Learning Guitar as an adult

Nu Mixer · 27th August 2006, 08:54 PM

How difficult is it for someone with no musical training to learn to play guitar? I'm 40 and always wanted to learn. Thinking about getting an acoustic....

SK1 · 27th August 2006, 09:01 PM

Practice every day 4-8 hours a day for 10 years and you'll be fine. It helps if you have some serious issues. If you don't have any issues, make some up.

Oh yeah, start playing in a band right now (plenty of people are in bands that can't play yet). Nothing motivates a person to get better like screwing up in front of a crowd of people.

Go get it !!!

drundall · 27th August 2006, 09:04 PM

like many things, it's wast to become proficient on guitar, but difficult to become an expert. If you can take lessons from a good and personable teacher, you'll cut down the learning curve considerably.

max cooper · 27th August 2006, 09:14 PM

The first part of learning any instrument is like typing. You gotta limber up your hands and get 'em trained to respond to your brain. You can sit in front of the TV and go through exercises for hours to get in shape.

I'm learning piano starting right about now, so I know where you're coming from. I started playing guitar twenty-nine years ago, at age eleven but I learn something just about every day. It's amazing how many different things can be done with just a few strings and a few frets.

Having a good instrument is key to not getting frustrated. One cool thing about the guitar is that you can get from zero to playing basic songs pretty quickly. Helps with the motivation.

I think one of the most important things is to practice with a metronome.

A guy who showed me some stuff when I was young taught me that. Don't worry about whether or not your fret hand is fast enough. Keep good rhythm, whether the note is fretted or not. I'd rather hear some off notes with good time than all the notes fretted right in sorry rhythm.

Nu Mixer · 27th August 2006, 10:51 PM

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to go for it!

manning1 · 28th August 2006, 12:16 AM

you should just go DO IT !!
worst case...youll have tons of fun.
just an idea....instead of starting on acoustic (some might disagree)....
i find that some give up learning useing acoustic guitars cos its tougher on the hands initially.......so sometimes i suggest starting on electric.
the music stores are choc full of dvd's on learning guitar ....rather than learning something like twinkle little star ...which gets boring.

if your REALLY serious also check out a product called "the guitar master class series and video guitar lessons.." at pgmusic.com.
here are the links....
http://www.pgmusic.com/products_vgl.htm
http://www.pgmusic.com/products_mc.htm
by folks like miles black, and danny casavant etc.
these are really neat guitar training products.
happiness.

deathman · 28th August 2006, 12:25 AM

Hey!

It will be very hard to start on an acoustic guitar like manning1 said already! Your fingers will hurt and the neck is thin. The ideal one to start is an classic guitar! The best for starters!

First learn some basic chords or play knockin' on heavens door (G,D,C) - the best exercise for moving fingers!

...and yeah... DO IT!

KingDaddyO · 28th August 2006, 12:35 AM

good for you - age is a mere inconvenience when you're young at heart...

here are a few suggestions to get started:

learn how to tune the guitar
learn how to make a single note sustain
learn the basic major & minor chords in the first position (E F G A B C D)
learn how to make a barre chord
pick a few of your favorite songs to work on
work on switching chord changes as smoothly as possible
pick a few reasonably easy solos to try to replicate
spend many hours, months, years doing this...
expand your intake from as many sources that inspire you as possible
play in public
play with people who are better than you
try to play while sing-talking the words
HAVE TOO MUCH FUN!!!!!

gsharp · 28th August 2006, 12:43 AM

My dad started at age 57. Its never too late.

Totally agree with Max about the choice of instrument. Don't scrimp on your first guitar. Buy the best quality one you can afford. Buy a used one from some other late starter that gave up!! A crap guitar that sounds bad anyway will sound worse in the hands of a beginner. You'll sound better on a better gtr even in the beginning.

Also, embrace the suckage that you will experience early on. Power through it knowing that its a numbers game in terms of hours of practice.

Also, re: Max's comment about the metronome, play your exercises and songs etc, as slow as you need to to play in time. Like stupid slow. The conscious mind (which is the state you'll be in when playing at this point) is about 3 times slower than the subconscious. Expect to knock those tempos waay down in the beginning. But its worth it. In a few years if you can play simple tasty stuff with awesome time and excellent tone you're way better off than if you can shred but are at all sloppy.

Best of luck with it.

dreamsongs · 28th August 2006, 12:55 AM

Like everything else in life, if you feel the passion, go for it. It's never too late...

Nu Mixer · 28th August 2006, 02:26 AM

You guys are freakin' awesome and have me really psyched! Thanks for all the tips!

Shabo · 28th August 2006, 02:42 AM

dew it.....listen to your fav.tracks...and hold ur guitar....trial and error ..its the ear.. and alot of tab....got me good,,,TAB!!

gracejames · 28th August 2006, 02:44 AM

Its never too late.

But, do you have a particular goal?
Is it to be a songwriter? To just play certain types of songs?
What kind of music do you want to play?

shanabit · 28th August 2006, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsharp

My dad started at age 57. Its never too late.

Also, embrace the suckage that you will experience early on. Power through it knowing that its a numbers game in terms of hours of practice.

This statement is sooo true!!! Everytime I pick up that thing to play it I think to myself " Man, I SUCK!!! " then, Im reminded of why Im doing this thing called practice. Its so Il suck less

Oh , and the biggest thing really is its just a blast to play no matter how good or bad you are. Dont get caught up in trying to sound like VanHalen in 6 months. Just ENJOY yourself

Im a keyboard player BTW, guitar I picked up later down the road after I got good on the piano. Oh yeah, THEY SAID I was too old to start on the piano. I was playing Beethoven in 6 months so what do THEY know???? HaVE FUN

Acoustic Cloud · 28th August 2006, 03:21 AM

Good move!

I have been teaching full time at a music store for 13 years now, and here are a few tips:

The instant world we live in, doesnt apply to learning ANY art. Music, sports, painting, dance, etc..you can download nothing, you just have to practice.

Give yourself NO E.T.A. at getting "good", this always leaves too many questions, and doors for feeling defeated.

Lastly, realize why you want to play, and focus on that, and that only. No one has given anyone a time window in which to get "good", except a persons lack of patience.

Mario-C. · 28th August 2006, 05:14 AM

go for it.

its true that a great instrument will definitely inspire you, but a great teacher is also essential, there's nothing as dangerous to a good student as a frustated teacher, a good teacher that inspires you will have you playing in a year and a bad one will make you want to quit ... best of luck and have fun

kissingonstilts · 28th August 2006, 05:34 AM

Find a good teacher - one that is enthusiastic, knowledgeble, relational, and is there to meet your needs (not theirs).

If you like acoustic, go acoustic. If you're concerned about the fine musculature in your left hand being challenged, try very light gauge strings, or, silk and steel strings - they'll still give you that clarity one typically associates with an acoustic guitar, and though it is a little less forgiving with intonation, it can be worth it as you build your relationship with the guitar and refine your style.

Have fun - nothing quite like playing if you're desinged for it. Trust your intuition around this enthusiasm.

Acoustic Cloud · 28th August 2006, 05:47 AM

These are all nice hummy happy suggestions.

If you have patience, you will win, and go far. You will play alot, and have fun!! I have seen alot bad teachers with great students, so a good teacher is important, but the patience and dedication of the student is more important..... The student is the one that has to have their act together, as far as dedication to getting better!

I love older students, because they dont usually have skateboarding, video games, or sponge-bob to sidetrack them from practice.

If you dont have patience though , sell your guitar on ebay..buy a yacht, and sail.

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27th August 2006, 08:54 PM	#1
Nu Mixer Gear maniac Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 286	Learning Guitar as an adult How difficult is it for someone with no musical training to learn to play guitar? I'm 40 and always wanted to learn. Thinking about getting an acoustic....

27th August 2006, 09:04 PM	#3
drundall Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 747	like many things, it's wast to become proficient on guitar, but difficult to become an expert. If you can take lessons from a good and personable teacher, you'll cut down the learning curve considerably. __________________ Darian Rundall

28th August 2006, 12:16 AM	#6
manning1 Lives for gear Join Date: May 2004 Location: canada Posts: 3,177	you should just go DO IT !! worst case...youll have tons of fun. just an idea....instead of starting on acoustic (some might disagree).... i find that some give up learning useing acoustic guitars cos its tougher on the hands initially.......so sometimes i suggest starting on electric. the music stores are choc full of dvd's on learning guitar ....rather than learning something like twinkle little star ...which gets boring. if your REALLY serious also check out a product called "the guitar master class series and video guitar lessons.." at pgmusic.com. here are the links.... http://www.pgmusic.com/products_vgl.htm http://www.pgmusic.com/products_mc.htm by folks like miles black, and danny casavant etc. these are really neat guitar training products. happiness. __________________ i'm just a dumb computer engr (ret'd)...."quantum computing is the future" running a native software studio daw...Powertracks and Reaper on amd. my little songs www.motagator.com/bmanning (saving up for pristine ADA convertors i cant afford...lol)

28th August 2006, 12:35 AM	#8
KingDaddyO Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,393	good for you - age is a mere inconvenience when you're young at heart... here are a few suggestions to get started: learn how to tune the guitar learn how to make a single note sustain learn the basic major & minor chords in the first position (E F G A B C D) learn how to make a barre chord pick a few of your favorite songs to work on work on switching chord changes as smoothly as possible pick a few reasonably easy solos to try to replicate spend many hours, months, years doing this... expand your intake from as many sources that inspire you as possible play in public play with people who are better than you try to play while sing-talking the words HAVE TOO MUCH FUN!!!!! __________________ ~8^) "The enemy isn't liberalism or conservatism, the enemy is bullshit." Lars-Erik Nelson "Now, when there's no longer surface noise and you actually have the ability to have the most extraordinary dynamic range, people aren't using it." T-Bone Burnett "The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them." Albert Einstein "I'm not black, but there's a whole lot of times I wish I could say I'm not white." Frank Zappa

27th August 2006, 09:01 PM	#2
SK1 Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 897	Practice every day 4-8 hours a day for 10 years and you'll be fine. It helps if you have some serious issues. If you don't have any issues, make some up. Oh yeah, start playing in a band right now (plenty of people are in bands that can't play yet). Nothing motivates a person to get better like screwing up in front of a crowd of people. Go get it !!!

27th August 2006, 09:14 PM	#4
max cooper Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: tx Posts: 8,819	The first part of learning any instrument is like typing. You gotta limber up your hands and get 'em trained to respond to your brain. You can sit in front of the TV and go through exercises for hours to get in shape. I'm learning piano starting right about now, so I know where you're coming from. I started playing guitar twenty-nine years ago, at age eleven but I learn something just about every day. It's amazing how many different things can be done with just a few strings and a few frets. Having a good instrument is key to not getting frustrated. One cool thing about the guitar is that you can get from zero to playing basic songs pretty quickly. Helps with the motivation. I think one of the most important things is to practice with a metronome. A guy who showed me some stuff when I was young taught me that. Don't worry about whether or not your fret hand is fast enough. Keep good rhythm, whether the note is fretted or not. I'd rather hear some off notes with good time than all the notes fretted right in sorry rhythm.

27th August 2006, 10:51 PM	#5
Nu Mixer Gear maniac Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 286	Thanks for the advice, I'm going to go for it!

28th August 2006, 12:25 AM	#7
deathman Gear nut Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 80	Hey! It will be very hard to start on an acoustic guitar like manning1 said already! Your fingers will hurt and the neck is thin. The ideal one to start is an classic guitar! The best for starters! First learn some basic chords or play knockin' on heavens door (G,D,C) - the best exercise for moving fingers! ...and yeah... DO IT!

28th August 2006, 12:43 AM	#9
gsharp Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 556	My dad started at age 57. Its never too late. Totally agree with Max about the choice of instrument. Don't scrimp on your first guitar. Buy the best quality one you can afford. Buy a used one from some other late starter that gave up!! A crap guitar that sounds bad anyway will sound worse in the hands of a beginner. You'll sound better on a better gtr even in the beginning. Also, embrace the suckage that you will experience early on. Power through it knowing that its a numbers game in terms of hours of practice. Also, re: Max's comment about the metronome, play your exercises and songs etc, as slow as you need to to play in time. Like stupid slow. The conscious mind (which is the state you'll be in when playing at this point) is about 3 times slower than the subconscious. Expect to knock those tempos waay down in the beginning. But its worth it. In a few years if you can play simple tasty stuff with awesome time and excellent tone you're way better off than if you can shred but are at all sloppy. Best of luck with it.

28th August 2006, 12:55 AM	#10
dreamsongs Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: FL Posts: 1,418	Like everything else in life, if you feel the passion, go for it. It's never too late... __________________ Dreamsongs BMI Dreamsongs Productions Dreamsongs Publishing BMI Dreamsongs LLC " The dream don't come any closer on it's own, you have to go after it "

28th August 2006, 02:26 AM	#11
Nu Mixer Gear maniac Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 286	You guys are freakin' awesome and have me really psyched! Thanks for all the tips!

28th August 2006, 02:42 AM	#12
Shabo Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 182	dew it.....listen to your fav.tracks...and hold ur guitar....trial and error ..its the ear.. and alot of tab....got me good,,,TAB!!

28th August 2006, 02:44 AM	#13
gracejames Gear maniac Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 278	Its never too late. But, do you have a particular goal? Is it to be a songwriter? To just play certain types of songs? What kind of music do you want to play?

28th August 2006, 03:21 AM	#15
Acoustic Cloud Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: around the corner Posts: 1,964	Good move! I have been teaching full time at a music store for 13 years now, and here are a few tips: The instant world we live in, doesnt apply to learning ANY art. Music, sports, painting, dance, etc..you can download nothing, you just have to practice. Give yourself NO E.T.A. at getting "good", this always leaves too many questions, and doors for feeling defeated. Lastly, realize why you want to play, and focus on that, and that only. No one has given anyone a time window in which to get "good", except a persons lack of patience. __________________ If the Earth wasnt created, where'd all the dirt come from?

28th August 2006, 05:34 AM	#17
kissingonstilts Gear maniac Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 219	Find a good teacher - one that is enthusiastic, knowledgeble, relational, and is there to meet your needs (not theirs). If you like acoustic, go acoustic. If you're concerned about the fine musculature in your left hand being challenged, try very light gauge strings, or, silk and steel strings - they'll still give you that clarity one typically associates with an acoustic guitar, and though it is a little less forgiving with intonation, it can be worth it as you build your relationship with the guitar and refine your style. Have fun - nothing quite like playing if you're desinged for it. Trust your intuition around this enthusiasm.

28th August 2006, 05:47 AM	#18
Acoustic Cloud Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: around the corner Posts: 1,964	These are all nice hummy happy suggestions. If you have patience, you will win, and go far. You will play alot, and have fun!! I have seen alot bad teachers with great students, so a good teacher is important, but the patience and dedication of the student is more important..... The student is the one that has to have their act together, as far as dedication to getting better! I love older students, because they dont usually have skateboarding, video games, or sponge-bob to sidetrack them from practice. If you dont have patience though , sell your guitar on ebay..buy a yacht, and sail. __________________ If the Earth wasnt created, where'd all the dirt come from?

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