Am I Too Old

I´m living my dream at this moment. This year I decide to learn to play guitar. During the first six month was self taught but no improvement overall.

One month ago I decide to try GT for a formal training and way to learn. I´m on GF2 and so far my advance is great....better than the first half of the year. For this reason today I decide to buy a one year subscription, even my wife notice my improvement.

I´m doing for fun, to learn and to enjoy a wonderfull instrument as the guitar. Here I found the place to keep me motivated every day.

I´m living my dream at this moment. This year I decide to learn to play guitar. During the first six month was self taught but no improvement overall.

One month ago I decide to try GT for a formal training and way to learn. I´m on GF2 and so far my advance is great....better than the first half of the year. For this reason today I decide to buy a one year subscription, even my wife notice my improvement.

I´m doing for fun, to learn and to enjoy a wonderfull instrument as the guitar. Here I found the place to keep me motivated every day.

Mine still get sore. I have learned when the steel string gets tough, go to the nylon string. I can usually play about 30 minutes longer. I read somwhere you can buy this stuff that protects your fingers, . It's ok but doesn't work to well.I also purchase some Gorilla tips.
And as far as being old ,I'm sixty-four. I will never stop playing music. It's to important an seems everyone will enjoy what I'm playing. So play on,maybe one day we will be rock stars. LindaP

I am 58 and just started two weeks ago. Got my F chord sounding right too! I am also using Gorilla tips for about half the practice session so I can practice longer ( I practice 2 to 3 hours a day). I already feel some calluses forming up in my fingers!

I committed myself to learning/playing the guitar just 20 months ago and I am 51 years old. I play instead of watching TV and when ever I sit down my tele is in my hand practicing chords and riffs. You don't realize how much you have learned until you look back on your journey. You are never too old.

I'm 71 and giving it another try. The big problem is arthritis in the hands but I found that hot wax treatments at a local spa eases the ache and improves flexibility. Any heat helps, but the wax is best.

I am 59 and two years ago I picked up the bass and have been taking skype lessons and getting a good handle on it. Now, at the same time I am beefing up my guitar skills here and take lessons from a Roy Fulton in Ireland. Age has nothing to do with it! I am making more progress in these last two years than the previous 45 years! So, it is only a matter of putting in the time. I look at kids or teenagers who are really good. If they can get their chops up like that in just a few years so can I. And I have 45 years of experience to draw upon which they don't. 45 years years of listening they have yet to get. So, no problem. It is just a matter of being consistent, having a good practice plan, and putting in the hours. Nothing more. Age is irrelevant.

I'm 58. I played guitar and keyboards in a band in my late teens/early twenties before graduating college. As a young father, I sold off to pay bills, or had stolen, most all my equipment and after that pretty much devoted my spare time to kids' ball games and recitals, etc.

A couple of years ago, I spotted a Squier Stratocaster at Costco. It sounded suprisingly good when I fooled with it, and my wife encouraged me to go ahead and buy it (I hope she doesn't regret that decision too much). That led to a wonderful rediscovery of just how much I love the guitar. I feel like I am living in a golden age where, with digital technology and inexpensive CNC milled instruments I can get the kinds of sounds I could only dream of 30 plus years ago. Same thing with learning new things. With GuitarTricks and other sites, or even some of the better YouTube videos, just about any lick or riff I ever wanted to learn is available to me.

Now I sneak in a few minutes of time for practice whenever I can. Can't wait until retirement when I can devote some more serious time to it. My son is pushing me to learn the Hotel California duet parts so that we can play it together.

So enjoy the journey.

--Dave

I am 56 aqnd just started playing in jan .Only 9months ago and I am having a blast.Went to see boston jn concert and now I am playing 5 of their songs.My girl friend loves to hear me rock out!!!Live the dream!

Keith:
Really...Serious business...you are never too old. I'm a baby at 51 and I can't get enough of this guitar. It has been a blast for me for the past few years, and I love to keep learning stuff, especially with this Guitar Tricks website. I tell everyone I still suck, just not as much today as I did yesterday. Have fun...enjoy the journey. It keeps us young! Johnny

I started when I was 72, 10 months ago. And yea, I think I'm too old but as my wife says,"what else have you got to do?" MY fingers don't work when my brain tells them to, my right hand has a brain all to it's self (a very lazy one too). My fingers want to point inward instead of outward and my voice? Hey I quit singing in the shower 50 years ago because I couldn't stand to listen to myself.
I thought I was doing pretty good so I took my first guitar lesson a week ago. First thing he told me was I was holding the neck wrong! Wants me to get my thumb on the back of the neck instead of using the web of my thumb. Now I can't play squat. It changed everything! I was even beginning to SLOWLY make the dreded "F" chord, now I can't finger it at all with my thumb on the backside. But hey," life's hard , then you die." What else I got to do?

You'll get it after a while.. Never too old.. It just takes a while when your hand are accustom to doing something else. You will prevail..

Originally Posted by: Larry NicholsI started when I was 72, 10 months ago. And yea, I think I'm too old but as my wife says,"what else have you got to do?" MY fingers don't work when my brain tells them to, my right hand has a brain all to it's self (a very lazy one too). My fingers want to point inward instead of outward and my voice? Hey I quit singing in the shower 50 years ago because I couldn't stand to listen to myself.
I thought I was doing pretty good so I took my first guitar lesson a week ago. First thing he told me was I was holding the neck wrong! Wants me to get my thumb on the back of the neck instead of using the web of my thumb. Now I can't play squat. It changed everything! I was even beginning to SLOWLY make the dreded "F" chord, now I can't finger it at all with my thumb on the backside. But hey," life's hard , then you die." What else I got to do?

Willie Nelson is fast closing in on his 82nd BD. When asked if he was thinking about retirement he responded, 'All I do is play golf and make music. Which one am I gonna give up?' :D

I'm willing to admit that guitar comes slower to me now than when I was a kid because the science says that's true. But I don't really notice (I was kinda slow then too ;) ). What I do know is that it took GT a very short time to take me way beyond my previous expertise level...age not withstanding.

Originally Posted by: Larry NicholsI started when I was 72, 10 months ago. And yea, I think I'm too old but as my wife says,"what else have you got to do?" MY fingers don't work when my brain tells them to, my right hand has a brain all to it's self (a very lazy one too). My fingers want to point inward instead of outward and my voice? Hey I quit singing in the shower 50 years ago because I couldn't stand to listen to myself.
I thought I was doing pretty good so I took my first guitar lesson a week ago. First thing he told me was I was holding the neck wrong! Wants me to get my thumb on the back of the neck instead of using the web of my thumb. Now I can't play squat. It changed everything! I was even beginning to SLOWLY make the dreded "F" chord, now I can't finger it at all with my thumb on the backside. But hey," life's hard , then you die." What else I got to do?

Go with what works for you, don't be trapped by the right way. If you were 50 -60 years younger I would say different. I am guessing by now your fingers simply do not bend or work like they did back then. In fact you may not be able to make some cords at all the correct way, so use what way does.

Something you can do to help train your hands\fingers to be independent when not at a guitar. This is just general dexterity hand training to me.

Sitting in a chair with arms, rest your arms on the chair and lift your fingers up off the chair, using your thumbs to keep your fingers in the air. With your right hand, lower your ring finger while lowering your second finger on your right hand. Raise your fingers and do another combination, just never use the same fingers at the same time. When you get good, start raising your fingers while lowering two or three others. Just get the brain use to your hands wanting to do two different things with different fingers at the same time.

Now you have something to do at red lights. hehe

I am 51 and started last week so who is old??????

NOBODY is too old!!!!!

I am 13 and i have been playing for 7 years! you can't be too old but you shouldn't start guitar until age 6... believe me I tried!

Love it! We're all in this together, no matter what age we embark on the journey.

I 'm 56 and just started a little over 3 years ago. It was a bucket list item after a few chemo treatments. I now have 9 guitars and and dinning room is full with PA, drums, etc.. Got a little group together and we've played out twice now, no drug in the world can compare.

Too old, too late..never until your 6 feet under or ashes in the urn :)

Keep on rockin'

Coop

Hey UKrocker i am 58, i started seriously trying to learn at 52...i am still playing i dont think i will ever be as good as i want to be, but, it has been a wonderful journy and i know i will never stop just too much fun learning to play the music i love