Bought a Guitar

[JohnMosesBrowning]

Welp...turning 50 later this year I thought "now or never" and decided I'm going to learn to play the guitar. I was a percussionist growing up but have gotten the itch to learn some music theory and wanting to get back into playing music, but sticking with percussion and putting a drum set in my basement isn't really my vibe.

I'm starting with an acoustic guitar, hoping to move into a jazzy hollow body eclectic in the future if I stick with this. Anyway, I picked up a Martin D10e...inexpensive for a Martin.

I'm starting out with the JustinGuitar courses and have learned my first three chords so far; D, A, and E. Still spending my time just trying to get them to ring out cleanly and speeding up changes between them.

Anyone else into guitar? Any other later-in-life adult learners/beginners out there?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I used to be a drummer too. And, with my wife's family being so into bluegrass and jamming at family get-to-gathers, I picked up the banjo. The finger patterns for chords are very similar to the guitar, so I can crossover, but I am mediocre on both. But, I can hold my own in a jam.

Good luck. It's a lot of fun.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I'm a guitar owner... Love playing, but have never been very good. At least I don't think I am. I've even built a few guitars. My wife says I like tinkering with em more than I do playing em. She's probably right. It's a lot of fun though.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I'm a guitar owner... Love playing, but have never been very good. At least I don't think I am. I've even built a few guitars. My wife says I like tinkering with em more than I do playing em. She's probably right. It's a lot of fun though.

That's why I've never gotten very good on guitar. I just start fiddling with them instead. But I love making noise on them, too!

 

[hawky454]

Can’t go wrong with a Martin!

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Agree with above - can't go wrong with Martin. I'm on my third ; a HD28. Also have a few electrics. One is a Ibanez big hollow body like what George Benson would play. It's really fun to play and achieved some great tone. .

Hope you enjoy your new box. And good luck to building up those calluses and finger strength.

 

[mso489]

You know the old straw about country music, how it's three chords and the truth. But also, it sounds like you are on a good track. Different people learn differently, but you could do your self-teaching, and when you hit a plateau, maybe take a series of three or four lessons with a well-recommended teacher, and go back to work on that on your own, and so on.

I had fun picking out tunes on a bugle, so my wife got me a coronet, a nice one. I've had a time mastering the scales on the valves. That's relatively easy when you're nine years old, maybe. I'm pretty good on a variety of tunes on the harmonica, which is an entirely different animal, but I've never broken into the improvisational aspect of the harp, like blues. However, Moon River, Rule Britannia, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic are fun to trot out. As the old joke goes, people often ask me to play Far, Far Away.

 

[Briar Tuck]

It's never too late to start. I started playing guitar when I was about 11, but I never put much effort into it. I then started playing the drums at 16 and was fortunate to have a really good drum teacher and to play all through high school. I also put in more effort with the drums, with predictable results.

With my early adulthood living situation not being amenable to playing drums, I didn't play at all for many years until finally getting an electric kit in my 40s. I also started playing guitar again in my 30s and did quite a bit better than when I was a kid.

When I retired and wanted to start playing music in earnest, it was an easy decision to go with the drums, because I am a better drummer than a guitarist. I've been playing in active cover bands now for almost five years. Last year I played over 50 gigs, and this year is on track to be just as busy.

 

[kcghost]

You can never go wrong with a Martin guitar. My father once got me guitar when I was a teenager 60 years ago. A shame I can't tell one note from another.

 

[JohnMosesBrowning]

Finger pain and calluses are no joke! I'm on week three and have only missed one or two days without any practice at all. The most frustrating part is being eager to practice but not having the fingertips in shape to do more than 20-30 minutes.

It's not a guitar that's really set up for beginners, it came with 13's on it for strings so I want to take it in and have it restrung with 11's and then maybe 12's, etc. I'll eventually learn to restring it myself, but with it new and all I'm kind of nervous. Someone mentioned to me that going from 13's to 11's might require a truss rod adjustment and that's not something I want to do either. Called the local place and it'd take a week to get it done they're so backed up. I can't bring myself to hand it over for a week, so I'm just going to keep at it with the 13's I suppose.

 

[Briar Tuck]

Finger pain and calluses are no joke! I'm on week three and have only missed one or two days without any practice at all. The most frustrating part is being eager to practice but not having the fingertips in shape to do more than 20-30 minutes.

It's not a guitar that's really set up for beginners, it came with 13's on it for strings so I want to take it in and have it restrung with 11's and then maybe 12's, etc. I'll eventually learn to restring it myself, but with it new and all I'm kind of nervous. Someone mentioned to me that going from 13's to 11's might require a truss rod adjustment and that's not something I want to do either. Called the local place and it'd take a week to get it done they're so backed up. I can't bring myself to hand it over for a week, so I'm just going to keep at it with the 13's I suppose.

Electric guitars are a lot easier on the fingers and easier to play in general. When I got back into guitars as an adult I bought an electric. You'll build up some good calluses in due time though if you stick with it, and your finger and hand strength and dexterity will improve as well.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Enjoy! Got back into it at a later age after a fling with it as a kid. I had a Martin 12 fret I wish I had back, lol. Sitting on a Collings 12 fret and a Taylor right now, one of which will get sold. Had an elbow issue a few years ago and not playing was unfortunately part of the original solution, then the doctor f'd up my surgery and have some numbness issues in three and 1/2 of my 5 digits on the left hand and although I can play, it's not the same, touch is an issue, and I kind of lost my desire a bit - working on songs is a nice way to while away an evening!

Setup is a big deal! I'm kind of large palm, not so long fingers and honestly my Collings and my Taylor, Taylor especially, are much easier for comfort and reach, of course, depends on what style to a degree. I still need "room" at the top of the fretboard vs. narrow and kind of a delicate balance for me on width/neck. Build up those callouses, but a good setup with some light gauge strings probably wouldn't hurt to start (lol, or maybe forever, who knows).

 

[UB 40]

Finger pain and calluses are no joke! I'm on week three and have only missed one or two days without any practice at all. The most frustrating part is being eager to practice but not having the fingertips in shape to do more than 20-30 minutes.

It's not a guitar that's really set up for beginners, it came with 13's on it for strings so I want to take it in and have it restrung with 11's and then maybe 12's, etc. I'll eventually learn to restring it myself, but with it new and all I'm kind of nervous. Someone mentioned to me that going from 13's to 11's might require a truss rod adjustment and that's not something I want to do either. Called the local place and it'd take a week to get it done they're so backed up. I can't bring myself to hand it over for a week, so I'm just going to keep at it with the 13's I suppose.

The calluses and the strength in the fingers will come as long as you fetch the guitar on a daily basis. It takes some time. Also play scales, single note picking, it will improve your fingers ability even more.

I never stuck to learning an instrument although I had a trumpet a cello and a trombone, when I was 19.

It was more a fluke that a friend of mine gave to me a soprano ukulele on Christmas four years ago, a very cheap one. More so because I decided to quit smoking, sooo every time I craved a cigarette while working at the office, I took that little thing lying beneath the computer and scrammed a few cords I learned in you tube videos until the cravings been over.

Now I am deeply addict to nicotine again because of pipe smoking I started two years later, but that’s another story. The ukulele stays. I bought an electric one, a Risa with steel strings and humbucker pick ups, and tension on those strings is another beast than those nylons. And even stiffer than those on electric guitar. It took a while to hold a barré on the strings. But it sounds really good, and I’m improving, slowly getting into jazz accompaniment and getting a feel for blues and soloing.

It’s a lot of fun but also hard work. I’m not 15 anymore.

 

[Jaylotw]

I have too many guitars. I'm a gigging musician, in two bands, although in one I play upright bass not guitar.

My recommendations are to

A. ) stick with the .13s, have your guitar set up with lower action by a pro. They'll sound better and condition your hands. You're learning chords and stuff, which is what .13s are for and what your guitar was built to be strung with for it's best sound. Martins come a bit "stiff" from the factory, get a competent repair shop to lower the action for you but stick with the .13s. .13s with proper action aren't any harder to fret than thinner strings, they're just harder to bend. Martin dreadnoughts with .11s just don't sound right, and you'd be best off to just stick with the heavier strings and learn on them.

B. ) you're at the hardest part, right now. Learning fundamentals. Once you can string a few chords together and strum a tune you know, it all becomes less work and more fun.

C. ) Don't be shy to just make noises. You can strum an E chord? Cool! Strum the living shit out of that E chord. Martins can take abuse, they're built to be played and played hard. Rock out on that E chord, stomp, have fun! Get loud! You're not going to hurt anything, or damage anything, by exploring around and seeing what sounds you can make.

D. ) don't ignore your right (I'm presuming you're right handed) hand. Rhythm is the foundation of music, and a lot of beginners worry so much about what their fretting hand is doing that they ignore the right hand. My recommendation above is all about that...you can make awesome, emotive music with one chord if you've got rhythm.

E. ) don't just learn from one source. Take in as much as you can. Once you recognize what hand positions look like, watch players you like on YouTube...suddenly you'll think "hey, he's just playing a G chord..." and next thing you know, you're teaching yourself a new song. Don't be afraid to individualize your playing, either. Do what feels and sounds good to you, regardless of what a certain method might tell you.

 

[Hillcrest]

Welp...turning 50 later this year I thought "now or never" and decided I'm going to learn to play the guitar. I was a percussionist growing up but have gotten the itch to learn some music theory and wanting to get back into playing music, but sticking with percussion and putting a drum set in my basement isn't really my vibe.

I'm starting with an acoustic guitar, hoping to move into a jazzy hollow body eclectic in the future if I stick with this. Anyway, I picked up a Martin D10e...inexpensive for a Martin.

I'm starting out with the JustinGuitar courses and have learned my first three chords so far; D, A, and E. Still spending my time just trying to get them to ring out cleanly and speeding up changes between them.

Anyone else into guitar? Any other later-in-life adult learners/beginners out there?

 

[rmbittner]

Guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboard player here. Mostly play in my home studio, but I’m also in a band that plays out a couple of times a month.

 

[UB 40]

I have too many guitars. I'm a gigging musician, in two bands, although in one I play upright bass not guitar.

My recommendations are to

A. ) stick with the .13s, have your guitar set up with lower action by a pro. They'll sound better and condition your hands. You're learning chords and stuff, which is what .13s are for and what your guitar was built to be strung with for it's best sound. Martins come a bit "stiff" from the factory, get a competent repair shop to lower the action for you but stick with the .13s. .13s with proper action aren't any harder to fret than thinner strings, they're just harder to bend. Martin dreadnoughts with .11s just don't sound right, and you'd be best off to just stick with the heavier strings and learn on them.

B. ) you're at the hardest part, right now. Learning fundamentals. Once you can string a few chords together and strum a tune you know, it all becomes less work and more fun.

C. ) Don't be shy to just make noises. You can strum an E chord? Cool! Strum the living shit out of that E chord. Martins can take abuse, they're built to be played and played hard. Rock out on that E chord, stomp, have fun! Get loud! You're not going to hurt anything, or damage anything, by exploring around and seeing what sounds you can make.

D. ) don't ignore your right (I'm presuming you're right handed) hand. Rhythm is the foundation of music, and a lot of beginners worry so much about what their fretting hand is doing that they ignore the right hand. My recommendation above is all about that...you can make awesome, emotive music with one chord if you've got rhythm.

E. ) don't just learn from one source. Take in as much as you can. Once you recognize what hand positions look like, watch players you like on YouTube...suddenly you'll think "hey, he's just playing a G chord..." and next thing you know, you're teaching yourself a new song. Don't be afraid to individualize your playing, either. Do what feels and sounds good to you, regardless of what a certain method might tell you.

I love to hear you talking about making noise, about individualising your sound. And yes most of the music is about rhythm. I appreciate your post a lot.

 

[romaso]

Called the local place and it'd take a week to get it done they're so backed up. I can't bring myself to hand it over for a week, so I'm just going to keep at it with the 13's I suppose.

You could always just drop your tuning a half step or so, that would loosen the string tension, since you're playing solo now. Tune your A string to a G# or even G and go from there. When you get stronger, tune back up.

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Getting into guitar is exciting and I wish you well. It’s never too late!

We are about the same age and I’ve got a friend (52) that just started as well. I’ve been at it 30 years and enjoy it now more than ever.

For easing up on the fingers: yes, going down a string gauge is good (13s are prob too heavy for a beginner) and tuning down some. Example: if you tune down a whole step, you’ll slack way off on the tension (the 13s would immediately feel a lot different) and if you need to get back into standard tuning for lessons with Justin (great teacher, by the way), just capo II and you’re back in 440.

Just last week I bought a new electric guitar. The journey continues.

Here she is:

 

[anotherbob]

Welp...turning 50 later this year I thought "now or never" and decided I'm going to learn to play the guitar. I was a percussionist growing up but have gotten the itch to learn some music theory and wanting to get back into playing music, but sticking with percussion and putting a drum set in my basement isn't really my vibe.

I'm starting with an acoustic guitar, hoping to move into a jazzy hollow body eclectic in the future if I stick with this. Anyway, I picked up a Martin D10e...inexpensive for a Martin.

I'm starting out with the JustinGuitar courses and have learned my first three chords so far; D, A, and E. Still spending my time just trying to get them to ring out cleanly and speeding up changes between them.

Anyone else into guitar? Any other later-in-life adult learners/beginners out there?

sweet. I haven't played bass much lately but still really glad that I can and am shocked when I do play by how easily the rust can get cleaned off.
But there is just something amazing about being creative. No matter what level you get it too. It kind of feels a little like magic. Like you've learned how to pull something out of the ether and make something that didn't exist before.
That's awesome is what I am saying.