Originally Posted by: EasyEd48Hey All,

First post so I'll jump in here...

I'm 57 and so maybe I'm too old? But I don't think so. Here's why...

I've never played guitar before but I have a son who has for over 10 years (he's 18) and is now basically a metal head. I thought if I go ahead and start giving this guitar thing a whirl we would have more to talk about and he could help me with some other kinds of music. Just yesterday he bought a 2003 I think ESP LTD Flying V Dave Mustaine (who is he?) signature model from a guy sacrificing it as he is moving to Australia and can't take all his "babies" with him. Ugly as sin to me though but I did get a new pick out of the deal and I knew enough ahead of time to ask about pickups and such.

But before you start thinking I'm not really into guitar let me tell you a bit about myself. I have always loved music. For years when I was young it was actually all about dancing swing mostly but I also did folk, square, contra and all kinds of social from waltz to samba and everything in between. Used to enter contests and all but now I find most women my age don't like to be flipped upside down so I thought lets get up on stage instead of in front of it. I also mess around on harmonica and spent a few years on mandolin as I love bluegrass and country. I took mando lessons and I still remember my first one - the first teacher who also taught my son guitar and my daughter fiddle (not violin) looked at me and said Ed guitar is a lot lot easier - but I went with the mando as my daughter was doing fiddle and my son was just barely starting guitar. I still mess around with the mando but want to do guitar too as there are other music styles that I love that don't use mando much. My tastes cross a number of genres but the basic rule seems to be - simple and melodic - if you can dance to it I'll probably like it - complicated and "noisy" I probably won't. To illustrate I'm not big on classical or jazz or complicated blues but love bluegrass, country, country rock and country blues, folk, cajun, zydeco, french canadian and I'll call it "low gain" rock modern or old like 50s, 60s rock and rockabilly and do wop and surf. There is even metal that I like - folk metal that is.

So much to the disgust of my son who wanted me to buy a Epiphone Les Paul or some Ibanez model since he wanted them and figured I'd quit so he would inherit - I bought a Gretsch ProJet with filtertrons and a Bigsby. I've an old Crate Taxi amp I used as a PA and am borrowing my sons first Fender G-Dec as he has moved on and that is what I got to work with although I've got my eye on a Bugera V5 for fun and a Boss Br-80 for mobile headphone practice. I have noticed that when I have my son show me something on my ProJet he doesn't put it down very fast - I am certain he likes it more than he is willing to admit.

I'm barely beginning but am finding that yes the guitar is easier but different - my fingers are not used to all the real estate on the fret board and there are more strings. I've a lot to learn as a guitar is not in fifths like a mando or fiddle but I am enjoying it - so much to learn - you never see an amp in true acoustic bluegrass.

First I'll apologise for the rambling but to me the point is that if you love music and want to make music it doesn't matter how old you are - I think you can learn enough to know where when and how you can "fit in" to any musical setting and enjoy it. For me I'll probably never "shred" at the speed my son can just like on a mando I'll never have the speed of Chris Thile but even as a beginner on mando I had a great time just jammin at my daughters fiddle camps only knowing two finger chords for a while. I'll enjoy guitar as well for as far as my abilities at this age will take me. You can too.

-Ed-

very cool :) if you put the time in it you WILL be a great player, no matter how old you are!