Did I miss the boat?

can.music.rocks

I'm 31 years old and am very passionate about music - particulary Indie/Alternative music. For the last year I've been seriously thinking of picking up the guitar for the 1st time in my life but all my friends and family think I've missed the boat!?! I know I'm making light of this but I am serious about it. Honestly how long before I would be decent enough to play good music - and maybe join a band? Or are my friends/family right? If my goal is to join a band, should I be choosing another instrument other than the guitar (maybe bass guitar)?

HELP!!

feylya

The main problem with starting at your age is time. You wouldn't have as much time to practice as a 15 year old school goer. (I am assuming here of course). That said, if you put aside an hour or 2 a day with a few more at the weekend, you could more than likely play some simple tunes in a couple of months.

DeadSkin

can.music.rocks wrote: »

I'm 31 years old and am very passionate about music - particulary Indie/Alternative music. For the last year I've been seriously thinking of picking up the guitar for the 1st time in my life but all my friends and family think I've missed the boat!?! I know I'm making light of this but I am serious about it. Honestly how long before I would be decent enough to play good music - and maybe join a band? Or are my friends/family right? If my goal is to join a band, should I be choosing another instrument other than the guitar (maybe bass guitar)?

HELP!!

Never too old dude, I was in that boat two years ago and I was the same age as you then.
Time is a big issue as feylya said, you'll have good & bad weeks as regards to getting the time in.
There's lots of help on the net. If your serious about joining a band, try and get some lessons.
There's nothin better when you nail one of your favourite songs on the guitar.
You'll find alot of help & advice here aswell.
Definitely go for it dude, that boat hasn't sailed yet

Paligulus

can.music.rocks wrote: »

I'm 31 years old and am very passionate about music - particulary Indie/Alternative music. For the last year I've been seriously thinking of picking up the guitar for the 1st time in my life but all my friends and family think I've missed the boat!?! I know I'm making light of this but I am serious about it. Honestly how long before I would be decent enough to play good music - and maybe join a band? Or are my friends/family right? If my goal is to join a band, should I be choosing another instrument other than the guitar (maybe bass guitar)?

HELP!!

I think Feyla has hit the nail on the head. I can remember practicing from 7 in the evening till 3 in the morning when I was 16. something that would be ridiculous now. If your looking to get results quicker the bass would be a better option. Look at it as 'Being able to play in a band' Vs. 'Being able to play something to impress a non-player'.

If you played Bass for 2 years (random figure) you would possibly be able to play in a band - You would be limited and the bands standards wouldn't want to be very high. however, it takes years to be able to play anything impressive on the bass (slap etc...). Would playing in a band be motivation enough?

if you play guitar for 2 years you definately wont be good enough to play in a band (in my opinion). however you'll probably be able to play something fairly impressive or bring out the guitar at a sing-a-long etc...

That's a really, really simplistic way of looking at it but its worth considering...

Voodu Child

Ah you're never too old tbh.

The points about time are certainly true, you'll never progress as fast as a 15yr old sitting in his room all day. But music isnt a competition, progress at your own pace and enjoy yourself.

It helps that you're interested in indie music, pretty simple as far as guitar playing goes tbh (massive generalisation, i know ). Would be a different situation if you said you wanted to play lead in a Yngwie tribute band

can.music.rocks

DeadSkin wrote: »

Never too old dude, I was in that boat two years ago and I was the same age as you then.
Time is a big issue as feylya said, you'll have good & bad weeks as regards to getting the time in.
There's lots of help on the net. If your serious about joining a band, try and get some lessons.
There's nothin better when you nail one of your favourite songs on the guitar.
You'll find alot of help & advice here aswell.
Definitely go for it dude, that boat hasn't sailed yet

Do you now play in a band Deadskin? Do you take lessons?

DeadSkin

can.music.rocks wrote: »

Do you now play in a band Deadskin? Do you take lessons?

No, I don't play in a band, not really that interested really, but it is fun if ya have someone else jammin' with ya.
Never had a lesson, was goin' to a few times, but again it's time and maybe just laziness on my behalf. If you don't wanna pick up any bad habits early on definitely get some lessons.
Alot of what I need, I get from the net, guitar magazines, and one or two books.

Rigsby

My advice is go for it !. As the others have said, it WILL take time to become proficient, but as you are passionate about music you should enjoy the learning process. There are musicians in their 50's and 60's who started playing an instrument when they were very young who still say they have a lot to learn. Better late than never.

Best of luck.

can.music.rocks

Thanks everyone I really appreciate all your responses!!

I think I'm inspired!!! I've been talking to some of my friends about this and they were telling me that with my little bit of piano background I should maybe look at playing keyboard but... guitar interests me the most. From what everyone is saying I'd be better to pick up the keyboard or bass guitar if I want to join a band but play guitar for myself and later down the road who knows!?!

Now all I need is the guitar.........;)

DeadSkin

can.music.rocks wrote: »

Now all I need is the guitar.........;)

Hop on over to the Instruments forum and do a search or start a new thread with what styles of music you wanna play, your budget etc....

can.music.rocks

Another quick question for you guys - I know I'm asking a lot but I want to make sure I won't just buy the guitar and have it sit in the corner of my apartment gathering dust!

Does it take a long time for your fingers to callous to get used to the strings? I have thin fingers. My friend just told me that he stopped playing because it was really painful.

Rigsby

can.music.rocks wrote: »

Another quick question for you guys - I know I'm asking a lot but I want to make sure I won't just buy the guitar and have it sit in the corner of my apartment gathering dust!

Does it take a long time for your fingers to callous to get used to the strings? I have thin fingers. My friend just told me that he stopped playing because it was really painful.

Yes, your fingers will be sore for a while. My advice would be to gradually increase your practice time (starting at around 30 - 45 minutes a day) for the first week or so.


As for your guitar gathering dust - if you have second thoughts about playing you can always sell it.

can.music.rocks

Good point!!

leninbenjamin

can.music.rocks wrote: »

Does it take a long time for your fingers to callous to get used to the strings? I have thin fingers. My friend just told me that he stopped playing because it was really painful.

whether you're fingers are thin or not should make no difference, the two issues are strength: you'll find it difficult to actually fret a string properly initially because you simply wont have the independent strength in your fingers, and the skin callouses: you'll need to play regularly to get over this, it's no good doing it here and there because it hurts, it'll never go away that way (i'm guessing that's what your friend did). obviously don't play if it really annoys you, but it will be uncomfortable for a while.

the guitar is a relatively easy instrument to pick up though, definitely give it a go. you could always switch to bass after a while if you're that seriously about playing in a band. Keyboards are cool, but in my own view there is a much steeper learning curve, guitarists generally don't have to carry both the rhythm and melody simultaneously like playing the piano often does. so it might be best to start on a guitar...

fourmations

hey, i'll jam some Can with you if you like!

I always feel that you should have a couple
of songs in mind when you start learning,
it really helps motivation, sure, you have to start slow
and learn the basic chords one by one, but its great
to find that one of you all time faves is
just three chords put together and within your reach

tell us some of your favourite acts and
I'll tell what are good learners material.

(i am a 34yr old indie fan playing 18yrs on and off
so I'm sure i'll know some of the stuff you like)

rgds

4
rgds

4

Blackhorse Slim

I'd recommend getting lessons. Teenagers have the advantage in that they have all day to play guitar, but us older people tend to have a bit more money to spare. You can make up for less practice time with a good teacher, to make sure you are maximising your practice time. If you work at it you could be stringing a few chords together in a couple of months. If you decide against proper lessons, there is a ton of info on the net to help. You-tube can help a lot too, sometimes it's easier to see something done than to read about it. If you know someone who plays a bit they can help with beginner problems like tuning and basic technique.

It's certainly not too late. Even if you never get to perform on stage (and there's no reason why you wouldn't) it's great being able to bang out a few songs at a party/session.

Fingers Mcginty

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

I'd recommend getting lessons. Teenagers have the advantage in that they have all day to play guitar, but us older people tend to have a bit more money to spare. You can make up for less practice time with a good teacher, to make sure you are maximising your practice time. If you work at it you could be stringing a few chords together in a couple of months. If you decide against proper lessons, there is a ton of info on the net to help. You-tube can help a lot too, sometimes it's easier to see something done than to read about it. If you know someone who plays a bit they can help with beginner problems like tuning and basic technique.

It's certainly not too late. Even if you never get to perform on stage (and there's no reason why you wouldn't) it's great being able to bang out a few songs at a party/session.

blackhorse...some good advice there and i'll second getting a GOOD reputable teacher who will impart good advice to ya. You'll be off to a good start If you adopt good technique initially..

can.music.rocks

fourmations wrote: »

hey, i'll jam some Can with you if you like!

I always feel that you should have a couple
of songs in mind when you start learning,
it really helps motivation, sure, you have to start slow
and learn the basic chords one by one, but its great
to find that one of you all time faves is
just three chords put together and within your reach

tell us some of your favourite acts and
I'll tell what are good learners material.

(i am a 34yr old indie fan playing 18yrs on and off
so I'm sure i'll know some of the stuff you like)

rgds

4
rgds

4

My favourite groups are: Interpol, The Libertines, Babyshambles, Kings of Leon, Bloc Party, The Strokes, The Stone Roses, The Shins, The Smiths, The Editors to name a few. I also love all the great Canadian bands out right now: Arcade Fire, Metric, Feist, The Stars.....

Yeah I'm definitely going to take lessons. I totally agree and after all these posts I don't want to pick up bad habits. I'm going to get my guitar this weekend

BobTheBeat

can.music.rocks wrote: »

My favourite groups are: Interpol, The Libertines, Babyshambles, Kings of Leon, Bloc Party, The Strokes, The Stone Roses, The Shins, The Smiths, The Editors to name a few. I also love all the great Canadian bands out right now: Arcade Fire, Metric, Feist, The Stars.....

Yeah I'm definitely going to take lessons. I totally agree and after all these posts I don't want to pick up bad habits. I'm going to get my guitar this weekend

Fair play! Nevermind the naysayers;) Before you go to buy the guitar, have a chat to a guitarist (if you know any) and get some info on the ins and outs of electric vs acoutic, amplifiers etc. Work out a budget for yourself, have a look at some music stores online and in town (for price comparison) and see what fits the bill - we all know the perils of starting out, and how going in to a music shop and looking for impartial advice is often a minefield! Most importantly the very best of luck and have fun!:)

punchdrunk

my dad started in his early 50's,long after myself and my brother did,he loves it! never too late

Kaiser_Sma

As everybody says there is no age limit to when you start playing. Also in case you were still worried about the fretting with thin skin thing. I had contact dermititus on my left hand for a while (from a lab accident) so the skin was quite abnormally thin. The callouses still came and it actually healed faster on my finger tips because of it.
When your playing with thinner acoustic/lead guitar strings it will hurt to begin with, but believe me that'll go away fast enough. When i started learning the bass i actually found callouses forming on my right hand (index and middle finger) and the left hand ones start to fade a little.

SBob

Certainly never too late.... But, i wouldn't necessarily have playing with a band as my initial goal, that might lead to frustration. You kind of need to want to play, just to play if you know what i mean. It takes a lot of time and effort to get to a stage where you're comfortable enough on your instrument to be creative or to hack it in a rehearsal room, regardless of what instrument. That's a huge and possibly overwhelming goal, best thing is to have a song you want to play, then another one and so on until you have all your favourite songs under your belt. Then play them over and over, and one day you might stop and think, i'm ready for a band, but i wouldnt focus on that until then.
best of luck!