Hey folks,

I have mostly lurked here for 6 months or so, but have to say I have enjoyed this forum immensely. What a great source of insights and entertainment (yeah, you Sonoman..what a way with words!).

Although it seems as if many of you have been playing for a long time, I would love to hear about your experiences with people taking up guitar later in life (maybe you, maybe someone you know?). Is it possible to become a "decent" player starting at that age? What can one expect in terms of time to develop, pitfalls, etc.? Besides just practice a lot, are there any other imperatives to getting "good"? What is realistic?

I am in my late 40's and didn't buy a guitar until a little over a year ago. At that time, I bought a rather inexpensive guitar (Zager) over the internet just to see what I would do with it. Somehow (and inexplicably to me) this has developed very quickly into a serious passion...playing, collecting, sniffing, everything. I have since found a wonderful teacher (after passing through a mediocre one along the way) and although I am CFO of a rather larger public company I manage to find 15-20 hours a week to practice (my wife says 20+ but what does she know). Because I am blessed with the resources (goes with the enormous amount of stress in post-Enron world I guess), I am lucky enough to own a few Collings guitars. The Zager doesn't get played much anymore :-)

Sorry if I should have posed this question in another forum...this one seems to be the most active. I appreciate any insights you folks may have.

Philco

Howdy, Phil-I'm 60 and have been playing since age 13. It has been a source of enjoyment and comfort to me all my life. As far as your age goes, who cares? Age is not so much a factor as is your desire to learn to play and get better. If you have the flame within, you will surprise yourself at how quickly you improve. We could all find some 15-year old whose playing would overshadow our own. That makes no difference. Unless you're going to give up your CFO status and start performing for a living, don't worry about your ability compared to someone else. Hey! You've got a 401-K and insurance-Things a lot of musicians dream about!

Take it a day at a time and pretend you're in your teens all over again. It's all about enjoying your own music at your own pace. In your "teen regression", please remember to observe your curfew and clean up your room!
Good luck,
Bill

I started playing at about the same age. My skills are decent, but not great. For me, starting later in life came with the maturity to have reasonable expectations. I'm just doing this to have fun, I don't dream of screaming fans.

Still, I practice everyday and things keep slowly getting better. But when I'm done practicing, I'm relaxed and smiling, so I guess if I never progress any further it's going to be fine.

Philco: thanks for your generous words about my language skills. It's genetic; I had no choice in the matter. My grandad had it, my dad, my kids, and now their kids. But about guitar: that you have come across this passion later rather than sooner does not lessen the gift. It may make it all the more important. Although I played professionally on and off almost from the beginning (1965, age 18), I didn't really get serious about learning to really be a musician until I was in my late thirties. We're all on the same road, just at different signposts. I'm still learning. Music is a great unifier and a great source of joy, a balm in times of sorrow. It's absolutely true: music is the speech of angels. You're a lucky man. Go with it.

Welcome Phil. I think if you start digging you will find a LOT of people on these forums started later in life. Or, there are many like me that played when they were young and then gave it up for all the other things that life threw at them.
Work, family etc. And now have found the desire to get back into playing, but this time we have more time, patience and money to put into our "hobby".

Nothing at all wrong with gettin into this late in life, a good many of the friends I have made on this and other forums have done exactly the same thing..
And some are pretty impressive players.
Just be "real" about your expectations and don't expect too much too soon out of yourself.

quote:

should have posed this question in another forum...this one seems to be the most active. I appreciate any insights you folks may have.

Philco,

I think it is possible to achieve many things if you work steadily and have the basic talents needed to play. I think you are still quite young (late 40s) and should really be excited about what you may still accomplish. Patience and good training is the key, but don't force yourself to do something if it feels unnatural or pushed. I just started playing fingerstyle 4 years ago, at least I really started getting into it and have since just about abandoned the electric guitar. I wish I would have started sooner and I'm now approaching mid-50s.

I could start another thread here on what it's like to give up some monetary rewards for playing time, but suffice it to say that many of us have given up some lucrative careers to play music. I'm certainly one of them.

Philco, I think you'll find the key is loving music. If you do, then you'll be able to get much out of playing the guitar regardless of when you first pick it up. Just keep in mind that you don't have to be great to enjoy, and your on the way. Sounds like you have a very good start......some great guitars and a great teacher. With that going for you, and strong desire, you'll do just fine. ABTW, if you want some good background on acoustic guitars, check out Tim Brookes book, "Guitar, An American Life". Your on the path, and much enjoyment is down the road for you. Welcome aboard!

Philco,

I echo the sentiment of so many here. My own personal deal was I started playing at 13, like the Kilgore Kid, but quit playing altogether when I got married and raised two kids. Started playing again in earnest about 10 years ago(at 47)and haven't stopped. Great source of comfort and relaxation for me as well.

Just today joined a group that will play some casual gigs here in Mississippi.

Best to you.

John C., talk about an echo! I started playing around 13 as well (first guitar, a black Hagstrom 1 paid for by mowing lawns all summer, soon followed by a Gibson ES-345; yeah, now that was the ticket; many guitars both electric and acoustic followed after that). Stopped playing when my daughter was born, but later picked it back up and have never looked back. I plan to keep playing until my fingers can't make the stretch (and I'll probably transition to a short scale to keep it going). Keep on keeping on all

Hi Philco,
Playing the guitar (and most any instrument really as it is the music that counts) is a great satisfaction. It is great you have found a fine teacher. That would have been my first recommendation.
For the quickest advancement I would find a style of music you want to learn (i.e fingerstyle, flatpicking, blues, rags, modern), learn pieces in some logical order as to difficulty, and really try to play each one proficiently...because you learn better how to learn, develop good habits (e.g. learning pieces all the way through), and can make measurable progress.

That does not mean you can't do other styles on the side or that you will not later broaden your pallete of music. It's just an organized way of starting out.

Have fun,
Rick

Yeah, I've "quit" more times than I care to count. I gave up the whole road thing and the star trip when we had our first of four children. I was not a hard choice. You can't subcontract parenthood. So I played at home, at church sometimes, kept some chops up, and then picked up the thread when we moved to Jackson Hole and I needed to use whatever skills I had to make money any legal way possible. so I got in a band, gave lessons, played solo, wrote songs for the first time (about 150 copyrighted so far), and here I am, at 60, playing several gigs a month with no intention at all of stopping as long as I have a pulse and some decent licks. Philco, you've unwittingly joined a bizarre but benign fraternity (or sorority, if that's the way it turns).

philco:

i'm in my mid-fifties and have been playing guitar for almost forty years. i started playing mandolin about three years ago. it has been more difficult to learn an instrument at age 50 than at age 16, but the enjoyment is still there... maybe more so. and it's made me a better guitar player. just have fun!