Am I Too Old

NO, NO, NO!!! You are DEFINITELY NOT too old. How good you get depends on how bad you want it and how much time you consistently have that axe in your hands.
I picked it up at age 50 after noodling with a toy guitar my g/f's kid had. I started fingerpicking old country blues ala Lightnin", Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt etc.. It was tough but I stayed with it. I ate, slept and dreamed guitar. Then I moved on to all the rock solos I'd always wanted to learn.
I'm 63 now and after blues, rock, and rockabilly, I've fallen hard for Jazz and Jump Blues. I'm no expert but I can play a wide selection of tunes, improvise, and I have a blast pickin' Charlie Christian melodies off records and YouTube.
No matter your age, the key question is the same. How bad do you want it? It's tough no matter what your age is. If it was easy everyone would be a guitar player. IF, IF, IF you want it bad enough....then...Oh Yeah! You CAN do it! You CAN become an accomplished guitar player!!!
NEVER NEVER NEVER quit!!! Every single day...pick up your guitar and PLAY! Keep your focus, tunnel vision and visualize it, want it so bad, bad, bad you can taste it! NOW GO & GET IT!!!
That my friend is the secret!

Originally Posted by: ukrockerHello,Need Help

Have always wanted to play the Guitar, so I started last Christmas after my Wife got me one, "But am I Too Old, Have I left it to late" I am now 52yrs old.
I have been teaching my self with the aide of Beginners books ,
I can now play Apache, Ghost Riders in the Sky, and Wonderful Land by the Shadows,
As well as Danny Boy, But these are all basically easy , compared to cords which I am having a lot of trouble with,
But still having trouble changing from one cord to another and my right hand just forgets how to strum, will I ever be able to play or am I just to Old, Please be honest I don’t mind the truth, better to know than to carry on with some thing I will never be able to do or master,
Just so it helps my Taste in music and the music I would love to play is American 50s Rock & Roll / Doo Wop.
Many Thanks for any Help Keith

My answer is NO! I am an intermediate "blues guitar" student and will be 65 next month. I played a few years as a teen, dropped it when I met my "Yoko," and picked it back up about 6 months ago. I'm learning at a faster rate now than when I was young! I think it also helps the brain in the same way as reading, crossword puzzles, and Sudoku.

I played quite a bit when I was younger. Now for the last few months, at 58, I am revisiting playing after many years of barely playing at all. Chops are nowhere near what they used to be, but, I still enjoy it. Just keep with it, you'll learn the tunes, you'll learn other things, & hopefully, you'll have fun.

Rock on!

I am 55 years old and I have started, stopped, and restarted this journey called learning guitar. I found a motivational sign of the internet. It was a picture of a guy leaning over an electric guitar . Not the best posture in the world. But the message of the picture said "Practice- the less you do of it, the more you suck." Reverse psychology maybe but it's worked for me. This is a journey that you, we and I have begun. It had a beginning (or beginnings) but there is no time limit except for that which you create. If got a pulse and you are breathing you can practice guitar.

Hi guys and gals, i'm 50 and just started playing 5 weeks ago. I'm enjoying it! I'm going through the GF1 core course. I want to say that Lisa McCormick is a fantastic instructor from what i've seen so far. She explains things very clear and has a cheery, energetic, approach/demeanor to her instructing.

I've always admired those with mad guitar skills, but with the on-hands knowledge and understanding i've gained on what it takes/is going to take to get to that level, i've gained an even deeper admiration and respect for those who are really good on the guitar.

I'll just be glad when my fingers can take practicing longer without getting the soreness. I know, i know, "patience Grasshopper!" :)

I'm 65 and just bought my first electric guitar. I'm enjoying myself even though I have problems with some chords. The key to happiness is to have no expectations so every small improvement is a victory for me and hitting a chord just right is very rewarding. Reconsider your goals - Do you want to play professionally or just have some fun playing some old tunes? Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just enjoy.

I LOVE this conversation, and each of your bold journeys into learning guitar!

My dear father just started learning to play the ukulele at the age of 78, and it has totally changed his life. The joy, the struggle, the explorations. He stays up late every night, immersing himself in it.

It is such a beautiful thing - and he and I now can play music together!

Keep on, stay tuned...
Your biggest fan,
Lisa McCormick

Lisa you rock no pun intended. I started taking one half hour private lessons a little over a year ago at age 45 but felt that I was not learning much. I decided to try Guitar Tricks two months ago and have learned more than I did in the last year. I finished Guitar Fundamentals 1 a few weeks ago. Now I can play songs especially “Ode to Joy” octave thanks to you. It takes a special person like you Lisa to teach.

Oh, that is so wonderful to hear! Thank you for putting a big grin on my face!

newes post struck a chord (pun intended) with me. I am turning 90 in April and have been playing golf for about 60 years. I finally shot my age last year with a 85. Now I am taking lessons on my Dad's near 100 year old guitar. I started with GT last June. I feel like I am making progress but I still have a little trouble reaching that G chord. I need to practice more but I am still building callouses on my fingers. This is something I always wanted to do but other things always seemed to get in the way.

Originally Posted by: Tincanmannewest post struck a chord (pun intended) with me. I am turning 90 in April... I am taking lessons on my Dad's near 100 year old guitar.

And we have a new leader! Both player and guitar!! :D

Keep on truckin'.

61 and still banging away at it most everyday. Have a ton of fun learning some of those old 60's riffs from the big boys!!!

I think that I may have already posted in this one earlier but I'm so old that I forgot. I'm 64 and used to play guitar in my teens and early 20's. Then, I took about 40 years off. I started playing drums about 4 years ago and am now the drummer at church. I got back into guitar about two years ago and my first bass was delivered last week! Now, if I could just remember where I put my car keys!

Originally Posted by: Tincanmannewes post struck a chord (pun intended) with me. I am turning 90 in April and have been playing golf for about 60 years. I finally shot my age last year with a 85. Now I am taking lessons on my Dad's near 100 year old guitar. I started with GT last June. I feel like I am making progress but I still have a little trouble reaching that G chord. I need to practice more but I am still building callouses on my fingers. This is something I always wanted to do but other things always seemed to get in the way.

Looks like I still have time to make the big time, I'll be 70 this year..
Does your name relate to being a Sailor at one time..
Never mind, I found info in an older post..
Thank you for your service..

I'm 59 yrs.young!!
I turned 57 and said, I wanted to learn to play guitar.
I subscribed to guitar tricks went thru the basic 1 part for beginners. I learned most of the basic open chords and learned a little strumming.
I was improving, but I stopped. A year are so later I started again, right at the start. It's hard I wonder if the fingers aren't working with the brain or the brain have quit working with the fingers. I'm practicing about 45 minutes every 2 days, and you know I'm doing much better. I believe that I'll be able to play. I think the key is Practice and enjoy. I get alot of enjoyment out of the guitar.
I must say to Lisa, this go round I have went with your teaching, you are so easy to listen to, I have really enjoyed it!! I'm going go thru all your lessons.

Hello everyone. Obviously a very popular thread. I've read a couple of pages, not all, and I'd like to offer my 2 cents. Not sure if this has been posted, but...

I'm a keyboard player, took piano and organ lessons as a kid, started playing bass guitar in the 1980's...mainly because back then there were tons of keyboard players and bass players were in high demand. With this background, one thing I always wanted to do was to learn and play guitar, and started in my early 40's.

One suggestion that I would like to offer is to find a friend or two to play with. I'm not necessarily talking about joining a band, but rather just someone to play along with. It doesn't even matter their playing skills. You will find more enjoyment and you'll find that you will progress much faster than learning or playing by yourself. And, you'll look forward to future jam sessions.

Second thing to remember is to have fun. Don't get frustrated. Enjoy the little accomplishments as you progress.

Good luck...and go play!

Best,
Brian

I've have been told this before, regretfully I have a limited amount of time to go somewhere else to play. I will eventually find someone to play with!!

Good Advice!!

Originally Posted by: jayplayI've have been told this before, regretfully I have a limited amount of time to go somewhere else to play. I will eventually find someone to play with!!

Good Advice!!

Jayplay, my local music store has a free "jam session" for beginning guitarist every Saturday. Good instruction, fun, and free! Check your local music shop. If they don't offer something like this, suggest it! It's a win for everyone!

Ok I've been at it for 50 years at varying levels of intensity. I have studied with teachers and I am probably a better teacher than player. My talent is persistence.

Now at 70 and retired with plenty of time. I am doing a fair amount of speed building. I have always been taught that the faster you are, the easier it is to improvise.

So about six months ago I started. I couldn't do major scales, sixteenth notes at 80 BPM. Now I can do scales at around 100 BPM. I can do bursts of 4 to 8 notes at 120 BPM. I can do eighth note triplets at 120.

I use the GT metronome. Using the auto increase BPM I increase 4 BPM every 4 measures. Once I could do 80 BPM I would do scales and modes from 80 to 100. Now I am working from 120 to 140.

I think the biggest obstacle to progress is I am also continuing to learn new songs, usually from the 50's to 70's. (Too many songs not enough time.)

Another obstacle is I have been doing this alone for 50 years. Limited opportunities to play with others is a serious impediment to progress.

At our age we need to keep moving these fingers.

Originally Posted by: bkap1 ... I use the GT metronome. Using the auto increase BPM I increase 4 BPM every 4 measures. Once I could do 80 BPM I would do scales and modes from 80 to 100. Now I am working from 120 to 140.

I think the biggest obstacle to progress is I am also continuing to learn new songs, usually from the 50's to 70's. (Too many songs not enough time.)...

Ain't it great? A month or two back something happened to me I never thought would... After years of multi-hour, six days a week practice I hit a wall with GT lessons. Who knew? :rolleyes: So I'm taking a break from lessons, scales and other exercises with that great auto-increase GT metronome and learning/playing songs instead. Despite the new additions to my repertoire my to-do list is still growing...I love it!

I'll get back to the lessons some day soon but, in the meantime, practice is funner than ever and 'my' songs have improved.