The Old Folks' Beginners Thread

Still trucking along on the more difficult arpeggiated acoustic guitar version of "Kissed by a Rose" by SEAL.

Made some progress, not up to full speed yet! Have been moving house so not as much practice as I should be doing.

Just turned 52 and I'm about a month in to learning guitar. Just about to finish up GF1.

Also, learning harmonica at the same time. To say I'm totally immersed in music right now would be an understatement! Lovin every minute of it, though and only wish I hadn't waited so long.

Originally Posted by: jgulock

Also, learning harmonica at the same time. To say I'm totally immersed in music right now would be an understatement! Lovin every minute of it..

Hi. I hear you re immersed. Great ain't it! Who are you learning harmonica from? Structured course on a website, or ..?

Originally Posted by: manXcat

Originally Posted by: jgulock

Also, learning harmonica at the same time. To say I'm totally immersed in music right now would be an understatement! Lovin every minute of it..

[p]

Hi. I hear you re immersed. Great ain't it! Who are you learning harmonica from? Structured course on a website, or ..?

It really is, although I'm starting to see staffs, measures and accidentals in my sleep. Ha!

I'm currently doing two online harmonica courses: Tony Eyers/Harmonica Academy and Ben Hewlett/Udemy. Really like the structure of Tony's courses.

Are you kidding me?!?!?! People in their 50's posting in this "old folks'" beginners thread?!?!?!?!?

Hello Folks,

Damn, it's good to see this Fellowship of the String. Just joined, picking up the guitar again after a little layoff...46 years. Guess my fingers put on some weight to go with the rest of me over the years, hope the new calluses will address that problem. The resources available these days, just wow! Anyone remember listening to 45's and trying to pick up the lyrics, not to mention the chords? I used to be able to play House of the Rising Sun. Not so much at the moment. Damn fingers!

Originally Posted by: cekrauss

The resources available these days, just wow! ..

The availability of and options for tuition and hardware for learning and playing guitar today. Just wow! Compared with yesteryear, so much more accessible & affordable.

Your mention of "House of the Rising Sun" brought a smile to my dial. I suspect that was possibly the first song everyone of a certain age learnt to play through from beginning to end back in the day. First strummed, then arpeggiated. I thought the same as you when I picked up a guitar again for the first time after so long. 'Once upon a time, long, long ago' quite competent with that tune, and others.

Although it took about a day to recall the once familiar open fingerings once I brought home and explored my new instrument venturing over to JG for those first couple of tutes online, I couldn't actually finger properly or change from C to Am let alone finger F competently! "Oh my!" I thought. What have I bitten off?!!! Move along eighteen months, ..what was that initial concern about? Play it every way including sideways now, and sound like a Pro muso who's been doing so for years. You''ll be there too soon enough. Welcome back!

So I'm 65. Ooh that hurts just saying it. I have been playing in earnest with GT for almost three years now and I am amazed at what I can do. I am still a beginner/intermediate depending on the topic but I am making music. I can play several of my 60s-70s songs and found out that I love blues since playing. It's great being able to play songs. But I made sure that I followed the beginner lessons and picked up as much as I could. Only when I throught I knew enough did I start learning songs, and then learning more theory/scales as I needed them.

I have hit many frustrating things as I have progressed. But the trick for me was not only having fun learning songs but having fun learning, period. Don't think of lessons just as a- "I have to go through this stuff or I won't be able to do stuff". Have fun learning. Remember, a bad practice day at guitar is better than a good day at work. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by: Papa Richthe trick for me was not only having fun learning songs but having fun learning, period.

[br]That pretty much sums up the keys to satisfaction and consistent progress with learning/playing guitar in my book Papa Rich. Well said.

Thanks for the welcome, manXcat, and the encouragement. I would love to see my grandchildren catch the bug that I did oh so many years ago. That is also a large part of my motivation.

And Papa Rich, I know what you mean about the blues. Can't get enough, pretty much all genres.

Originally Posted by: Papa Rich

...have been playing in earnest with GT for almost three years now and I am amazed at what I can do. I am still a beginner/intermediate depending on the topic but I am making music...found out that I love blues since playing. It's great being able to play songs. But I made sure that I followed the beginner lessons and picked up as much as I could. Only when I throught I knew enough did I start learning songs, and then learning more theory/scales as I needed them.

I have hit many frustrating things as I have progressed. But the trick for me was not only having fun learning songs but having fun learning, period. Don't think of lessons just as a- "I have to go through this stuff or I won't be able to do stuff". Have fun learning....

I loved everything about this post! Thank you so much!

I'm only 50 so I guess I'm one of those "babies" and I have to admit - I'm kind of loving that.

Well, at about a month short of 59 I guess I come in at about the upper middle of the pack. Not a bad place to be I suppose. I've always been interested in leaning guitar but was not always in the best position to devote the time required to learn. Job, kids, home repairs, etc. There's always an excuse to be found if you look for one I suppose...

I've been lurking around Guitar Tricks and a few other sites for a while but finally settled on GT largely due to what I perceive as a solid teaching method but also largely due to the support provided through this forum. The fellow member support here is fantastic but I find the level of participation and interest from the teachers themselves to be quite outstanding. I can't imagine that is the case on other sites and a major benefit in my mind.

So, what about me...Well, even though I've been here for a bit I'm only about half way through Fundamentals 1. Enjoying it, but need to devote more time. I'm finding that I really need to pay closer attention to my fretting hand (left) position to effectively execute some of the chords (finding C major to be a challenge). As I work though Fundamentals 1 I am also trying my hand at a few of the song tutorials, and and leaning by doing through that.

My interests are mainly rock but that can change from day to day based on a song I hear on a radio station or music service: Landslide-Fleetwood Mac, China Grove-Doobie Brothers, Highway to Hell - ACDC, you name it.

As with most folks I already have too many guitars: Norman B20 acoustic, Yamaha acoustic, Art and Lutherie Roadhouse parlour sized acoustic, Godin Richmond Empire electric and my wife's Stratocaster if she'll let me play it (she's trying to learn too).

Anyways, a long-winded way of saying that I'm having fun and am happy to be here largely due to the support found on this forum. Thank you all.

Now, I've got to get back to some practicing here. The guitar doesn't work unless it's in your hands. The question is, which guitar today...😀

Old Cat

Well , Im 61 almost 62 and have been in beginner mode for about a year now. This site is phenomenal and I've learned quite a bit. Lisa McCormick is an excellent teacher she REALLY helped me in my struggles especially the fretboard fingering, chords and strumming. Hardest thing for me is hitting strings I dont want to hit...my advice to all in this thread is dont get discouraged..and keep practicing even if its just 10 minutes a day. . Start slow and build up your speed gradually.. it really will click for you... now I have to stop buying guitars. Lol....Mitch

Great conversation, all. As awesome as it is to learn guitar on GuitarTricks, it can also be a bit lonely! It’s wonderful that you can reach out to others on this forum and talk about the joys and the frustrations, and everything in between. We are a community and you are a part of it! Enjoy, keep in touch with other learners. it really helps with you with the whole process.

and have fun!

- Lisa

Great to see so many new faces on this thread, please keep posting, I echo Lisa's comments -- being able to talk with other students really helps.

I'm still 50 for another few months. I finished Fundamentals 1 and 2 and have been working on the Country 1 and Blues 1 courses. The Country and Blues courses are very easy once you have completed the Fundamentals courses and I can't describe how happy I am that Lisa M made us learn and practice ALL of those things in the Fundamentals courses because she really prepared me well for anything that I might want to learn next. Probably the 100th time that I've thanked her, but "thank you Lisa!"

I am taking my time with a few songs, learning the lyrics and the timing so that I can sing and play together. It can get a bit dull, I've been playing the same 5 songs over and over for a few weeks now, but I'm getting better every day and I chose songs with different challenges (Open to Barre chord progressions, the B7 chord, chord to melody change up, fast tempo, changing tempos for chorus and bridge), so as I master these songs, I'm mastering techniques that will make the next songs that much easier.

Thinking about trying the singing lessons on GT, has anyone tried them?

Hello all! 59 1/2 here. Started guitar with Guitar Tricks about 1 month ago... right now I am early on with Lisa's lessons. Working on the Am (simple) to E transition.... I can do that but going from E back to Am is my struggle. I have been plaugued by some travel for work and have not been able to practice much. At the suggestion of a thread elsewhere in this forum, I have been trying to just do Am consistantly, without the transition. That practice is WORKING!! I am also finding that I do better at hitting Am without looking as opposed to looking at the fret.[br] [br]In December I also started teaching myself Piano with an app called Playground Sessions.. with the Piano, I also do better without looking at the keyboard.[br][br]I have a music background from Grade School through High School with Clarinet... so I can read music and know basic music theory. I am jazzed about GT and this forum and now this thread!! So nice to meet you all and I hope to learn from you and hope to play you all a song someday.[br][br]- Chuck

I started about a month ago ; never played anything in my life before [i'm 49 and considered myself too old to learn].

We live in Dubai and Summer here is brutal ; I always wanted to play but didn't realise a structured course such as GT existed.

Summer in the house and lerning with Lisa is AWESOME.

I've got the 5 power chords in the bank, just now trying to improve my transitioning.

I've been putting in a couple of hours a day on average, but some transitions are so much easier than others.

Can anyone tell me ; are G Major and D Major the really tough ones to transition too, as those are the ones where I stall a wee bit.

Any affirmation of the above will make me feel better ! I'm wondering why G is so hard to get too....???

Thanks in advance,

Simon.

PS ; I'm preferrring the "pinky" G as it reduces my finger movement....

Originally Posted by: mntano01

Originally Posted by: sbokash

Hey kids,

48 here and just picked up a guitar about a month ago. I'm "stuck" on getting the fingers in the right place cleanly without futzing another string. Good to know it's normal-- pushing through. Thanks for the encouragement!

I'm 45 and just started playing. I'm in the same boat with getting my fingers in place. I tend to mute other strings too when playing chords. At first I thought it might be easier with a wider neck, I'm playing a 1 11/16, but I figure it is just me not know how to tweak my fingers to get the chords right. It's odd being older and not being able to do something easily. I signed up for lessons with a local teach too so I have somebody to look at my technique to makes sure I do not develop bad habits. I can honesty say the website is a better tool for learning, but I like having the back up for half hour a week.

Good luck my fellow old guys (or girls).

(62) Picked the Guitar back up a year ago after not playing for 40 years. Played bass in HS in a couple of guarge bands and wedding reception bands. Quite playing as life took me on another path. My dad passing away motivated me to pick the guitar back up. He played and was the one that introduced me to music when I was a kid. I am finding playing is coming back and I am having great fun but, like my dad used to say, practice, practice, practice. Even if its only for 15 minutes a day I find it makes a difference. I now find myself always carring a guitar pick in my pocket as a reminder to play each day. Using this web site has also been a termendous help. If I had known how easy it was to take a lesson in the comfort my home I probably would of started playing a few years earlier. Had no idea how easy it was to learn and re-learn through the web. You can teach old dogs new tricks!

Originally Posted by: Simon Keyes

Can anyone tell me ; are G Major and D Major the really tough ones to transition too, as those are the ones where I stall a wee bit. ...snip... PS ; I'm preferrring the "pinky" G as it reduces my finger movement....

Hi Simon. Welcome to Guitar Tricks forum.

As you've gone the Fundamentals 2 and power chords prior to consolidating Fundamentals 1 basics of using the open chords musically in effecting progression transitions, is it safe to assume you're learning on an electric guitar?

Open Gmaj and Dmaj aren't hard per se, rather they just involve rather large cross fretboard changes without a common anchor finger assisting the transition using conventional fingering. Like all chord changes, they've actually a lot easier to finger on electric. G-D & D-G are easy enough if the tempo is moderate or one has at least half a bar to play between each transition. If it seems difficult now, time and repetition will alter that perspective.

That said, yes people vary in which chord fingerings they find harder than others when they're learning, but that's another subject entire. The key with all is simply repetition and time. Guitar is a skill bound to each individual's comfortable rate of assimilation ultimately restricted in all of us by the human condition of saturation which occurs once concentration is exhausted, whether it's for a sesson or for the day.

As you continue, you'll discover, learn and adapt, if you want to, to several different fingerings for playing open Gmaj. Each is useful. Whilst I still use the most common conventional open Gmaj fingering (fingering A-E-E strings for G-B-G notes) most of the time I am playing open chords for numerous reasons I won't expand upon here or this post would be even longer and divergent than it already is, some progressions either demand or benefit from alternative fingerings.

'Pinky' G for instance is prerequisite to play the G chord acoustically in the progression transition at the rate required to also time and play the high E liftoff and get to the following G something or other with the first finger (I can't recall the convoluted name of the actual chord) at the brisk tempo of "Lyin' Eyes" for instance. Then there's another form of open G frequently referred to as 'big G' or 'all finger G'. This is a very common and is a compromise of the original conventional G taught where fingers one and two finger the A and low E strings respectively for the B & G notes, but both the B & E strings are fingered with the third and fourth fingers respectively for a D note off the B string whilst still retaining the higher octave G note on the high E alongside the lower octave G and open G string G notes.

The advantage of this 'big G' in transitioning to Dmaj is that the third finger can stay anchored on the D root of the B string at the third fret whilst fingers one and two only need to transition to the second fret G & high E strings and the 'pinky' merely needs to be lifted off the high E string. And of course, the reverse applies for the transition back to G. It feels awkward at first, but once learnt, the anchored third finger on the D root remaining in place provides that faster transition you're wanting much like the alternative form of fingering open Amaj where the first finger albeit sliding up one fret for the E, never actually leaves the G string between A-D-A-E-A ad infinitum. Clear as mud no? Read it through a couple of times and look at the diagram and elaboration provided here. All good stuff to add to the repertoire.

manXcat ;

I'm using acoustic primarily and also have an electric available to supplement my learning as I want to learn both.

I'm only 4/5ths of the way through Fundementals 1.

What I'm asking is the transitions appear difficult initially ; I assume with continued practice that this become achievable and almost a natural action ?

I also "get" the selection of the fingers to suit the chord ttsnsition.

One thing that seems very important seems to be thumb position.........????