Relearning After 35 Year Break !!

Hello Everyone,

I'm shocked to see how many people like me have a "loving history" of guitar playing that got lost somewhere 30 years or so ago and are now fired with ambition to recapture youth.....and past skills.

In the 70's I was a typical guitar playing, folksinging, war protesting college student and was pretty good at all the above. Of course, now that I look over some of the music theory, GAGE system, and other advanced guitar info on this site, I realize I was pretty good in a very "baby" way with a high level of profeciency in easy open chords and better than average finger picking skills on these baby chords!!

At this point, I'm trying to get some of those "easy, baby skills" back and they are kicking my #%@!. But......I'm having such fun.

The plan is to recapture some early skills and add to them with the help from GT experts. Bought a new guitar for incentive, blasted through everything until that "bad boy" B-major chord was introduced and am now working on mastering that.

Anybody have any advise or encouragement on just how long it takes to master that thing? Appreciate any thoughts or advise.

Meanwhile, Glad be here !!

Sounds familiar. Started my 35-year break from guitar in the mid-70's. And it was just three nights ago that I told a friend that GT has taught me a whole bunch...including the realization that I wasn't as good then as I thought I was. :D

Welcome...you're gonna like it!

Your stories were awesome to read. I, unfortunately didnt enjoy playing many years ago, but in recent years have picked up the guitar and Ive been hooked ever since.
I, along with my children, bought my husband a guitar for Christmas one year. He attempted to play, but didnt have the patience to continue, so it sat on the guitar stand for a year or two, me eyeing it for that amount of time, before I picked it up to play. I haven't stopped loving it since. I am mostly self taught with lessons thrown in here and there.
We are also retired and have the time now to enjoy practicing without time restraints..;o)
I discovered this site yesterday, I am a registered member obviously, but already so close to joining for lessons.

Hi John and Marci

Good to hear from you. Nice to know I have so much company working at my level and trying to "get there" or to "get back there" !!!

Just wondering, did you guys investigate any other online classes. I did lots of research on guitar lessons before deciding on Guitar Tricks. FYI, I also joined JamPlay. While it is LOADED with good info and teachers and help and everything ...... I just didn't like the format of it. I found the opportunity to choose from "many" teachers on a given subject was confusing and frustrating. Found myself looking at teachers and teaching styles more often than advancing through the lessons. Also, the lessons don't seem to have as good a "Plan" on how to progress and are way too long. It also drove me crazy the way each class wasted 2-3 minutes at the start with an instructior "playing/demonstrating" something on the guitar that was related to "something" about to be taught. I wanna get into the lesson not listen to somebody else play until the lesson is over. I have cancelled my JamPlay membership.

I found another Free Lessons site called "Guitar for Beginners and Beyond." The instructor, Kirk Lorange was very very good and clear on some of the basics but didn't have anywhere near the variety of lessons or topics as GT. He was ultimately selling an advanced course on knowing the fretboard called PlaneTalk. While this sounds very interesting, I am NOWHERE near studying anything like that. Plus, I just started the Intermediate Core Lessons and it seems that this subject may be covered very well in this area.

Keep in touch

I did about a week's worth of bouncing around the 'net before I settled on GT. I don't remember what other sites I looked at but I do remember the second and third choices weren't all that close to GT. ;)

I frequently look at other sites but the only one I keep going back to is justinguitar.com . It's free, well structured IMO and Justin is a good guy with a great sense of humor...sorta like a GT instructor but with a British accent. :D The site has given me some good supplemental info.

My first year with GT was spent with a not-so-good guitar from those decades ago. But the last two years has involved *a lot* of actual playing/practicing. I'm a loyal, long term and grateful member.

I do 'have the time' to practice but three 'things' have turned all this into a joyful experience. First, a close friend who lent me a quality instrument and then sold it to me at a really good price. He's a friend and an inspiration. Second, that guitar itself. It's the first 'good' guitar I've had and it can make anyone's playing sound good...even mine. Finally, the style of lessons and the personality of the GT instructors. Between it all I find I *want* to practice.

It's a good feeling.

I too have looked forever into sites for guitar tips and lessons. I am a skeptic when it comes to committing to purchasing things on line, but I did yesterday.
I've heard of the sites you mentioned but never got into any of them.
Yesterday I was searching for tips and came across the GT site. I couldnt be happier and I purchased the one year plan here. I havent put the guitar down, except for sleeping, since yesterday at 3pm and here I am back at it again.
I haven't followed any instructors yet except for the beginner tutorials, which I know most of, but felt I wanted to start from the beginning. With that being said, I have learned things that I thought I already knew..
Im in love with a very exciting website.
Marci

I know exactly what you mean about a quality instrument. I too splurged on a beautiful new Martin guitar. Always wants one and am at a place in life where I just matched into that store and said "pack it up' i want it!! Ha ha

REALLY makes a difference. But my husband is saying I better get to making some SERIOUS music. I replied that he better start winning golf tournaments with the fancy new clubs he just bought !! Bet I'll be making great music first. :)

Hi Josie,

I to am "bringing back memories" Started about 35 years ago with private lessons at a notable music shop in Cols. OH. Week in and week out it was " what song do you want to learn this week" I learned absolutley nothing about theory, mechanics, how to optimize my gear, just some open chords, barre chords and how to play some tunes. I am 48 years old now, have had 2 private instructors in the last year (Both were good, learned something from each one) and here I am at GT. There is something on this site for everyone!
I can have a guitar lesson every night of the week, in fact, I do. I don't have to drive 15 miles one way to get there. The cost, well, lets just say it is a FRACTION of what private instruction was. I have learned SO MUCH in the last 2 months it blows my mind. I still have a LOOOOOOOONG way to go, but, I can see such a difference in my playing. I started at the very begining. I found I knew some of it but watched the tutorials anyway and guess what?? There was alot I did NOT know. One thing I am reallly hooked on here at GT are the tools they offer. The chord finder, the backing tracks are amazing. I have found ( for myself anyway) that playing to a backing track can make a world of difference in keeping time. It has helped me so much. Well anyway, Welcome and I urge you to utilize this great site and the tools it offers. The instructors are all very knowledgable and will answer your questions. Rock on!

Hi Josie,
I can relate. I got my first guitar 45 years ago and have always had one. however other than learning a few chords never took the time to to get better. In the last year I've been searching all the sites and think I will get the most from this site.
I have always liked blues and the 70s classic rock. Now that I have the time to pursue learning the guitar, I am looking foward to getting better. I asked an instructor if I was to old to teach and he said absolutly no, he said remember you will never be as bad as you are now, so go for it.
montejay

Originally Posted by: Montejay...you will never be as bad as you are now...

I LIKE IT!!! :D

I love it Josie..Your comeback was priceless..My husband has also said, that he wanted to see results from my self teaching and lessons from an instructor..hahahahah..I also said I wanted him to show me his gains from his stock market investments...That quieted him down just a bit!!hahaha..Your posting actually made me LOL...I think after working with Guitar Tricks I might be asking for a better guitar than what I have..I love my guitar but I think I want something sweeter..

Originally Posted by: JosieNurseI know exactly what you mean about a quality instrument. I too splurged on a beautiful new Martin guitar. Always wants one and am at a place in life where I just matched into that store and said "pack it up' i want it!! Ha ha

REALLY makes a difference. But my husband is saying I better get to making some SERIOUS music. I replied that he better start winning golf tournaments with the fancy new clubs he just bought !! Bet I'll be making great music first. :)

Hey folks, sorry to "necro" such an old thread, but during a google search, this one leaped off the page at me.

I'm a 2 1/2 year sober recovering alcoholic, and it was *strongly* suggested that I pick up the guitar again (insurance against getting bored, which is extremely dangerous for people like me, at this stage of recovery.)

I had a Strat-plus and a Fender Twin reverb when I more or less quit at age 35-ish... two things happened simultaneously: I had stumbled across Steve Vai, and was listening to "For the Love of God," and realized that I was never going to be able to get anywhere near that level of playing, and I bought my first PC, and then got more or less hooked on computer gaming... and that was it. They gathered dust for years, and I finally sold it all off; guitar, amp, pedals, everything, and bought a better computer. Idiot.

Life happened, and so did alcoholism (again; this was round two... quit on my own the first time, and *couldn't* this time), and now I'm 66 and trying to remember the things I knew how to play over thirty years ago. Man, either my current guitar (Epiphone SG wanna-be) is an anvil, or I've lost a LOT of physical conditioning in my hands; bending notes on this thing is outright painful. Nothing like the Strat I remember, not even close.

Anyway, I'm blessed/cursed with a really good ear, musically; I can listen to a song for awhile, and in a very short time, I'm playing it... typically learn the "hook" note per note, and play just that part generally. Knew a whole bunch of "hooks," but precious few full songs. I thought this was a good thing, and always sneered at learning "correctly" how to play; who needs to, when I can just pick it up on my own, right? Wrong. It carries you pretty far, but then there's this wall; if you want to learn more, like theory, or talk to other players who DO know their instruments and music in general, you're just stuck, and feel like an idiot when you have to show them hand positioning and such in a kind of "show and tell" to get what you're trying to say across ("showing" and "telling" them how little I actually know, in reality).

I decided that since my life may literally be on the line here, I'm going to do things "right" this time, and take the time to learn to walk instead of trying to run all on my own as i did before. I'll have to learn to "park" this ear and just work through it by the lesson. I found this thread, and did some digging around, and this site comes highly recommended, so I'm ready to give it a serious go! Thanks for a great site and I really look forward to meeting people and learning things here.

Welcome Khar and best to you.

It's so cool to start playing guitar again! Same here body ! I haven't played guitar for 15 years but today I want to start playing it again ! I saw a photo on the net and I got that it's never too late to start studying. We just need to assume it and start learning.

Oh my goodness, I just LOVE all of these stories and comments!

What a great thread, and it does show what kind of warm community GuitarTricks is.

Music brings people together like nothing else on earth.

JosieNurse, your come-back to you husband was brilliant and priceless! 

Cheering you ALL on, Lisa

edited 2 months ago