Advice From a Proficient Guitar Teacher
Whether you’ve been considering picking up the guitar, you may be wondering if it’s too late for you to start learning how to play.
As a guitar instructor, I have many conversations with folks who are curious about learning how to play the guitar. When people hear that I teach guitar, one of the most frequent things they ask is, “Am I too old to study guitar?”
Based on my teaching experiences with students of all ages, I am going to discuss in this guide what it is like to start learning guitar at various ages.
Guitar is a skill that may be learned at any age. Guitar is one of those instruments that can be learned at any age. Even though younger individuals have a natural advantage in terms of learning speed, it is never too late to start learning a new instrument. Whether you want to learn how to play the guitar, it doesn’t matter if you’re 30, 40, 60, or even 70 years old.
Students as young as 5 and as old as early 70s have come to me to start playing guitar. Read this whole tutorial through if you’re worried about whether or not it’s too late for you to learn how to play the guitar.
Read through this beginner’s guide to learning the guitar if you think you may be interested in giving learning the guitar a shot.
Mastering the Guitar While Studying Neuroscience (How Your Brain Works)
It is necessary to have a look at how our brains grow and change as we get older before I go through what it is like to start learning guitar at various ages.
There is a body of research that supports the idea that it is never too late to learn guitar, despite the fact that it may be simple for me to assert that it is never too late to learn guitar.
Even if you are older than 25, it does not imply that it is too late to start. Even if your brain may not be developing as quickly as it once did, it does not imply that you are unable to take in new information or acquire new skills.
The blue line offers an explanation for why youngsters are able to pick up new talents so quickly, such as playing the guitar.
Neuroplasticity is the term used to describe the ease with which the brain of a youngster may alter and adapt to new experiences.
Because of this, it is far simpler for a youngster to pick up a musical instrument, a second language, or a new sport than it is for an adult.
Our brains continue to develop and change throughout our lives, although this process slows as we become older. You can see that in the 20s, the blue line begins a slow decline, but it still maintains its straight trajectory for the rest of the graph.
The orange line illustrates that after we reach our 30s, 40s, and 50s, we need to put in much more work in order to learn anything new.
The most important thing to take away from this is that acquiring new skills involves a greater amount of work the older you grow. After a certain age, it does not imply that you are unable to acquire new knowledge or skills.
It is very important to me that this point be made clear. It doesn’t matter how old you are; you can always pick up new skills.
You may find that learning to play the guitar as a beginner when you are 60 years old is twice as difficult as it would be if you were 30 years old, but you can still learn to play the guitar if you put in the work.
Anyone of any age may learn to play the guitar if they are prepared to put in the effort to do so.
The only time it’s ever too late to learn how to play the guitar is when you convince yourself that you’re too old to pick up a new skill.
People who whine that it’s too late for them and that they really ought to have started learning guitar a long time ago are just making excuses for themselves. Avoid becoming one of those folks at all costs. It is not too late to act now.
You can get an idea of what it’s like to study guitar at your age if you read the material that follows.
Is the Age of 30 Too Late to Start Learning Guitar?
If you are far above the age of 30, the aforementioned question may cause you to laugh as you recall how simple it was for you to learn new things when you were in your 30s.
On the other hand, if you are younger than 30 or now in your 30s, you could think that this is a reasonable inquiry.
It is never too late to study guitar, regardless of whether you are under the age of 30 or already in your 30s. You couldn’t have asked for a better moment to begin studying guitar. Because your brain is still operating at its top level, learning guitar beyond the age of 30 won’t demand any more work from you.
Why is it a good idea to start studying guitar when you’re in your 20s or 30s instead than when you’re younger?
Around the age of 25, our brains achieve their full potential in terms of size and function. This indicates that the majority of our brains do not mature until we reach the age of around 25.
Get out of here if you are under the age of 25 and are concerned that it is too late to learn how to play the guitar.
If you are younger than 20, your brain has not even achieved its full potential in terms of growth. This indicates that you will find it insanely simple to learn guitar in comparison to someone who is older than you, as shown previously by the chart from Harvard.
Your age won’t be a barrier to learning the guitar, but you will still need to put in the work since it is still a difficult instrument to master.
Continue reading about a student I had who began studying guitar when he was in his 70s if you have any lingering concerns about whether it is too late for you to learn anything new. After you’ve seen how much work he put into it, you won’t ever again wonder whether you’re getting to be too old for anything.
If you’re in your 20s or 30s, now is the time to start studying guitar since that’s when your brain is functioning at its very optimum, making it the ideal time to begin.
To get started with studying guitar, have a look at the brief selection of lessons and instructions that is provided at the conclusion of this article.
Is it Too Late to Learn Guitar at 40?
Learning to play the guitar beyond the age of 40 is not too late. At the age of 40, your brain is still capable of acquiring new abilities with very little additional work.
The orange line illustrates that in order to achieve the same level of success as you did when you were 20 or 30, you will need to put in much more work, but it is not too late.
If you want to learn how to play the guitar, you should get started as soon as you possibly can since it is only going to grow more difficult the longer you wait to begin. It will be less difficult to learn the guitar right now than than later.
It’s not the fact that they’re too old to study guitar that stops a lot of individuals in their 40s from picking up an instrument like that. The amount of practice time necessary makes it challenging for those in their 40s to study an instrument like the guitar.
Learning guitar takes frequent practice. If you’re in your 40s, you probably won’t have as much spare time as you had when you were in your 20s or 30s to put toward your practice routine.
It’s possible that you have a hard career or kids, both of which may eat up a lot of your spare time.
When you’re in your 40s, the single most essential thing you can do to improve your guitar playing is to make sure you have time every day to practice.
Since your brain is still quite capable of adjusting to new situations and picking up new abilities, the only thing that may prevent you from progressing further is the passage of time.
If they put in the necessary amount of consistent practice time, students in their forties are able to learn guitar just as readily as students in their twenties and thirties. I have taught a large number of students who are in their forties.
To get started with studying guitar, have a look at the brief selection of lessons and instructions that is provided at the conclusion of this article.
Is it Too Late to Learn Guitar at 50?
Learning to play the guitar beyond the age of 50 is not too late. Although it will need more time and effort on your part to practice than it would for someone in their 40s or 30s, your brain at the age of 50 is still capable of picking up new abilities.
According to the figure that follows, acquiring new competencies beyond the age of 50 is still very much achievable (blue line), although it does need more work (orange line).
The most important thing to keep in mind is that it’s not too late to make a change. Your mind is still able to pick up new abilities, and if you keep up with your hand workouts, you won’t lose any of the dexterity that allows you to play whatever instrument you desire.
It is essential that you be aware of the fact that it will take you a longer time to start noticing results if you are a novice at the age of 50.
You will make progress, even if it may take you a little longer to get started and feel like you’re making progress. But you will make progress.
Do not surrender and believe that you are too old to try again. It is not the case.
Over the course of my teaching career, I’ve had quite a few students who were in their 50s when they began taking lessons with me. Only one of them was unable of learning to play the music that they want, despite the fact that several of them started playing more slowly than my younger pupils.
The only reason why one of those pupils had difficulty was because he had worked as a concreter for so many years that his hands were completely ruined from the work. You won’t have any problems until your hands are completely charred from years of hard physical work.
If you have a family and a profession, it’s possible that you have less time to devote to practice than someone your age who doesn’t have such responsibilities.
You will succeed if you are able to consistently set aside time to practice; even if it’s just for five minutes every day, that’s plenty.
Continue reading if you still have questions; I’ll share the experience of a student of mine who began playing the guitar when he was in his 70s.
To get started with studying guitar, have a look at the brief selection of lessons and instructions that is provided at the conclusion of this article.
If I’m 60 Years Old, Is It Too Late to Learn Guitar?
Learning to play the guitar at age 60 is not too late of an endeavor. Although it will need more time and effort on your part to practice than it would for someone in their 40s or 50s, your brain at the age of 60 is still capable of picking up new abilities.
According to the figure that follows, acquiring new competencies beyond the age of 60 is still very much achievable (blue line), although it does need more work (orange line).
There’s no getting around the fact that beginning guitar instruction at age 60 is going to be challenging.
According to the chart that you just looked at, it takes far more work on your part than it does for somebody who is younger than you.
However, it is not too late to change.
When they first started taking lessons with me, I had a good number of pupils who were in their 60s.
The majority of them had just entered their retirement years and were interested in expanding their knowledge.
The good news is that even while you will need to put in more time and effort to play guitar in your 60s, the good news is that you will probably have more time available to practice.
If you are retired, you will have more time to devote to practicing, which will allow you to make up for the additional work that is necessary to master the new abilities.
The beginning stages of learning guitar are going to be the most challenging, but don’t worry—it will become easier as time goes on. This is the single most crucial thing I want you to keep in mind.
It can seem hard at first, but with enough practice, even the simplest things will become easier to perform on the guitar.
If you have the self-control to practice each and every day, you will ultimately reach the point where you are able to play the music that you want to perform.
To get started with studying guitar, have a look at the brief selection of lessons and instructions that is provided at the conclusion of this article.
Is it Too Late to Learn Guitar at 70+?
Even if you are above the age of 70, you can still learn to play the guitar. Even while you will have to put in more time and effort into practice than someone younger would, you are still capable of acquiring new talents.
Just the fact that you’re doing study on this topic is enough to convince me that you have what it takes to become proficient on the guitar. There are some folks who are in their 60s and early 70s who are adamant about not learning how to utilize any kind of technology. Consequently, whether you are doing this inquiry utilizing a computer or a smartphone, you won’t have any problems learning how to play the guitar.
The graphic that follows demonstrates that an individual who is 70 years old has a far more difficult time (orange line) acquiring new skills than an individual who is younger.
The blue line, on the other hand, demonstrates that it is still feasible for your brain to adapt and pick up new abilities.
My student who started learning guitar in his 70s
Over the course of my teaching career, I have had just one student who was in his seventies when he first picked up a guitar (he told me his ages; I didn’t inquire!).
This student had previously collaborated with David Gilmour before the formation of Pink Floyd, and he expressed interest in studying the early works of Santana, Cream, and Pink Floyd. He reasoned that if those older men’ hands could still play at their ages, then his own should at least be able to give it a go.
It is vital to bear in mind that although though those great guitarists began playing the guitar at much earlier ages, they are still physically able to perform in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Because of his positive mental attitude, he was able to persevere through the challenging early phases of his musical training and finally arrived at a place where he could play whole songs from memory.
I feel it’s important to point out that this student began learning how to play the guitar when he was in his early 70s and is now able to perform whole songs.
He had several bouts of frustration, during which he felt as if he was making no headway in his endeavors.
This is how everyone feels, regardless of their age—whether they are 15, 50, or 72.
Students in their teens have complained to me that the guitar is too difficult to learn and that it is now too late for them to start.
Nevertheless, this kid had the self-control to continue working hard. He didn’t miss a single day of practice and put in a significant amount of work each week.
The weekly recording of him playing the guitar was one of the ways I persuaded him to continue his guitar education. Then, if he felt as though he wasn’t getting better, I would play him a tape of himself playing the same piece he had been working on a month before.
When he saw an older tape of himself playing something, he noted how much he had progressed in terms of his technique from the time the recording was made. Even though he didn’t have the sensation that he was getting better, he was able to see and hear facts that plainly demonstrated that he was.
He didn’t allow the fact that he was getting older slow him down and kept working hard in practice. No matter how old you are, you should have this mindset if you ever want to learn how to play the guitar.
