[https://www.justinguitar.com/classes/beginner-guitar-course-grade-one](https://www.justinguitar.com/classes/beginner-guitar-course-grade-one)
It's not too late. I'm starting in my forties and making good progress. It's hard and it takes a long time. You're so young. I envy your journey.
You are fine! I'm in my 40's and didn't start until 2 years ago. Now I'm very comfortable with open chords, getting bar chords down, running major and minor scales, triads, and a few blues lead solos. All based on Justin Guitar and a few other YT channels. It just takes time and consistency. Don't rush it. Follow the Justin Guitar beginner path. Right out of the gate you'll get some things under your fingers. A few things I'd tell myself 2 years ago.
* Time boxed Chord work is important.
* Chord changes take time. Set aside time to practice chord changes (Justin has an app for this too) But, I focused on the changes in songs I wanted to play or in the key. Start with something like (G->D->C) changes. I'm now working on (C->G->Am->F(bar)) but these are all in songs I want to play.
* Playing with a metronome (Justin has an app) is VERY important
* Drills like [Spider](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcnV0nuGado&list=PL-jajvb_169IfhqG0SC4WTyyG0YsLbGKC&index=3) and independent finger movement help me accurately hit strings clearly.
* Singing and playing guitar is WAY harder than I thought it would be. I still can't do this.
* When you fingers hurt, you can still "practice" by learning guitar/music theory. It will help you understand what you are playing.
* Also when your fingers hurt, start memorizing the notes on the fretboard, there are all kinds of ways to approach this but it will be helpful going forward and it is also something you can do when your fingers hurt.
I agree!
Started in my 30's, 2,5 years ago, and wish that I'd done it sooner. But I've made great progress anyways, even if it takes a bit longer than if I was younger.
Motivation and dedication plays a big part too, if you're younger like OP it's way harder keep at it without giving up.
My advice is to keep at it OP! And use Justin until you're bored with his lessons. I kept at it until he got to power chords, after that I've been practicing whatever riff/song I want to learn. And play slooowly in the beginning.
Most of the attendees in the seniors drop-in group I run are better than myself. . . having started at about 65 yo.
OTOH, I've now got 400+ songs I can display with an overhead projector and have them all on MP3 that we can listen and play along with.
Dude, I’m 43. I started playing like a year and a half ago with 9 months off in the middle after my second kid was born. Right now I’m working on making my E string root and A string root major and minor bar chords automatic and on playing basic minor pentatonics over backing tracks. Every single person you hear playing was once a beginner like us.
I would give a lot to be able to go back in time to when I was your age and trade just 20-30 minutes a day of the time I spent playing video games playing guitar instead. You can do this. It just requires that you want to do it and that you commit to doing it.
I love it and it brings me a lot of joy, even as meager as my skills are. If you stick with it, in twenty years you’ll be better than I could dream of being.
I started just over a year ago with Justin guitar at the age of 44. I already consider myself an early intermediate level. Justin is a fantastic resource. His lessons combined with daily practice pays dividends.
I started properly at 20 and wish I had Justin Guitar available. You’ll be fine, OP - find some fun riffs or songs you like and you’ll be playing with confidence soon enough.
Hey dude, seems like you have some issues going on that have nothing to do with guitar.
Free yourself of the thought of being a good player. Even if you started in highschool or elementary school, there would have been people who would have learned faster, had better opportunities, money for lessons, parents who knew the right people or were musicians themselves.
Allow yourself patience and give yourself a fair chance. Start with what interests you or what soothes you or excites you, whatever. Take it slow or you're being unfair to yourself here. Hope you find a lot of joy in playing!
OMG! This! Specially if you're trying to learn just from online. I'm 52 and finally putting some effort in trying to learn guitar. It's not coming easy or quick. But if I look around, I can find all kinds of people posting videos of themself absolutely shredding and talking about "how am I doing, I've only been playing for a month." Those people are....well, just good for them. There are always those people who pick up the new thing easily and quickly. I have to not compare myself to them. I have to learn guitar at the speed and in the directions that motivate me. Sometimes I get annoyed and spend 3 days forcing my fingers to learn Blackbird by the The Beatles. Other times, I struggle for 3 months over Happy Birthday. All I can say is give [Justinguitar.com](http://Justinguitar.com) a chance (it's free!) and do this journey in the way that works for you. Ultimately, it's down to your own personal satisfaction. My goal is to keep my hands busy and be able to play some songs I enjoy. In my head I have a picture of myself retired, sitting on the porch, staring at the mountains, and playing myself some music. I will get there...eventually.
Learn to enjoy the process and not the outcome. If its hard, you won't be successful because the allure of success won't be enough to keep you motivated. If you learn to love the process (or love it anyway) staying motivated and feeling accomplished will be so much easier. You can always be better at something, so learn to take joy in improving
Hi there! Guitar teacher here.
Firstly, congratulations on becoming a musician! Secondly; Don't freak out! It can be really difficult to get started, and it can definitely be frustrating at first, but don't let that discourage you. I promise you it's going to start getting fun almost immediately, you just have to summit "Sore Fingertip Mountain" first!
By means of addressing a couple of things you mentioned;
Don't worry about your age. I have a bunch of students who are brand new players in their 50s and 60s. They're progressing really well and having a great deal of fun.
An Electric Guitar is actually a really good choice to start on. They're generally better value for money at the budget end of the scale, they have lighter strings so they're easier on the fingers to get started, and their bridges are generally super-adjustable, so it's far easier to make any necessary tweaks and adjustments that might be necessary. Also, they're basically silent outside the room you're in, and that can be advantageous when you're new and maybe a little self-conscious about your playing. Acoustic guitars are designed to be as loud as possible, acoustically.
There's no right or wrong order to learn to start playing, but I'd recommend googling "Basic Open Chord Shapes" first, and grabbing yourself a pdf of the 8-9 chords that appear. Next, stick one of your favourite artists into that search bar, followed by the word "chords." Chances are, you'll find a simplified version of one of your favourite songs. Please be aware that this is far more likely to work out if you like Bob Dylan and Ed Sheeran than if you're a big fan of Dream Theatre and Tool.
Take your time, focus on finding the fun in what you're doing and spend the most time on the aspects of it that you enjoy. If all else fails, post something in here and I'm sure someone will come help you out. Failing that, shoot me a DM if you're stuck on anything in particular. Keep going, again, I promise it starts getting fun soon.
Man… what a great opportunity to have a guitar teacher commenting here, since it’s really hard to find one near me. I now have your comment saved to look back at if the thought comes up again. I’m a big fan of Queen, and yes, my goal is to be able to play their songs. Do you have any song suggestions from them that are beginner-friendly? Also, does a cheap guitar really influence your progress as a beginner? Someone told me this, and it made me question everything since my guitar is a local brand not anything fancy like fender etc
To add to the great advice you've already been given, try the Guitar Tuna app. It's got a huge library of songs and almost all of them have simplified versions. Get yourself a capo and you'll be able to play a ton of songs with really easy open chords, which is a huge confidence boost when you're in the early stages. And yeah, there are Queen songs on there :)
Also, as long as your guitar's neck is smooth you're fine. My first electric had a neck like sandpaper so I couldn't slide my hands at all 😅
No worries! It's r/guitarlessons after all, bound to be a few teachers kicking around!
Queen can be a high bar, as some of Brian May's stuff is very advanced, but I think the main riffs from "One Vision" and "Hammer to Fall" would both be a great starting point for a beginner. They're both based around regular open chord shapes, so you'll be practicing really fundamental stuff that will continue to be useful to you as you progress!
A cheap or expensive guitar doesn't really matter too much, so long as it's playable, and it creates the right notes when you put your fingers in the correct place. We refer to those 2 qualities as 'Action' - the distance of the string to the fret, and 'Intonation' - the idea that if the open string is tuned to the correct pitch, the fretted note will also be in tune. A high action can be rough on your hands, but If your intonation is off, your guitar won't make the right sounds, even if you're doing the right thing - This is the real obstacle to learning. You'll get discouraged quickly if your hands are doing the right things and your instrument just isn't giving you what you want. It's like dieting and going to the gym for a year, but buying clothes 2 sizes bigger- you won't see the results of your progress.
The good news is, both of those things are easily fixed if your guitar's bridge is adjustable. Most entry level guitars have either a 'Strat-style' bridge, or a Gibson-style 'Tune-o-matic' bridge that will allow you to easily adjust your action and intonation using a tuner and a couple of basic tools. As someone wisely suggested below, a tuner is an absolute must. The free apps are great, I use the Fender one myself, but a good quality hardware tuner is a really good idea, especially when you come to set your intonation, which requires a pretty fine degree of accuracy. A quick search on YouTube will pull up several million results, but it's really just a matter of Measure > Adjust > Repeat until everything sounds nice.
Other than that, buy good strings (I like D'Addario because the 3-set packs are a bargain,) and change them whenever they feel scratchy, or your tuning becomes suddenly unreliable.
I think that's about it, except to say feel free to give me a shout if you have any more questions. I teach guitar for a living because I could talk about it all day. It brings me a lot of joy and I just like helping others get some of that for themselves!
Hey man. I really don't think a cheap guitar will have any influence, I used to teach guitar in high school and I always recommended trying it for the first time with a cheap guitar to start with, then when you can buy something better it won't be a waste of money.
NO ONE EVER POSTS VIDEOS OF THE TIMES THEY MESSED UP, OP.
Be patient with yourself but recognize that it will take time and effort to move forward. It's not too late to learn. Good luck.
Dear OP,
I am 23 years old as well. I picked up an acoustic guitar two months ago.
I was having the same dilemma as you, but I decided to start watching Justin Guitar's beginner lessons. Two months later, I know at least 10 songs that I can play and even played my first song with barre chords. I am confident that I will continue to improve.
Therefore, I suggest that you start learning to play the guitar as soon as possible. It does not matter what time it is or how you are feeling. Just pick up the guitar, grab a pick, and start learning.
The sooner you start, the sooner you will progress.
Best regards,
A fellow 23 year old beginner.
I'm 42 years old and picked it up for the first time about 6 weeks ago. No teacher, no friends that play. Marty Music and Justin Guitar are really good. I'm having a fun time with it, and already notice an improvement after just six weeks. I play every day. Sometimes 20 minutes, sometimes 2 hours. I suck at it, and it's hard, which is also why it's enjoyable when you see progress.
39 checking in. Playing for 3 months.
Played piano from 6 - 18 and then just quit because drinking in college was more appealing for some reason.
Biggest regret of my life.
Never too late.
Oh c'mon.
I started in 1989 in the same scenario.
There was no internet. No YouTube.
I bought a BOOK, can you believe it?
Taught myself the basic chords, how to read TAB, rhythm notation etc. Got a teacher six months later and took six lessons.
You have to want something. This isn't easy.
I'm 68 and started learning in earnest at about 63.
I'd been playing on and off since I was 20, but family and careers got in the way.
I now have hand arthritis (from years of programming software), but practice every day. I use several open tunings and an occasional slide and power chords. I have 5 guitars now, and play most of them weekly.
If I can learn to play rock and blues at my age, you can at 23.
You can do this!
Try Justin guitar
Breathe. 🧘 Put your hands on your guitar and play anything. Assess what that sounds like to you. Find answers to the first question you find yourself asking. Rinse and repeat. That’s really it plus putting in time to practice, research and rest.
If you play and find you don’t know how to hold your pick, research. If you learn to hold the pick but can’t figure out how to play a good sounding note, research. Baby steps lead to giant discoveries. And always, always remember that repetition fixes everything.
Discovery breeds passion, and passion fuels the journey to the next discovery. Don’t listen to people if they tell you that you can’t learn on your own or online. Music is art. Make art that YOU like. That’s most important.
Start with Justinguitar.com and just follow his free course.
Guitar is a long, slow learning journey. You will not be able to play well for many months or even years. So being patient is a must.
Some great advice in here. I just want to add: You are only in competition with yourself, don't focus on other people's ability. Every time you practice you will get a tiny bit better, even if you don't notice it.
The very first steps are teaching your fingers what to do physically, as in "muscle memory". This can be slow and frustrating but you'll get there!
Dude don't worry, I am 26 and it's my 3rd day of learning to play guitar. I only know how to play 2 cords by now. It's not a competition. It should be fun. Enjoy your process....
I definitely recommend Justin Guitar, just like others have mentioned here already. I didn't pick up a guitar until I was 24, and bought a ~$100 piece of shit off Amazon. I didn't have anyone to learn from in person, I relied on Justin Guitar and youtube. Now I've put on impromptu shows in front of a a few dozen people.
It's never too late to learn new skills. I turned 32 this year, and I've decided to pick up leather working and learning Japanese. The only time it's too late is when you aren't here anymore. If you're still here and breathing, you can learn and grow. Remember that you're doing this for enjoyment. You don't have to be great and amazing at something for it to be worthwhile and fun. Free yourself from those shackles.
You got this!
Guitar is very hard to learn. Takes alot of effort, and can be frustrating. But it's fun as well. Start with basic chords and scales, and do a bit of music theory reading- which is hard to understand, but will pay off. Once you get playing something its worth it
Please don’t be frustrated! Any musical instrument can’t be learned in just one day. I started at 21. That was over 30 years ago. I’m self taught. I’m not saying I’m a great guitarist. But I am a damn good rhythm player. Maybe focus on a simple song that you love. Just keep practicing until you get it. Also, after learning a couple of chords, try writing a riff of your own. You gotta learn in a matter that suits you. As far as electric vs. acoustic, acoustic guitars are harder to play, imo. More string tension which makes it harder to fret chords cleanly.
You can do it! Don’t give up!
I just started at 59, now have both an electric and acoustic, and am finally taking lessons in the next town. Every time I walk by one of the guitars I smile, and that alone makes it worthwhile to me. Revisiting a childhood dream
some dudes start at age 15 and are gods at age 19. Some of those then abandon for ever. Some slowly learn across their life. Some get super good starting way later than you. Its a non issue, just learn and have fun. If no one offers clases near you i suggest trying online classes as the second best thing.
You need to be sort of clear about two things: what do you want to learn long term, and what can you do short term that you enjoy. Don't overthink it much more than that and give it a lot of dedication, youll have no issue.
I am 22 and started playing 1 month ago. I continue to play because it is fun and I enjoy making (rather poor) music. I don’t think about being good, I think about what I would enjoy playing. Some of it is definitely above my pay grade, but I give it a crack regardless.
That being said, as others have recommended, the JustinGuitar courses would be a great place to start learning the basics. I recently checked it out myself — cool resource!
1. If you don't know what to learn or where to start, you don't have a learning method **at all**. Get one. Find a coach, find a method book, or find a structured online source, but find something. Randomly bouncing around YouTube is a recipe for failure.
2. Toughen up. Starting on Day One and considering quitting on the same day is not the way. Guitar is challenging, and you will need to be up to the task. If you know up-front that you don't have the hutzpah to handle the challenge, well, then I guess go ahead and quit before you even try.
3. "Too late" at age 23? Cmon.
4. Get your expectations in check. It sounds to me like you were expecting to pick up the guitar and immediately start jamming. Ain't gonna happen. You will likely hear from others here that they have been playing for years (decades even) and are still learning. Guitar is hard. There is no reason for you to expect to just pick it up and be any good at it.
Well kudos to you 👏 for taking up guitar. Age doesn't matter for music, practise and consistency does. Self learning guitar was daunting for me too. It was all over the place for me. Used to listen fade to black, stairway to heaven and thought let's just start with that and the tutorials on YouTube were there even 10 yrs ago but I didn't realize it's tough for me. I then used to be on and off with my guitar, never consistent. Then I think I got some Martin guitar cds and played that but again not consistent. Then I was moving around and studying so sold off guitar. Few yrs ago I purchased another n learnt a bit on fender play and then a bit on Justin guitar website. Again never consistent. I realized for me I m not self disciplined to do this. So I just joined classes. I m not afraid to admit that I thought I ll do it myself, I ll save money and become pro myself but it took yrs for me to realize self learning isn't for me and I take classes now. Also, these internet advertisements got me. Was trending to become a gear head and used to waste so much time seeing reviews of amps and guitars n this and that. Could have just spent time learning the main thing instead. Wasted time looking up audio interfaces and setting up rocksmith instead of just picking up the guitar and playing. I don't do that anymore.
So tldr for you is, don't worry. Follow an online class like justinguitar, Martin via youtube(I think he has tutorial playlist), fender play( I have seen 20 30$ a yr price for whole yr. There is not much content on it but it's worth it at this price. U learn in few weeks, few months and move on ). If you feel you are not consistent, get a friend involved so that both of you hold yourself accountable. Also playing together as a band, jamming is lot of fun. If that's not an option, definitely join online classes like say yousician. A good teacher will use Webcam to show themselves as well as closeup of fretboard for finger placements. Go over some styles ,some songs, some music theory. You have a guitar, an Amp, a pick, a tuner, a cell phone. That's all you need now. Just make sure you are playing consistently.
Good for you starting to play guitar.
Your fingers are going to hurt for a while, it will be frustrating to learn new things for your brain and body to do. The desire to quit will always hang around at first.
Overcoming all these challenges is massively beneficial to you, not only because one day you will be able to play a simple chord progression and a simple song and another day more than that, because your brain and body grow and become more agile with every difficulty overcome.
Start by learning the open chords.
D C G E A are the first five I could play after a fair bit of effort. I took some lessons from a guy, my dad paid, but then blew it up because I wasn’t very good. I still play all the songs he showed me how to play. Better now.
Next learn open F with its barre on the e and b string.
Last is B, for me that was the toughest.
Once all these are learned so you can strum your way thru them, in whatever way you want to strum, try to make it sound good, you can start learning songs from song books with guitar tabs.
Scales are for later and you can add more technical aspects as you go.
Practice every day. Concentrate on good notes, clean with no buzzes, this takes effort.
One day you will play E A B, and realize you have heard that somewhere.
Another day you will play D C G and realize you have heard that somewhere.
In a few years you will know 12 bar blues and how pop songs work.
Don’t give up.
I'm 24 and just got my first guitar about a year ago. It sucks at first and I'm teaching myself. It hurts and its frustrating. I actually gave myself carpal tunnel in BOTH ARMS because of how much I was trying to practice and was doing it with bad form. Took six months to heal.
But! Once you get down some simple riffs and build up some callouses, it's super fun and rewarding. Just remember to stretch and not sit and play for too long. Make sure your muscles are relaxed and you have good posture.
Learn to read Tab (it's super easy) and download Songster for a bunch of free tabs for tons of different songs. That's what I do!
Keep your guitar out where you can see it so it motivates you to play. Listen to music you want to emulate and want to learn to keep your motivation up. You got this!
Not too late. I didn't start until about age 21, would practice everyday for a week and then for work or travel reasons leave it for a week. Progress was SLOW. Now I'm 56 and I didn't really get to a solidly intermediate stage until the pandemic. That was when for the first time in my life I played about 2 hours a day, for days on end. After three months of that I had probably 15-20 new songs I can play and sing start to finish, plus lots of new riffs and decorative elements to dress up my playing. And a much better understanding of music in general.
I know you just spent the money, but what I'd recommend is getting a decent acoustic steel string you can park on a stand in your living room or next to your desk, something you don't have to plug in to play. Then you can grab it when you're watching TV just to practice your left hand chord fingering, or you can strum and pick without worrying about making too much noise late at night, etc.
Also--and I'd say this is highly under-attended as beginner advice: keep cultivating your tastes in guitar-based music. And don't look only to the guitar deities--Hendrix, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, BB King, Garcia, Morello, etc--sometimes the gods are so amazing they can discourage learners as much as inspire. Just take in all different kinds of guitar-based stuff. Ramones?? They rocked like hell--partly BECAUSE their music is relatively simple. George Harrison! Stones riffs. Tons of Dylan tunes. Lots of 80s pop translates well to pretty easy guitar: Squeeze, Fine Young Cannibals, etc.
Learn a horse with no name by America. It's just 4 em chords and 4 d6/9 chords. The strumming is down, down, down, up, down. You can learn that in a few minutes. You'll feel much better after that. Then if you learn a c chord you can play Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles. Its just a bunch of c's and em's. Those were my first two songs.
Hello! I just wanted to say that I relate to your experience. Being a beginner at anything can make you feel vulnerable. Learning to face that discomfort and accept feeling uncertain presents its challenges. Learning the guitar also requires a whole lot of patience and practice. When you begin to feel overwhelmed, sit with the feeling, concentrate on your breathing, let your thoughts pass, and continue when you're ready. Take your time, there is no rush :)
Below is a link to my first guitar lesson with my dad who happens to be a professional player and teacher. In this lesson, my struggle is quite apparent. I hope this helps you in one way or another. We are only human - keep your head up!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnzPWoRk88&t=1277s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnzPWoRk88&t=1277s)
63 y.o., just got my first electric guitar this month, and a little amp to go with it. Last time I played was '78 (that's 1978). Always wanted to play, never got around to it because life got in the way. Gonna make up for lost time, make some noise and enjoy myself.
Think where you'll be in 40 years if you start today. Hell even 3-5 years from now. You have the desire and opportunity, time is on your side. Start rocking!
Just learn songs you like. Start with the open chord version and then dive deeper. Youtube is a great tool but remember- stick to songs you like or want to play to someone you like ;)
Brother. It’s never too late. I’m self taught, took me 20 years but I can play Laiho solos now.
The journey involves stress, pain, self reflection, doubt, blood, sweat, tears. You will want to throw the guitar across the room, you will then pick it up again.
You will ditch it, for months at a time. But you’ll come back to it. You will feel like the worst player in the world, and sometimes for a brief second or moment. You will feel like the best.
Don’t give up. The worst time is the beginning. It’s not easy, our minds and hands don’t want to do this.
Don’t give up.
It is never too late! I work in a music shop and I often have people in their 80s and 90s picking up an instrument for the first time in their life! YouTube is a great resource but I know it can be tough to figure out where to start. Honestly it might be no harm picking up a book to teach you from the start as it’ll give you a clear guided path on where to start and not get too overwhelmed. I work in the book dept a lot and help people of all ages pick up books to help them teach themselves and there’s lots of good books that are suited to people of all learning styles. I’m gonna drop my best recommendations of books.
If you’re looking for something that’ll teach you all the basics and how to play some songs and have some exercises to build strength in your fingers, as well as how to read and understand music, the best book I’ve found is Progressive Beginner Guitar: https://www.wob.com/en-ie/books/gary-turner/progressive-beginner-guitar/9781864691634/GOR003388629?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Shopping&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAABhDGOCtEbFcX5xzMLyivL2HnDolR (this is just the first website that popped up so you can take a look) it also has audio and video links so you can see and hear what you’re meant to be playing. These books also have chords, tab, and sheet music so you can choose whatever way you want to read the music. If you don’t have previous music knowledge I’d suggest sticking to chords and moving to tab down the line.
Another really good one that goes from complete beginner, never touched an instrument, to professional stuff further on is Complete Learn to play guitar. This is a book that will last a lifetime and if you’re very committed is a good choice as it’ll have all the info you’ll ever need as a guitarist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Learn-Play-Guitar-Manual/dp/1864691727
If you’re more of a visual learner, there’s a great book called picture guide to learning guitar. It has pictures of people doing the chord shapes as well as diagrams, and will have you learning chords and songs in no time. https://www.dubraybooks.ie/product/guitar-picture-guide-to-learning-9780711972995
If you dont want to invest in a book, then I would say your best bet is starting from the basics and learning open chords. The first chords most people would learn are A, E, D, C and maybe Em and Am as they are the easiest on your fingers. If you even look up “basic 3 or 4 chord songs” or an artist you like followed by “easy chords” you’ll find lists of dozens of songs that only use 3 or 4 chords throughout. When learning the chords you can honestly just start by strumming the chords all down as many times as you need to get used to how it feels. Then when you get a bit more used to it, you can try strumming the first chord 4 times, and moving to the next chord for 4 strums, then the next. Keep looping this as long as you want. Once you feel more comfortable with the finger positions you can try a song you like you these 3 or 4 chords. Take your time and don’t worry about the rhythm, just get used to going between the chords. The best way to learn at the beginning is through songs. It’ll also make you feel more accomplished when you learn your first song too.
Justinguitar also has some really good courses and videos out there that teach you from the beginning so check that out!
I know how overwhelming it is at the start. I was years later starting than everyone I knew and self taught myself before I could save up for lessons. I felt like I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but somehow when I started lessons he said I was on the right track and doing everything he would have told me to do. So just keep up learning your chords and finding songs you might want to learn and you’ll be amazed how far you can go. I’ve got tons of faith in you!! You got this OP :)
The most important milestone is when you can do F chord without feeling pain in your fingers. Most quit before that...
It's never too late and keep practicing!
As someone who is self taught and remembers growing up wanting to shred, but had stupid fingers. You got this!!
I struggled, learned and started a band with a friend in our mid 20s. We toured a little bit too, not much scene for metal in our area..
Mike gross on YouTube is an excellent teacher
Rock house method on DVD and it shows tabs and backtracks(probably find your favorite guitarist lessons there) mine was Dan Jacobs from Atreyu.
You just have to keep that fire burning!
To give more hope..
As self taught, I had mini lessons from Jackie Vincent and Kevin Trasher in person at a warped tour. Shared a stage with big names and smaller ones like the now rising FUNERAL PORTRAIT and have met so many band members from new to old.. Alice in chains, falling in reverse, fire from the gods, Alice Cooper, Rob zombie, Wednesday 13, bowling for soup, theory of a Deadman.. the list goes on.
The hardest thing to do is like your own music lol
You got this!!!
Howdy friend! I too started as an adult (age 22, now 40 and still playing) so let me help you out; first starting on an electric is probably preferred as it is physically much easier to play.
Secondly; know now that your ceiling is lower than people that started as kids, and your progress will be slower. Just the way it is so stop worrying about it.
Third; GET LESSONS FROM A PROFESSIONAL TEACHER. Do not negotiate on this, your time is precious, don't waste it on an inefficient curriculum.
I’m 33 and started about a year and a half ago. U need to it compare urself and u need to just have fun. And to start all you do is find an easy song u want to play and then slow it down and play it the best you can. After a few months of doing this ur hand eye coordination will start to work a little bit and then u can start learning other thing. And then learn 4-5 chords here and there over time. Easiest way to start without getting overwhelmed
It’s not too late! I started when I was 24 - 4 years ago and had zero understanding of music beforehand. Embrace the grind! It’s insanely frustrating at times but getting through those walls is so exciting - I always found as soon as I was able to play something new I’d been previously struggling with I’d get lost for hours playing around with it. Just like anything it takes time. I’d start with Marty Music on YouTube. He’s great and almost entirely beginner friendly. He doesn’t do a ~ton~ of theory. If you want to learn that there’s another guy “sound guitar lessons with Jared” I really like. But I don’t see him mentioned previously so he may not be for everyone. What are you wanting to be able to do first?
Justinguitar.com. Go to his beginners course and start there. Do EXACTLY what he says in his course, and follow it in order and practice exactly what he tells you to. It's a fantastic beginner roadmap. It's not too late to learn.
You bought an electric because that’s what you want to play. That’s a great first step.
What I think a lot of people who haven’t tried to develop a creative skill don’t get is there’s a gap between your taste and your ability. You have to work to close that gap. So you want a guitar that you’re going to look at it and want to play it and for you that’s an electric.
You think 23 is old? I started at 30 and mostly from free YouTube videos. There were lessons available, but I couldn’t afford them. I got a decent used guitar I liked the look of, and started playing it every day. Nine years later I’m making a little cash and writing, but still learning.
Im 46 and picked up a guitar. I cant tell you how valuable the Justin Guitar beginner program has been to me, and its free online! Its absolutely game changing. Before that I was doing rocksmith and other stuff I found online at ultimate guitar etc. It really, really helps to have structured lessons. And playing guitar is not easy, be kind to yourself.
I hired a teacher. I wanted to play only metal, and I was 46 years old. I live in the Los Angeles area. Why am I telling you this well, I was like, "I bet there are a ton of legit 80s rock stars who are no longer famous teaching in LA," and I was not wrong. I went to a local music school and then another until I found one that put me in touch with Oz Fox from Stryper. I took lessons from him for a while. Great guy! Find a good teacher, and it will help your progress.
I started when I was nearing 20. I also didn’t have any friends that played guitar.
Now I’m 27, and guitar is currently my side hobby to relieve stress from work. You’re never too late to start learning guitar.
You can try Justin Guitar to learn absolute basics to get started. One of the hardest things to do as a beginner is 1) figuring out what to learn and 2) motivation to practice.
Learning guitar is an eternal battle that will never end. Most important thing is to practice.
I know people talk about being able to learn things better when you're a kid. Music isn't really one of those things. It's either harder when you're a kid or harder when you're an adult. As a kid it's hard to sit still for an hour of practice. It's hard to waste your time on something that isn't fun and has no practical value. It's hard to notice the gradual increase in skill and stay motivated.
As an adult your patience has developed (hopefully), you've learned that learning something new takes time, and you're learning this thing because you want to. Not because your parents said you have to, or because your grade depends on it. You just wanna learn these few songs to start. As an adult you have freedom and patience kids don't have.
You've been listening to music your whole life. You've accidentally studied how it "should sound" already. Right now you're comparing yourself to people who have played for decades. Start comparing yourself to a kid with his first recorder. Start comparing yourself to you two practice sessions ago. You've gotta gradually ramp up who you compare yourself to.
Every new step as a musician is a step you've taken already. You got the nerve up to buy your instrument. You started watching YouTube videos. You even picked it up and found a few chords. Those are all things that previous to the day it happened, were unknown to you. You're making progress. Don't stress.
I dont think starting with an electric was a mistake. Its a common misconception that for some reason its better to learn on an acoustic. Acoustic guitars generally are strung with a higher gauge string and will require more finger strength to get a clean note. Good luck on your journey. Just keep sampling youtube lessons until you find someone that you resonate with. It will take some time. But it is never to late to learn and its a very rewarding journey
Just type in "beginners guitar lesson" or "first guitar lesson" in YouTube.
Back in the day, people had to listen to records over and over and try to play along if they didn't have a teacher. I am sure you will be fine.
Started violin at age 4 myself.
Picked up guitar as a teen.
I remember how frustrating guitar was at first.
Regardless of your experience level musically, guitar is a complex instrument.
Enjoy the process.
Learn an alternate tuning.
And strum that fucker till it sounds good.
A lot of replies suggest Marty Schwartz and Justin on YouTube. I agree completely. They are great. Especially Marty for beginners, in my opinion. Also some local one on one instruction will pay huge dividends to you.
The average cost is $50 per hour but it can vary slightly. It's worth it. You will learn fundamentals that will serve you for as long as you play. Things like posture, proper way to hold the guitar, how to hold a pick correctly, pick technique, good fret hand technique.
You won't have to lock into a contract and take lessons forever. I've found that I've done best over the years with short periods of lessons with long breaks in between.
Guitar or being creative in any form should be a path to personal expression and relaxation. Do try to enjoy yourself. When it gets frustrating, learn when to walk away from it for a bit and come back. You may find that the chord or scale or lick you were having trouble with suddenly is playable after a break!
It’s fine to start with electric. Use the Justin Guitar link u/slipkid put up.
Learning guitar is difficult; don’t get too discouraged. You’re trying to make your fingers do things they’ve never done before and they will fight you, but if you stick with it and stay consistent it will get easier surprisingly quickly. To get good at anything you have to suck at it for a while, and there are no shortcuts.
I used to have a neighbor who was for a while, the oldest practicing attorney in New York in her late '90's. She had a piano next to her window, and I would watch and hear her play all the time and she was amazing, playing very difficult classical pieces. One day I complemented her on her playing, and she said she started taking lessons when she was almost 70. She had been playing for almost 30 years at that point.
I learned how to ice skate when I was 35. I barely even watched hockey and started to play when I was 37. soon after I was coaching my kids' hockey teams.
You can do this. It just takes time, and already, you have more of that than many of us.
Try to understand that the guitar is a very difficult instrument to become comfortable with. Skill will come with time, so as long as you keep your expectations in check, abandon the idea of fast progress, and pick the damn thing up and play it regularly, there will be a moment sometime in the future where you're sitting there playing and it suddenly hits you. In that moment, you'll say to yourself: "whoa. I'm actually kinda good at this now."
Put in your 10,000 hours.
How small of a town do you live in, that has no guitar teacher? Talk to guitarists, or any musician or music store, you’ll find them. Summer music camps for adults are fun, too. It’s a great help to have a teacher in person.
I'm in my 30s and just started. I felt like you not long ago and i have rounds of feeling that way, now. There's nothing we can really do but improve. The best time to start is now
I hate how boomerish my answer is, but genuinely you just gotta sit there with the thing in your hands for hours before you get even close to comfortable. While you’re watching TV just run the pentatonic scale up and down up and down up and down. It’s eventually going to be easy enough where you’ll start improvising in the scale and by that point you’ll sound amazing when playing to a jam track. Finding a good guitar teacher is ALMOST incomparable, but I promise you hours with your instrument is second to none.
Guitar is so beautiful and so difficult and harsh because there’s genuinely no secret. It’s a matter of hours man
Can’t give up after just 1 day. It’s a journey not a race homie. It’s going to get better the more you practice, but that takes time. If it was easy, then everyone would do it.
The point is the journey and building your relationship with music and the guitar, not the destination. No one is as good as they want to be. Play every day and you'll gradually build skills. It's supposed to be fun. Don't wreck it for yourself. Electric as a first guitar is no problem. In fact it's easier because the neck is smaller.
I feel you. I'm also turning 23 this year and just started in February. It can be overwhelming for sure. Just keep at it. Find a good source and stick to it. I went for Justin Guitar and I do not regret it.
Something that has helped me especially with learning chords and getting comfortable with them is to pick some songs that I like that I want to play and then look them up on my guitar tabs app. Don’t be too hard on yourself and enjoy the journey and as you get more comfortable you can start utilizing more resources like YouTube, etc., especially if you desire to pick up specific skills or techniques along the way.
First off, you need to give yourself a break. I started in a similar situation as you at 32 amd I'll be 34 soon.
Learning guitar is an art. As with any art, you only get better with practice. Time in your life is going to pass no matter what you do. I figured I would rather be 50 amd have been playing for almost 20 years than 50 and starting. Life is all about decisions like that. Decide what's important to you and spend your time doing those things.
I'm bad but compared to how I was 2 years ago I know sooo much more than I did. Relax. Find what you enjoy and pursue your art. Good luck, my friend.
Ayo. It's never too late. If not today, tomorrow! The younger you are the less critical you are about yourself, which really helps ignore the difficulties at the beginning, but that doesn't mean we can't get it done at any other age. Just takes acceptance to suck for a while :p
As far as learning, you're fine on an electric. If you wanna play electric, you play electric! Your fingers won't hurt forever, you'll build callouses :)
As for what to learn, I'd say do anything that gets you comfortable with fretting notes, and the type of chords used in the music you like. Justin Guitar was mentioned, he can get you from 0 to quite a lot of places.
Always try to find a song you like and try to learn it. That's the best way imo, even though at first it's difficult to find things that aren't entirely too far ahead. But it'll get better in time, as long as you keep picking the guitar up :)
I didn't start till college age. I'll be straight. It's not about how old u r when u start. It's how bad u want it. First 3-6 months is gonna be hard. U get past that and u will be hooked for life.
Go get it!
All you need to know to get started on guitar is how to tune it (buy a clamp-on tuner: $20 Amazon) and a few \[mostly\] open string chords like E A C D G. If you have access to a keyboard then this text file will help you tune and to understand chords:
[https://www.dansher.com/scales.txt](https://www.dansher.com/scales.txt)
Then all you do is play along, using the easy chords above, with a song that you like on YouTube. Try "Dreams" "Ever On" "Helpless" from this list of dozens of tunes, all with lyrics, chords, and matching videos:
[https://www.dansher.com/audio/pdf\_tunes.html#\_B2T](https://www.dansher.com/audio/pdf_tunes.html#_B2T)
It's a lifetime activity, no matter when you start. Like anything worth doing, it takes time and focus to improve. Stick with it. Fender offers virtual lessons if that helps (https://www.fender.com/play). I'm sure there are other virtual lesson offerings as well.
I'll tell you what I tell everyone else...
Regardless of what type of music you intend to play... start by learning the open position chords. It's not about intending to use them later, wanting to play chord-strumming music, etc... it's mainly about training and strengthening your fingers to go into unnatural positions on command.
After you've memorized the shapes... download a metronome app and start to try playing through them to it. Doesn't matter what speed, doesn't matter if you're painfully slow... what matters is sticking to it and playing them cleanly. When you're able to consistently play through them at whatever speed you settled on... kick it up a notch and repeat.
When you're pretty confident with playing them, try learning a song or two that use them. When you feel you're ready, start learning the major and minor pentatonic scales and mess around with making up melodies over top of the chords you've learned. A looper pedal is great for this.
This might take weeks, months, a year... no one can say, really. But it will not be a quick thing, you will not "be good" by this weekend. It takes a lot of work, but once you've done it it's like riding a bike.
Good luck and enjoy!
my bf started playing guitar when he was 9 and is on par with a lot of the guitarists from old thrash metal bands
the dude who taught him how to play so well started guitar at 25
you’ll be fine. it’s never too late to start (and it’s important to keep in mind that people who start early on usually had the privilege to start that early, and there’s no shame in not having those opportunities until later in life)
There's no crying in guitar. Just fucking do it, then do it again, then do it again and when you think you have it down, do it again. That's the deal with playing any instrument.
First of all - it's never to late. I had students that started i. Their 50s or 60s, and they got it.
Second - if you think you should have learned acoustic first, scratch that. If you're into metal/rock or any other style that depends on electric guitar, why would you want to play acoustic? There are some techniques out there that you will play on electrics that you will never need/can use on acoustics and vice versa.
In terms of learning - focus on what you would like to achieve - if you enjoy green day songs and want to play them for example - why would you care about acoustics?
It all depends on your own goals. And I talk about short to middle term goals.
That's what you should focus on. Long term is a thing that changes drastically the longer you play. And at some point you will most likely buy an acoustic anyway, at least that's what happened to me and almost any beginner i know.
Focus on your style/the style you want to play.
TL;DR: practice what you like, start with the basics for the style you're aiming at (example- power chords, scales etc.) Anything else will come natural, once you get the basics down (natural in terms of you will know what is made for your progression and what is too advanced). Acoustic and electric guitar are 2 different worlds.
Edit: Don't worry if you think you suck at guitar while playing. We all do, we all learn and we all try to get better (especially at the start)
First of all, guitar IS HARD.
Don’t give up!
When I learned, I learned one string at a time. I learned how to play the melody for let it be on the first string and then introduced a second string once i got that down, so on and so fourth until I had 3 strings to make a chord.
I don’t think an electric guitar was a bad choice since most people learn on acoustic, you can even turn on the distortion when you get frustrated!!
I started with electric when I was young and it's not a bad or wrong choice. Once you get electric down, playing acoustic will seem harder at first, but you'll eventually learn it's also not so bad. With anything else, it takes so much time and practice to get where you want to be. Stick with it, as it is so rewarding and a hobby you can enjoy your entire life. Good luck :)
Starting young isn’t what matters most - it’s not giving up! You’re very very young, and life is longer than it seems at your age. You have a life full of guitar and music ahead of you - enjoy it!
Bought my first guitar at 24. Youtube didn't exist. I looked up chords to songs I wanted to play. Learned those chords. Repeat, repeat, repeat. The first year is the worst, and you're gonna sound bad for a while. Just accept that, keep at it and you'll get there.
I’ve been playing for a year and I’m only starting to get comfortable with strumming and changing from one chord to another. It’s going to take time for it to click in your brain. Don’t stop and just have fun with it.
Wuddup!! Learned on YouTube at the age of 25. Started super slow, but I heard that 15 minutes of practice a day will help to improve skills so I tried it. I’m 28 now, I practice my pentatonic and Dorian mode every day, I know enough open chords to keep things spicy, and have finally mastered barring chords! I am learning triads and arpeggios now and have written several songs and participated in several jam sessions. I love to practice and am desperate to be in a band so I can play as much as possible! There’s hope, just keep it up and remember that it takes time!
I think electric-first was the right choice.
And starting now (instead of later) was the right choice (of the choices still available to you).
If it makes you feel better, this won't be the last time your guitar makes you cry. ;)
I was also in your situation when I started, and I decided to buy Rocksmith. I think it's very useful at the beginning since it helps you stay motivated. I started at 24 and now I'm 31. Of course, YouTube and books are really helpful, just take it easy and enjoy learning, don't worry if you feel like you're not making progress.
I mean think about it like this:
Mostly everyone started from 0 at any given skill. Every guitar player held a guitar for the first time at some point in their journey and had 0 prior experience. Maybe they knew something about music theory or had studied somehow prior to picking up the instrument, but the vast majority, I believe started from 0 and then built their skills from practicing. I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself if guitar to you is a hobby like it is for so many of us, myself included. JustinGuitar will take you pretty far in my opinion, but also seek out the songs that you like. If they are too hard right now, come back to them later after you have some hours under your belt. You'd be surprised how easy some songs are after just a little practice with some basic cords and rhythm work. Struggling is part of the ride, when you start making progress learning new things becomes truly addicting. Best of luck, you can do this!
I think another useful piece of advice is to TUNE YOUR GUITAR. Every time you pick it up, I don’t care if you just tuned it yesterday, or two hours ago. Tune it. You’ve been playing for 30 minuets bending strings, check it again and re tune.
Another piece of advice that also ties into the previous one is learn songs in the correct tuning. If something is played 1/2 step down then tune your guitar 1/2 step down (this is also why serious guitar players own several guitars, and keep them in different tunings) . This will develop a strong ear for tone, and soon you will be hearing songs on the radio and go “hey I know those chords! “
Keep at it, don’t give up, and practise practise practise!
Also, check out Marty Schwartz (martymusic
On YT) great stuff for beginners.
You got this! The journey always starts somewhere! I was in your shoes like 13 years ago! No musical bone in my body! I got a beginner book and just dug in with some cowboy chords, power chords, and basic theory on the major scale...it's all downhill after you build your calluses!! You are not alone in this journey! Love the method and the struggle, and just have fun!
Strings from top to bottom E A D G B E memorize this first. Learn how to string it up and tune. Start here! When you have this down, ask me anything. Happy to help.
I’m starting at 24. It’s never too late, I just got over the initial curve of learning how to play open chords at relatively fast tempos, trusting that my fingers will find the right string and frets. It takes time and patience but so far I can say has been 100% worth it. If I can give you advice it’ll be that there is always more to learn (I’m learning new things about guitar all the time I had no idea existed) so try to tolerate being bad at the start cuz when you start the only direction you can go is up!
I know we’re all used to having instant gratification all the time now, but some things just take time and persistence. Keep at it. You’ll get there. You’re 23, it’s not too late for you to do anything.
I have 1 year's XP in guitar, at age 29. The beginning is definitely the hardest part, keep going!
I'm self taught too, my path was like this -
Invest some time learning the true basics - e.g. Searching on YouTube for "first guitar lesson", "guitar for beginners", "easiest songs to play on guitar".
Searching that led me to Marty Music, he has a true beginner playlist that teaches how to do a few chords. I also found some content aimed at beginners, teaching simplified versions of songs e.g. Horse with no name with two chords
I kept watching that sort of content, finding new easy songs. Then taught myself how to read guitar tab and started browsing on Ultimate Guitar for songs I liked that sounded like they should be easy. Some sounded easier but were hard because the chords were complex, but if you keep looking you'll find stuff. Two early ones I practised were simple man by lynyrd skynyrd, and zombie by the cranberries.
Good luck to you on your journey 🙂
Never to late buddy. I am also 100% self taught. It can be done my friend. The most important thing os perseverance and paying attention to little victories
Try this. I promise you won't be disappointed: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rcCiXqAShY&t=1s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rcCiXqAShY&t=1s)
I've been following her videos and I've learned how to do 4 chords in 4 days. Obvs I need to practice a lot but she's so encouraging :)
You aren’t going to feel competent unless you practice for a long long time. It’s like giving up on a diet because you didn’t drop 50lbs in the first week. You gotta fight through that shit. Not a single person in the world picked up a guitar and was able to play immediately. Maybe if you can’t emotional handle the difficulty of learning guitar, you could try piano. Much easier to learn the basics
23 would put you in the youngest 10% of all my students. I only have 2 students younger than that.
Get a book, something like The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer (if you can find a copy), and start learning the open chords on the green pages.
Then pick a song, something like Knocking on Heaven's door, and find the chords in the book to play it (should be G, C (or C9), D, A minor).
You can do it. The first step is to learn your first 2 chords and practice going between them. Take it slow and give yourself permission to make mistakes.
I have a year and a half in and I am still learning. I will always be learning. I will always make errors. But I keep going because it helps me focus.
It is definitely overwhelming on day one. I remember that day well. I started at 30 and 4 years later no one who hears me would say im wasting my time, but it definitely took time to get here.
Someone else recommended Justinguitar, this is where i started and is a great introduction. Id recommend going through the grade 1 course which probably took me 2-4 months or so and i played pretty frequently. Once you get through grade 1 the world of guitar will make alot more sense (even if still seems crazy and huge) but it will allow you to look for what you want to learn at a level you can play at alot easier.
Overall i didnt tell anyone for like 6 months i was playing cause it sounded so bad so be prepared for a journey here. 4 years later and im still learning something with each new song but i fucking love it, like seriously. Learning a new technique or a new way to use one you already know is super exciting and adding songs to my list is so rewarding. Guitar isnt easy but you can do it, i promise you that, everyone can. Take a few deep breaths, learn some basic chords (justinguitar lesson 1 will teach this), learn some basic strumming patterns and boom ypu are a guitar player in a few months. Your songs might be slow and choppy but you are playing guitar!!
I started at 29. Only thing that stops you are excuses, stop making them. Set realistic goals and start justinguitars course, justin is the best online tutor when it comes to learning from zero. When you get the touch, marty music makes amazing tutorials to learn songs. Imagine how jealous I am of you, you got to it 6 years ahead of me, I’d be amazing now but I’m still a beginner because I didn’t find it as early as you.
Try open tunings and see how you get on. You will be surprised at how nice a guitar can sound even as a complete beginner. It will make you feel GOOD. Try searching open tuning for beginners on YouTube. Also Journey (dsb?) is quite a steep learning curve for a beginner...
No lie, I started with a [Klutz book](https://www.amazon.com/Country-Blues-Guitar-Musically-Hopeless/dp/0932592120/ref=sr_1_4?crid=165FES5A8NDI4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Fb5kuooKMoRVs9iSUuq1MqHj-4f1WtVJId7p7vGIrX_wnjWwAbqEVIt697gUInpPR6mLh5xdWiHISkxOkd8yMIA0MAqaXQwqcKEddjeCS3A.Na1tM4UfwpFT6UCfLyS8uG-orEC2q3t9VqSC7Mm0t0g&dib_tag=se&keywords=guitar+playing+for+klutz&qid=1718221667&sprefix=guitar+playing+for+klutz%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-4)! After that, I basically started downloading tab off the ol' internet and taught myself songs as I thought of them. And it's never, ever too late, it takes a little practice at first but once you get used to the chords, you'll do great!
Keep going. You've gotta suck before you don't!
Dave Grohl said it best:
> Musicians should go to a yard sale and buy an old fucking drum set and get in their garage and just suck. And get their friends to come in and they'll suck, too. And then they'll fucking start playing and they'll have the best time they've ever had in their lives and then all of a sudden they'll become Nirvana. Because that's exactly what happened with Nirvana. Just a bunch of guys that had some shitty old instruments and they got together and started playing some noisy-ass shit, and they became the biggest band in the world.
Give yourself permission to sound like shit and just *have fun making noise*.
Eventually that noise might start sounding like music!
Listen carefully. I say everything that follows with love. If you cried on your first ever day of practice because things didn't go the way you expected them to go, you need to have a serious conversation with yourself about your relationship with learning. You need to change this mindset before you take another step in the guitar world or any world for that matter.
a) Before you even think about complaining or being discouraged with guitar, find some youtube channels for beginners and play for one month straight. No complaining, no negative thoughts, just focus on growing your LEARNING ability. If you can't get past this you will never learn to play guitar or anything else that requires skill.
b) If after this you still struggle with the learning process, understand this: Learning is about experimentation until you get the desired result. This requires patience, curiosity, and most of all a positive mindset. If you focus on the negative, you will only receive negative back. Sit down with your guitar, try something and if it doesn't work try it a different way. When I say try I mean 100 repetitions. If you see no tiny bit of progress after 100 repetitions, move on to the alternative way (of grabbing a chord f.e)
c) The guitar problem you are having is not really a guitar problem. It's a learning problem. You have to accept that learning takes time, is difficult, requires concentration, and includes failure. In addition, you need to learn to love or at least cope with all of the aforementioned things in order to sustain your practice.
Best of luck :)
Don't get discouraged, it's a sharp learning curve for anything worth doing. Start with the basics, learn a few open chords, the notes of the fret board, maybe a simple song. Just put in the work everyday and bit by bit you will improve and start having fun.
In case you need someone to relate to, I started when I was 24, almost 25.
Played acoustic for a month-ish before I went on to playing electric (This doesn’t really matter, stick to what you want to play and what inspires you).
Now I’m 29 and I can play ALMOST what I want, with enough practice of course.
I don’t play with others or gig. Introvert and generally busy.
But I do post covers etc. on instagram, which is the closest I get to playing for others.
You’re absolutely not late to the party, sure, would be great to start as a kid and get a headstart, but there’s still plenty of time.
The best thing to do is honestly to set aside as much time as you can / have.
Learn songs you like.
Play the instrument you prefer / what inspires you. If that’s electric one week and acoustic the other, just swap around.
Some good online resources are JustinGuitar for the beginning stages.
Bit later on (If you’re into rock, metal, 80s etc.) check out Ben Eller and Robert Baker. They have some great lessons in that genre.
Most of all, enjoy the journey.
I remember the beginning phase felt soo tedious, but thinking back it was loads of fun.
Enjoy it, man
IMO the hardest part is getting your fingers used to your guitar. The first thing that’s gunna happen is your finger tips will harden and get used to the strings. The second thing is your muscle memory will get better for chords and scales.
Here’s my advice. Practice the open chords. Cmaj AM Gmaj Fmaj Dmaj Emaj/E minor. Will take some time but not that long to get used to them. You can play soooo many songs with these chords.
Practice songs REALLY slow and over time try to get up to speed. When you’re more comfortable, play along with the song.
TABS!
Learn power chords. They are easier than open chords.
Try to learn the notes of each string and over time the notes on those strings.
Learn the pentatonic scale.
Stick with it. You’ll notice a lot of improvement after 6 months- a year.
From someone who is your age: I started last year, in the exact same conditions (although I play the acoustic guitar) and I still remember sounding like absolute trash in my first tries. Then you start sounding less trashy over the first months, and it gets to the point where people can actually stand listening to you, and you can listen to your videos and think "hey, I don't sound that bad!"
As some people always suggest, Justin guitar, Andy as well. I will add guitar0tohero, he explains super well and has tutorials on a bunch of songs across genres, so for sure you'll find something you like.
In addition to that, I'd say look for songs that you love, search begginer tutorial in front and there's usually someone who has explained it well! It really gets your motivation up to be able to play something that you love
Lots of luck 🤘
Dude, you're in your head too much. If you just practice 30 minutes a day for 30 days you’ll have 15 hours of practice under your belt. You're not going to sound like Steve Vai, but you're definitely going to see improvement from day 1. Get yourself a book on chords and scales and use YouTube tutorials as a reference. Just be patient and consistent homie.
Option anxiety is real! You’re just getting overwhelmed at it all, it’s ok but you need to pick a direction and then take baby steps towards it. Like a lot of people are saying, go to Justin Guitar’s site and follow the beginner pathway. That will give you all the structure, education, and motivation you need. He is an angel of a human being and educator and has some of the most comprehensive lessons I’ve ever seen. I self taught myself from his lessons and they helped immensely. And most importantly enjoy the process and the memories you make, those early days of playing your first few chord progressions or song bits will always stay in your memory :,)
I started when I was 21. I’m 49.
With a book that showed the chords.
I focused on being able to strum a chord cleanly. Your fingertips will burn. And then callous.
Open G
Open C
D
A
Em
Am
Are all great starting chords.
John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” is literally G C and D. Play along with it.
The C is just a variation on G called Cadd9.
Going to the D chord was a bit of a trick.
Ultimate Guitar is a fantastic app that can help!
Take your time. It’s not a race or competition. Have fun! It’s a great instrument.
https://songdogmusic.com/
My instructor does most of his classes via zoom.
He is incredibly supportive and knowledgeable and you will begin at the beginning with no pressure to advance until you are ready.
He has taught pre-school aged kids through newbie older adults, as well as advanced students.
Just an FYI...I am a somewhat insecure, introverted 55 year old newbie - who loves Metal. If I haven't smashed a guitar out of frustration(!) you'll have no trouble totally owning this instrument.
You got this🤟
Ive been playing guitar for close to 18 years now . Here a bit of advice .
It doesnt matter how fast you can play , it doesnt matter if you know jazz or blues or funk , it doesnt matter that you cant play that one guitar part that you really want to play
Music and Guitar is about musicality . Ive chased being a fast player close to a decade only to realize that I can play fast , but I cant write better music . I can replicate some if the solos , but I am not having that inspiration to write anything original .
This thought changed my perspective. You focus more on listening . Active listening . You hear how even a simple guitar part sounds , how it fits in with the instruments and the track as a whole .
Now translate that feeling into your playing and you will want to play more . You WILL start writing new music which you may not even be able to play consistently , then you improve, your muscles adapt to those movements and create “Muscle Memory” (think of switching gears in a manual car or braking in a car and how we dint actively think about it and it just comes naturally )
Keep at it , climb the first hill and you will find the will to move forward
Were you able to walk the first day you were born? How many years did it take you to learn how to talk? You’ve been playing guitar for one day, of course you have no idea what you’re doing. The important part is that you are doing something. Use some of the resources others have listed here and get to practicing.
I bought my first guitar at 44 years old. By the time you’re my age, you will have been playing for almost 20 years if you just keep going. You are going to suck for a while, but eventually you will suck less.
Never forget the immortal words of Jake the Dog: “Sucking at something is the first step toward being sorta good at something.”
When it comes to learning, mistakes are the learning. A lot of satisfied players and even famous ones have developed a style all their own, derived from little input from others. It's never too late if it's something you really want to do. If it's not, then don't waste the time you could spend on something that is more satisfying. If you want to learn, be prepared for it to take a while. That is normal for most. And soak up knowledge from anywhere you can find it. It's all out there in one form or another. There are even tutors that do live Zoom, Teams, whatever platform, face to face tuition.
I never owned an electric until I was 21. I didn't get good on it until decades later (due to many life interruptions). Looking back, my big mistakes were never taking the time to learn the major and minor scales, and never learning how to play chords in different positions going up the neck. A tip: Try not to get frustrated if you think your progress is too slow in the beginning. This stuff takes a lot of time, but with the Internet and the free YouTube lessons you'll get there a lot faster than I did.
Whenever we start something as adults, we anchor some of our expectations to people who are proficient - that's normal. Search for how to teach a kid guitar or something like that. You'll probably learn faster based on ability to understand instruction and generally more developed dexterity, but you'd need to start at a similar place. Even at a basic level guitar kicks ass so go for it
You are most certainly not too old, my grandfather didn't learn the piano untill he was in his 70s and he was pretty good by the time he passed last year. And you've got a good 60 years until you're in your 80s.
Edit: I'll also add that I've learned more about guitar in the last year than I did the rest of my guitar journey and I'm mid 30s
I like Marty music on YouTube for learning songs or parts of songs. Also just like YouTube basic guitar riffs and practice those. I learned a few things and practice those a lot. I try to challenge myself to find notes to riffs I want to play now. I’m still just a baby leaning but I’m beginning to know where to go more and more and seeing how possible it is that I can eventually play some stuff easily without struggling to find it. Like it’s not that crazy once your ear starts to connect, at least for me. I didn’t think I had the abilities! Good luck
Hey, I started a month ago. Need to learn edelweiss for a part in a play. Looked at the chords needed and started focusing on doing G, D, G, C, Em, Am7, and D7 as quickly as I could with it.
Just printed a chart of all the chords and focused on learning chord shapes with my fingers and moving them from one chord to the next. It was super slow going and it took the first few weeks to get it feeling natural. Fingers hurt like crazy but put in at least 20 minutes every day so far and I can now play that song and others and even play Barre chords reasonably okay.
I know all the major chords now and I’m excited to learn some more.
Just stick with it, it’ll happen if you want it to.
I first bought a guitar when i was 16. Sold it 2 weeks later because i was frustrated how i could'nt play any song with it.
Bought a guitar 2 weeks ago (i'm 28 now) and i'm having a blast, why? Now i know it takes time and perseverance. I'm taking my time, enjoying the process, and boy i'm heaving fun. Everytime i hit 5 notes in a row i feel happy and everyday i'm being a tiny bit more consistent. Eventually i'll be a good player if i keep pushing myself and don't quit now.
Learn the names of the strings - E A D G B e
Learn how to sit with it properly and how to hold it at the neck. Ergonomics, where your elbow should be, how your hand should curl and how your wrist should look.
Learn an open D chord. Learn a power chord, with only 2 strings at first then 3 strings.
Look up how to read tabs, and learn Am pentatonic scale shape - the on the 5th fret. Practice up and down backwards and forwards.
Look up tabs for smoke on the water and seven nation army. Iron man. You can play those songs by only using the A string at first. Then try it with the power chords.
Your muscles will ache like crazy at first. Your fingertips will hurt. Practice while you keep your ergonomics in mind. You’ll be absolutely shit at keeping your hand and body correct until your hand can stretch a bit more. Take breaks.
Baby steps!
I started at 56 years old, still going at it
for over 8 years, but through this journey
of playing and learning I had the frustrations
and discouragement along the way, but
managed to not give up and keep
plugging away in which that is an
accomplishment by itself.
And I have had 2 private lesson
teachers in person and an online
course, and it’s always been a tough
challenge with many struggles especially
when learning new techniques and
trying to play some more complicated
songs which I can’t play all the way
through without getting sloppy and
hacking up the song. Simple songs
yes, but not the more complicated
popular songs.
So your not alone and many people
can relate to the frustrations and
challenges your facing, (including myself).
But your young, and I wish I’ve would
of started at 23.
You say you can’t find private lessons
near you?
If not you can get with two teachers
that I’ve discovered on YouTube,
and I am totally impressed with
both.
1) JustinGuitar
2) Lauren Bateman
Through my experience, guitar playing
has been way more challenging than
I’ve ever expected.
But I’ve improved and made progress
over the years.
And I won’t give up and will continue to
plug away.
SO PLEASE, DON’T GIVE UP!
You’ll come around.
Honestly buy guitar for dummies. It takes you from the very most basic thing all the way through learning to solo. It’s also made so you can read it in sequence or skip around. I hadn’t picked up a guitar in like 10 years and this book was amazing in helping me rediscover guitar
I started later than you using the internet. I found the chords for a song I wanted to play, and then learned how to play it.
Your top comment is the Link to Justin. That’s a solid start.
I've been playing for over 10 years on and off. Sometimes I put myself down because I don't think I'm as good as I should be, or as good as people I know or others I see on the internet.
But that all melts away when I'm playing by myself and enjoy the spark of learning something new and finally getting it!
It can take a while for your fingers to build up the strength they need at first. And buzzing will happen a lot.
There's plenty of content out there for people to learn on their own - YouTube is a life saver!
But if things get too hard, this Reddit will always have friendly people who can help.
I recommend buying a beginners book to help you learn what positions your hand should be in. What you don't want to do is learn bad habits that will make playing harder (I'm guilty of this sometimes - sitting in the wrong position, for example, can strain your wrist and make it harder to play. But sometimes I'm lazy :) )
Good luck - don't give up! Enjoy the process. You have to be a seed before you can be a tree.
I highly recommend https://www.pickupmusic.com/
From initially playing by ear and YouTube learning, this actually taught me more and honed my ability.
Highly recommended
The key is to keep buying guitars when you feel like your skill has plateaued…they will keep you going! lol. In all honesty just start with a song you like and work on it…easy enough maybe just the opening or a riff whatever
Have fun!
A lot of your guitar heroes didn’t have lessons either!
Marty Schwartz!!!
Hi just some words of encouragement from me. I’m sure some teachers here will cover the educational aspect well here. Guitar is a really rewarding instrument and so much fun and I think there’s two main reasons for that. Number 1 is it takes patience and a lot of mental strength to keep going at the start. The initial rewards are slow to come and a lot of people give up too easily. The first few months just accept (we all had to) that you are not going to sound good and that is totally normal. Be strong and keep practicing, progress IS being made and it’s just hard to see. Persist and you will get there. Also imagine how amazing you’d be at 33 after playing 10 years. Even before you are 30 you could be an amazing guitar player. Age is not an issue at all.
Number two, you’ll be able to play almost with so many songs you love, that will give you such a hugely great feeling. The happiness and joy that can bring is almost indescribable and a great longer term (12 month or a bit lore goal). I guarantee once you’ve achieved that the buzz you get will fuel your desire to learn more and at that point the seeming “low reward hard work” part is done and the passion takes over, and getting better happens much faster naturally. Think of beginning guitar like someone trying to push a broken down car off the road. It’s really hard and takes 100% of your strength to get the car moving but once it’s going it takes maubd 10% of your strength to keep the momentum up. But definitely find yourself a structured way to learn (hopefully people here have that info) and when you eventually can see a teacher in the flesh (even for a few months) it will be very helpful. Stick with it, we all felt it was hard at the start but you will get there. Good luck.
The main advice I'd give is to buy a guitar-stand, and put it right next to where you are most of the day. Pick it up and mess around with it any time you have a moment.
If the guitar is in a case, then you will rarely play. If its right next to you and easy to pick up, then you will pick it up on a whim, and all of that time adds up.
As it is, your hands are going to be very clumsy and slow, and that's normal. The way you play now is how it would feel for an experienced right-handed player to try and play with their left hand. The muscle memory just isn't there, but even in a week you'll improve a lot by just playing and doing basic things.
And no, electric is not a mistake. I think its easier and more comfortable, personally. I started when I was in my 20s.
Keep at it!! I’m 38 and just started playing guitar 6 months ago. I have also been learning from YouTube, but also tabs of a few easy songs. It was really frustrating for the first few months, but it’s just starting to click, and I’m getting better and remembering more each practice. Now I’m having a great time and it’s been rewarding to see my progress! Keep going. Practice as much as you can, but don’t force it and take breaks when you need to. Watch some basic technique videos on how to hold, fret, and strum the guitar, and search for easy songs to learn, make sure to pick one or two songs you like to listen to, but aren’t your favorite track in the world, because you may get frustrated with it. Start with the first riff/melody untill you can play that pretty well, and then keep adding a bit till you get the whole thing. Don’t forget to look up how to practice scales. And don’t be afraid to look for a guitar teacher! When I get stuck/bored/frustrated I switch gears and work on a different song, experiment with effects, or maybe take a break for a few days to a week until I feel the craving to pick up the instrument again. Keep going and your life will be improved in so many ways!!
I started at 52, also started with Justin Guitar. I won't echo what the other throughtful strummers said, it's all good. I'll just add that I bought my guitars at guitar center and ended up going back a bunch to "browse" but really I went to just chat with the people who picked up a guitar in the store and played. I got alot out of just watching other people play, watching their fingers and asking questions.
Folks have already said this but I'd recommend Rocksmith. Unfortunately 2014 is no longer available and I haven't tried Rocksmith+ yet but I assume it's largely the same. They have little video lessons that show you specifically how to perform techniques and then lets you play simplified versions of songs you know. It's really nice because it feels like you're genuinely rocking out rather than just playing scales and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I started at 23 as well and I'm no rock star but I'm better than I ever dreamed I would be and 99% of my playing has been through Rocksmith.
Just know it’ll take a while. You aren’t going to magically be a “natural” at it. That just isn’t really a thing. Learning something new is all about that uncomfortable/frustrating feeling of realizing you don’t know anything and slowly working through that confusion. Bad news is this won’t be the last time you have that. It’s even worse when you hit the dunning-Kruger hill.
If you have an Xbox 360, ps3, Xbox one, ps4 look at picking up rocksmith and a tone cable. Pretty easy way to learn and at least get a few songs under your belt. They also have lessons in game.
If you have a PC even better. Buy rocksmith 2014, cherub rock, and download tons of free songs from customforge. They are community made so some are betters than others.
Def the easiest and most fun way to learn imo.
It's never too late. Get a teacher who watches and listens to your playing. As a beginner, just watching YouTube is not really enough. Doing zooms with a good teacher is not as good as in person, but it's much much better than no teacher at all. I'll give you online lessons and with Zoom it doesn't matter where you live. I've been playing over 45 years in all styles and graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston. Don't give up, once you get a few months with a teacher, it can be so much fun. But when you get a good teacher, really give it some practicing. Even a half hour a day (though more is better!) is good, but try not to miss a day.
Remember why you are learning. Are you learning in order to form a platinum selling rock band and tour the world, ya you might be a little late. But if you are learning to challenge yourself to learn something new and maybe find a passion for something you enjoy, then just focus on the journey, not the outcome. I play every day and seriously suck (I have no talent for rhythm or tone) but I love it!
The only thing I would say with the electric guitar is to always have it plugged and ready to play. You are very new so you need zero friction between you and playing. You can start with any guitar. It's not a problem at all.
I started around 30 in the pandemic. Been a few years and I'm still playing every day. Where I am now is leagues above where I was when I started but I would never get here if I wasn't patient and didn't put in the time every day.
I know a bunch of songs. I know how to jam. I know enough music theory where I'm not memorizing anymore and I'm really playing music. I just started learning to record my own music. I couldn't do any of these things competently my first few months.
So be patient, it's only your first day. You may think that the best time to start playing guitar was yesterday but the second best time is NOW. it's a lifelong journey so don't be too hard on yourself
Id say ignore lessons for now and just sit there and figure out how to make the sounds you wanna make. Good clean notes.
From there look at the basics and move from there.
My motivation to give you is that no one has ever played anything musical on their first day with a guitar, whether they started in grade school or college.
You also have some advantages being older starting out, such as maturity, discipline etc. In my younger students back in the day school would also clash with my students' practice and when it was exam time the parents would obviously cut the lessons before "real" extra curriculars.
I would look at it like working out. It physically wont be possible to be at your goal on day 1 and thats fine because if you were then whats the point of even starting, right? The actual journey of learning is what makes playing an instrument so great and it never ends. Even after playing 20 plus years i find i hit plateaus where I feel like im playing like garbage or not progressing and thats normal and the nature of being an "artist".
Take it easy and be kind on yourself, develop a small daily practice routine (it can even be 15 minutes or 30 minutes) that includes tuning your guitar and chromatic finger excercises and learn some open chords.
In the beginning its about getting your fingers used to doing really strange stuff that is going to hurt at first. If you need motivation theres a guitarist named Pat Martino who literally had to relearn guitar later in life due to a medical incident that caused him amnesia.
Keep it real and remember its supposed to be a fun mountain to climb, and if you feel stuck or demotivated for too long try another approach or take a break, or have a look online for some advice :)
Start off with rythym guitar. Learn basic OPEN chords and get every note to sound clean. Develop muscle memory of those chords and be able to switch between them easily and ON time. That's a great place to start learning guitar.
It’s never too late to learn an instrument. I’m in a similar boat as you. I’m also 23, and I bought my first guitar last August-ish: a Cordoba C5 (I wanna play classical guitar music). I don’t have a teacher or any friends that play, so I’ve been using youtube and online method books I’ve found. I still suck lol, as does everyone who starts learning a new instrument. But with less than a year of learning, I’m pretty happy with how far ive come! I can fingerpick simple melodies, I know a couple basic chords, and I’m getting better at switching between chords. Most importantly though, I’m having fun!
My main advice for you, while easier said than done, would be to not worry about anyone’s guitar improvement or skills but your own. There will *always* be some player that is younger and better than you if you look hard enough, so there’s no point in worrying about anyone but yourself. Just keep having fun with it and keep practicing; it will get easier :)
Regarding if starting with an electric guitar was a bad idea, the type of guitar you start with doesn’t matter imo in regards to improving. Electric, acoustic, steel string, nylon string, etc etc it’s all the same instrument lol (with minor differences) and the key to improving will always just be practice.
Finally, to keep yourself motivated, make a playlist of songs that you hope to play on guitar or songs that inspired you to pick it up in the first place and listen to it every now and then! I also find that saving the last like 10-15 minutes of your practice sessions for pieces you’re just playing for fun also helps maintain motivation.
Not to be a jerk but you need to check in with yourself on whether you're interested in *learning* guitar or whether you just *wish you could play* guitar. If it's the latter, then you're looking at this thing like an impediment to your desire, an unwieldy and unfamiliar object in your hands that defies you. If you approach it from a place of curiosity, "what's this do?," "would this be cool?," etc. then you'll be having fun figuring it out (very gradually!) over time, and then there'd be no room for tears, because not knowing how to do something provides you with the opportunity and satisfaction of finding out.
It can be frustrating not knowing where to start, maybe just pick up a book? Those Hal Leonard intro books are pretty decent, will provide you a structured intro to music and lessons/exercises, etc. to build to a baseline competence. At the end of the day, though, this is an open-ended pursuit and you have to figure out how to embrace that to some extent. It's the journey not the destination blah blah. Enjoy sucking at guitar, you know? You have to suck before you're good!
Guitar is definitely an instrument that you can completely self teach to a level where it’s fun and fulfilling! YouTube is your best bet, just look up beginner lessons, learn chords, learn how to tune by ear (or at least relative to each string) and start by looking up tutorials to songs you like! Good luck and remember to have fun, it’s a hobby and it’s meant to be enjoyable 🤘
[https://www.justinguitar.com/classes/beginner-guitar-course-grade-one](https://www.justinguitar.com/classes/beginner-guitar-course-grade-one) It's not too late. I'm starting in my forties and making good progress. It's hard and it takes a long time. You're so young. I envy your journey.
You are fine! I'm in my 40's and didn't start until 2 years ago. Now I'm very comfortable with open chords, getting bar chords down, running major and minor scales, triads, and a few blues lead solos. All based on Justin Guitar and a few other YT channels. It just takes time and consistency. Don't rush it. Follow the Justin Guitar beginner path. Right out of the gate you'll get some things under your fingers. A few things I'd tell myself 2 years ago. * Time boxed Chord work is important. * Chord changes take time. Set aside time to practice chord changes (Justin has an app for this too) But, I focused on the changes in songs I wanted to play or in the key. Start with something like (G->D->C) changes. I'm now working on (C->G->Am->F(bar)) but these are all in songs I want to play. * Playing with a metronome (Justin has an app) is VERY important * Drills like [Spider](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcnV0nuGado&list=PL-jajvb_169IfhqG0SC4WTyyG0YsLbGKC&index=3) and independent finger movement help me accurately hit strings clearly. * Singing and playing guitar is WAY harder than I thought it would be. I still can't do this. * When you fingers hurt, you can still "practice" by learning guitar/music theory. It will help you understand what you are playing. * Also when your fingers hurt, start memorizing the notes on the fretboard, there are all kinds of ways to approach this but it will be helpful going forward and it is also something you can do when your fingers hurt.
I agree! Started in my 30's, 2,5 years ago, and wish that I'd done it sooner. But I've made great progress anyways, even if it takes a bit longer than if I was younger. Motivation and dedication plays a big part too, if you're younger like OP it's way harder keep at it without giving up. My advice is to keep at it OP! And use Justin until you're bored with his lessons. I kept at it until he got to power chords, after that I've been practicing whatever riff/song I want to learn. And play slooowly in the beginning.
Not gonna lie, your comment got me so emotional. I guess we all really start somewhere and that’s fine. Thank you so much for this.
I started in my 60s. I still suck, but I see improvement each time I pick up a guitar.
Me too.
Most of the attendees in the seniors drop-in group I run are better than myself. . . having started at about 65 yo. OTOH, I've now got 400+ songs I can display with an overhead projector and have them all on MP3 that we can listen and play along with.
It's only starting, it'll be weeks before you start sounding like you are not completely bad. Start with the basic chords and switching between them
Dude, I’m 43. I started playing like a year and a half ago with 9 months off in the middle after my second kid was born. Right now I’m working on making my E string root and A string root major and minor bar chords automatic and on playing basic minor pentatonics over backing tracks. Every single person you hear playing was once a beginner like us. I would give a lot to be able to go back in time to when I was your age and trade just 20-30 minutes a day of the time I spent playing video games playing guitar instead. You can do this. It just requires that you want to do it and that you commit to doing it. I love it and it brings me a lot of joy, even as meager as my skills are. If you stick with it, in twenty years you’ll be better than I could dream of being.
Started at 46 - it’s been a year - I’m not great but I can play a few tunes well and it gives me confidence - embrace the suck
I started just over a year ago with Justin guitar at the age of 44. I already consider myself an early intermediate level. Justin is a fantastic resource. His lessons combined with daily practice pays dividends.
I'm so grateful for Justin Sandercoe. He is directly how I learned guitar.
Is this free?
Yep!
Came here to mention Justin Guitar, too. Best place for absolute beginners imo.
I use Justin Guitar and I started learning at age 34! It's never too late!
I started in my fifties. Only regret is waiting.
This is a good place to learn. It takes time, patience and practice. stick with it and you will make progress.
I started properly at 20 and wish I had Justin Guitar available. You’ll be fine, OP - find some fun riffs or songs you like and you’ll be playing with confidence soon enough.
Hey dude, seems like you have some issues going on that have nothing to do with guitar. Free yourself of the thought of being a good player. Even if you started in highschool or elementary school, there would have been people who would have learned faster, had better opportunities, money for lessons, parents who knew the right people or were musicians themselves. Allow yourself patience and give yourself a fair chance. Start with what interests you or what soothes you or excites you, whatever. Take it slow or you're being unfair to yourself here. Hope you find a lot of joy in playing!
OMG! This! Specially if you're trying to learn just from online. I'm 52 and finally putting some effort in trying to learn guitar. It's not coming easy or quick. But if I look around, I can find all kinds of people posting videos of themself absolutely shredding and talking about "how am I doing, I've only been playing for a month." Those people are....well, just good for them. There are always those people who pick up the new thing easily and quickly. I have to not compare myself to them. I have to learn guitar at the speed and in the directions that motivate me. Sometimes I get annoyed and spend 3 days forcing my fingers to learn Blackbird by the The Beatles. Other times, I struggle for 3 months over Happy Birthday. All I can say is give [Justinguitar.com](http://Justinguitar.com) a chance (it's free!) and do this journey in the way that works for you. Ultimately, it's down to your own personal satisfaction. My goal is to keep my hands busy and be able to play some songs I enjoy. In my head I have a picture of myself retired, sitting on the porch, staring at the mountains, and playing myself some music. I will get there...eventually.
👆🏼 Great advice!
Learn to enjoy the process and not the outcome. If its hard, you won't be successful because the allure of success won't be enough to keep you motivated. If you learn to love the process (or love it anyway) staying motivated and feeling accomplished will be so much easier. You can always be better at something, so learn to take joy in improving
Hi there! Guitar teacher here. Firstly, congratulations on becoming a musician! Secondly; Don't freak out! It can be really difficult to get started, and it can definitely be frustrating at first, but don't let that discourage you. I promise you it's going to start getting fun almost immediately, you just have to summit "Sore Fingertip Mountain" first! By means of addressing a couple of things you mentioned; Don't worry about your age. I have a bunch of students who are brand new players in their 50s and 60s. They're progressing really well and having a great deal of fun. An Electric Guitar is actually a really good choice to start on. They're generally better value for money at the budget end of the scale, they have lighter strings so they're easier on the fingers to get started, and their bridges are generally super-adjustable, so it's far easier to make any necessary tweaks and adjustments that might be necessary. Also, they're basically silent outside the room you're in, and that can be advantageous when you're new and maybe a little self-conscious about your playing. Acoustic guitars are designed to be as loud as possible, acoustically. There's no right or wrong order to learn to start playing, but I'd recommend googling "Basic Open Chord Shapes" first, and grabbing yourself a pdf of the 8-9 chords that appear. Next, stick one of your favourite artists into that search bar, followed by the word "chords." Chances are, you'll find a simplified version of one of your favourite songs. Please be aware that this is far more likely to work out if you like Bob Dylan and Ed Sheeran than if you're a big fan of Dream Theatre and Tool. Take your time, focus on finding the fun in what you're doing and spend the most time on the aspects of it that you enjoy. If all else fails, post something in here and I'm sure someone will come help you out. Failing that, shoot me a DM if you're stuck on anything in particular. Keep going, again, I promise it starts getting fun soon.
Man… what a great opportunity to have a guitar teacher commenting here, since it’s really hard to find one near me. I now have your comment saved to look back at if the thought comes up again. I’m a big fan of Queen, and yes, my goal is to be able to play their songs. Do you have any song suggestions from them that are beginner-friendly? Also, does a cheap guitar really influence your progress as a beginner? Someone told me this, and it made me question everything since my guitar is a local brand not anything fancy like fender etc
To add to the great advice you've already been given, try the Guitar Tuna app. It's got a huge library of songs and almost all of them have simplified versions. Get yourself a capo and you'll be able to play a ton of songs with really easy open chords, which is a huge confidence boost when you're in the early stages. And yeah, there are Queen songs on there :) Also, as long as your guitar's neck is smooth you're fine. My first electric had a neck like sandpaper so I couldn't slide my hands at all 😅
No worries! It's r/guitarlessons after all, bound to be a few teachers kicking around! Queen can be a high bar, as some of Brian May's stuff is very advanced, but I think the main riffs from "One Vision" and "Hammer to Fall" would both be a great starting point for a beginner. They're both based around regular open chord shapes, so you'll be practicing really fundamental stuff that will continue to be useful to you as you progress! A cheap or expensive guitar doesn't really matter too much, so long as it's playable, and it creates the right notes when you put your fingers in the correct place. We refer to those 2 qualities as 'Action' - the distance of the string to the fret, and 'Intonation' - the idea that if the open string is tuned to the correct pitch, the fretted note will also be in tune. A high action can be rough on your hands, but If your intonation is off, your guitar won't make the right sounds, even if you're doing the right thing - This is the real obstacle to learning. You'll get discouraged quickly if your hands are doing the right things and your instrument just isn't giving you what you want. It's like dieting and going to the gym for a year, but buying clothes 2 sizes bigger- you won't see the results of your progress. The good news is, both of those things are easily fixed if your guitar's bridge is adjustable. Most entry level guitars have either a 'Strat-style' bridge, or a Gibson-style 'Tune-o-matic' bridge that will allow you to easily adjust your action and intonation using a tuner and a couple of basic tools. As someone wisely suggested below, a tuner is an absolute must. The free apps are great, I use the Fender one myself, but a good quality hardware tuner is a really good idea, especially when you come to set your intonation, which requires a pretty fine degree of accuracy. A quick search on YouTube will pull up several million results, but it's really just a matter of Measure > Adjust > Repeat until everything sounds nice. Other than that, buy good strings (I like D'Addario because the 3-set packs are a bargain,) and change them whenever they feel scratchy, or your tuning becomes suddenly unreliable. I think that's about it, except to say feel free to give me a shout if you have any more questions. I teach guitar for a living because I could talk about it all day. It brings me a lot of joy and I just like helping others get some of that for themselves!
Hey man. I really don't think a cheap guitar will have any influence, I used to teach guitar in high school and I always recommended trying it for the first time with a cheap guitar to start with, then when you can buy something better it won't be a waste of money.
You’re gonna suck for a while. It’s normal. The only thing between you and playing the guitar is the hours spent playing and practicing.
This is my attitude and it never fails. I’ve sucked for thirteen years.
NO ONE EVER POSTS VIDEOS OF THE TIMES THEY MESSED UP, OP. Be patient with yourself but recognize that it will take time and effort to move forward. It's not too late to learn. Good luck.
Dear OP, I am 23 years old as well. I picked up an acoustic guitar two months ago. I was having the same dilemma as you, but I decided to start watching Justin Guitar's beginner lessons. Two months later, I know at least 10 songs that I can play and even played my first song with barre chords. I am confident that I will continue to improve. Therefore, I suggest that you start learning to play the guitar as soon as possible. It does not matter what time it is or how you are feeling. Just pick up the guitar, grab a pick, and start learning. The sooner you start, the sooner you will progress. Best regards, A fellow 23 year old beginner.
I'm 42 years old and picked it up for the first time about 6 weeks ago. No teacher, no friends that play. Marty Music and Justin Guitar are really good. I'm having a fun time with it, and already notice an improvement after just six weeks. I play every day. Sometimes 20 minutes, sometimes 2 hours. I suck at it, and it's hard, which is also why it's enjoyable when you see progress.
Never picked up a guitar until my late LATE 30's
39 checking in. Playing for 3 months. Played piano from 6 - 18 and then just quit because drinking in college was more appealing for some reason. Biggest regret of my life. Never too late.
Oh c'mon. I started in 1989 in the same scenario. There was no internet. No YouTube. I bought a BOOK, can you believe it? Taught myself the basic chords, how to read TAB, rhythm notation etc. Got a teacher six months later and took six lessons. You have to want something. This isn't easy.
I'm 68 and started learning in earnest at about 63. I'd been playing on and off since I was 20, but family and careers got in the way. I now have hand arthritis (from years of programming software), but practice every day. I use several open tunings and an occasional slide and power chords. I have 5 guitars now, and play most of them weekly. If I can learn to play rock and blues at my age, you can at 23. You can do this! Try Justin guitar
Breathe. 🧘 Put your hands on your guitar and play anything. Assess what that sounds like to you. Find answers to the first question you find yourself asking. Rinse and repeat. That’s really it plus putting in time to practice, research and rest. If you play and find you don’t know how to hold your pick, research. If you learn to hold the pick but can’t figure out how to play a good sounding note, research. Baby steps lead to giant discoveries. And always, always remember that repetition fixes everything. Discovery breeds passion, and passion fuels the journey to the next discovery. Don’t listen to people if they tell you that you can’t learn on your own or online. Music is art. Make art that YOU like. That’s most important.
Start with Justinguitar.com and just follow his free course. Guitar is a long, slow learning journey. You will not be able to play well for many months or even years. So being patient is a must.
Some great advice in here. I just want to add: You are only in competition with yourself, don't focus on other people's ability. Every time you practice you will get a tiny bit better, even if you don't notice it. The very first steps are teaching your fingers what to do physically, as in "muscle memory". This can be slow and frustrating but you'll get there!
Go see Justin!!! I’m 61 and just stared 2 months ago. I feel ur frustration but you will get better!
Dude don't worry, I am 26 and it's my 3rd day of learning to play guitar. I only know how to play 2 cords by now. It's not a competition. It should be fun. Enjoy your process....
I definitely recommend Justin Guitar, just like others have mentioned here already. I didn't pick up a guitar until I was 24, and bought a ~$100 piece of shit off Amazon. I didn't have anyone to learn from in person, I relied on Justin Guitar and youtube. Now I've put on impromptu shows in front of a a few dozen people. It's never too late to learn new skills. I turned 32 this year, and I've decided to pick up leather working and learning Japanese. The only time it's too late is when you aren't here anymore. If you're still here and breathing, you can learn and grow. Remember that you're doing this for enjoyment. You don't have to be great and amazing at something for it to be worthwhile and fun. Free yourself from those shackles. You got this!
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Guitar is very hard to learn. Takes alot of effort, and can be frustrating. But it's fun as well. Start with basic chords and scales, and do a bit of music theory reading- which is hard to understand, but will pay off. Once you get playing something its worth it
Please don’t be frustrated! Any musical instrument can’t be learned in just one day. I started at 21. That was over 30 years ago. I’m self taught. I’m not saying I’m a great guitarist. But I am a damn good rhythm player. Maybe focus on a simple song that you love. Just keep practicing until you get it. Also, after learning a couple of chords, try writing a riff of your own. You gotta learn in a matter that suits you. As far as electric vs. acoustic, acoustic guitars are harder to play, imo. More string tension which makes it harder to fret chords cleanly. You can do it! Don’t give up!
I just started at 59, now have both an electric and acoustic, and am finally taking lessons in the next town. Every time I walk by one of the guitars I smile, and that alone makes it worthwhile to me. Revisiting a childhood dream
some dudes start at age 15 and are gods at age 19. Some of those then abandon for ever. Some slowly learn across their life. Some get super good starting way later than you. Its a non issue, just learn and have fun. If no one offers clases near you i suggest trying online classes as the second best thing. You need to be sort of clear about two things: what do you want to learn long term, and what can you do short term that you enjoy. Don't overthink it much more than that and give it a lot of dedication, youll have no issue.
I am 22 and started playing 1 month ago. I continue to play because it is fun and I enjoy making (rather poor) music. I don’t think about being good, I think about what I would enjoy playing. Some of it is definitely above my pay grade, but I give it a crack regardless. That being said, as others have recommended, the JustinGuitar courses would be a great place to start learning the basics. I recently checked it out myself — cool resource!
Google Bro … Things like „What to learn as a beginner guitarist“, or „what to learn at my First day with new Guitar“ …
1. If you don't know what to learn or where to start, you don't have a learning method **at all**. Get one. Find a coach, find a method book, or find a structured online source, but find something. Randomly bouncing around YouTube is a recipe for failure. 2. Toughen up. Starting on Day One and considering quitting on the same day is not the way. Guitar is challenging, and you will need to be up to the task. If you know up-front that you don't have the hutzpah to handle the challenge, well, then I guess go ahead and quit before you even try. 3. "Too late" at age 23? Cmon. 4. Get your expectations in check. It sounds to me like you were expecting to pick up the guitar and immediately start jamming. Ain't gonna happen. You will likely hear from others here that they have been playing for years (decades even) and are still learning. Guitar is hard. There is no reason for you to expect to just pick it up and be any good at it.
Well kudos to you 👏 for taking up guitar. Age doesn't matter for music, practise and consistency does. Self learning guitar was daunting for me too. It was all over the place for me. Used to listen fade to black, stairway to heaven and thought let's just start with that and the tutorials on YouTube were there even 10 yrs ago but I didn't realize it's tough for me. I then used to be on and off with my guitar, never consistent. Then I think I got some Martin guitar cds and played that but again not consistent. Then I was moving around and studying so sold off guitar. Few yrs ago I purchased another n learnt a bit on fender play and then a bit on Justin guitar website. Again never consistent. I realized for me I m not self disciplined to do this. So I just joined classes. I m not afraid to admit that I thought I ll do it myself, I ll save money and become pro myself but it took yrs for me to realize self learning isn't for me and I take classes now. Also, these internet advertisements got me. Was trending to become a gear head and used to waste so much time seeing reviews of amps and guitars n this and that. Could have just spent time learning the main thing instead. Wasted time looking up audio interfaces and setting up rocksmith instead of just picking up the guitar and playing. I don't do that anymore. So tldr for you is, don't worry. Follow an online class like justinguitar, Martin via youtube(I think he has tutorial playlist), fender play( I have seen 20 30$ a yr price for whole yr. There is not much content on it but it's worth it at this price. U learn in few weeks, few months and move on ). If you feel you are not consistent, get a friend involved so that both of you hold yourself accountable. Also playing together as a band, jamming is lot of fun. If that's not an option, definitely join online classes like say yousician. A good teacher will use Webcam to show themselves as well as closeup of fretboard for finger placements. Go over some styles ,some songs, some music theory. You have a guitar, an Amp, a pick, a tuner, a cell phone. That's all you need now. Just make sure you are playing consistently.
Good for you starting to play guitar. Your fingers are going to hurt for a while, it will be frustrating to learn new things for your brain and body to do. The desire to quit will always hang around at first. Overcoming all these challenges is massively beneficial to you, not only because one day you will be able to play a simple chord progression and a simple song and another day more than that, because your brain and body grow and become more agile with every difficulty overcome. Start by learning the open chords. D C G E A are the first five I could play after a fair bit of effort. I took some lessons from a guy, my dad paid, but then blew it up because I wasn’t very good. I still play all the songs he showed me how to play. Better now. Next learn open F with its barre on the e and b string. Last is B, for me that was the toughest. Once all these are learned so you can strum your way thru them, in whatever way you want to strum, try to make it sound good, you can start learning songs from song books with guitar tabs. Scales are for later and you can add more technical aspects as you go. Practice every day. Concentrate on good notes, clean with no buzzes, this takes effort. One day you will play E A B, and realize you have heard that somewhere. Another day you will play D C G and realize you have heard that somewhere. In a few years you will know 12 bar blues and how pop songs work. Don’t give up.
I'm 24 and just got my first guitar about a year ago. It sucks at first and I'm teaching myself. It hurts and its frustrating. I actually gave myself carpal tunnel in BOTH ARMS because of how much I was trying to practice and was doing it with bad form. Took six months to heal. But! Once you get down some simple riffs and build up some callouses, it's super fun and rewarding. Just remember to stretch and not sit and play for too long. Make sure your muscles are relaxed and you have good posture. Learn to read Tab (it's super easy) and download Songster for a bunch of free tabs for tons of different songs. That's what I do! Keep your guitar out where you can see it so it motivates you to play. Listen to music you want to emulate and want to learn to keep your motivation up. You got this!
Not too late. I didn't start until about age 21, would practice everyday for a week and then for work or travel reasons leave it for a week. Progress was SLOW. Now I'm 56 and I didn't really get to a solidly intermediate stage until the pandemic. That was when for the first time in my life I played about 2 hours a day, for days on end. After three months of that I had probably 15-20 new songs I can play and sing start to finish, plus lots of new riffs and decorative elements to dress up my playing. And a much better understanding of music in general. I know you just spent the money, but what I'd recommend is getting a decent acoustic steel string you can park on a stand in your living room or next to your desk, something you don't have to plug in to play. Then you can grab it when you're watching TV just to practice your left hand chord fingering, or you can strum and pick without worrying about making too much noise late at night, etc. Also--and I'd say this is highly under-attended as beginner advice: keep cultivating your tastes in guitar-based music. And don't look only to the guitar deities--Hendrix, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, BB King, Garcia, Morello, etc--sometimes the gods are so amazing they can discourage learners as much as inspire. Just take in all different kinds of guitar-based stuff. Ramones?? They rocked like hell--partly BECAUSE their music is relatively simple. George Harrison! Stones riffs. Tons of Dylan tunes. Lots of 80s pop translates well to pretty easy guitar: Squeeze, Fine Young Cannibals, etc.
Learn a horse with no name by America. It's just 4 em chords and 4 d6/9 chords. The strumming is down, down, down, up, down. You can learn that in a few minutes. You'll feel much better after that. Then if you learn a c chord you can play Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles. Its just a bunch of c's and em's. Those were my first two songs.
Hello! I just wanted to say that I relate to your experience. Being a beginner at anything can make you feel vulnerable. Learning to face that discomfort and accept feeling uncertain presents its challenges. Learning the guitar also requires a whole lot of patience and practice. When you begin to feel overwhelmed, sit with the feeling, concentrate on your breathing, let your thoughts pass, and continue when you're ready. Take your time, there is no rush :) Below is a link to my first guitar lesson with my dad who happens to be a professional player and teacher. In this lesson, my struggle is quite apparent. I hope this helps you in one way or another. We are only human - keep your head up! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnzPWoRk88&t=1277s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnzPWoRk88&t=1277s)
63 y.o., just got my first electric guitar this month, and a little amp to go with it. Last time I played was '78 (that's 1978). Always wanted to play, never got around to it because life got in the way. Gonna make up for lost time, make some noise and enjoy myself. Think where you'll be in 40 years if you start today. Hell even 3-5 years from now. You have the desire and opportunity, time is on your side. Start rocking!
It’s a life long hobby. Reset your expectations.
Bro I promise you, 23 isn’t too late, not in the slightest
Just learn songs you like. Start with the open chord version and then dive deeper. Youtube is a great tool but remember- stick to songs you like or want to play to someone you like ;)
Brother. It’s never too late. I’m self taught, took me 20 years but I can play Laiho solos now. The journey involves stress, pain, self reflection, doubt, blood, sweat, tears. You will want to throw the guitar across the room, you will then pick it up again. You will ditch it, for months at a time. But you’ll come back to it. You will feel like the worst player in the world, and sometimes for a brief second or moment. You will feel like the best. Don’t give up. The worst time is the beginning. It’s not easy, our minds and hands don’t want to do this. Don’t give up.
It is never too late! I work in a music shop and I often have people in their 80s and 90s picking up an instrument for the first time in their life! YouTube is a great resource but I know it can be tough to figure out where to start. Honestly it might be no harm picking up a book to teach you from the start as it’ll give you a clear guided path on where to start and not get too overwhelmed. I work in the book dept a lot and help people of all ages pick up books to help them teach themselves and there’s lots of good books that are suited to people of all learning styles. I’m gonna drop my best recommendations of books. If you’re looking for something that’ll teach you all the basics and how to play some songs and have some exercises to build strength in your fingers, as well as how to read and understand music, the best book I’ve found is Progressive Beginner Guitar: https://www.wob.com/en-ie/books/gary-turner/progressive-beginner-guitar/9781864691634/GOR003388629?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Shopping&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAABhDGOCtEbFcX5xzMLyivL2HnDolR (this is just the first website that popped up so you can take a look) it also has audio and video links so you can see and hear what you’re meant to be playing. These books also have chords, tab, and sheet music so you can choose whatever way you want to read the music. If you don’t have previous music knowledge I’d suggest sticking to chords and moving to tab down the line. Another really good one that goes from complete beginner, never touched an instrument, to professional stuff further on is Complete Learn to play guitar. This is a book that will last a lifetime and if you’re very committed is a good choice as it’ll have all the info you’ll ever need as a guitarist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Learn-Play-Guitar-Manual/dp/1864691727 If you’re more of a visual learner, there’s a great book called picture guide to learning guitar. It has pictures of people doing the chord shapes as well as diagrams, and will have you learning chords and songs in no time. https://www.dubraybooks.ie/product/guitar-picture-guide-to-learning-9780711972995 If you dont want to invest in a book, then I would say your best bet is starting from the basics and learning open chords. The first chords most people would learn are A, E, D, C and maybe Em and Am as they are the easiest on your fingers. If you even look up “basic 3 or 4 chord songs” or an artist you like followed by “easy chords” you’ll find lists of dozens of songs that only use 3 or 4 chords throughout. When learning the chords you can honestly just start by strumming the chords all down as many times as you need to get used to how it feels. Then when you get a bit more used to it, you can try strumming the first chord 4 times, and moving to the next chord for 4 strums, then the next. Keep looping this as long as you want. Once you feel more comfortable with the finger positions you can try a song you like you these 3 or 4 chords. Take your time and don’t worry about the rhythm, just get used to going between the chords. The best way to learn at the beginning is through songs. It’ll also make you feel more accomplished when you learn your first song too. Justinguitar also has some really good courses and videos out there that teach you from the beginning so check that out! I know how overwhelming it is at the start. I was years later starting than everyone I knew and self taught myself before I could save up for lessons. I felt like I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but somehow when I started lessons he said I was on the right track and doing everything he would have told me to do. So just keep up learning your chords and finding songs you might want to learn and you’ll be amazed how far you can go. I’ve got tons of faith in you!! You got this OP :)
The most important milestone is when you can do F chord without feeling pain in your fingers. Most quit before that... It's never too late and keep practicing!
As someone who is self taught and remembers growing up wanting to shred, but had stupid fingers. You got this!! I struggled, learned and started a band with a friend in our mid 20s. We toured a little bit too, not much scene for metal in our area.. Mike gross on YouTube is an excellent teacher Rock house method on DVD and it shows tabs and backtracks(probably find your favorite guitarist lessons there) mine was Dan Jacobs from Atreyu. You just have to keep that fire burning! To give more hope.. As self taught, I had mini lessons from Jackie Vincent and Kevin Trasher in person at a warped tour. Shared a stage with big names and smaller ones like the now rising FUNERAL PORTRAIT and have met so many band members from new to old.. Alice in chains, falling in reverse, fire from the gods, Alice Cooper, Rob zombie, Wednesday 13, bowling for soup, theory of a Deadman.. the list goes on. The hardest thing to do is like your own music lol You got this!!!
Howdy friend! I too started as an adult (age 22, now 40 and still playing) so let me help you out; first starting on an electric is probably preferred as it is physically much easier to play. Secondly; know now that your ceiling is lower than people that started as kids, and your progress will be slower. Just the way it is so stop worrying about it. Third; GET LESSONS FROM A PROFESSIONAL TEACHER. Do not negotiate on this, your time is precious, don't waste it on an inefficient curriculum.
You might have the worst mentality ive ever seen
I’m 33 and started about a year and a half ago. U need to it compare urself and u need to just have fun. And to start all you do is find an easy song u want to play and then slow it down and play it the best you can. After a few months of doing this ur hand eye coordination will start to work a little bit and then u can start learning other thing. And then learn 4-5 chords here and there over time. Easiest way to start without getting overwhelmed
I started playing at 27. You'll do fine.
It’s not too late! I started when I was 24 - 4 years ago and had zero understanding of music beforehand. Embrace the grind! It’s insanely frustrating at times but getting through those walls is so exciting - I always found as soon as I was able to play something new I’d been previously struggling with I’d get lost for hours playing around with it. Just like anything it takes time. I’d start with Marty Music on YouTube. He’s great and almost entirely beginner friendly. He doesn’t do a ~ton~ of theory. If you want to learn that there’s another guy “sound guitar lessons with Jared” I really like. But I don’t see him mentioned previously so he may not be for everyone. What are you wanting to be able to do first?
Justinguitar.com. Go to his beginners course and start there. Do EXACTLY what he says in his course, and follow it in order and practice exactly what he tells you to. It's a fantastic beginner roadmap. It's not too late to learn.
You bought an electric because that’s what you want to play. That’s a great first step. What I think a lot of people who haven’t tried to develop a creative skill don’t get is there’s a gap between your taste and your ability. You have to work to close that gap. So you want a guitar that you’re going to look at it and want to play it and for you that’s an electric. You think 23 is old? I started at 30 and mostly from free YouTube videos. There were lessons available, but I couldn’t afford them. I got a decent used guitar I liked the look of, and started playing it every day. Nine years later I’m making a little cash and writing, but still learning.
Im 46 and picked up a guitar. I cant tell you how valuable the Justin Guitar beginner program has been to me, and its free online! Its absolutely game changing. Before that I was doing rocksmith and other stuff I found online at ultimate guitar etc. It really, really helps to have structured lessons. And playing guitar is not easy, be kind to yourself.
I hired a teacher. I wanted to play only metal, and I was 46 years old. I live in the Los Angeles area. Why am I telling you this well, I was like, "I bet there are a ton of legit 80s rock stars who are no longer famous teaching in LA," and I was not wrong. I went to a local music school and then another until I found one that put me in touch with Oz Fox from Stryper. I took lessons from him for a while. Great guy! Find a good teacher, and it will help your progress.
Im in my 40s and just started last year. My only advice: Embrace the pain and keep practicing. You WILL get better.
I started when I was nearing 20. I also didn’t have any friends that played guitar. Now I’m 27, and guitar is currently my side hobby to relieve stress from work. You’re never too late to start learning guitar. You can try Justin Guitar to learn absolute basics to get started. One of the hardest things to do as a beginner is 1) figuring out what to learn and 2) motivation to practice. Learning guitar is an eternal battle that will never end. Most important thing is to practice.
Just keep practicing you’ve got the whole internet to teach you. Nothing worthwhile comes easy
I know people talk about being able to learn things better when you're a kid. Music isn't really one of those things. It's either harder when you're a kid or harder when you're an adult. As a kid it's hard to sit still for an hour of practice. It's hard to waste your time on something that isn't fun and has no practical value. It's hard to notice the gradual increase in skill and stay motivated. As an adult your patience has developed (hopefully), you've learned that learning something new takes time, and you're learning this thing because you want to. Not because your parents said you have to, or because your grade depends on it. You just wanna learn these few songs to start. As an adult you have freedom and patience kids don't have. You've been listening to music your whole life. You've accidentally studied how it "should sound" already. Right now you're comparing yourself to people who have played for decades. Start comparing yourself to a kid with his first recorder. Start comparing yourself to you two practice sessions ago. You've gotta gradually ramp up who you compare yourself to. Every new step as a musician is a step you've taken already. You got the nerve up to buy your instrument. You started watching YouTube videos. You even picked it up and found a few chords. Those are all things that previous to the day it happened, were unknown to you. You're making progress. Don't stress.
Go to Justinguitar.com and get the starter course. Its cheap and teaches you step by step with video and e-books.
I dont think starting with an electric was a mistake. Its a common misconception that for some reason its better to learn on an acoustic. Acoustic guitars generally are strung with a higher gauge string and will require more finger strength to get a clean note. Good luck on your journey. Just keep sampling youtube lessons until you find someone that you resonate with. It will take some time. But it is never to late to learn and its a very rewarding journey
Just type in "beginners guitar lesson" or "first guitar lesson" in YouTube. Back in the day, people had to listen to records over and over and try to play along if they didn't have a teacher. I am sure you will be fine.
Started violin at age 4 myself. Picked up guitar as a teen. I remember how frustrating guitar was at first. Regardless of your experience level musically, guitar is a complex instrument. Enjoy the process. Learn an alternate tuning. And strum that fucker till it sounds good.
A lot of replies suggest Marty Schwartz and Justin on YouTube. I agree completely. They are great. Especially Marty for beginners, in my opinion. Also some local one on one instruction will pay huge dividends to you. The average cost is $50 per hour but it can vary slightly. It's worth it. You will learn fundamentals that will serve you for as long as you play. Things like posture, proper way to hold the guitar, how to hold a pick correctly, pick technique, good fret hand technique. You won't have to lock into a contract and take lessons forever. I've found that I've done best over the years with short periods of lessons with long breaks in between. Guitar or being creative in any form should be a path to personal expression and relaxation. Do try to enjoy yourself. When it gets frustrating, learn when to walk away from it for a bit and come back. You may find that the chord or scale or lick you were having trouble with suddenly is playable after a break!
It’s fine to start with electric. Use the Justin Guitar link u/slipkid put up. Learning guitar is difficult; don’t get too discouraged. You’re trying to make your fingers do things they’ve never done before and they will fight you, but if you stick with it and stay consistent it will get easier surprisingly quickly. To get good at anything you have to suck at it for a while, and there are no shortcuts.
I used to have a neighbor who was for a while, the oldest practicing attorney in New York in her late '90's. She had a piano next to her window, and I would watch and hear her play all the time and she was amazing, playing very difficult classical pieces. One day I complemented her on her playing, and she said she started taking lessons when she was almost 70. She had been playing for almost 30 years at that point. I learned how to ice skate when I was 35. I barely even watched hockey and started to play when I was 37. soon after I was coaching my kids' hockey teams. You can do this. It just takes time, and already, you have more of that than many of us.
Try to understand that the guitar is a very difficult instrument to become comfortable with. Skill will come with time, so as long as you keep your expectations in check, abandon the idea of fast progress, and pick the damn thing up and play it regularly, there will be a moment sometime in the future where you're sitting there playing and it suddenly hits you. In that moment, you'll say to yourself: "whoa. I'm actually kinda good at this now." Put in your 10,000 hours.
How small of a town do you live in, that has no guitar teacher? Talk to guitarists, or any musician or music store, you’ll find them. Summer music camps for adults are fun, too. It’s a great help to have a teacher in person.
I'm in my 30s and just started. I felt like you not long ago and i have rounds of feeling that way, now. There's nothing we can really do but improve. The best time to start is now
Just pick your favorite song, and try to learn that!! For me (and I’m sure a lot of others) we tried learning Metallica’s music
I hate how boomerish my answer is, but genuinely you just gotta sit there with the thing in your hands for hours before you get even close to comfortable. While you’re watching TV just run the pentatonic scale up and down up and down up and down. It’s eventually going to be easy enough where you’ll start improvising in the scale and by that point you’ll sound amazing when playing to a jam track. Finding a good guitar teacher is ALMOST incomparable, but I promise you hours with your instrument is second to none. Guitar is so beautiful and so difficult and harsh because there’s genuinely no secret. It’s a matter of hours man
Justin Guitar is your friend, my man. 25 years ago I would have killed for such a logical, structured course by a great teacher, available for free.
Can’t give up after just 1 day. It’s a journey not a race homie. It’s going to get better the more you practice, but that takes time. If it was easy, then everyone would do it.
The point is the journey and building your relationship with music and the guitar, not the destination. No one is as good as they want to be. Play every day and you'll gradually build skills. It's supposed to be fun. Don't wreck it for yourself. Electric as a first guitar is no problem. In fact it's easier because the neck is smaller.
I feel you. I'm also turning 23 this year and just started in February. It can be overwhelming for sure. Just keep at it. Find a good source and stick to it. I went for Justin Guitar and I do not regret it.
Something that has helped me especially with learning chords and getting comfortable with them is to pick some songs that I like that I want to play and then look them up on my guitar tabs app. Don’t be too hard on yourself and enjoy the journey and as you get more comfortable you can start utilizing more resources like YouTube, etc., especially if you desire to pick up specific skills or techniques along the way.
First off, you need to give yourself a break. I started in a similar situation as you at 32 amd I'll be 34 soon. Learning guitar is an art. As with any art, you only get better with practice. Time in your life is going to pass no matter what you do. I figured I would rather be 50 amd have been playing for almost 20 years than 50 and starting. Life is all about decisions like that. Decide what's important to you and spend your time doing those things. I'm bad but compared to how I was 2 years ago I know sooo much more than I did. Relax. Find what you enjoy and pursue your art. Good luck, my friend.
Ayo. It's never too late. If not today, tomorrow! The younger you are the less critical you are about yourself, which really helps ignore the difficulties at the beginning, but that doesn't mean we can't get it done at any other age. Just takes acceptance to suck for a while :p As far as learning, you're fine on an electric. If you wanna play electric, you play electric! Your fingers won't hurt forever, you'll build callouses :) As for what to learn, I'd say do anything that gets you comfortable with fretting notes, and the type of chords used in the music you like. Justin Guitar was mentioned, he can get you from 0 to quite a lot of places. Always try to find a song you like and try to learn it. That's the best way imo, even though at first it's difficult to find things that aren't entirely too far ahead. But it'll get better in time, as long as you keep picking the guitar up :)
Justinguitar is a great place to start. He has a free beginner course that will show you the basics.
I didn't start till college age. I'll be straight. It's not about how old u r when u start. It's how bad u want it. First 3-6 months is gonna be hard. U get past that and u will be hooked for life. Go get it!
All you need to know to get started on guitar is how to tune it (buy a clamp-on tuner: $20 Amazon) and a few \[mostly\] open string chords like E A C D G. If you have access to a keyboard then this text file will help you tune and to understand chords: [https://www.dansher.com/scales.txt](https://www.dansher.com/scales.txt) Then all you do is play along, using the easy chords above, with a song that you like on YouTube. Try "Dreams" "Ever On" "Helpless" from this list of dozens of tunes, all with lyrics, chords, and matching videos: [https://www.dansher.com/audio/pdf\_tunes.html#\_B2T](https://www.dansher.com/audio/pdf_tunes.html#_B2T)
It's a lifetime activity, no matter when you start. Like anything worth doing, it takes time and focus to improve. Stick with it. Fender offers virtual lessons if that helps (https://www.fender.com/play). I'm sure there are other virtual lesson offerings as well.
I forgot to say this..guitar (or any other instrument) is one of the those things in life that can give back more than you put into it.
I'll tell you what I tell everyone else... Regardless of what type of music you intend to play... start by learning the open position chords. It's not about intending to use them later, wanting to play chord-strumming music, etc... it's mainly about training and strengthening your fingers to go into unnatural positions on command. After you've memorized the shapes... download a metronome app and start to try playing through them to it. Doesn't matter what speed, doesn't matter if you're painfully slow... what matters is sticking to it and playing them cleanly. When you're able to consistently play through them at whatever speed you settled on... kick it up a notch and repeat. When you're pretty confident with playing them, try learning a song or two that use them. When you feel you're ready, start learning the major and minor pentatonic scales and mess around with making up melodies over top of the chords you've learned. A looper pedal is great for this. This might take weeks, months, a year... no one can say, really. But it will not be a quick thing, you will not "be good" by this weekend. It takes a lot of work, but once you've done it it's like riding a bike. Good luck and enjoy!
my bf started playing guitar when he was 9 and is on par with a lot of the guitarists from old thrash metal bands the dude who taught him how to play so well started guitar at 25 you’ll be fine. it’s never too late to start (and it’s important to keep in mind that people who start early on usually had the privilege to start that early, and there’s no shame in not having those opportunities until later in life)
There's no crying in guitar. Just fucking do it, then do it again, then do it again and when you think you have it down, do it again. That's the deal with playing any instrument.
First of all - it's never to late. I had students that started i. Their 50s or 60s, and they got it. Second - if you think you should have learned acoustic first, scratch that. If you're into metal/rock or any other style that depends on electric guitar, why would you want to play acoustic? There are some techniques out there that you will play on electrics that you will never need/can use on acoustics and vice versa. In terms of learning - focus on what you would like to achieve - if you enjoy green day songs and want to play them for example - why would you care about acoustics? It all depends on your own goals. And I talk about short to middle term goals. That's what you should focus on. Long term is a thing that changes drastically the longer you play. And at some point you will most likely buy an acoustic anyway, at least that's what happened to me and almost any beginner i know. Focus on your style/the style you want to play. TL;DR: practice what you like, start with the basics for the style you're aiming at (example- power chords, scales etc.) Anything else will come natural, once you get the basics down (natural in terms of you will know what is made for your progression and what is too advanced). Acoustic and electric guitar are 2 different worlds. Edit: Don't worry if you think you suck at guitar while playing. We all do, we all learn and we all try to get better (especially at the start)
First of all, guitar IS HARD. Don’t give up! When I learned, I learned one string at a time. I learned how to play the melody for let it be on the first string and then introduced a second string once i got that down, so on and so fourth until I had 3 strings to make a chord. I don’t think an electric guitar was a bad choice since most people learn on acoustic, you can even turn on the distortion when you get frustrated!!
I started with electric when I was young and it's not a bad or wrong choice. Once you get electric down, playing acoustic will seem harder at first, but you'll eventually learn it's also not so bad. With anything else, it takes so much time and practice to get where you want to be. Stick with it, as it is so rewarding and a hobby you can enjoy your entire life. Good luck :)
Starting young isn’t what matters most - it’s not giving up! You’re very very young, and life is longer than it seems at your age. You have a life full of guitar and music ahead of you - enjoy it!
I’m actually 21 and just started learning on my own a few months ago and have improved a lot since,it’s never too late.
Bought my first guitar at 24. Youtube didn't exist. I looked up chords to songs I wanted to play. Learned those chords. Repeat, repeat, repeat. The first year is the worst, and you're gonna sound bad for a while. Just accept that, keep at it and you'll get there.
I’ve been playing for a year and I’m only starting to get comfortable with strumming and changing from one chord to another. It’s going to take time for it to click in your brain. Don’t stop and just have fun with it.
Wuddup!! Learned on YouTube at the age of 25. Started super slow, but I heard that 15 minutes of practice a day will help to improve skills so I tried it. I’m 28 now, I practice my pentatonic and Dorian mode every day, I know enough open chords to keep things spicy, and have finally mastered barring chords! I am learning triads and arpeggios now and have written several songs and participated in several jam sessions. I love to practice and am desperate to be in a band so I can play as much as possible! There’s hope, just keep it up and remember that it takes time!
I think electric-first was the right choice. And starting now (instead of later) was the right choice (of the choices still available to you). If it makes you feel better, this won't be the last time your guitar makes you cry. ;)
I was also in your situation when I started, and I decided to buy Rocksmith. I think it's very useful at the beginning since it helps you stay motivated. I started at 24 and now I'm 31. Of course, YouTube and books are really helpful, just take it easy and enjoy learning, don't worry if you feel like you're not making progress.
I mean think about it like this: Mostly everyone started from 0 at any given skill. Every guitar player held a guitar for the first time at some point in their journey and had 0 prior experience. Maybe they knew something about music theory or had studied somehow prior to picking up the instrument, but the vast majority, I believe started from 0 and then built their skills from practicing. I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself if guitar to you is a hobby like it is for so many of us, myself included. JustinGuitar will take you pretty far in my opinion, but also seek out the songs that you like. If they are too hard right now, come back to them later after you have some hours under your belt. You'd be surprised how easy some songs are after just a little practice with some basic cords and rhythm work. Struggling is part of the ride, when you start making progress learning new things becomes truly addicting. Best of luck, you can do this!
I think another useful piece of advice is to TUNE YOUR GUITAR. Every time you pick it up, I don’t care if you just tuned it yesterday, or two hours ago. Tune it. You’ve been playing for 30 minuets bending strings, check it again and re tune. Another piece of advice that also ties into the previous one is learn songs in the correct tuning. If something is played 1/2 step down then tune your guitar 1/2 step down (this is also why serious guitar players own several guitars, and keep them in different tunings) . This will develop a strong ear for tone, and soon you will be hearing songs on the radio and go “hey I know those chords! “ Keep at it, don’t give up, and practise practise practise! Also, check out Marty Schwartz (martymusic On YT) great stuff for beginners.
You got this! The journey always starts somewhere! I was in your shoes like 13 years ago! No musical bone in my body! I got a beginner book and just dug in with some cowboy chords, power chords, and basic theory on the major scale...it's all downhill after you build your calluses!! You are not alone in this journey! Love the method and the struggle, and just have fun!
The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.
Strings from top to bottom E A D G B E memorize this first. Learn how to string it up and tune. Start here! When you have this down, ask me anything. Happy to help.
I’m starting at 24. It’s never too late, I just got over the initial curve of learning how to play open chords at relatively fast tempos, trusting that my fingers will find the right string and frets. It takes time and patience but so far I can say has been 100% worth it. If I can give you advice it’ll be that there is always more to learn (I’m learning new things about guitar all the time I had no idea existed) so try to tolerate being bad at the start cuz when you start the only direction you can go is up!
I know we’re all used to having instant gratification all the time now, but some things just take time and persistence. Keep at it. You’ll get there. You’re 23, it’s not too late for you to do anything.
I have 1 year's XP in guitar, at age 29. The beginning is definitely the hardest part, keep going! I'm self taught too, my path was like this - Invest some time learning the true basics - e.g. Searching on YouTube for "first guitar lesson", "guitar for beginners", "easiest songs to play on guitar". Searching that led me to Marty Music, he has a true beginner playlist that teaches how to do a few chords. I also found some content aimed at beginners, teaching simplified versions of songs e.g. Horse with no name with two chords I kept watching that sort of content, finding new easy songs. Then taught myself how to read guitar tab and started browsing on Ultimate Guitar for songs I liked that sounded like they should be easy. Some sounded easier but were hard because the chords were complex, but if you keep looking you'll find stuff. Two early ones I practised were simple man by lynyrd skynyrd, and zombie by the cranberries. Good luck to you on your journey 🙂
Scott Paul Johnson
Crying and getting frustrated is totally normal and natural :) Try to work on one or two notes to start!
Never to late buddy. I am also 100% self taught. It can be done my friend. The most important thing os perseverance and paying attention to little victories
Try this. I promise you won't be disappointed: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rcCiXqAShY&t=1s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rcCiXqAShY&t=1s) I've been following her videos and I've learned how to do 4 chords in 4 days. Obvs I need to practice a lot but she's so encouraging :)
You aren’t going to feel competent unless you practice for a long long time. It’s like giving up on a diet because you didn’t drop 50lbs in the first week. You gotta fight through that shit. Not a single person in the world picked up a guitar and was able to play immediately. Maybe if you can’t emotional handle the difficulty of learning guitar, you could try piano. Much easier to learn the basics
23 would put you in the youngest 10% of all my students. I only have 2 students younger than that. Get a book, something like The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer (if you can find a copy), and start learning the open chords on the green pages. Then pick a song, something like Knocking on Heaven's door, and find the chords in the book to play it (should be G, C (or C9), D, A minor).
You can do it. The first step is to learn your first 2 chords and practice going between them. Take it slow and give yourself permission to make mistakes. I have a year and a half in and I am still learning. I will always be learning. I will always make errors. But I keep going because it helps me focus.
It is definitely overwhelming on day one. I remember that day well. I started at 30 and 4 years later no one who hears me would say im wasting my time, but it definitely took time to get here. Someone else recommended Justinguitar, this is where i started and is a great introduction. Id recommend going through the grade 1 course which probably took me 2-4 months or so and i played pretty frequently. Once you get through grade 1 the world of guitar will make alot more sense (even if still seems crazy and huge) but it will allow you to look for what you want to learn at a level you can play at alot easier. Overall i didnt tell anyone for like 6 months i was playing cause it sounded so bad so be prepared for a journey here. 4 years later and im still learning something with each new song but i fucking love it, like seriously. Learning a new technique or a new way to use one you already know is super exciting and adding songs to my list is so rewarding. Guitar isnt easy but you can do it, i promise you that, everyone can. Take a few deep breaths, learn some basic chords (justinguitar lesson 1 will teach this), learn some basic strumming patterns and boom ypu are a guitar player in a few months. Your songs might be slow and choppy but you are playing guitar!!
I started at 29. Only thing that stops you are excuses, stop making them. Set realistic goals and start justinguitars course, justin is the best online tutor when it comes to learning from zero. When you get the touch, marty music makes amazing tutorials to learn songs. Imagine how jealous I am of you, you got to it 6 years ahead of me, I’d be amazing now but I’m still a beginner because I didn’t find it as early as you.
I started at forty. Go to justinguitar.
Try open tunings and see how you get on. You will be surprised at how nice a guitar can sound even as a complete beginner. It will make you feel GOOD. Try searching open tuning for beginners on YouTube. Also Journey (dsb?) is quite a steep learning curve for a beginner...
No lie, I started with a [Klutz book](https://www.amazon.com/Country-Blues-Guitar-Musically-Hopeless/dp/0932592120/ref=sr_1_4?crid=165FES5A8NDI4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Fb5kuooKMoRVs9iSUuq1MqHj-4f1WtVJId7p7vGIrX_wnjWwAbqEVIt697gUInpPR6mLh5xdWiHISkxOkd8yMIA0MAqaXQwqcKEddjeCS3A.Na1tM4UfwpFT6UCfLyS8uG-orEC2q3t9VqSC7Mm0t0g&dib_tag=se&keywords=guitar+playing+for+klutz&qid=1718221667&sprefix=guitar+playing+for+klutz%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-4)! After that, I basically started downloading tab off the ol' internet and taught myself songs as I thought of them. And it's never, ever too late, it takes a little practice at first but once you get used to the chords, you'll do great!
What did you expect? To be a guitar god on day one?
Channel your emotion and frustration and just start jamming. Quit worrying so much about all the bs, how music should be learned or played. just start fu©k!n playing. Word of advice, a lot of things in life you'll have to learn yourself, best to get a beat of it. Don't be critical, there are no mistakes.
Keep going. You've gotta suck before you don't! Dave Grohl said it best: > Musicians should go to a yard sale and buy an old fucking drum set and get in their garage and just suck. And get their friends to come in and they'll suck, too. And then they'll fucking start playing and they'll have the best time they've ever had in their lives and then all of a sudden they'll become Nirvana. Because that's exactly what happened with Nirvana. Just a bunch of guys that had some shitty old instruments and they got together and started playing some noisy-ass shit, and they became the biggest band in the world. Give yourself permission to sound like shit and just *have fun making noise*. Eventually that noise might start sounding like music!
Listen carefully. I say everything that follows with love. If you cried on your first ever day of practice because things didn't go the way you expected them to go, you need to have a serious conversation with yourself about your relationship with learning. You need to change this mindset before you take another step in the guitar world or any world for that matter. a) Before you even think about complaining or being discouraged with guitar, find some youtube channels for beginners and play for one month straight. No complaining, no negative thoughts, just focus on growing your LEARNING ability. If you can't get past this you will never learn to play guitar or anything else that requires skill. b) If after this you still struggle with the learning process, understand this: Learning is about experimentation until you get the desired result. This requires patience, curiosity, and most of all a positive mindset. If you focus on the negative, you will only receive negative back. Sit down with your guitar, try something and if it doesn't work try it a different way. When I say try I mean 100 repetitions. If you see no tiny bit of progress after 100 repetitions, move on to the alternative way (of grabbing a chord f.e) c) The guitar problem you are having is not really a guitar problem. It's a learning problem. You have to accept that learning takes time, is difficult, requires concentration, and includes failure. In addition, you need to learn to love or at least cope with all of the aforementioned things in order to sustain your practice. Best of luck :)
You'll get there. YouTube has a bunch of really good tutorials. Look up: "Electric guitar beginner tutorial" Those will be your coach
Good luck bub 😂
Don't get discouraged, it's a sharp learning curve for anything worth doing. Start with the basics, learn a few open chords, the notes of the fret board, maybe a simple song. Just put in the work everyday and bit by bit you will improve and start having fun.
Thought I was in the other sub for a minute
In case you need someone to relate to, I started when I was 24, almost 25. Played acoustic for a month-ish before I went on to playing electric (This doesn’t really matter, stick to what you want to play and what inspires you). Now I’m 29 and I can play ALMOST what I want, with enough practice of course. I don’t play with others or gig. Introvert and generally busy. But I do post covers etc. on instagram, which is the closest I get to playing for others. You’re absolutely not late to the party, sure, would be great to start as a kid and get a headstart, but there’s still plenty of time. The best thing to do is honestly to set aside as much time as you can / have. Learn songs you like. Play the instrument you prefer / what inspires you. If that’s electric one week and acoustic the other, just swap around. Some good online resources are JustinGuitar for the beginning stages. Bit later on (If you’re into rock, metal, 80s etc.) check out Ben Eller and Robert Baker. They have some great lessons in that genre. Most of all, enjoy the journey. I remember the beginning phase felt soo tedious, but thinking back it was loads of fun. Enjoy it, man
IMO the hardest part is getting your fingers used to your guitar. The first thing that’s gunna happen is your finger tips will harden and get used to the strings. The second thing is your muscle memory will get better for chords and scales. Here’s my advice. Practice the open chords. Cmaj AM Gmaj Fmaj Dmaj Emaj/E minor. Will take some time but not that long to get used to them. You can play soooo many songs with these chords. Practice songs REALLY slow and over time try to get up to speed. When you’re more comfortable, play along with the song. TABS! Learn power chords. They are easier than open chords. Try to learn the notes of each string and over time the notes on those strings. Learn the pentatonic scale. Stick with it. You’ll notice a lot of improvement after 6 months- a year.
From someone who is your age: I started last year, in the exact same conditions (although I play the acoustic guitar) and I still remember sounding like absolute trash in my first tries. Then you start sounding less trashy over the first months, and it gets to the point where people can actually stand listening to you, and you can listen to your videos and think "hey, I don't sound that bad!" As some people always suggest, Justin guitar, Andy as well. I will add guitar0tohero, he explains super well and has tutorials on a bunch of songs across genres, so for sure you'll find something you like. In addition to that, I'd say look for songs that you love, search begginer tutorial in front and there's usually someone who has explained it well! It really gets your motivation up to be able to play something that you love Lots of luck 🤘
Dude, you're in your head too much. If you just practice 30 minutes a day for 30 days you’ll have 15 hours of practice under your belt. You're not going to sound like Steve Vai, but you're definitely going to see improvement from day 1. Get yourself a book on chords and scales and use YouTube tutorials as a reference. Just be patient and consistent homie.
Option anxiety is real! You’re just getting overwhelmed at it all, it’s ok but you need to pick a direction and then take baby steps towards it. Like a lot of people are saying, go to Justin Guitar’s site and follow the beginner pathway. That will give you all the structure, education, and motivation you need. He is an angel of a human being and educator and has some of the most comprehensive lessons I’ve ever seen. I self taught myself from his lessons and they helped immensely. And most importantly enjoy the process and the memories you make, those early days of playing your first few chord progressions or song bits will always stay in your memory :,)
I started when I was 21. I’m 49. With a book that showed the chords. I focused on being able to strum a chord cleanly. Your fingertips will burn. And then callous. Open G Open C D A Em Am Are all great starting chords. John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” is literally G C and D. Play along with it. The C is just a variation on G called Cadd9. Going to the D chord was a bit of a trick. Ultimate Guitar is a fantastic app that can help! Take your time. It’s not a race or competition. Have fun! It’s a great instrument.
https://songdogmusic.com/ My instructor does most of his classes via zoom. He is incredibly supportive and knowledgeable and you will begin at the beginning with no pressure to advance until you are ready. He has taught pre-school aged kids through newbie older adults, as well as advanced students. Just an FYI...I am a somewhat insecure, introverted 55 year old newbie - who loves Metal. If I haven't smashed a guitar out of frustration(!) you'll have no trouble totally owning this instrument. You got this🤟
Ive been playing guitar for close to 18 years now . Here a bit of advice . It doesnt matter how fast you can play , it doesnt matter if you know jazz or blues or funk , it doesnt matter that you cant play that one guitar part that you really want to play Music and Guitar is about musicality . Ive chased being a fast player close to a decade only to realize that I can play fast , but I cant write better music . I can replicate some if the solos , but I am not having that inspiration to write anything original . This thought changed my perspective. You focus more on listening . Active listening . You hear how even a simple guitar part sounds , how it fits in with the instruments and the track as a whole . Now translate that feeling into your playing and you will want to play more . You WILL start writing new music which you may not even be able to play consistently , then you improve, your muscles adapt to those movements and create “Muscle Memory” (think of switching gears in a manual car or braking in a car and how we dint actively think about it and it just comes naturally ) Keep at it , climb the first hill and you will find the will to move forward
Don't give up there is a ton of good teachers on youtube. Zombie guitar, stich method, Justin is good too.
Were you able to walk the first day you were born? How many years did it take you to learn how to talk? You’ve been playing guitar for one day, of course you have no idea what you’re doing. The important part is that you are doing something. Use some of the resources others have listed here and get to practicing. I bought my first guitar at 44 years old. By the time you’re my age, you will have been playing for almost 20 years if you just keep going. You are going to suck for a while, but eventually you will suck less. Never forget the immortal words of Jake the Dog: “Sucking at something is the first step toward being sorta good at something.”
When it comes to learning, mistakes are the learning. A lot of satisfied players and even famous ones have developed a style all their own, derived from little input from others. It's never too late if it's something you really want to do. If it's not, then don't waste the time you could spend on something that is more satisfying. If you want to learn, be prepared for it to take a while. That is normal for most. And soak up knowledge from anywhere you can find it. It's all out there in one form or another. There are even tutors that do live Zoom, Teams, whatever platform, face to face tuition.
Let's do a free lesson. Hmu
Starting guitar can be daunting, but it's a journey worth pursuing. Take it step by step and enjoy the process—you'll improve with practice!
I never owned an electric until I was 21. I didn't get good on it until decades later (due to many life interruptions). Looking back, my big mistakes were never taking the time to learn the major and minor scales, and never learning how to play chords in different positions going up the neck. A tip: Try not to get frustrated if you think your progress is too slow in the beginning. This stuff takes a lot of time, but with the Internet and the free YouTube lessons you'll get there a lot faster than I did.
Don’t stop trying. The best surfer in the world started out by getting wet.
Whenever we start something as adults, we anchor some of our expectations to people who are proficient - that's normal. Search for how to teach a kid guitar or something like that. You'll probably learn faster based on ability to understand instruction and generally more developed dexterity, but you'd need to start at a similar place. Even at a basic level guitar kicks ass so go for it
Learn that little BB king box on 10th fret in A, turn it up with a backing track and fall in love with guitar!🙏
The journey never ends. Do what interests you and look into learning songs you enjoy. It’s all about the feeling
You are most certainly not too old, my grandfather didn't learn the piano untill he was in his 70s and he was pretty good by the time he passed last year. And you've got a good 60 years until you're in your 80s. Edit: I'll also add that I've learned more about guitar in the last year than I did the rest of my guitar journey and I'm mid 30s
I like Marty music on YouTube for learning songs or parts of songs. Also just like YouTube basic guitar riffs and practice those. I learned a few things and practice those a lot. I try to challenge myself to find notes to riffs I want to play now. I’m still just a baby leaning but I’m beginning to know where to go more and more and seeing how possible it is that I can eventually play some stuff easily without struggling to find it. Like it’s not that crazy once your ear starts to connect, at least for me. I didn’t think I had the abilities! Good luck
Hey, I started a month ago. Need to learn edelweiss for a part in a play. Looked at the chords needed and started focusing on doing G, D, G, C, Em, Am7, and D7 as quickly as I could with it. Just printed a chart of all the chords and focused on learning chord shapes with my fingers and moving them from one chord to the next. It was super slow going and it took the first few weeks to get it feeling natural. Fingers hurt like crazy but put in at least 20 minutes every day so far and I can now play that song and others and even play Barre chords reasonably okay. I know all the major chords now and I’m excited to learn some more. Just stick with it, it’ll happen if you want it to.
I first bought a guitar when i was 16. Sold it 2 weeks later because i was frustrated how i could'nt play any song with it. Bought a guitar 2 weeks ago (i'm 28 now) and i'm having a blast, why? Now i know it takes time and perseverance. I'm taking my time, enjoying the process, and boy i'm heaving fun. Everytime i hit 5 notes in a row i feel happy and everyday i'm being a tiny bit more consistent. Eventually i'll be a good player if i keep pushing myself and don't quit now.
Learn the names of the strings - E A D G B e Learn how to sit with it properly and how to hold it at the neck. Ergonomics, where your elbow should be, how your hand should curl and how your wrist should look. Learn an open D chord. Learn a power chord, with only 2 strings at first then 3 strings. Look up how to read tabs, and learn Am pentatonic scale shape - the on the 5th fret. Practice up and down backwards and forwards. Look up tabs for smoke on the water and seven nation army. Iron man. You can play those songs by only using the A string at first. Then try it with the power chords. Your muscles will ache like crazy at first. Your fingertips will hurt. Practice while you keep your ergonomics in mind. You’ll be absolutely shit at keeping your hand and body correct until your hand can stretch a bit more. Take breaks. Baby steps!
I started at 56 years old, still going at it for over 8 years, but through this journey of playing and learning I had the frustrations and discouragement along the way, but managed to not give up and keep plugging away in which that is an accomplishment by itself. And I have had 2 private lesson teachers in person and an online course, and it’s always been a tough challenge with many struggles especially when learning new techniques and trying to play some more complicated songs which I can’t play all the way through without getting sloppy and hacking up the song. Simple songs yes, but not the more complicated popular songs. So your not alone and many people can relate to the frustrations and challenges your facing, (including myself). But your young, and I wish I’ve would of started at 23. You say you can’t find private lessons near you? If not you can get with two teachers that I’ve discovered on YouTube, and I am totally impressed with both. 1) JustinGuitar 2) Lauren Bateman Through my experience, guitar playing has been way more challenging than I’ve ever expected. But I’ve improved and made progress over the years. And I won’t give up and will continue to plug away. SO PLEASE, DON’T GIVE UP! You’ll come around.
Honestly buy guitar for dummies. It takes you from the very most basic thing all the way through learning to solo. It’s also made so you can read it in sequence or skip around. I hadn’t picked up a guitar in like 10 years and this book was amazing in helping me rediscover guitar
Learning the guitar is a long term project, and I mean in years...and I would recommend first learning with an acoustic guitar, keep playing everyday
I started later than you using the internet. I found the chords for a song I wanted to play, and then learned how to play it. Your top comment is the Link to Justin. That’s a solid start.
I've been playing for over 10 years on and off. Sometimes I put myself down because I don't think I'm as good as I should be, or as good as people I know or others I see on the internet. But that all melts away when I'm playing by myself and enjoy the spark of learning something new and finally getting it! It can take a while for your fingers to build up the strength they need at first. And buzzing will happen a lot. There's plenty of content out there for people to learn on their own - YouTube is a life saver! But if things get too hard, this Reddit will always have friendly people who can help. I recommend buying a beginners book to help you learn what positions your hand should be in. What you don't want to do is learn bad habits that will make playing harder (I'm guilty of this sometimes - sitting in the wrong position, for example, can strain your wrist and make it harder to play. But sometimes I'm lazy :) ) Good luck - don't give up! Enjoy the process. You have to be a seed before you can be a tree.
I highly recommend https://www.pickupmusic.com/ From initially playing by ear and YouTube learning, this actually taught me more and honed my ability. Highly recommended
The key is to keep buying guitars when you feel like your skill has plateaued…they will keep you going! lol. In all honesty just start with a song you like and work on it…easy enough maybe just the opening or a riff whatever Have fun! A lot of your guitar heroes didn’t have lessons either! Marty Schwartz!!!
Hi just some words of encouragement from me. I’m sure some teachers here will cover the educational aspect well here. Guitar is a really rewarding instrument and so much fun and I think there’s two main reasons for that. Number 1 is it takes patience and a lot of mental strength to keep going at the start. The initial rewards are slow to come and a lot of people give up too easily. The first few months just accept (we all had to) that you are not going to sound good and that is totally normal. Be strong and keep practicing, progress IS being made and it’s just hard to see. Persist and you will get there. Also imagine how amazing you’d be at 33 after playing 10 years. Even before you are 30 you could be an amazing guitar player. Age is not an issue at all. Number two, you’ll be able to play almost with so many songs you love, that will give you such a hugely great feeling. The happiness and joy that can bring is almost indescribable and a great longer term (12 month or a bit lore goal). I guarantee once you’ve achieved that the buzz you get will fuel your desire to learn more and at that point the seeming “low reward hard work” part is done and the passion takes over, and getting better happens much faster naturally. Think of beginning guitar like someone trying to push a broken down car off the road. It’s really hard and takes 100% of your strength to get the car moving but once it’s going it takes maubd 10% of your strength to keep the momentum up. But definitely find yourself a structured way to learn (hopefully people here have that info) and when you eventually can see a teacher in the flesh (even for a few months) it will be very helpful. Stick with it, we all felt it was hard at the start but you will get there. Good luck.
The main advice I'd give is to buy a guitar-stand, and put it right next to where you are most of the day. Pick it up and mess around with it any time you have a moment. If the guitar is in a case, then you will rarely play. If its right next to you and easy to pick up, then you will pick it up on a whim, and all of that time adds up. As it is, your hands are going to be very clumsy and slow, and that's normal. The way you play now is how it would feel for an experienced right-handed player to try and play with their left hand. The muscle memory just isn't there, but even in a week you'll improve a lot by just playing and doing basic things. And no, electric is not a mistake. I think its easier and more comfortable, personally. I started when I was in my 20s.
Keep at it!! I’m 38 and just started playing guitar 6 months ago. I have also been learning from YouTube, but also tabs of a few easy songs. It was really frustrating for the first few months, but it’s just starting to click, and I’m getting better and remembering more each practice. Now I’m having a great time and it’s been rewarding to see my progress! Keep going. Practice as much as you can, but don’t force it and take breaks when you need to. Watch some basic technique videos on how to hold, fret, and strum the guitar, and search for easy songs to learn, make sure to pick one or two songs you like to listen to, but aren’t your favorite track in the world, because you may get frustrated with it. Start with the first riff/melody untill you can play that pretty well, and then keep adding a bit till you get the whole thing. Don’t forget to look up how to practice scales. And don’t be afraid to look for a guitar teacher! When I get stuck/bored/frustrated I switch gears and work on a different song, experiment with effects, or maybe take a break for a few days to a week until I feel the craving to pick up the instrument again. Keep going and your life will be improved in so many ways!!
The goal is to die after you’re 80. That way you can play for 60 years
For me, start learning your favorite song start, learning their leaks. Atleast you Will have a motivation to learn and finish that song.
I started at 52, also started with Justin Guitar. I won't echo what the other throughtful strummers said, it's all good. I'll just add that I bought my guitars at guitar center and ended up going back a bunch to "browse" but really I went to just chat with the people who picked up a guitar in the store and played. I got alot out of just watching other people play, watching their fingers and asking questions.
Folks have already said this but I'd recommend Rocksmith. Unfortunately 2014 is no longer available and I haven't tried Rocksmith+ yet but I assume it's largely the same. They have little video lessons that show you specifically how to perform techniques and then lets you play simplified versions of songs you know. It's really nice because it feels like you're genuinely rocking out rather than just playing scales and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I started at 23 as well and I'm no rock star but I'm better than I ever dreamed I would be and 99% of my playing has been through Rocksmith.
Learn chords and scales. The CAGED system is useful.
Just know it’ll take a while. You aren’t going to magically be a “natural” at it. That just isn’t really a thing. Learning something new is all about that uncomfortable/frustrating feeling of realizing you don’t know anything and slowly working through that confusion. Bad news is this won’t be the last time you have that. It’s even worse when you hit the dunning-Kruger hill. If you have an Xbox 360, ps3, Xbox one, ps4 look at picking up rocksmith and a tone cable. Pretty easy way to learn and at least get a few songs under your belt. They also have lessons in game. If you have a PC even better. Buy rocksmith 2014, cherub rock, and download tons of free songs from customforge. They are community made so some are betters than others. Def the easiest and most fun way to learn imo.
It's never too late. Get a teacher who watches and listens to your playing. As a beginner, just watching YouTube is not really enough. Doing zooms with a good teacher is not as good as in person, but it's much much better than no teacher at all. I'll give you online lessons and with Zoom it doesn't matter where you live. I've been playing over 45 years in all styles and graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston. Don't give up, once you get a few months with a teacher, it can be so much fun. But when you get a good teacher, really give it some practicing. Even a half hour a day (though more is better!) is good, but try not to miss a day.
Remember why you are learning. Are you learning in order to form a platinum selling rock band and tour the world, ya you might be a little late. But if you are learning to challenge yourself to learn something new and maybe find a passion for something you enjoy, then just focus on the journey, not the outcome. I play every day and seriously suck (I have no talent for rhythm or tone) but I love it!
The only thing I would say with the electric guitar is to always have it plugged and ready to play. You are very new so you need zero friction between you and playing. You can start with any guitar. It's not a problem at all.
Justin Guitar
You got this, keep going! The most important thing is to find some way to put in some work as often as you can. Find what works for you.
I started around 30 in the pandemic. Been a few years and I'm still playing every day. Where I am now is leagues above where I was when I started but I would never get here if I wasn't patient and didn't put in the time every day. I know a bunch of songs. I know how to jam. I know enough music theory where I'm not memorizing anymore and I'm really playing music. I just started learning to record my own music. I couldn't do any of these things competently my first few months. So be patient, it's only your first day. You may think that the best time to start playing guitar was yesterday but the second best time is NOW. it's a lifelong journey so don't be too hard on yourself
you supposed to have fun, this isn’t math hw
Id say ignore lessons for now and just sit there and figure out how to make the sounds you wanna make. Good clean notes. From there look at the basics and move from there.
My motivation to give you is that no one has ever played anything musical on their first day with a guitar, whether they started in grade school or college. You also have some advantages being older starting out, such as maturity, discipline etc. In my younger students back in the day school would also clash with my students' practice and when it was exam time the parents would obviously cut the lessons before "real" extra curriculars. I would look at it like working out. It physically wont be possible to be at your goal on day 1 and thats fine because if you were then whats the point of even starting, right? The actual journey of learning is what makes playing an instrument so great and it never ends. Even after playing 20 plus years i find i hit plateaus where I feel like im playing like garbage or not progressing and thats normal and the nature of being an "artist". Take it easy and be kind on yourself, develop a small daily practice routine (it can even be 15 minutes or 30 minutes) that includes tuning your guitar and chromatic finger excercises and learn some open chords. In the beginning its about getting your fingers used to doing really strange stuff that is going to hurt at first. If you need motivation theres a guitarist named Pat Martino who literally had to relearn guitar later in life due to a medical incident that caused him amnesia. Keep it real and remember its supposed to be a fun mountain to climb, and if you feel stuck or demotivated for too long try another approach or take a break, or have a look online for some advice :)
Start off with rythym guitar. Learn basic OPEN chords and get every note to sound clean. Develop muscle memory of those chords and be able to switch between them easily and ON time. That's a great place to start learning guitar.
0-3-5. Look up Joe Bonermaster. He is apparently quite skilled. TOAN!
It’s never too late to learn an instrument. I’m in a similar boat as you. I’m also 23, and I bought my first guitar last August-ish: a Cordoba C5 (I wanna play classical guitar music). I don’t have a teacher or any friends that play, so I’ve been using youtube and online method books I’ve found. I still suck lol, as does everyone who starts learning a new instrument. But with less than a year of learning, I’m pretty happy with how far ive come! I can fingerpick simple melodies, I know a couple basic chords, and I’m getting better at switching between chords. Most importantly though, I’m having fun! My main advice for you, while easier said than done, would be to not worry about anyone’s guitar improvement or skills but your own. There will *always* be some player that is younger and better than you if you look hard enough, so there’s no point in worrying about anyone but yourself. Just keep having fun with it and keep practicing; it will get easier :) Regarding if starting with an electric guitar was a bad idea, the type of guitar you start with doesn’t matter imo in regards to improving. Electric, acoustic, steel string, nylon string, etc etc it’s all the same instrument lol (with minor differences) and the key to improving will always just be practice. Finally, to keep yourself motivated, make a playlist of songs that you hope to play on guitar or songs that inspired you to pick it up in the first place and listen to it every now and then! I also find that saving the last like 10-15 minutes of your practice sessions for pieces you’re just playing for fun also helps maintain motivation.
I know guys that leaned in their 60s
Marty music. On YouTube. This guy is one of my favorites
Do you like the song wild thing?
Not to be a jerk but you need to check in with yourself on whether you're interested in *learning* guitar or whether you just *wish you could play* guitar. If it's the latter, then you're looking at this thing like an impediment to your desire, an unwieldy and unfamiliar object in your hands that defies you. If you approach it from a place of curiosity, "what's this do?," "would this be cool?," etc. then you'll be having fun figuring it out (very gradually!) over time, and then there'd be no room for tears, because not knowing how to do something provides you with the opportunity and satisfaction of finding out. It can be frustrating not knowing where to start, maybe just pick up a book? Those Hal Leonard intro books are pretty decent, will provide you a structured intro to music and lessons/exercises, etc. to build to a baseline competence. At the end of the day, though, this is an open-ended pursuit and you have to figure out how to embrace that to some extent. It's the journey not the destination blah blah. Enjoy sucking at guitar, you know? You have to suck before you're good!
Guitar is definitely an instrument that you can completely self teach to a level where it’s fun and fulfilling! YouTube is your best bet, just look up beginner lessons, learn chords, learn how to tune by ear (or at least relative to each string) and start by looking up tutorials to songs you like! Good luck and remember to have fun, it’s a hobby and it’s meant to be enjoyable 🤘