The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Well, I was asked this question a week back. While my answer is a resounding NO! no because I know as a fact many who have done so, but I don't have proof to my friend asking. So can I ask if anyone who have started your playing journey in your 30s, 40s, 50s or more to please stand up and let us know how you successfully learned to play...

    So in brief, its' how old did you start, would you say that now you can play and how did it happen?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I was at one of my students yesterday. I am helping him in jazz theory, because he is playing classical music on piano, not guitar. But he just got into jazz. I thought we are going to take small steps but he is jumping forward long distances. We made Tenderly on the piano yesterday, and he really loved the jazz chords. He understand everything quite well I just have to tell him twice some fragments of theory. HE also has good ears.

    Why am I telling this here? Because he is a retired man (a doctor with many university diplomas), who keeps his brain in work with studying music.

    He didnt feel he is too old to begin with jazz.

    As a very well known hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly said: "Music is for everyone"

    My student is 86 years old...

  4. #3

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    Just prior to retirement as a psychotherapist I purchased a guitar. Learning to play jazz had been a dream for many years, however work, family and other obligations have taken both time and energy. I am now 70, soon 71, and practice daily, and in addition tot hat I can in fact see progress. Quite exciting and stimulating. The quest continues.

  5. #4

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    Not that about age...

    I recently was at Hoplinson Smith's lute concert which was one of the greatest concert impression of my life... this was not music this was just life lived through.

    After the concert I talked to him a bit, and mentioned that I play lute but mostly as amateur. He said: keep playing, please... this is how you can fill your life with music.

    Seems to be very simple and obvious phrase. But most of us think of subsidiary things often - if I can achive this or if I can achieve that...
    whereas it is as simple as can be just filling your life with music... every little day... and day by day makes a life full of music.

    I think this works at any age.

  6. #5

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    Any age... I think most can start music at any age, they just need to put time in on their instrument. I think the amount of time needed is more than many are willing to do.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    Any age... I think most can start music at any age, they just need to put time in on their instrument. I think the amount of time needed is more than many are willing to do.
    I am also lazy too often to get my axe and practice this or that, but I know I should...

  8. #7

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    There is an old joke that I'll paraphrase - I wanted to start learning guitar and I figured it might take me 5 years to learn so I was discouraged and didn't start. That was 5 years ago. Guess I should start now.

    IOW, at any age, just starting is the hard part.

    So, no, I don't think there is an age where you are too old as long as the mind/body is invested in the process.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by hthiew
    Well, I was asked this question a week back. While my answer is a resounding NO! no because I know as a fact many who have done so, but I don't have proof to my friend asking.

    That sounds like your friend is searching for an excuse not to try, he already looking for excuses to fail.

    With friends and people who ask me questions like that I just ask them what do you have to lose by trying? If you don't at least try, you'll be doubting yourself the rest of your life. Tell him trying if you don't like it at least you gave you brain and fingers so exercise which is good for us old people.

  10. #9

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    A bit pilosophical thing...)))

    Long ago I read the memoires of some Joseph Brodsky's American student.

    That student graduated from the University was doubting about what to do next- if he should go on with literature or do something else... he hezitated about his talent maybe, did not have enough confidence... so he shared with Brodsky about it..

    Brodsky said: Look around.. (they were sittin in some hotel lobby waiting for the conference or something, there were lots of people - clerks, taxi-drivers, officials - regulating some business etc.)...
    Do you see that? Well .. literature is the great way to say 'No!' to all these things...'

  11. #10

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    Few succeed with sticking with playing an instrument when they start after their teens or twenties. At least that has been my anecdotal observation. I can't think of anyone among my acquaintances.

    Perhaps if you really have the bug to start playing an instrument it would have bit you before you reach 30. For me it seems that music felt more magical when I was younger than 30.

  12. #11

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    I know a lady who began to play viola da gamba after 40s, she did not do any music before that..
    and she performs...
    she has problems - she cant overcome some technical issues due to age - hands do not work as do kids hands - she does not sight-read easily and could be lost in a group suddenly...

    But when she really learnt the piece she performs it very musically. Even quite complex pieces.

    I think it's important about kids... I studied a lot of new things on instruments after 30 but I am sure I was quick with that becasue I had 7 intensive years of classical guitar as a kid... some basis stays forever and you easily accomodate yourself to new conditions

  13. #12

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    Within reason, nobody's too old.

    But the guitar is the most poorly taught instrument. Getting people to contort their fingers into chords right from the get-go, usually down by the nut, trying to teach 1st fret full 6-string F chords, I could go on and on (and often do around those who know me...). Nobody starts trumpeters on high C which is physically difficult to achieve; guitar pedagogy should similarly avoid starting guitarists down where the string tension is highest and the physical leverage is weakest.

    Guitar should be taught initially with single lines only, and between the 5th and 12th fret. Anyone can learn that way (and everyone should learn that way to start).

    My 2 cents.

  14. #13

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    I'll be 48 next month. I just got back into learning to play the guitar. I tried when I was about 20 but got discouraged and had other hobbies at the time. Back then I didn't have the patience or discipline. Now that I am older I look forward to practicing and find it relaxing. Another factor is that there was no such thing as the internet then. Nowadays I have many different websites to choose from and Youtube is a big help. This forum is an excellent resource for information. I may not be the next John Cipollina, Johnny Smith, or Wes Montgomery, but I'm enjoying myself.

  15. #14

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    I believe a lot has to do with how much time one has to practice. E.g. I had friends that couldn't keep a steady job. Well the greatest jumps they made in playing the guitar was while they were on unemployment!

    Getting better at something takes practice and doing. I don't think age has much to do with it.

  16. #15

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    I read somewhere that children will persevere despite mistakes/failures if they really want to do something, because they don't mind being seen to make errors. Whereas adults are terribly self-conscious about failure, they expect to succeed quickly. So it becomes a very negative mindset and inhibits persistence.

    When you think about it, learning any instrument involves almost a 100% error rate to start with, you just have to get over it.

  17. #16

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    I have played "around on the guitar for the age of ten learned some john hurt tunes in my late teens played a little basic rock in the 70s built guitars mandolins and banjo necks for a living for 15 years in my mid fifty's i moved to a small town and the that owned the liquor store was a guitar player as well as a music school graduate. I asked if he would teach me to play jazz and off we went i studied with him for five years we were a good match and I learned alot. I also started a band figuring that playing tunes with others was the way to go, that group was together 11 years, Inow have another group for the last four years we play out alot and have a lot of fun for the most part. it is never to late I was told in school that I should play drums because I have'nt got an ear if you want it you can do it I am 73 now and with each new tune I learn it gets easier

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by hthiew
    So in brief, its' how old did you start, would you say that now you can play and how did it happen?
    One of my teachers gave me this bon mot: "The beauty of guitar is that it's easy to learn and impossible to master." What that tells me -- and I started at 13 years old -- is that while I'm good at rock and blues, I still have a lot to learn about jazz and classical, and that's a good thing.

    You're never too old to start ... or, we all started too late anyway.

    I can play the hell out of rock and blues, and I can enjoy the hell out of learning jazz and classical. It's a win-win.

    "The road goes ever onward ..."

  19. #18

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    When someone in their 30's or 40's asks me whether they are too old to learn guitar I ask them how old they will be in 10 years if they start now, and how old will they be in 10 years if they don't. In one of the 2 scenarios, they can play guitar.

  20. #19

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    After playing R&R guitar since I was 12, at about 45 or so, I decided to go nylon.

    My wife bought me the "Villa-Lobos" songbook, and 1st song was Choro #1.

    I started at the page forever, there were so many notes that the page was almost completely black...

    What have I done??

    But, slowly but surely I made progress, and the whole time all I kept
    thinking was..."I'm making my brain work...I'm making my brain work"

    Years later, after learning many Bossa and Choro tunes switched to Archtop and
    have been engrossed learning "standards" that I loved as a boy...

    Once again..."Im making my brain work...I'm making my brain work"

  21. #20

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    8 years ago I purchased my first guitar. I was 49 then. I would not say that I can play now, but a year ago I posted to the "Practical Standards"-Thread (February 2015 - There Will Never Be Another You)
    It is not very important to me how good (or bad) I can play. I enjoy the learning. So - you are never too old to start learning.

  22. #21

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    There's the other side of the issue I think - it depends on the mood. When we're young and ambitious we can tolerate a struggle for those better days later. A simple fact is that jazz doesn't have to be taken so.. extremely serious and challenging. If the mood is right.. sun is shining, birds chirping etc, a simple tune noodling can be just a great way to spend the moment. My best experiences have never been about the athletic shape of the fingers. The mood matters the most. So, when older, pick/arrange the songs smartly and enjoy. This has no age limit.

  23. #22

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    I quit when I was younger, resumed after age 35. There was a brief but substantial period in my 20ies where I had a lot of time for guitar, didn't use it well and ended up quiting when more vital concerns took over. Now I have very little time, 30-45 mn per day, and I'm making much more progress than before, without lessons. The lessons from my 20ies did give me a starting point. I'm a late developer type, much clearer-headed now than in my teens and 20ies. The Internet saved me, I don't know if I'd have resumed playing without it. To give a few examples, through rave reviews on Amazon and forums I came to Bert Ligon's and Hal Galper's books - which teach harmony in a way I can understand. I re-learned how to pick with Troy Grady's videos - I would erect Troy a statue if I could. Andrew Green's books for fingerings. Recently I discovered Barry Greene's lessons, love his style and his lessons on standards are almost exactly like the lessons my teacher would record, one part comping, one part chorus. And some of you guys here, Christian, Reg, Matt, Mr. Beaumont and others, some of the stuff you post here or on YouTube has been immensely helpful - a big THANK YOU. Etc., etc. I'm not quite there yet but I'm now hopeful it can be done.
    Last edited by m_d; 07-24-2017 at 08:09 AM.

  24. #23

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    Off the top of my head within my acquaintance I can't think of anyone I know who started playing jazz guitar (specifically) after their 20s, but I suspect that's just the limits of my acquaintance, not anything about the instrument/genre. I do know a couple of people who became quite good classical pianists starting in their 30s. I also know several people who played an instrument at a beginner-ish level from childhood or teens on, but then at some point in adulthood got significantly better. I put myself in that camp.

    The common factor in these people's improvement is time, desire, and circumstance. The people I'm thinking of all found themselves with much more time on their hands for some combination of day-job and family reasons and/or found themselves in a situation where they had access to other musicians/gigs/jams/teachers that they hadn't had before. Their playing took off with those circumstances.

    For someone looking to music as a career, there's probably no subsititute for starting pre-adulthood. But if the goal is enjoyment and continuous improvement, assuming physical and cognitive health, I can't see why age should stop anyone from that.

    John

  25. #24

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    Hi,

    I had first picked up the guitar at about 21 because a friend played. Didn't last long, life got in the way. Later at about age 62, I got together with a group of friends, most of whom were pretty good and younger. We played together for about five years and even started playing gigs. Then life again got in the other players way and we stopped. So if nothing else I finally got to live my dream of playing in a rock band in front of people.

    Now I am trying some different things. When playing with the others, I got by by backing up the other guitarist who was really good. He learned by ear and was playing since he was about 5. He could do amazing things but he couldn't explain how. Now back to the point. I found a site, Improvise for Real, (search Google) that is helping me learn to play without conventional music theory getting in the way. He took a lot of the old notational methods, 1-7 for notes, 1 chord 1-3-5, 2 chord 1-2-4-6 and formalized it all into a method of teaching improvisation. And he has other materials where he supplies backing tracks for Jazz standards, and other genre's,different tracks each in all all modes and keys. No cage system, you learn the notes as 1-7, based on the steps and string jumps. Anyway it is great for guitar, but written for any instrument except drums!

    I am now learning theory without any of the normal confusion, and the guitar, chords and leads are starting to make a lot of sense. The course by David Reed isn't magic and he doesn't promise the undeliverable, but if you want to learn to play without being burdened by the normal confusing note names and confusing Latin modes, you might want to take a look!

    I put a link on my kids guitar web site on my home page so if you don't feel like searching Google. It is toward the bottom of the page and has a link to the book on Amazon with some good summary information. Good Times!

  26. #25

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    Well been playing blues and folk for years, always wondered how the hell you play jazz.... so I done it at 73 years old just bought a jazz guitar, hollow body Ibanez Artcore AFJ 95 and what a beautiful thing it is, looks amazing, feels like its mine, plays very well and bang on budget, putting it through a Roland Blues Cube Artist, learning Autumn Leaves with Jamie Holroyd on youtube........I'm home xxx
    Colin