The Old Folks' Beginners Thread

Originally Posted by: Keith Altazin

I'm not one to post my personal struggles with the guitar, in fact I rarely post anything other than giving folks a warm greeting. But I have hit a wall recently and my frustration is at an all time high. In fact, I'm so frustrated I'm considering throwing in the towel. When I began this adventure last April I had not picked up a guitar since I was 12, I'm now 63. I expected learning a new skill at my age to be a challenge but for the most part I worked hard to gain some competence on the guitar. I looked forward to practicing and the only time I didn't practice was when I was out of town or away from home. I struggled but I made progress. I began learning songs about seven months ago based on the misguided notion that I had to be able to make perfect chord transisitons and be able to seamlessly play the song. Yet I made some progress that is until recently. About a month ago I noticed that playing was no longer fun even when I was practicing songs and riffs. Things that I had mastered suddenly became struggles; it was like I had not learned a thing, which of course added to my growing frustration. I convinced myself that more practice was the medicine and so my practice sessions went from an hour to almost three hours, some times longer. I even bought a new electric guitar to motivate me to continue on the journey. That apparently was not the correct remedy. Things have spiraled downward. I am now struggling with basic skills that I felt I had a good grip on. Anyway, I am not one to quit a project once I get invested but I'm now just going through the motions.

Have any of you experienced this?

Hi Keith,

I`m 61 years old and have been doing the GF1 and 2 courses here at GT over the past 3 months. I think we`ve all encountered some form of what you`re experiencing at one time or another; whether it`s learning guitar or some other activity. We`ve all "hit the wall". I find it helpful to just take a step back and, first, maybe take a breather. Then, get back to the basics and work on those until you have them down cold. You didn`t mention in your original post if you were taking a structured course of some kind. It can get overwhelming if you`re just jumping around all over the internet. I would highly recommend GF1 and 2 here if you`re not already doing so. Success begets success and going through the lessons in a systematic manner allows you to enjoy accomplishments along the way, which will boost your confidence. I also find that the more pressure one puts on themselves to learn, the harder it is to learn. Just relax, take your time and let it happen and it WILL happen.

Hope this helps in some way. Hang in there; keep at it.

Thanks for all the terrific advice and support. One of the things I like most about GT is the support members have for one another. I just have to refocus and enjoy the journey rather than be overly concerned with "progress." Again, thanks to all of you for the kind words.

I'm 63 and have never even held a guitar. As a matter of fact I don't even have a guitar yet. It's supposed to arrive on Monday the 27th. It has always been a dream of mine to learn though. I have had several dreams like this thoughout my life. It has only been in the last 10 or so years that I am starting to realize some of these dreams coming to fruition.

I knew this was not going to be an easy journey and reading some of these posts confirm that. The one thing I have on my side is my determination and self discipline.

Can't wait to get started!

Originally Posted by: Keith Altazin

Thanks for all the terrific advice and support. One of the things I like most about GT is the support members have for one another. I just have to refocus and enjoy the journey rather than be overly concerned with "progress." Again, thanks to all of you for the kind words.

Keep at it Keith. That's all the advice I have. I've done the back and forth with guitar for decades and kick myself in the rear everytime I start over. I'm on a good streak this time around at 55 and am determined to crest the plateau.

Peace

What an awesome thread! I haven't read through it all yet, skipped to the end to join in but I'm going to read the whole thing because I'm seeing a lot of good help and support.

I'm 59 and started playing 4 days ago. I've wanted to learn for years but just hadn't gotten around to it. I came to the forum to see if anyone else had trouble placing their fingers without interfering with the neighboring string and I see I'm not alone there! I guess I'll just keep working.

I'm having a blast so far. In 4 days, I've managed to get through a bunch of the basics and I'm playing a one-note version of Ode To Joy, which makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere. I'm very glad I found this community.

Hi, I just read through this whole

thread and am glad to find others just learning too. I'm 58 going on 59 and just picked up a guitar for the first time a couple months ago and signed up for GT almost a month ago. I'm working through fundamentals 1 and had a bit of a breakthrough the other day. For the first time I felt like I would actually be able to play this thing - I could form cords cleanly and was able to switch cords more easily. I'm still far from good but I finally went from thinking this is fun but I'm not a guitar player to thinking I could actually learn to play. Very exciting!

Way to go, Ollie-dog! Good luck and happy playing![br][br]

Dave...

Originally Posted by: DavesGuitarJourney

Way to go, Ollie-dog! Good luck and happy playing![br][br]

Dave...

Thanks Dave! Seeing progress sure makes it fun.

Hey everybody! I hadn't noticed this thread before. I appear to be solidly in the age group here at 54. I'm finding this endeavor challenging, but I am trying to trust the system and assuming enough repetition will eventually get me there. There are some skills in life that have come naturally for me . . . this sure isn't one of them. Glad to have found a supportive group of peers.

Right there with you, jrpierce. I am the same age as you. I am finding this a little harder than I expected, but I am fully committed. I will be playing this guitar just about every day for the rest of my life, health permitting. Eventually I might even get reasonably competent!

Looking forward to hearing how it goes with your journey.

Dave...

66 next month

actually reluctant to buy a guitar as I know I pick things to try and put them down quite quickly

Anyways bit the bullet and bought an electric with a practice amp and headphones so I won't bother anyone else.

Had a bit of a pop around a few of the lesson sites. 30days free, get free 3 months etc

Some get you very quickly on to the riffs and simple tunes but I have decided to throw my lot in with GuitarTricks

I like the steady as you go format and think it will build the stronger foundations .

If I'm going to succeed as a complete beginner I feel that is what I need.

I will never be great but I can only get better.

Dave

The main thing at our age is to have fun.....

Good Luck!!

Blakeney

Just turned 46 and decided to return to the guitar. I'd picked up at high school, had a couple of pretty awful tutors who were either unreliable or just too concerned with theory to keep me interested. I decided to pick it up again a while back, watched lots of YouTube clips about playing, amps, guitars and pedals, but couldn't work out how to do it in a way that would work with my weird working schedule - irregular, long hours in short bursts - which is when I discovered Guitar Tricks. This sort of set-up suits me perfectly: I can do them whenever it suits, I can go back and forth on lessons without testing the patience of the tutor and I don't have to 'get on' with them (that's a big thing, I've discovered).

At the moment I'm in the very early lessons as I decided to go back to basics so I can learn good habits, and I'm playing my crocked old guitar, it goes out of tune if I look at it the wrong way. Once I've toughened up my hands a bit I'll invest in something a little more serviceable and then drag my old Squier Strat out of the wardrobe at my parents' house and look to get myself an modelling amp or suchlike.

So far, it's been fun just doing it for myself rather than worrying about performing for others and it's great to pick up a new skill and diversion from work and whatnot.

I forgot about the initial pain of playing- the tips of my fingers are killing me!

Originally Posted by: craigbrown1805

I forgot about the initial pain of playing- the tips of my fingers are killing me!

Yeah, but it's a strangely satisfying sort of pain! It is a rite of entry into the club.

I am picturing a T-shirt with an image of a hand with little squiggly lines radiating out of swollen red fingertips showing pain with text: it's a guitar thing, you wouldn't understand.

Originally Posted by: DavesGuitarJourney

Originally Posted by: craigbrown1805

I forgot about the initial pain of playing- the tips of my fingers are killing me!

Yeah, but it's a strangely satisfying sort of pain! It is a rite of entry into the club.

I am picturing a T-shirt with an image of a hand with little squiggly lines radiating out of swollen red fingertips showing pain with text: it's a guitar thing, you wouldn't understand.

Let me know when and where I find one in XL.

Hey all you fellow Old Folks' Beginners - Original poster here. I have now been playing guitar for 19 months; I still feel like a "beginner" though, at least as to acoustic rhythm guitar, if I can see the chords, I can "play" the song. For all the beginners that aren't "there" yet, you will be. But then you'll feel like "hmmm... that's not really enough." I turned 52 last week and my wife got me a new electric guitar for my Birthday. It is so BEYOND my skill set and experience, but it's awesome.

I've spent the morning reading posts that I hadn't seen and I miss the comraderie of this group of similarly-aged newbies to the "sport" of guitaring!

Despite the frustrations of metronomes and trying to follow rhythm and counting bars and following where I am in a song, or trying to get my fingers to go where they are suppose to go, I am amazed every week by the stuff that I didn't even know that I don't know. I can't tell if I'm a slow learner or a quick study, but I've stopped worrying about itand I am just enjoying the journey.

Anders Mouridsen once told me to pick one style after the Fundamentals and stick with that until I felt that I had it down well. I dabble a bit in pop rock and country, but I've been focused on the Blues. I am starting to understand what Anders meant, I can see that the skills - learning the music theory, the fretboard, scales, chords and all of the practice will eventually allow me to play whatever form of music I might like to play, but focusing on one genre gives some organization to skill development and practice. Thank Anders.

I have only recently started playing with the knobs and effects on my modeling amp, working with the differnt forms and amounts of delay, boost, reverb, phase, but I still haven't really gotten as far as I can with moving between the neck and bridge pickups and the single-coil vs. humbucker sound and, for that matter, moving the tone knob on my guitar to anything but "10". There should be a whole series for the settings on the electric guitar and then a separate series for all of the various amp effects and how to master that mix. geesh! I need more free time to play with this stuff.

Anyone out there in the same place right now and want to commiserate?

Originally Posted by: craigbrown1805

I forgot about the initial pain of playing- the tips of my fingers are killing me!

I have officially lost all feeling in my left hand fingertips. I DO, however, sometimes have to wear a brace and ice my wrist if I go on a Sunday "bender" and play the guitar for 12 hours straight!

I am 71 and I bought my first guitar 10 weeks ago(acoustic). I always wanted to learn to play but maybe I was afraid of failing. Being at home during COVD, I decided to give it a try. It has only been 10 weeks and it is a struggle but I have not missed a day of practice. My fingers are still hurting a lot. I know that age will slow me down but I am enjoying it most days and I am determined to hang with it.

Hi folks

Am 54 and had my guitar for about a year

Been on GT for a year but going properly for a good 8 months now and really enjoying it but do have limited practice time so now just coming out the back of fundamentals 1 and the 5 chord power pack songs

My main frustration comes around trying to keep up with Lisa on the play alongs

I do appreciate the need to keep up and not worry about mistakes but I currently seem to be practicing mistakes in the rush to get to the next chord and I find this is now stopping me playing them ...

I read that some of you have decided to play along with a metronome set to half speed and worked up from there ?

Interested to know how that has worked for others as I've been doing that on Kiss From A Rose by Seal and have enjoyed it much more

I just think that I could be months trying to play even 1 of the songs in the 5 chord lessons at the speed in the play alongs and I'd rather get the chords right at a lower speed first on some of the really good beginner songs

Any pointers from you experienced folks would be gratefully received

Many thanks