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4K views 33 replies 26 participants last post by  spkenn5 
#1 ·
I know that sounds odd but most people i know of start learning guitar when they are alot younger than me. I'm 19 and i originally started when i was 16 but back then i was naieve and expected too much without work. My mistake. Then i picked it up again a few months back and this time around i'm really getting somewhere. But i'm 19... did i wait too late? do you think i can learn to play just as well as anyone who started before me if i really put my mind to it?
Not like its going to help me much but i do hav emusical backround i've been playing piano since i was 5 so about 14 years now so i know my theory pretty good some of it might need polishing up tho and i have an ear for music.
Does anyone know any good guitarists who have started off a little late but have turned out good?

This may seem petty and silly or just plain rediculous to some people but i cant get it out of my head and i just need to see what people think.
 
#30 ·
Allan Holdsworth > 17 years old

Wes Montegomery > 19 years old

Just look at what they have done to the instrument.

I think the most important thing, more than anything, is the understanding of the instrument and music. Some Young starters tend to recieve this naturally because of time, but many people will never understand music properly. Thats what i feel all the greats have over everyone, not speed or technique or whatever. (The understanding, i feel, is what gives them their ability to write music good, as well).

Why is Steven Hawking so amazing? Because people say he has an understanding and view of the physics of particles better than anyone. Alot of people can do the math (these are alot of new age shredders as a metaphor) but can't look at the math and see it in real terms as Hawking and Einstein could (Vai and Satch or whoever else in the same league).

(Sorry for the physics, but we just talked about this today in school).
 
#31 ·
After working in a music shop for something like 8 years, I've seen MANY people who started to play guitar in thier 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and even had a couple 60-80 year old folks come by asking about learning to play guitar. In fact I'd have to say that 8 out of 10 people that come to my shop asking to learn to play guitar are at least 20. (Mind you, we don't do lessons where I work, instead we just sell A LOT of tab books and self instructional material so we're definitely geared towards the older crowd).

I personally started playing guitar when I was 17 after I started working at a guitar shop for a year and a bit. If it gives you any encouragement, even though I start at 17, I quit playing when I was 19 and didn't really play guitar again until maybe a year ago (I'm 24 now). Oddly enough when I started to pick up my guitars I just realized that I'm a better guitar player now than before I quit. Figure it this way, you're never too old to start playing guitar unless you think you're too old.
 
#33 ·
I started playing when I was 17 and I too thought that was too old, but really, that was dumb. The only thing was that I was into shredding while the rest of the world was getting into grunge, but that's not such a problem nowadays! My reason for starting late was simply cash, I couldn't afford a guitar when I was younger...but I always loved it, and listened to Vai and Satch and all the other great guitarists of the day YEARS before I tried to play their stuff. I found that I 'knew' the solos just as well as any guitarist, and that did help when I started to play.

The key to it, like just about anything else in life is consistency. But you'll find that once you have the chops, you won't ever 'lose' that skill...it'll be rusty, but after a few weeks or maybe months you get back to where you were.

My only advice is to pay attention early on to the actual structure of music, and to jam with others frequently. That helps, and makes you a better musician.
 
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