Am I Too Old to Learn the Guitar?

Ever thought that you’re just too old to start learning to play the guitar? Was playing the guitar a lifelong dream that got pushed aside as you focused on more important aspects of your life? Most of us love learning new things, being able to have different skills and improve on what we already know. […]

Ever thought that you’re just too old to start learning to play the guitar? Was playing the guitar a lifelong dream that got pushed aside as you focused on more important aspects of your life? Most of us love learning new things, being able to have different skills and improve on what we already know. There is an abundance to see, learn and do, so let me tell you now that it’s definitely never too late to learn how to play the guitar! Learning new things also expands the capabilities of the human brain and by simply playing some music, it can be very therapeutic and stress relieving. No matter how old or young you are, age doesn’t matter. We are capable of great things when we put our minds to it. There are amazing guitar players who started out in their 30’s, 50’s, and even in their 70’s. Maybe when you were young, learning the guitar just wasn’t the right time. School, university, exams, part-time work, all factors of life that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, while also trying to fit in your social activities for friends and family. In fact, as an older guitar learner, you’ll have some definite advantages that you wouldn’t have had as a kid. There is no time like the present to get started on the guitar. Guitar playing is not about how old you are when you start out, it’s about passion, creating music and most importantly, having fun with it.

You can gain inspiration, passion, and motivation from other guitar players. Set goals for yourself. Try and achieve those goals within a specified time frame. There are many reasons why you’re never too old to learn to play the guitar. There really is no limit to what we can achieve, and in many respects, age is no restriction. When you’re older you may even find it easier and enjoyable to start learning. Here are just a few reasons why you’re never too old to play the guitar.

1. You can easily learn from the internet

Today we all use the internet on a regular basis. Computers, mobile phones and many other devices make it super easy to get access to the internet. If you’re wondering whether or not it’s too late to start learning to play the guitar, you were probably a teenager before the internet took off. Most people nowadays won’t be able to remember what it was like before the internet came about. We now rely on the internet a little too much, but if it allows us the ability to access new resources and learn new things, then why not? Computers and the internet are far more powerful than a decade ago and there are countless of resources available to help you kick-start your guitar journey. As soon as you open up the internet browser and search what you are after, you are given hundreds of links about how to learn the guitar within seconds.

This is especially handy if you are anxious and a little nervous about getting face to face guitar lessons from someone who might be a lot younger than you. You won’t even have to leave your house with the number of guitar websites, YouTube videos, DVD’s available for your convenience. Thanks to the internet and the power of technology, we are able to access various resources not only really quickly, but also absolutely free. Learning to play the guitar has definitely become much easier than when you were a kid.

2. You know what type of music you like

As you grow older and listen to various types and genres of music, you would have developed your own preferences and taste of music. As a kid and teenager, you might have gone through different phases of music. You might have had a stage in your life where you only listened to metal music, but as you grew older you moved away from that type of music and embraced more classical music. For a kid, part of the guitar journey involves exploring musical genres and figuring out what you like and what you don’t like. When you’re a kid, choosing the right type of music you really enjoy can become a little confusing.

On the other hand, as an older guitar student, you would have already figured out what type of music genres you enjoy over the years of listening to an array of music genres. You’ve been exposed to different kinds of music and because of that, your knowledge is more advanced than when you were a kid. As the saying goes, the older you are, the wiser you have become. You know what you like and what you’d rather stay away from.

You may not realise it, but by simply knowing what type of music you like and don’t like, it becomes helpful in choosing the right starter guitar. Not only will it help you choose the right guitar but it can also help determine what type of lessons you’d like to learn and the music that will inspire you to practice.

4. You have more financial resources

When we were kids, most of us probably didn’t have part-time jobs and were relying on the allowance from our parents, which we probably spent on food or saved up to buy games. As adults, our earning power is much greater than when we were kids as the majority of us have a stable job and stable income. Many teenagers who learn the guitar are usually stuck with cheap guitar and amps partly because they can’t afford quality equipment or because their parents aren’t completely convinced their kid will stick with guitar playing. This, as you can imagine, is totally understandable. As a parent yourself you might not want to splurge on an expensive guitar for your kid not knowing whether they will continue playing in the long term or completely move onto a different hobby.

If you are an older guitar student, you won’t be at a disadvantage when it comes to financial resources. Once you’ve decided learning the guitar is something you’d like to take up, you can easily purchase a guitar and equipment to your liking, you’re in control of your cash flow!

5. You’re more disciplined

As an adult, you may find you have become more disciplined than when you were a teenager. Throughout the years you have managed to accomplish many things, whether it is graduating from high school or university, raising a child, or even working full time. If you can do any of those things, you are more than capable of learning to play the guitar. All it takes it to be able to put your mind to it if it’s something that you really want to do.

You may not think it’s something you can do and there’s something holding you back. It all comes down to whether you believe you can do it or not. If you doubt yourself, it’ll make it harder to achieve your goals. If you really and truly want to learn to play, you can! Just remember that there are many other people in your shoes who would love to learn something new but are afraid whether they will fail or succeed.

There are much more reasons as to why learning the guitar when you’re older actually, makes it easier to succeed. Other reasons can be having better time management skills, setting realistic expectations, having no pressure and learning at your own pace and much more. Other than just being able to learn a new skill, it is important to have fun. Enjoy the learning process and set goals to achieve achievements at a time. Make sure you acknowledge your achievements set yourself new challenges. If you feel like you can only learn so much from tutorials on the internet and would like to move on to proper guitar lessons to refine your skills, Learn What You Want offer guitar lessons in Melbourne. Our guitar teachers have years of experience and can teach you whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced guitar player. If you’ve never strummed a guitar’s strings or even held a guitar in your hands, we can get you familiar with the skills to get you started. With personal guitar lessons, we provide you with step by step teaching methods for a more relaxed and enjoyable learning environment. Our guitar teachers can get you playing your favourite songs sooner than you think.

When you’ve progressed in learning how to play the guitar, we can help you move on to learning other different types of guitars. Not only do we offer guitar lessons but at Learn What You Want we teach song-writing lessons, vocal lessons and even music therapy. Classical, metal, rock, jazz; we have an extensive understanding of different types of music genres. Playing the guitar can definitely be a rewarding experience and just remember, you’re never too old to learn something new! Don’t wait and start learning today!