The Age thing

Mart, my experience with learning guitar is an absolute testament to what you just wrote.

I got an acoustic guitar for my 18th birthday a little under 2 years ago from my Uncle, he taught me a few things, and for the summer, my parents arranged for lessons for me. I barely understood anything the teacher said, my fingers hurt too much when I tried to play (the gauge on the strings was ridiculously high), and playing that guitar made me feel like I couldn't do anything right. I figured out one thing (the love theme from The Godfather, no joke) for myself before I put it away and abandoned it for a while.

I brought it to college with me, thinking that I'd learn how to play it when I had time, but I didn't, simply because I wasn't ready for it. I started taking lessons the next semester, and met my guitar teacher, inspirational figure, and friend, Eric. We slowly clicked, as I got better and more into learning guitar, but I was still frustrated at how little progress I was making, and realized after I played an electric guitar my virtuoso cousin had that it wasn't my fault - it was the guitar!

So, I learned all that i could from Eric before summer came, and saved up a few paychecks from work towards upgrading my gear. I didn't want the equivalent of a starter set - I wanted something to grow into. I got myself a nice Epiphone Les Paul and a Marshall 30 watt practice amp. Since then, I became even more dedicated to learning the instrument, and have made some valuable epiphanies (some in theory, some in the beauty of music, and some in life) through guitar.

Now, I'm constantly surprised at how much I've improved in a year of lessons, what I can play, and where I can go in terms of playing. Things I thought were excruciatingly difficult I can play with ease now, concepts that boggled my mind are like second nature to me, and it's given me newfound zest and enthusiasm for everything around me.

In short, learning guitar has opened up my life - but not until I was ready for it. You are never too late to start it, you may not be ridiculously successful and wealthy, but you don't have to be a guitar prodigy at 19 to succeed in the music industry. (you don't even have to be a guitar prodigy - look at hip-hop or Kurt Cobain!) You may not even succeed - but if you want to, there's nobody stopping you.

-Brian

I picked up a guitar for the first time at the tender age of 45.

My priorities might be a little different but here's my take on this.

After a couple of years I can play quite an assortment of songs, I'm having fun and people actually ask me to play for them...Even after they've heard me play!!!

Had I started 30 years earlier I would have been pretty good by now ( I hope) but the way I see it, I have no plans to leave this world within the next 30 years, so I can catch up.

Mind you I have no aspirations of becoming a rock star.

On the other hand look at some of the old time blues guys, they're still going strong at the age of 70 plus....Hmmmm...wonder if its OK to quit my day job?

hmm im 13, and i didnt get into guitar until i found a SRV cd that my dad always played when I was in my mom. I got connected with it, so i stopped listen in to pop and rap(yes, i said rap :roll: ) and i havent turned back since. When i'm writing, i still do listen to all sorts of music for inspiration. What im trying to say is, im glad im not wearing "bling" and listining to Marroon 5 or whatever. :)

I read that post by the 15-yr old dude who asks if he is too old to get as good as he would like to. Well that doesn't leave me with much hope then, I'm 22 and won't even get my guitar until July! (I've got exams in 9weeks and if i buy it now, i'll spend all my time playing and do no revision. After exams i'm going on my medical elective for 8weeks! When i get back i'll get my electric. Can't wait!)

But i have to say that i've been thinking the exact same things as my 15-yr old friend - Am i too old? Will i get as good as my fave guitarists? Why didn't my parents buy me a guitar when i was 2!

I started to play the viola when i was 10yrs old. Imagine how good i'd be now if that had been a guitar!? Or would I? I played for about 5yrs but never really ever enjoyed it. I just went through the motions, doing enough to pass my grade exams.

With my new found enthusiasm for music and guitar, I picked up one of my old music theory books. I read and read and read, more than i had in 5yrs. In 10mins I had learned and understood more theory than i had in my whole music life! Things would have made so much sense if i had understood what i do now, then!

But the point is this - if you are forced into doing something, or do something before you are ready you just would do well in it. But when you are ready, you'll progress so much quicker. It seems as though i am now ready, and so hopefully i progress much faster at the guitar than if i had been given it when i was younger. At least that's the plan!

Just my 2 cents.
Mart.

There's a similar thing happening in college, really. It seems that those who come straight from high school sometimes just sorta float through the motions, get a degree and then carry on in life, sometimes not even using the knowledge they gained.

On the other hand there are adult/night programs where professionals from outside the academic world are sponsored by their corps to get a degree - usually in the business school but sometimes in computer science or other fields related to their occupation.

Thing is, when these older folk come in, they *know* exactly what they want to accomplish, and, having a few life-years under their belt, know *how* to learn and what it takes to do so.

You know that saying "Youth is wasted on the Young"?

Well in certain cases, it's not just a saying.

I guess pretty soon there'll be 6 year old guys logging in saying they should'a started when they were - uh - in the womb, lol :)

I started two years ago at 35 and I'm going strong. I'll never put this thing down and I expect to be rocking when I'm 65.

You've got so much time. I'm jealous.

KY

I think that that stuff about having to start when you're four years old applies mostly to things like becoming a world class violinist or an olympic gymnast.

Granted, getting an early start is a huge advantage. The older you get the further you get from that magic of being four years old, where you just look at things and understand them and there's no distinction in your mind between thinking and doing.

I have a four year old, by the way.

But OTOH, I'm just now forty and I learn a lot faster than I used to. Knowledge is also cumulative - I have a lot of experiences and skills I can draw on when I come to a new thing.

No matter how much I practice, my body will never be 15 again and that will always be a hinderance. And, no matter how good I get, 15 year old girls will never have an interest in looking longingly at me for even a few seconds - so I can forget about being the next hot new thing.

That said, I've been playing for three months, and in spite of a a month spent with my guitar essentially locked in a closet on account of letting some tendointis I gave myself practicing too much heal (read as Carpal Tunnel in my fret hand wrist), I'm learning fairly quickly. And there's joy in having music come out of my hands.

Success is relative. Even if you suck, if you can play one song you're doing better than 99% of everybody you know. Start from there and keep working.

Don't bother trying to be "successful"; play music you love and let that take you where it will. The best musicians do it because they love the music, not because they want "success".

Writing a followup, 'cause this has been on my mind all morning and I just can't seem to shut up....

When I was a kid my mom bought an old used upright piano. I liked to play around on it so she found a succession of teachers and I took lessons. I wanted to play something cool but what was in front of me was tripe and I didn't have the wherewithall to find better music to play. I didn't get far.

I went to college and started as a vocal performance major. There was lots of cool music around that I wanted to sing but what I was doing didn't appeal much and I didn't have the motivation to go find what would turn me on.

Trying to "succeed" and "failing" as a "serious" musician took the joy out of music for me. I changed majors and got a degree in technical theatre. Though I often work with musicians, I didn't do anything with music for a dozen years.

About five years ago my mom called. She wanted the piano out of her house, nobody played it and it was taking up too much space. I brought it home and got it tuned and playable. And, with it sitting there i wanted to play it, so I went and found music I wanted to play. As it happened, what I wanted to play first was a fairly challenging Chopin Nocturne.

I didn't bother trying to re-learn scales or work up to it with something easy. I just started plodding through this Nocturne that I thought was really cool. My wife would practically have to drag me away from the piano to come to dinner.

After a while I got pretty good at this piece and started learning other music. Not surprisingly, it became easier to do. I began to understand music theory in a practical way that had eluded me before. At some point running scales became easy and practicing them became a means to an end instead of a chore.

Discipline is important, starting young is an advantage and if being a professional musician is your goal you'll need to learn to play when you're asked to, not just when the mood strikes you; but that having been said, if you're wondering whether you'll have success as a musician the easy way to find out is to take your instrument, put it in its case and lock it in a closet. If you find that you can leave it there you'll know that, at least for now, success as a musician isn't in the cards for you; if you find that you cannot let it sit there, but that you simply have to take it out and play then success, at least at some level, is guaranteed.

I started playing when I was 16, and I too thought I only had about five years to be awsome so I could get in a famous band. I practiced 12 hours a day sometimes. Now that I'm 32 I look back and think how stupid. I'm currently in a band, but I also have a real job, family, etc. Very very few people will be rock stars. Even fewer will end up playing for someone like Ozzy when they are 18, like Zakk Wylde did. Music is something you can enjoy for a life time. Some people will get better faster than others. It depends on your goals and how much work you do. If you are a teenager with a year or two of playing under your belt, please don't think you have a limited amount of time to get to a certain level. There are many people twice your age, that are twice as good (or better) and gig every week or so.

Are you planning on being the next Uber-Shredder(That word cracks me up)? If you are it's probably to late but if you want to play for enjoyment there's plenty of time!!!

Nahh, I know people who can shred. Yeah, I'm a little jealous, because they've been playing for so much longer than I have. Then I realize the only thing separating me from them is time and interest - I'm more interested in the guitarists who do a bit of lead and rhythm very well, instead of just straight leads.

I absolutely adore a lot of blues guitarists for this very reason - it makes more sense for music to flow, to create tension, to ease tension, to grab somebody with power and then let them go, than it does to wank up and down the frets.

That said, when I practice, I feel an internal conflict - I've got the little angel dude on one side playing the blues, and the devilman busting out some metal. I'm thankful for guitarists like Dime and SRV for this reason - they've showed me that I don't have to do one or the other, that I can make some bluesy metal or just shred on the blues. So those little dudes on my shoulders are now one person - I just have to figure out what the hell he sounds like, and I've got the rest of my life to do just that.

-Brian

I picked a guitar for the first time when I was 15 years old over 20 years ago. I got to the point where I could play the main lick in hundreds of songs...and that was it. I wasn't focused enough or patient enough to learn a song from end to end. When I hit college, the old guitar went in a box and didn't come out again until a few months ago.

Since I've picked this thing up again I can play several songs from end to end and have enjoyed watching my wife's surprise when I play something she likes. I'd forgotten how much I like to play and wish I had that 20 years back now.

My point? Just play. You can only get as good as you can get anyway. Why worry about losing 3 or 4 years when you're gonna live another 60 or 80 more than likely. If you keep at it, unlike me, you'll be good. The question is wether you'll be arena good or backyard bbq good. If you don't take a shot at it, how will you know?

Wynton Marsalis didn't start playing until he was 15. Michael Jordan didn't make varsity until his senior year. Think about it.

Hi all

well I'm 41 and only been practising since a couple of weeks prior to christmas 2004 . Age is only what you want it to be , as far as I'm concerned . I'm 41 turning 18 real soon ( :roll: ) never too old or too young for nothing is my motto in life do it enjoy it then try something new
oh well thats me done here

byes

I started at 41 (about 6 mos ago), and have been learning at a good pace, mainly because I was in band in highschool. I wish I had started earlier too, but I think there is still plenty of time to accomplish my goals.

I have a 4 year old, who is very interested when I play. Where would you even start teaching someone that age?

You could be the next uber-shredder in 3 years, maybe 5. Depends on how hard you want to work at it.