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My Journey Begins....


Amasa

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Well, here I am. Wrong side of 40, left handed with no previous musical experience, I have decided to pursue my long standing desire to learn electric guitar.

 

My 7 year old daughter is shortly due to begin guitar lessons at school. So last weekend I took her to the local music shop where she chose a reasonable 3/4 starter acoustic guitar. Just going into the shop once again triggered my desire to learn, but how to approach my wife?

 

A few days ago she asked me what I would like for Christmas, nervously I replied that for many years I'd wanted to learn electric guitar and would therefore love an electric guitar as a gift. To my surprise she was enthusiastic and said that perhaps, one day, my daughter and I could practice together.

 

Hopefully, next Friday, I will be collecting a Lefty Vintage VS6 guitar and Vox DA5 practice amp. I have spoken to a guitar tutor and I will begin lessons after Christmas (1 hour a week).

 

I realise good tuition, patience, commitment and practice are key. If, one day, I'm good enough to play something to my family, I'll be a very happy man. Funny thing is, I haven't felt so excited in years.

 

Any advice/comments on my choice of kit, and suggestions for other necessary items, such as a reasonable quality, easy to use tuner would be very gratefully accepted.

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Welcome to the heard. I'm a late bloomer myself. I bought my first guitar at 32 but then they sat and collected dust for a few years. It wasn't until I was 36 that I actually started learning to play. And now I know I'll be playing as long as I am physically capable.

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Any cheap tuner at the music store will work. I have two that I use when I set up guitars and they work fine. $14-$20 should get you a decent tuner.

 

As you learn to play, also learn the parts of the guitar and what they do, and why. This will help your playing, believe it or not.

 

The most important thing is to be sure your guitar is properly set up. That means the action height is right, the neck is adjusted correctly, etc. Even many cheap guitars play well when set up correctly. I have a couple of Squiers that I love and play wonderfully.

 

Learn your chords. It's boring at times, but it helps your ears and your hands begin to work together. The awkward feel of your weak hand working in an odd position will slowly go away as you practice. Start with light strings, either 8 or 9 gauge, and move up (if you want to, nothing wrong with them - I've been at this twenty years and I use nines) as your hand strength increases.

 

I'm in Alabama. PM me if you might be close and, if you are, I'll set it up for you for nothing.

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I started late too. I did the same as kit. I bought a guitar and it sat for a long time. I moved from NJ to NC and the church my family joined has a contemporary service which sparked my desire again. After a few months the contemporary worship leader was gracious enough to let me play on Sunday's with the band. My band mates have been very helpful. I am self taught other than what I've learned from them. I still suck but I have never really had a lot of structured practice time with work and family occupying most of my time. I have a lot of fun though. Enjoy the journey.

Oh...a cheap Korg tuner will be just fine.

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My advice is to enjoy playing. I've been playing almost as long as I've been breathing it seems and every time that I pick up a guitar I realize how fortunate that I am to have found something that gives me this much pleasure.

As far as gear choices, ask the instructor that you will be going to to assist you in picking out an instrument. You can get a very reasonably priced instrument that will serve you well for many years.

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I hope you enjoy your new hobby with great enthusiasm and in good health. I began playing at my fathers request at age 5, and I'm now 17 and still at it. It's a long and hard road, but filled with surprise and it's alot of fun. Once again, I wish you luck on your journey!

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Glad to hear it. Hopefully, you'll progress quickly but even if it turns out that you don't, you can still get years of enjoyment out of just messing around.

Lessons are probably a good thing, but try to pace yourself. I've known a lot of folks (I've been playing for about 25 years... off and on) that think that because they started in their 20s or 30s that they'd progress much more quickly than a kid starting at 12. You can't compare those tracks. Usually one of the big deciders is that 12 year olds usually have a lot more free time than 36 year olds.

Either way, glad to hear it. Declaring your goal and buying the stuff is a big step in the right direction.

:thu:

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Welcome to the wonderful world of guitars. As you progress through the learning process, you'll reach plateaus in your proficiency and then it will seem that you level off and are not getting better. But be patient...with continued practice you'll reach new levels...sometimes, with certain aspects of playing, it will seem like all of a sudden you have gotten considerably better...it's just part of the process.

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Welcome to the wonderful world of guitars. As you progress through the learning process, you'll reach plateaus in your proficiency and then it will seem that you level off and are not getting better. But be patient...with continued practice you'll reach new levels...sometimes, with certain aspects of playing, it will seem like all of a sudden you have gotten considerably better...it's just part of the process.

 

 

This is a level of vocal coherence and eloquence I just can't attain right now.

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One bit of advise I'll give you is to either hum or sing along when you play. You don't have to do it well, but does several things for you. One thing is that it helps you keep your place in the song. Another thing is that some songs have chord changes at weird times, this will help you figure out how to do them. Another benefit is that is fun to sing and play the guitar... even if you can't sing (like me).


There's a lot of good advise to be had around here, and the other posters have given you some.


Good luck, and don't give up.

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As someone in almost the exact same shoes as you, let me recommend a website and some software

http://www.justinguitar.com

He's got a ton of stuff available, most with video lessons, and it's geared to the total newbie. The forums there are also very useful since they tend towards the "we know you're a noob, so we'll explain in a lot more detail" type postings.

Software-wise, download Tuxguitar as soon as possible. It's a great freeware tab reader/editor, and has been a ton of help for me since you can play along with a cheezy MIDI version of a tune, which is often a *lot* easier to hear than the actual recording.

Good luck!

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You are right. You are on a great journey. You are not too old. I had previous music training, but did not play guitar until I was like 54. Just be patient with your self. Find a guitar that is comfortable for you. This is a bigger deal than what you may think.

 

Have fun.

 

- w

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I started playing at 47, about five years ago; it's been a great addition to my life. At the same time, I have come to the conclusion that most guitar teaching (in popular styles) out there is terrible. I could go on a long, long rant about this, but I'll just say a couple of things. First, most guitar teachers don't begin with the elementary things that are crucial: how to hold the guitar, how to move your fingers, how to practice. The material on the following website has been enormously helpful to me:

Guitar Principles

Most guitar instructors begin with "cowboy chords," chords played with open strings with the fretting hand near the nut. This is a terrible place to start; playing cowboy chords (and changing between them) is in fact one of the most difficult things to do on the guitar. Insist that your instructor teach you the e-minor pentatonic scale at the 12th fret. Once you know that (and you can learn that easily) you can quickly start to make something that sounds like music, and making something that sounds like music provides a powerful incentive to practice and improve. Good luck!

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Good luck... and just a quick story.

 

I have played guitar for now about 27 years. I turned 40 in 2007. I have been a 'teach myself' player all these years and have become proficient enough to be in a several performing bands plus do solo work. In Sept 2008, I decided to learn a new instrument.. BAGPIPES. What a journey that has been.

 

I learned how to read music as well as a whole new instrument in a short amount of time. I actually began lessons in Sept of 07 with the band, figuring I would get to play with the band in March of 2010 (which was still ahead of their intended schedule). I was able to work out a practice schedule that allowed me to join the band in only 3 months and marched right down 5th Ave in NYC for the St Patricks Day Parade 2009. Between lunch hour and another hour or two at home I was able to master the basics enough to join the band. I have not let up practicing (trying to make up for lost time) butI am happy to report that at this point there are only one or two pipers in the band that can play what I play and they were part of the NYPD Pipes and Drums.

 

Reason for the story is.. if you want.. just work at it. Everyone looks at me and says how easy I make it look, but what they don't realize is how much work went into it. It will be frustrating at times (I have hit that brick wall many times) but I found that if you walk away from it and come back later, it all then falls into place. Whether it be a chord, a rhythm or even just a note.. but it down and relax. Regardless of what Leonard Cohen wrote.. this is no 'secret chord' it's all work and persistance!

 

Good luck!

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i didn't start until i was 42, although i did have a couple years of piano lessons under me from my childhood so I did have a basic musical understanding...

as someone said a properly set up guitar can make all the difference in the world. the better setup the guitar is, the more you will enjoy playing because it will be easier, especially for a beginner...

may i also suggest buying a copy of guitar pro 5 to go along with your lessons. it's a great program that will show you everything you need to know about a song; timing, finger placement, etc... all in a graphical layout, with audio... the songs are all composed by just anyone out there, but most are close to the real deal. this are what they called "tabbed" songs. easier than reading real music if you ask me... the tabs for the program are available on the internet in torrents or in file sharing communities. and there are thousands and thousands of them. guitar pro can also be used for writing and tabbing your own songs.

another source the GP5 tabs is http://www.ultimate-guitar.com . that site also has a billion other tabs, just not the audio and timing parts to go along with it....

here's a screen capture of Guitar Pro...

image1sc.jpg


So IMO, a combination of lessons and learning to read tabs you can be playing songs for your family within 3-6 months... It will take a little time to form the muscle memory required to make your chord changes smoothly and timely, but once that break thru comes you will be on your way...

Most of all enjoy yourself. Welcome to the forum :wave:


Oh yea, and as others said, prepare the wife for your desire to buy more gear in the future ,:lol: that's a bad (or good, depending on your perspective) side effect of hanging out here :p

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Welcome! Let the journey begin!

As someone else said, in the beginning your hands and fingers won't like to do what you want them to. And they will hurt at times. It gets better, but you have to practice. Dedication and perseverance are more important than anything else, especially starting at a late age.

I played various instruments when I was a kid, then got away from making music for 20 years. When I was 40, I decided I wanted to get back to guitar. Basically, everything I knew then was gone. I was essentially starting from scratch again.

I just turned 45 two weeks ago. I'm in a band (rock, originals) and we play around a dozen plus shows a year. We just recorded our first EP and are awaiting mixes. Frankly, guitar is a large part of why I am happier than I ever have been in life.

But I've worked hard. I play every single day....even if it's only for 15 minutes. Some days I play for two or three hours. I fit it in where I can. I practice as much as possible.

It was frustrating at first because it gets kind of old playing chords and scales and not knowing much else. Stick with it. The base of your ability and knowledge will grow.

Now I can plug in and play songs I'v learned for two or three hours straight and just have fun jamming. I can pick up a lot of music by ear and rarely rely on tabs or notation anymore. And I feel like I'm on the verge of writing my own stuff (beyond the guitar bits I've done for our band).

You're never too old to rockNroll!

That's me playing rhythm on the left:

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

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welcome sir! strat preparing your wife now for you gear buying lol

 

 

+1

 

 

I used to play just a tad when I was younger. I got caught up in life. Now life is settled and I started playing again just last year. I am also on the wrong side of 40. Its funner now because I have time and I am more seasoned.

 

But I am spending much more time reading about guitar on this website and finding deals than I am actually touching my guitars. So I must discipline myself to practice. Once I have gone through the pain of learning something new I truly enjoy playing it. This forum has been most helpful.

 

SS

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Welcome! You'll find most of the users here to be mostly friendly and helpful. I too started late, 39, I'm 40 now ... It's a lot of fun, so make sure you enjoy what you're doing, you'll find many ways to approach the guitar, we have pro/semi-pro players, occasional giggers, garage player, bedroom players (me), gearheads and every combination of the above. Enjoy the journey!

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