Random question for the peanut gallery: How hard would it be for an adult with minimal musical experience to learn how to play the electric guitar? Call it a mid-life crisis, but it’s an idea I’ve been toying around with for a while.
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I took up piano five months ago. I'm 64. I'm presently on the cusp of grade 3. My son (who went to uni on a full music scholarship) assured me that I can now play piano. Stop wasting time and go for it.
From life long player: takes time and practice, then some goals. Otherwise, not really that hard. Pro tip: start on a uke. Same finger shapes, gives you dexterity and familiarity with moves. AND much easier on fingertips. That's the main obstacle beside time. ("I've got blisters on my fingers!!!")
All I’ll say is that if you have ANY kind of interest, START TODAY. If I’d started—and stayed with it—I would probably be pretty good now, but every day you don’t begin, you’re going to wish you had back.
You so got this. A friend of mine started as an adult using the game Rocksmith and now is playing proficiently enough to be in a band. practice makes perfect and progress looks diff for everyone but with consistency and determination you can totally do it! I believe in you!
I started playing guitar at 30. Regret not starting young, but I strongly recommend you plug in and play. Patience and limiting your playing time until you build calluses. Do it.
Do it, dude. I started playing at 40, and it has brought me endless joy. It's meditative, cathartic, and a way to lose yourself for a while. And if that's your mid-life crisis, you are way out in front of the rest of us. Peace.
Definitely recommend a teacher if it's in your means, if not, an accountability buddy can be a good stand-in, and JustinGuitar on YouTube is generally very well-regarded among guitarists.
Squier is making pretty good axes these days, I play one of the nicer models ($500) at gigs and love it.
Hi :) Did you end up getting a guitar? Just figured I'd check in and see (I'm kind of notorious for trying to nudge people in musical directions/enable musical creation in general).
It’s a joyful journey, you never stop learning and improving. The best thing is there are so many sources of help out there on YouTube or other SM platforms. Go for it 🎸🎸
100% do it. It’s NOT hard. It’s a little painful at first. I learned like 5 chords and played every song I could find that had those chords. Then…learn a few more and repeat. By then you’ll be more comfortable (or hate it) and can branch out to other things (or quit then).
Easy to get started. I wouldn't skimp on the guitar, if you don't have to. While good gear doesn't make you good, crappy gear can be very frustrating for beginners. Any guitar is better than no guitar; a better guitar is better.
Budgets are very personal. like I said it’s good to spend as much on the guitar (not amp) as you’re comfortable—assume you’ll play for life but know you can sell it if not. You get what you pay for. buying new won’t get you as good as value as used. See what you can get w/ your budget at https://reverb.com
You can do anything if you put your mind to it, spend the time, and start with the basics. You’re not going to be shredding anytime soon, but if you stick with it you’ll improve every day. Guitar teachers exist too you know.
I started about a month ago and it's been a blast. I did play an instrument in school for 6 years which has made the process a lot easier. That bundle you're looking at is solid - from everything I've read cheap guitars are great quality for the price nowadays.
https://Justinguitar.com is a FANTASTIC free resource for starting out, and the beginner lessons are paced for people with little to no music experience. Happy to help with any other beginner questions since I just went through a bunch of the same stuff. :)
Don’t compare - just go out and get private lessons! My dad did this in his 40s and is going to shred into his 60s next year. It’s never too late to start
I heard an interview with Springsteen a while back. He would listen to records on like half speed, And try to play along. And then speed up a little more, a little more. Based on everything I know, I think the answer is, how much time you are willing to put into it.
Basics of electric guitar are not hard, which is why it's popular.
Get one that feels and looks too good to put down.
Then take it to a luthier or tech and explain you're a new learner and ask about setup, string height, guage, etc. Callouses are what stop lots of people early.
Look up song tabs.
My mid life crisis involves learning the violin with no prior musical instrument, no natural talent, and little experience learning to read music. Frustrating! But worth it!
I've played guitar since I was 15. It's not that difficult to learn the basics and the neck of an electric isn't as thick as an acoustic so it's easier to get your fingers on the strings.
DO IT! Feel free to be bad at it. Do it anyway. It opens up your brain in new ways. And when you start making music with others (even badly) it opens up your heart, too.
Depends on your patience and how well you take to it. It could be some time before you find it very fun and/or can play things you find cool. The bass, on the other hand, will give you the opportunity to play all kinds of stuff you enjoy quickly while still leaving endless room for growth. Jut sayin
I started guitar about 3 months before the pandemic took off. Say 3-6 months daily to not sound like trash, 1-2 years to graduate from novice to intermediate, and from thereon out it depends on your goals. I've come to realize it's not really something you ever finish learning.
Learn the powerchord shape, and strum down down up up down up until it's so drilled in your head you can have a conversation while you're doing it. Then start singing. Most songs sound 60% decent just dduudu power chords. Some sound good! You'll be performing the most amateur covers, 1 month flat
Also I HIGHLY recommend starting on an acoustic with nylon strings. You can find them secondhand real cheap. Nylons are big soft strings and very easy on beginner fingers. By the way, electric and acoustic guitar are the same instrument. I know they seem different but the skills will transfer 1:1
To add, a guitar is almost more like a synth than a traditional instrument in terms of the range of sounds it can make. Even acoustic. Mess around. Try stuff. If you like a sound keep making it.
I (badly) played a couple woodwinds back in middle school, but my 7th grade band class was such a miserable experience that I never touched another musical instrument again for 30+ years.
I have no illusions of becoming another David Gilmour, but it would be nice to have a hobby that isn’t weather-dependent and doesn’t have any connection to my day job.
Looks like you can get a Squier (Fender’s budget brand) Stratocaster and a small amp for less than $300, so the cost to get started isn’t too outrageous.
It's very easy to get started and there are a ton of used guitars/amps etc out there too. We have ukeleles around our house which are also super fun and even cheaper (and only 4 strings so easier chords)
This is only my personal experience, but it is hard. The more important thing is that I didn't care how hard it was, I wanted to learn. I didn't need to force myself to learn, and I was terrible when I started, and terrible for a long time. That didn't matter.
Hard? Sure. Worth it? If it's something you want to do and that's stayed with you for a while, 100%. It's absolutely never too late. Go for it, and enjoy it
Fundamentals come surprisingly easily with regular practice! Once you get your head around a few techniques, you’re off to the races. In about a year, you’re very close to playing almost anything you’d want in the popular genres.
To be able to bash out a few chords? Not very hard. I am trying to do the same myself right now and am quite pleased with the results, although I am a long way from 'good'.
Go here, and select an "absolute beginner" song, there are lots to choose from, many of them only have 2 or 3 open chords and can be picked up at a rudimentary level in minutes. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/explore?difficulty[]=1
Depends what you wanna do. Not that hard if you wanna play like the Ramones. A bit harder if you wanna do solos. Waaaaaaay harder if you want to play jazz.
Heh, I just saw a meme to the effect of, “Rock guitar is playing three chords in front of 3000 people. Jazz guitar is playing 3000 chords in front of three people.”
In my youth I plonked away at cowboy chords to sing a bit. In my mid-50s I finally got lessons and I am now playing jazz in a couple combos and jam sessions. It may have helped that in school I played trumpet, but only learned to improvise on the guitar when I got lessons. Electric is easier.
Definitely do it. I’ve been playing guitar since the late 1960’s. If 10 year old me could figure it out, you certainly can. Modern student level guitars are MUCH better than what I learned on. Fender Squires are good. Yamaha also makes some nice instruments that are a good value.
Take some lessons to make sure your hand position is correct, get the store to set up the guitar if the strings are too high, and don’t hang it too low on the strap. It looks cool, but creates a lot of tension in your fretting hand.
Can't tell you anything about playing, but basic music theory is kinda easy. I'm not sure where I should send you, as I've learned by binging random music theory videos as a kid. Also "Cole" is kinda like "Gil", so you're basically a syllable off. Good luck.
You just have to put the time in. Once your fingers get the mojo and play chords / notes easier everytime you play, your learning curve and creativity goes 90 degrees straight up ! PLUS its super fun to play with a drummer to, Enjoy !
Daily practice and a guitar teacher will do it. Without a teacher. It takes about 6 months for your finger ends to build up calluses enough to play longer. You can start with nylon strings on an acoustic to learn the chord patterns then move on to steel string electric once your fingers are harder.
Without a teacher, it's easy to back-slide and skip practice. Also, if you don't already know tab notation or music dots, a teacher is a big help explaining what they are to read they. They help in getting a sense of timing and rhythm, else it's easy to be wrong and not know it.
Over the years I took my son to a music shop for clarinet lessons I saw so many guitar students in their 40s, 50s, 60s (some with kids together). It was pretty inspiring.
No more difficult than if you took it up at 12, probably easier. Once you get past the callouses on your fingers you find cool things all the time. Do it!
My kids got me a Steve Vai Ibañez guitar and small amp for about $500 in 1995-ish money. I can't say I ever learned to play it, though I took lessons for a couple of years (until my instructor moved away), but it was a lot of fun to just fool around making noise.
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Squier is making pretty good axes these days, I play one of the nicer models ($500) at gigs and love it.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier/Affinity-Series-Stratocaster-HSS-Electric-Guitar-Pack-with-Fender-Frontman-15G-Amp-Charcoal-Frost-Metallic-1500000345449.gc
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier/Affinity-Series-Stratocaster-HSS-Electric-Guitar-Pack-with-Fender-Frontman-15G-Amp-Charcoal-Frost-Metallic-1500000345449.gc
Get one that feels and looks too good to put down.
Then take it to a luthier or tech and explain you're a new learner and ask about setup, string height, guage, etc. Callouses are what stop lots of people early.
Look up song tabs.
It's not hard at all to adjust your truss rod
Change your strings when they won't stay in tune
I’m about 1.5 years into mandolin & about half a year on guitar. Learning a new instrument is the best after-work wind-down meditative therapy.