So I spent most of my morning in a Guitar Center today - it’s not exactly my favorite music store on the planet, but that’s a topic for another post.
I was there to help my long-time pal, Art, pick out his first guitar. He’d like an acoustic guitar so he can strum along on his favorite 90s rock tunes, and eventually sing ‘em, too. He envisions maybe doing it during parties, around the campfire, maybe at an open mic night.
He’s 34 years old. And I really admire that he went for it. He never once asked me “am I too old to start playing?”.
Because even if you’re 106 years old, you are not too old to take up the guitar. I see know earthly reason why age should be a factor in taking up any hobby within reason. I started playing when I was 15. The odd thing is, I learn faster know. And not just guitar concepts - electronics, CSS code, new styles of writing: just about anything, really. I think that’s because I can equate it to things I learned in the past. Those connections solidify the concepts in my mind.
Anything that engages your mind and/or creativity is a good thing. And yes, you can start playing late in life and get very good at it.
So why not try it? All you have to lose is a few hundred bucks and some hours of your time. But you can gain a lot more than you can lose.
As for Art … we found him a nice, reasonably priced Yamaha. I sent him home with a little exercise to start coordinating his hands for something productive! Soon, we’ll get him started on some chords.
