Started playing at age 40 or older & still playing 10 years later?

[srderby]

Mine is a similar story. I had wanted to play guitar for alot of years but...just never did it. I am 41 yo now and finally bought one about three years ago and love every minute of it. I'll sit in the living room strumming something that sounds beautiful as I sing along in my head. I know my family sits across the room wondering what song it is but thats ok. I've done online lessons mostly and tried in person lessons but just had a "dud" for an instructor...i'll try again. I am progressing very slowly. I have most open chords, some 5th chords, adn working on barre chords. Im focusing alot on my scales now as my fingers dont always listen to what I tell them to do. I think overall to me this is akin to meditation and though late I'm glad I started.

[patticake]

there's usually workarounds - smaller guitars, wider necks, shorter scale, 12 frets to the body. when i was at my worst, with virtually no range of motion in my right shoulder and pain in my elbow, the washburn rover came to the rescue and kept me playing

Originally Posted by Frederico

Well, you never know. If not the worst thing to happen, joint pain or should pain may get in the way.

Hope not though

[Broadus]

Originally Posted by stevety

well i have just started at 62 and have been at it for 8 months and i am really enjoying it. I am using learn and master guitar program and just taking my time. I have two seagull acoustic guitars i use.

That's a really good instructional program. Hang in there!

Lots of wonderful stories so far, and I bet there are lots of other ones, too.

Bill

[JCave]

Originally Posted by Broadus

Anyone? My thread asking the same question with the age of 50 or older has so far received no replies. Thought I would lower it by a decade.
Thanks,
Bill

Being a newbee, I missed that thread. A lot of years ago I learned to play a few songs but never learned how to really play. Never had my own guitar. Yep, all I have are excuses for never pursuing the interest. I've been around music all my life, my oldest brother is a musician. The wife and I have been hanging out at a local music scene, which I've totally enjoyed. Knowing that she gave me a gift certificate at a music store in Portland. So here I am at 58 semi-retired and trying to learn to play. Lessons are available in this area however I'm going it on my own learning at my own choosen speed. I practice at least one hour each day, yesterday it was more like four, couldn't put it down.


Is there more information on "master guitar program."


Jerry

[Broadus]

Originally Posted by JCave

. . . .

Is there more information on "master guitar program."

Jerry

Hi Jerry. Here's a long thread from several months back that should prove helpful. Note that the "Previously Viewed" course link no longer works, probably because the course was updated a couple of months ago. Actually, the content of the course is the same, but the videos have been redone with Steve using Gibsons since Gibson is now sponsoring the course.

Bill

[rick413]

When I was 25 I took 4 guitar lessons and quit. At 65 a friend loaned me a cheap guitar to fool around with. I have now been fooling around for a year. I play for several hour a day watching a lot of lessons on the internet. I just bought my third guitar (taylor 614ce) and I seem to be obsessed. I play with a friend that I was in Vietnam in the Marine Corps with who has been playing all of his life. I can play all of the campfire songs and oldies but I seem to be hitting a wall getting better. Thinking about a teacher but the internet has so much and is so convenient. I can take a lesson in the middle of the night if I want. I guess I am in too much of a hurry to progress. What to do?? Rick

[Broadus]

Hey Rick. Some folk suggest taking some time off. I like to get a new book and learn something different.

Bill

[MJRB]

I don't fit your age criteria, but I started at 21, and am still struggling along at 80.
And enjoying every moment.
MJRB

[offkey]

As I turned 50 I decided to take up guitar and my wife chuckled and said why don't you start with a recorder, so i got an alto and taught myself basic music understanding, keys, scales, etc. A couple years later a Seagull S6 came into the family and was soon followed by too many guitars. I have now settled on a couple Martin 00s that fit my aging body very well. I turned 59 a few days ago and play every day. I may never play very well but I am always happy to have a guitar in my lap. I actually am happy I waited until later in life. It's good for me to have a new interest where I can improve and perhaps continue to improve for some time still. Too many things are moving in the other direction at this stage. Still love the recorder by the way also, it seems that for me using my breath and wind is very healthy for the head. Thanks for starting this thread.

[spock]

Started at age 50 (ten years ago). Still playing. I may actually be half way decent by the time I crack 90 Here is an example of where I've gotten to in my songwriting and playing:

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=6130437

[billder99]

Hi Bill,

I truly get your question. At age 53, I started playing on Jan 1, 2010 so I'm over 4 years into my playing journey... not 10 years, but now I know I will continue. I play an average of 12 hours/wk and I have come far with that level of practice and play, much farther than I ever imagined in the beginning. I truly have no "talent" for music, so it is only repetition and work that has gotten me to where I am.

There have been many times when I have questioned "Why am I doing this?" I am ok, good enough that non-players enjoy my music, my friends are not embarrassed for me. I know I will never be a really good guitar player or singer or entertainer, though I am doing open mics and play with a group of people in a variety of situations... and I'm still growing. The satisfaction comes from other places. I invest a lot of time into practice and playing, and my social life has come to revolve around playing music. It is good for my brain, which is showing signs of aging. Music is my very most important meditation time, my spiritual release... it balances my life. I'm now 57, and playing guitar has fundamentally changed my life in a good and positive way.

I know absolutely that if I stopped playing, after a time I would crave it again, need it... and if I really stopped, I would deeply regret it... you can take breaks for a few days or even a few weeks on occasion, but any longer I think is dangerous to momentum. An object at rest tends to remain at rest... overcoming inertia of a body at rest is much harder than maintaining it. Just keep playing, even on the days when you just don't feel it. If you play daily you will overcome plateaus, and you will have glorious days where things really come together. You can dream of being able to repeat those really satisfying days consistently... I do.

[angel13]

I got my very first guitar when I was about 12 - I saved my pocket money up and bought one I'd been staring at in a catalogue for ages! It was cheap, nasty, nylon stringed and aweful but I was so proud to get it...but it was naff. I struggled by myself to learn basic chords and eventually a friend of my eldest brother lent me his old acoustic guitar which was a bit better than mine. I learnt the basics but without the right encouragement (and actual discouragement) I gave up a little while later, but I did really enjoy strumming away.

Fast forward 25 years and my OH encouraged me to express myself more creatively again - he saw the need for me to do this. So at the age of 41, not knowing if I could learn again I took it up again. My head kinda remembers what I should be doing, but my fingers had to start absolutely from scratich again. I didn't know if I could play as I developed a form of rheumatoid arthritis which means I don't have a great deal of strength in my hands and I can strain them easily. But I'm careful and don't practice for too long in one go and it seems ok - although I have had to stop for a few weeks to heal every now and again. There are some strength things that I do have difficultly playing like bar chords, but with diligent adherence they;re getting easier.

This time round I know not to be judgemental about my journey or compare myself to anyone else and just to enjoy every musical note for myself. I know I should spend more time learning a bit more theory and practice scales and they are on my list of things to do, but since buying a Taylor GS Mini it has really allowed me to play so much easier and I'm really pleased as I've managed to learn recently Sungha Jung's Love Story and I'm learning River Flows in You - Yiruma. I'm not a natural - I seem to have to practice a lot to pragress, but after 3.5 years I'm continuing to love it!

[Devilscreek]

Well here's a thread that died for years, and revived itself.

My story may be a bit different. I took accordion lessons as a kid, sang in the school choir and a large city choir for a few years. Got a couple of cheap guitars and hacked around for a bit, then at age 17 (1965) decided I wanted to be Paul McCartney, went through a bunch of bass guitars and amps, and started joining bands. Played bass only till my early 20's, then gave it all up for family and career.

Around age 54, I discovered bluegrass music, dug out my bass guitar and my electric upright, polished up my vocal cords and got serious. Bought a couple more upright acoustic basses, went to countless jams, campouts, festivals. Played for several bands, did some studio work for a couple of artists. Played at a bunch of Canadian festivals and a few in the Northern USA.

I bought a Takamine G332 maybe 14yrs ago and hacked around a bit, and bought a Martin HD28 maybe 2 yrs later but didn't do much with it either. It was a great guitar but it developed neck problems after a year, and I wasn't satisfied with the authorized Martin repair and gave up in disgust. Besides I was so busy playing upright and singing I really couldn't focus on guitar.

By the spring of 2013 my band had broken up, and I had retired. I sent my Martin to a non affiliated master luthier who had my HD's problems all corrected.

Now here I am, unemployed, wife still working, an advanced player on another instrument, and no band. I felt like a race car with no roadmap. I started practising guitar 2-3 hrs a day. Bluegrass flatpicking, finger style, vocal numbers I had always wanted to do but didn't quite fit what my bands did.

So I had a 30 year layoff, got back into music at age 52, worked hard at it the next 13yrs, switched to guitar last year, and every day is a joy as I try to learn something new every day. I'm not Sutton or Rice yet, but I'm enjoying fairly rapid improvement.

[terryj47]

Well I started when I was 10 but gave it up completely in my late 20's. Pretty stupid but I was completely soured by the music business at that time. I was involved with a couple of really good albums (I thought so anyway) with the guys I worked with basically from junior high school on and the albums went nowhere. I gave it up to focus on my "day job" so I could better support my family. Anyway, I took at up again on my 65th birthday two years ago. Now I have 10 guitars and a great new hobby to see me through retirement. I have no aspirations of becoming a rock star though!

[Blueshoes]

Me I'm pushing 60 and started trying to learn this instrument about 5 years ago. There is a small
music/coffeehouse near me and after enjoying an amateur Christmastime open mike night , I thought that sure looks like fun . I'd always wanted to learn guitar but never got around to it. I was able to retire early and had all kinds of time so I jumped in with both feet took some lessons and started searching for the One that special instrument that would allow me to play like Tommy Emmanual. I then realized how much practice and hard work goes into learning an instrument , I put in time every day and to be honest I am much better than when I began but still have a long way to go , it is a great hobby and I love every part of it from practicing , playing and gassing for that One great guitar. Not 10 years yet {halfway there} but have no intention of quittin'.