Am I Too Old

Originally Posted by: gdengelbrechtYou are definitely not too old :) A good idea will be to get a competent teacher, it will save you a lot of trouble and frustration. I have many students that started after 50 and they are doing perfectly well.

after years of thinking that I wanted to be a drummer, bought a cheap guitar and feel in love with it at the age of 51 and have practice with it everyday sence, you will get those chord progressions in time, the best advise I got about wanting to learn how to play the Guitar is never quit, its not easy as my instructor let me know but with practice you will get better and you will look back even weeks back and you will notice that you are doing things you thought you were unable to master and before you know it you are mastering it, one of the things I found is that, when there is something you are trying to learn and your just not getting it, stop for a while maybe a day or even an hour and then the next time you try to play it, you find you are a little better at it, then you practice a little more at it then leave it for a while again, this gives you brain time to connect with your fingers and before you know it you are playing it fairley will, but it all comes down to practice practice practice, and find your self a good instructor that is structured in his lessons that is help full and will make you more focused in your practicing as well and that is improtant, sorry this is so long but i had the same feeling and thoughts you did when I first pick up the guitar, and thought i would never be able to change chords with any kind of speed or accurates but now i can go thought my open chords with my eyes closed and not miss a beat.

Ron S
Roseville, CA

Great forum! I'm a I'm an award-winning writer working on an article for a national women's magazine about women discovering new hobbies/passions after age 35. If there's anyone here who's taken up guitar after age 35, and has been playing for at least 3 years, I'd love to interview you about how it's changed/added to your life. Please let me know if you are interested, and I can give you my credentials and more details. Thanks!

Hi FJasmine,

I'm on the GT team here, but tend to work mostly with middle-age and older adults. Please contact me privately - I may be able to help you find more people to interview. Best - Lisa

Originally Posted by: FJasmineGreat forum! I'm a I'm an award-winning writer working on an article for a national women's magazine about women discovering new hobbies/passions after age 35. If there's anyone here who's taken up guitar after age 35, and has been playing for at least 3 years, I'd love to interview you about how it's changed/added to your life. Please let me know if you are interested, and I can give you my credentials and more details. Thanks!

That is actually an excellent album of bluegrass and country by Jerry Garcia and friends (Peter Rowan?, etc.). Check it out!
I listened to a program on NPR by this guy who wrote a book on the subject, neither of which I can remember, but hey, contact NPR or the BBC if you are really UK. Anyway, the bottom line was odds are against us oldsters becoming virtuosos, but with the maturity and dedication-as someone else mentioned-we will definitely improve and though learning is harder at an advanced age, we still benefit from the brain stimulation that comes with learning, keeping us mentally fit and young at heart.
So for me at 54, I will never be able to emulate Eddie Van Halen, but I can jam along to some old Faces records, and to me the Faces are more fun anyway.
Cheers!

Originally Posted by: nanselmus...I listened to a program on NPR by this guy who wrote a book on the subject...

See the Open Discussion Forum threads; "New Book...I'm Tempted" and "OLD Learners Look Here'

I am 59 yrs old and took up playing again about 8 months ago. I self taught myself basics (by ear and books) when I was around15. I had not picked up the guitar for 40 years. By consistly practicing 4-5 times per week for 45-90 minutes each time I am amazed what I have learned. Some chords I couldnt even think about playing 3 months ago now come naturally. Practice, practice, love the practice and have fun

Hello, :-)

I am 53 years old, I am a woman. (French from Quebec, Canada) I bought my first guitar yesterday. I am so happy with my purchase. Never too old to have fun and learn something creative. Pleasure has no age.

I turn 54 this next month and think about it about 90 % of what they are teaching we grew up on.I too, am learning again. I want to take the feel of Blues and jazz and put it into praise and worship music. Is any body else out there doing praise and worship music? SkinnyBoy

Best thread EVER right here. I'm so stoked to see all these people who are realizing that it's never to late to strive for something. I'm only 32 but I'd like to think that there is SOME wisdom in my age and I am CONFIDENT that there actually is no such thing as "can't teach an old dog new tricks." Pick up the guitar at age 85 and prepare to be a master before you die because it CAN be done! No one here should be concerned that they don't have enough time or mind capacity to play an instrument. Let's get practicing!

Originally Posted by: Jahan HonmaBest thread EVER right here. I'm so stoked to see all these people who are realizing that it's never to late to strive for something. I'm only 32 but I'd like to think that there is SOME wisdom in my age and I am CONFIDENT that there actually is no such thing as "can't teach an old dog new tricks." Pick up the guitar at age 85 and prepare to be a master before you die because it CAN be done! No one here should be concerned that they don't have enough time or mind capacity to play an instrument. Let's get practicing!

Yes! I am liking this!

To old for what?
For getting firsthand experience of music? For connecting to your creative potential? For embarking on a journey of self-discovery and sharing the fruits of that with others in form of your music?
Never too old for that! Go right ahead man!

Best wishes!

Just turned 40 and figured it was time to fulfill my rock and roll dreams. Also, I've been trying to teach my kids the value of carving out a little time each day to better themselves in some fashion -- practicing a sport, working on math, reading, etc. What better way to get that message to sink in then by showing them? I'm hoping that even an old dog can learn a new skill if he puts aside 30 mins per day, every day.

I'm on day 5 ... fighting sore fingers and frustration, but having fun.

I picked up my first guitar a little over 2 years ago at age 44. I started going through the Core Learning courses that Christopher Schlegel gives here on GT. Oddly enough, he's my age and attended a rival high school here in St. Louis, and it's possible we may have run into each other at parties back then. Or maybe he played at some of the parties that I attended. I thought he looked familiar, but those years a little fuzzy, if you know what I mean. :o

In any event, while going through those courses, I became distracted by other things in life a few times and stopped practicing for a few months at a time. I will also say that I was at first having trouble getting in good practice time because of my fingers getting sore from trying to learn on a cheap guitar. I ended up buying a couple of guitars that were easier to fret and it made a world of difference.

I did eventually get through the Core Learning 1 and 2 courses, but I was having trouble making the jump to the next levels. Some of us older folks can't spend all day in our bedroom with no other responsibilities and find it hard to set aside the time. Especially, when we don't feel like we're making much progress. I was getting a little impatient to hear something coming from my fingers that sounded more complex than "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," but wasn't quite ready to jump into more complex strumming and hammer on and pull offs etc.

Later my interest started to peak again and I ended up finding this guy online who didn't do the Core stuff so much, but was very effective for me in getting strumming patterns and such down with cord progressions that sounded melodic and similar to to well known songs. Being able to hear melodic cord progressions has kept it interesting while practicing cord changes rather than just simple down strokes on each beat. Now, I'm at a point where I think I can start trying some of the simpler songs on GT so I came back because, I can tell that there are some really good instructors here, I just wasn't ready for in an online setting before.

Are you too old to be a rock star? Probably... Are you too old to follow a dream and have fun learning something and hearing music come from your hands that you may have thought you couldn't do? Never!

Enjoy!

I have to smile, maybe a bit ruefully, at these comments. I just started two weeks ago, and loving it. I'm 83!.

We all hope to make it to your age. I started at 63 and have been playing for 20 monrhs. I am not as good as I would like to be but I try to improve a little every day and I am. I have a deformed pinky and play with 3 fingers. I use to get frustrated when I could not do some bar cords or cords. Now I find ways to get around the issues at hand We must remember playing is for fun and to keep the brain sharp. Good luck and buy a lot of guitars so you cant bail. I have 15 so far and checking out my next piece. Johnnyrock

Originally Posted by: johnnyrock1We all hope to make it to your age. I started at 63 and have been playing for 20 monrhs. I am not as good as I would like to be but I try to improve a little every day and I am. I have a deformed pinky and play with 3 fingers. I use to get frustrated when I could not do some bar cords or cords. Now I find ways to get around the issues at hand We must remember playing is for fun and to keep the brain sharp. Good luck and buy a lot of guitars so you cant bail. I have 15 so far and checking out my next piece. Johnnyrock

Not much of a chance that I'll bail, even with just my one 29 dollar axe. Having too much fun! How do you fret a G major chord with that pinky? :eek:

I am just about to turn 54, and I started playing only a couple of months ago. Sure, it aint easy, but I don’t look at it as ‘I should had started when I was younger’. I am just letting myself really enjoy learning how to play, and every time I learn a new lick or a cool chord progression, the more I enjoy playing.

I like to live by the old quote …

“Growing OLD is just a bad habit that a busy man has no time for.”

… so, just enjoy it...and keep on truckin’!

Originally Posted by: Richie0I have to smile, maybe a bit ruefully, at these comments. I just started two weeks ago, and loving it. I'm 83!.

Right.

Anyway, on topic:
urocker, dude, you just started out late man. You'll still learn.
Just keep strumming. You may temporarily strum without playing any chords. Mixing a chord pattern with a strum won't be long until your right hand will get used to a beat.

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I'm 58 and started playing guitar for the very first time, last night! Just unwrapped a new Blueridge BR-143ce. I've been told it's an easy guitar to learn on. We'll see. I have some keyboard and voice experience so at least I've got that going for me. Just hope I can work through the arthritic fingers..

At 53, I am living the dream. Time to do it. If not then, it must be now. If not now, it must be then, if it was not then, it must be now, either way it must be.

Long way of saying go for it man. This is no dress rehearsal. Remember, you are what you do. At this stage in your guitar playing career how does it feel? Ya? Wrinkles and rock? Great combo from where I sit. My body gets old, not my spirit.

Forget the peer pressure. You picked that guitar up now for the same reason you wanted to pick it up before, because it was calling you and you have something to say. The one item on the earth is calling you and you have something to say. You listened. Now speak, make YOUR music. Do not be afraid. It is YOUR time.