all, why teach a minor about making money for himself?

My old man used me and my sister as virtual slaves helping out at the resturants he owned- no pay, no problem: we were just "helping out".
 

---