Any suggestions for a 50+ year old beginner?

deltadude
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:04 am

I'm 53 and just started playing. I've been using the Beginners Blueprint lessons, and they seem to be working out pretty well. I'm playing a Yamaha F335 TBS. I wish I had started the Beginners Blueprint before buying the guitar. I have a feeling things might have gone faster with a nylon-stringed classical guitar. But I'm making some progress.

I like Neil Hogan's videos. He's inviting, and seems to structure the learning well. Everything seems to build on the previous lesson and skill learned.

Does anyone have any suggestions for someone my age learning guitar for the first time?

Gary


BigBear
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:41 am

Gary- Huge welcome to the site!! You would be shocked how many of us are around your age! This is not a site for kids.

Don't worry about your guitar. That Yamaha will serve you fine until you really know what you want. Most of us don't play nylon string guitars (a few may actually own one). We are almost all steel guitar players!!

So how to learn? This site provides everything you need to know to begin with the guitar. And if you get serious and actually join the TARGET program, everything you need to become a very good guitarist.

My very best advice to you (I'm 59 and have been playing since I was 14) is HAVE FUN! Without fun you will quickly become frustrated, stop playing and that Yamaha will sit in the closet until you have a yard sale. That is such a common scenario.

Most people will tell you to practice whenever you can. Build up your calluses so it doesn't hurt to play. If you can do an hour a day you will progress more rapidly but even 10 minutes every day is better than nothing. Keep your guitar handy. One of mine is sitting right next to me now so I can pick it up, play a few minutes and go back to what I was doing. Or I can play for an hour.

Begin learning songs immediately. Start making music. Learn the major open chords, E,A,C,D,F & G (you can take a pass on B for awhile, but not forever). You can play literally thousands of songs with just those 6 chords. Then learn some of the minor chords; Em, Am, Dm. Now you've quadrupled the songs you can play. Play these chords until you don't even need to watch yourself play them. Or think about how to fret them. Try some campfire songs on this site and HAVE FUN!! Make sure to keep your hand position low, except for F which is a little more challenging. Learn good habits now and you won't have to break them later (like I did).

Break down your practice sessions into different goals or segments. Always work on some theory. Work on learning all the notes on the fret board and then the Major and Minor Pentatonic scale patterns. Work on some simple picking patterns and strums. Maybe dedicate half of every session on that stuff; technique and theory. Then dedicate the other half of your practice (remember 10 minutes or 3 hours, it's by proportion, not minutes), to songs. Always have 3-5 songs you are working on (most of us have 20+). If you think you have mastered a song, learn a new one but once in awhile drop back and play an already learned song to stay sharp.

Don't fall into my trap of playing the intro and the first few bars of a song and then going on to the next one. Bad habit!! Play a song all the way through, all the verses. You'll thank me later.

Finally HAVE FUN! Did I mention that already? Without fun, learning any musical instrument is a pain in the ass. Always spend a few minutes out of every session playing songs you like or have always wanted to learn. That will keep coming back for more. Practice discipline in very important and if you cheat, it's only you that loses.

Finally, use this forum. Every single person here has struggled with the same issues. Barre chords, the F chord, A-shaped barre chords. etc. All of us. One thing to consider is if your Yamaha is a little hard to play take it to a luthier or guitar tech and have them set it up properly. It doesn't cost much but it's worth every cent it costs. Trust me on this one!

Have fun and keep us posted on your progress. Every person on this forum is more than happy to help out! And when the time is right, come on over to the TARGET program and get some really cool stuff!

Happy playing and cheers! :cheer:


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auntlynnie
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 6:45 am

Hi Gary, and welcome from Virginia!

I echo all that BigBear said. Especially the bit about having fun.
Along with the Beginners Blueprint, pick out a couple of easy songs and work on learning them.
Neil has tons of free lessons of songs from the 1970s so there's sure to be some you want to play.

My only other idea is to find a friend who already plays guitar and get together.
It can be very rewarding to sit and play with someone else, even if you are a new player.
I love playing music with others, no matter what the mix of skills.
For campfire songs (that means easy strumming songs) it just seems to work out.

Good luck, keep posting, and let us know how it's going.
Lynn


jayswett
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 7:21 am

Great advice above. I would add one idea that I often give to new players which is this: Give yourself one year. Middle aged people like us typically are fairly busy with jobs, kids, grandkids, etc. Give yourself one year of playing 15 minutes a day before deciding that playing the guitar is not for you. Let's face it. Most people who start playing the guitar eventually give it up. Don't let yourself be that person. 15 minutes a day for a year will result in significant improvement, which will lead to tremendous enjoyment with playing and learning the guitar. Good luck.


drfuji
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:18 am

Just like so many on here ...I am 60 and picked it back up 5 years ago. Patience and Practice...get those basic chords down, and chord changes. Learn a basic song...2 or 3 chords..that will give you a sense of accomplishment, and some incentive to continue on. Stick with it ...it is worth it.!!!


wrench
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:35 am

Hey Gary,

You don't know it yet, but you just stopped off in Guitar Paradise. Join Target and it's like hitting the Guitar Lottery. Believe me, 53 is not a problem. I started at 55, as many others have. I may not be the best player going, but I am knowledgeable, and I have fun playing. After 4-1/2 years, I still can't wait to get my hands on a guitar every chance I get. I still have enthusiasm because Neil made me successful at this endeavor, and this community supported me every step of the way. You've taken the inexplicable step of picking up a noisy vegetable slicer and shredding your fingertips with it - and you like it! Yeah, you'll do just fine here.

Stick with us, and you will find this is a pretty special place.


deltadude
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 2:22 pm

Thank you for all the suggestions. It's heartening to know that I'm not the only person my age to pick up a guitar and try to play it the first time. I want to get to the point where I'm playing music as quickly as possible, because A) my friends who play guitar are fairly unanimous about that as a need; and B) Why else would someone play an instrument? I recently saw an interview with Mark Knopfler (I like what he does with a guitar) on YouTube, and he mentioned playing the bass line from Peter Gunn - "If you can't learn that in five minutes, forget playing guitar." I found a video teaching how to play it, and passed the test. So I'll keep going.


thereshopeyet
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Sat Oct 05, 2013 3:50 pm

Hello deltadude

I think that learning the guitar's about practice, perseverance, and good lessons (which are here).
It's been a slow process for me starting in my 50's but am making progress all the time.

I just keep at it.

The more experienced folk here at TG can advise you best regarding fastest way forward for you.

The songs here are graded in levels, 1 to 9 , which can help but also choose something that will keep you interested.
Practice and persevere.

It would be interesting to hear from you as you progress and what works for you on the site?

Ask Questions, lots of questions ;)

I hope you achieve your goal.

TheresHopeYet

:)


Hydroman52
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Sun Oct 06, 2013 12:01 am

Hey deltadude,

Welcome. One suggestion that I have is, if you have the means to video record yourself, do it. There are two reasons for this. You will be able to watch and critique yourself, and you will be able to actually see your improvements. This has been a great encouragement tool for me. Whenever I thought I hit a wall and wasn't improving, I'd pull out an older video and watch it. The difference was quite visible. I don't have do this too much anymore. The improvements are much more obvious over shorter periods of time.

This is a good site. Lots of good people here, too. I wholeheartedly agree with what others have said here. Joining other guitarist whenever possible will speed up the learning process and inspire a person, too. Besides the basic skills that I have learned, this has been a huge educational tool for me.

Good luck on your new journey,

Hydroman52


fjeanmur
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Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:23 am

Hello from the east coast!

I don't have too much to add because the others are right on the mark. But I can say that as being a member of the 50+ club, this is a good place to be. I played a bit as a kid, but then didn't touch a guitar for about 35 years. Now I'm here and never leaving! And I'm glad I looked at this thread because now that the summer is over and I'm back to work, I'm a little tight on time. But as the first answer reminded me, I've got to keep the guitar out of the case and on a stand and available for when I only have 15 minutes, well it's better than nothing. The 1-2 hours is great, but it doesn't always happen.

Good luck to you and keep in touch with the Forum any time you have a question. There's a wealth of collective knowledge here.

Jean


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