The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26
    to me it does't matter how old you are it is what unfolds for you guitarist may what you be but what about the other things bandmates/money/wife/new car/travel/family.I know young guitarists that blend their music with family business if it is,nt the mainstay then you have adapt to other persuits when your time comes your there.richard

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  3. #27

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    I would say it depends how late. I, honestly think, 25 is probably the latest you can really pick up an instrument, with no previous experience, and really master it(unless you are just a one in a million talent-in which case why are you so late??). At 17, I would say its ridiculous to think yourself too old for anything. I started playing seriously at the age of 21, 5 years later, I've improved greatly(I have a great ear, and that helps). But you know at 21 I started college and then I got a girlfriend then I got married then I got a fulltime job. So I would say after 25 it is extremely hard, just because of time. The internet makes it seem almost too easy to really learn to play music(not just guitar). But when it comes down to it, you only get better by putting time in on the instrument. At 17, you can still pretty much do selfish things in life, like stay home all day and play guitar. So I would encourage you to start as soon as possible, you will get as good, as you want to. But hurry, my friend, because I can tell you 17 turns into 26 before you even know it.

  4. #28

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    "You need to read the book by Oliver Sacks called "Musicophilia". This fellow was struck by lightning at the age of 45 or something. He had no previous knowledge of or even interest in music. He started hearing music in his head all the time. He bought a piano, learned to read and write music after a few years. Now, he is a professional composer and performs his own classical (neo-classical...whatever) compositions in front of vast audiences!!"


    Anyway, the point of that I guess is that it is indeed possible to start REALLY late and master the damned instrument. But you may have to be struck by lightning or have some other strange neurological experience! But I am talking to infants here.
    Last edited by franco6719; 07-28-2010 at 04:27 AM.

  5. #29

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    Then there are people like me: started in my teens, dropped it for 20 years or so after five or six years, and I now I am playing much better than ever and learning more every day at 42.

  6. #30

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    it's like everything, in general, you learn faster when you are younger.

  7. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by gordon
    it's like everything, in general, you learn faster when you are younger.
    and typically, as others have noted, you have more free time to learn when you are young. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

  8. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by gordon
    it's like everything, in general, you learn faster when you are younger.

    1. At 17 there is no doubt that you are not too old. Just don’t be wasteful and unfocused with your studies. You should be able to overcome a lot of obstacles and advantages held by others in about 3-5 years - IF you have a little bit of talent and if you practice enough. (Pay attention to that last part)

    2. there is probably some truth to the observation that people who start anything when they are very young "grow up with it" while their bodies and brains are still developing, and it just seems to become more "natural" to them. When they reach their late teens or early twenties people marvel at their incredible "talent" and prodigious capabilities. However - that does not mean that they will do much with music, or play anything that people really want to hear. Those things take something else. (like focus, wise choices, taste, creativity).

  9. #33

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    age 17 ... "late in life" — that is so adorable! if you really love music, it'll love you right back. you really don't need any aspirations at all. music can be a wonderful part of your everyday life. enjoy it, and if you discover that you have a real knack for it, then pursue it and see where it leads you.

  10. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by franco6719
    "You need to read the book by Oliver Sacks called "Musicophilia". This fellow was struck by lightning at the age of 45 or something. He had no previous knowledge of or even interest in music. He started hearing music in his head all the time. He bought a piano, learned to read and write music after a few years. Now, he is a professional composer and performs his own classical (neo-classical...whatever) compositions in front of vast audiences!!"


    Anyway, the point of that I guess is that it is indeed possible to start REALLY late and master the damned instrument. But you may have to be struck by lightning or have some other strange neurological experience! But I am talking to infants here.
    lol, now you're gonna have every 45 year old guy who never started that band he always wanted to standing outside in thunderstorms with copper wrapped around them.

  11. #35

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    and getting all that copper wired to a 50KW sound system...

  12. #36

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    Too late to start at 17? Remember Pat Martino, losing his memory of guitar in 1980 at age 36 after a brain aneurysm, and seven years later at 42 making a comeback after learning guitar all over again? I'd say that he was doing pretty good for a 'newcomer' last time I saw him perform.

    I have played for years, but now at 55 am taking serious theory and composition lessons on guitar, and having a blast. I can't even REMEMBER 17 now, but I probably felt I was over a hill or something...