Is It Possible To Learn How To Play Guitar After 30?

easel.ly

 FIND YOUR REASONS AND BUILD THE PASSION:

     Before we go into answering the question you need to ask yourself why you wish to learn how to play the guitar. Do you wish to be a professional and make some income while playing? Do you just wish to play to impress friends and family? Is it a hobby you wish to cultivate? Do you wish to play because it is ‘sexy’; oh yes some people play for this reason (nothing wrong with that though). Do you love music and wish you could play them on guitar? Do you just wish to learn how to play a musical instrument and so you found the guitar most convenient? I say all the reasons stated above and many more are legitimate reasons. They are like the pillars on which your passion for the instrument revolves. You can then build on them and grow.

WHY NOT?

How old are you? Let me tell you my story. I bought my guitar when I was 32 years old but I never started any real lessons until I was beyond 35 years. I placed it in the cover and would occasionally pose for pictures with it. Oh yes, I did that!! I always had the passion but at that point, creating picture impressions with the guitar took hold of me and I became lazy. I started seriously way beyond 35yrs and I can confidently tell you that within 6 months I reached the intermediate level; I could play most difficult songs. This I did all on my own with softwares and videos I found online. I do not claim that this is an act of genius but the point here is that, it’s never too late to start at whatever age so long as you have the passion.

PASSION AND ACTION:

Write down three major reasons why you wish to learn how to play the guitar. You may or may not find them among the reasons I have stated but I believe everyone have their unique reasons. Find yours and build on it from there. I was lucky to have an uncle who played but that was not how I built my passion. My passion arose from the fact that I loved all genres of music. I gradually went from just enjoying the lyrics to paying attention to the guitar portions and harmonies of tracks. Infact, at that point, I didn’t even know I had the passion for the guitar until I subconsciously started humming guitar portions from tracks. I started paying detailed attention to tracks with acoustic guitar harmonies because that was where my interest laid. Then I moved to listening to more jazz tracks by Norman Brown and Earl Klugh. Finally, I asked myself, if you can’t sing it, why not play tracks in Jazz form? Then I started saving to get my first guitar. You would realize from my narration that, there was a systematic progress from passion to action. Don’t tell me you don’t have yours. I know you have yours so you’re good to go despite your age.

YOU MIGHT NOT GET TO PLAY IN A BAND BUT….

You might not master enough to play in a band but then again, does that mean that everyone who started playing the guitar at an early age played in a band? It is possible to discover the genius within you and get hired by a band but wanting to just play by the ‘campfire’ is also fine if that’s what you want. I honestly do not see the big deal with being just a ‘campfire’ player. What if you don’t get hired by a band to play? You can always go solo and play covers at events like parties, festivals, weddings etc or compose your own stuff and play as well. Create some video recordings and post them online to gauge the impressions of people.

WHERE AND HOW TO START

Hire a teacher and get started. If you’re one to want to learn on your own like I did, then there are tons of information online which you can sieve through. Just find what’s perfect for you. I started with Gibson Learn and Master Guitar CDs that I bought. I also bought a few softwares like Terfview and Music Notes as well. They helped me learn scales faster and hone my finger-style. Pick three simple songs and start by learning their strumming styles. Anything from reggae, country or pop genres would do. It is never too late folks. Just start today!

A LITTLE UPDATE: I came across this awesome documentary on BBC about this orchestra group from DRC called Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste. Here is the link (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pkvpn). It tells of how a group of people from all walks of life were able to learn and play various musical instruments, probably more difficult ones than the guitar and play in an orchestra. They performed in London. A great story of how with passion and desire you can achieve anything.  Go watch and be inspired. Awesome stuff.