am i too old?

soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
edited February 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
ive had a guitar sitting in my room... oh for nigh on 5 years now. i took a few lessons one summer between college quarters and never continued. i think im just too old and missed the music boat. i just dont have the time or patience for it anymore. im 24, im headed to law school next fall and between that, recovery, and my gf, i rather doubt im going to find time to learn then. after that ill be 27 with a corporate law job and family. should i just give up, accept the fact that it's not going to happen, and pawn that guitar i've got? i mean, even when i do have down time id prefer to read a book or even write something of my own than fiddle with music. i think i only did it cos i was perpetually afraid my ex was going to leave me for a guitarist, hehe.

so, anyone want a guitar? shit, ive got 3 harmonicas i dont know how to play too!
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • well it sure doesn't sound like you WANT to play ...

    so you'd be keeping it out of regret that you never did play?

    usualy i find when i'm keeping something just because i regret not having used it (ie. art supplies, books, exercise equipment) ... i find it actually is MORE SOOTHING to my mind to just TOSS IT!

    now,
    that being said ...
    what kind of guitar is it?

    electric\acoustic
    make\model
    ?

    it's always fun to just strum a little in your spare time,
    even if you aren't serious ...

    but it sounds like you don't even want to do that,
    so why waste space to hold on to something that you'll just stare at and get bitter about seeing?

    :D
    If I was to smile and I held out my hand
    If I opened it now would you not understand?
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    yeah, don't keep it if you have no desire to play it.
  • ive had a guitar sitting in my room... oh for nigh on 5 years now. i took a few lessons one summer between college quarters and never continued. i think im just too old and missed the music boat. i just dont have the time or patience for it anymore. im 24, im headed to law school next fall and between that, recovery, and my gf, i rather doubt im going to find time to learn then. after that ill be 27 with a corporate law job and family. should i just give up, accept the fact that it's not going to happen, and pawn that guitar i've got? i mean, even when i do have down time id prefer to read a book or even write something of my own than fiddle with music. i think i only did it cos i was perpetually afraid my ex was going to leave me for a guitarist, hehe.

    so, anyone want a guitar? shit, ive got 3 harmonicas i dont know how to play too!

    Hey dude,

    I personally think that you should stick with it because I think you'll regret it later on.

    What kind of guitar is it??
    "I Miss You Already!!!!!"

    "Sorry is the fool who trades his love for high-rise rent, Seems the more you make equals the loneliness you get"

    .NJD.
  • nick1977nick1977 Posts: 327
    You are not too old to learn to play. I'm 28 in a corporate law job with a family. Guitar is my hobby, and I love it.

    Having said that, if you don't enjoy it, give it up.....spend your spare time doing what you enjoy.
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    nick1977 wrote:
    You are not too old to learn to play. I'm 28 in a corporate law job with a family. Guitar is my hobby, and I love it.

    Having said that, if you don't enjoy it, give it up.....spend your spare time doing what you enjoy.

    That's pretty much me too. I bought an acoustic almost 5 years ago and it sat until last summer when life kicked me in the pants and I started taking lessons. Its honestly the best thing I've ever done for myself as I love it like nothing else and I make time for it, as I find it very therapeutic. You're never too old to try something you might love for the rest of your life.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    well it sure doesn't sound like you WANT to play ...

    so you'd be keeping it out of regret that you never did play?

    i keep it becos i keep telling myself ill get around to learning it one day. but like i said, ive been saying that for 5 years and i just dont see it happening.

    id like to be able to play, but i dont have the patience, time, or perseverance to learn. i think if i had started in high school or when i was smoking pot, id be at a level where i can strum along to things, but i didnt. i cant play a damn thing and never could.

    so no, i guess im not that keen on it. like i said, im more of a literary guy.

    it's an electric. i want to say an epiphone. it was relatively cheap, i got a decent deal from my gf's dad who's a dealer. i also think the jack that you use to plug it into the amp doesnt always work perfectly... it's loose or something. im pretty sure it's kind of a "beginner's" guitar.
  • brain of cbrain of c Posts: 5,213
    you're not too old.

    i should teach you.....everybody i've taught is now light years better than me.....
  • brain of c....i've always wondered...

    Elmira, Ontario????
    "I Miss You Already!!!!!"

    "Sorry is the fool who trades his love for high-rise rent, Seems the more you make equals the loneliness you get"

    .NJD.
  • brain of cbrain of c Posts: 5,213
    brain of c....i've always wondered...

    Elmira, Ontario????


    i'm in a new york state of mind.
  • You're never to old to learn so pick up that guitar and PLAY!
    When all your dreams turn to dust, vacuum
    When all else fails, read the instruction
  • I'd say go ahead and sell it, since you have no interest in it right now. You can always decide to pick it back up later, and with your choice of profession, I'm sure you'll be able to afford a new one later on...One of the good things about guitars; they are easy to come by, and for whatever reason, companies keep making them...go figure :)
    You might find that either you truely have no interest in learning how to play it, so you won't miss it, or you will miss it, and later go get another one.
    I had a guitar for about three years, then just got tired of playing...so after it sat around collecting dust for a few months, I pawned it. A few months later, I missed it, so I went and got another one...and I'm still playing.
    "I don't need drugs; life is tragic enough."
    "If you love someone, let them go...if someone loves you, don't fuck up."

    ~Julie
  • you're not too old but it doesn't sound like you want to learn to play it really..
    it's easy to confuse a great design with life's ripercussions

    i'd rather die than give you control
  • you're not too old but it doesn't sound like you want to learn to play it really..

    My Dad started at about 37 years old. hes pretty good now.
    you're never too old for anything.
    Dont take drugs and be a loser
    wear a pink shirt and go down the boozer
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    brain of c wrote:
    i'm in a new york state of mind.

    That's close to Binghamton, right? I used to go to school up there.

    And back on topic, go out and take a few lessons, see if you like it. If you don't, then you know it wasn't meant to be, but at least give it a shot.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    Spook Fish wrote:
    My Dad started at about 37 years old. hes pretty good now.
    you're never too old for anything.


    my mom and day, now retired for a few years, they're both 62, have started playing the piano and banjo respectively.

    i'm quaking in fear.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    moster78 wrote:
    That's close to Binghamton, right? I used to go to school up there.

    And back on topic, go out and take a few lessons, see if you like it. If you don't, then you know it wasn't meant to be, but at least give it a shot.

    i took lessons. it was ok but i just wasnt disciplined enough to keep it up.

    i think ill hawk it. like people said, if i change my mind i can always buy a new one, and id rather have an acoustic anyway. any advice on selling it? am i better off just going to a pawn shop or am i going to get offered like $10 for it there?
  • what keys are the harmonicas in and what kind are they? The key should be somewhere on the harp itself.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    what keys are the harmonicas in and what kind are they? The key should be somewhere on the harp itself.

    i wanna say C. is that the most standard one?

    are you the guy that pm'ed me the other day? cos i lost that pm and totally forgot to check.
  • Do you have any friends who play guitar at all? Get one of them to tune it for you (this is the hardest part when learning) and then work on a few fingerings. You are younger than i was when I started and now I rock the place out every week. Seriously, if it's a cheap guitar and you're not going to get much for it... why sell it unless you need the space or cash?

    Rockin in the free world is a great starter. Em D C with a little bit of G D C to Em and a small amount of A-A7. Sounds scary but it doesn't take many fingers. If you like the Dave Matthews Band version of Watchtower, then Am G and F are your friends. Just keep that strumming hand flicking.

    I couldn't play for shit till I found some guys who could also play a bit. then we started jamming, and now it's a weekly event that we all look forward to. We're all way to busy with other things to be at music seriously, but now, 8 years later, we all measure the week as time spent between jams.

    Your dime. You spend it your way. you're not too old, though.

    Dance and Sing along with Shed Devils at http://www.sheddevils.com/
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    Age isn't the issue here. It's desire.

    I was in a terrible car accident in 2000. I lost all feeling in my left arm and hand for nearly 18 months due to nerve injuries. I had to "re-learn" to play the guitar without being able to feel the strings or neck. Then, after surgery to restore feeling to my hand, I had to re-learn again.

    I'm still re-learning, and might never have the speed I'd like to have, but where there's a desire to succeed, there is success.
  • im 20 and i just started learning
    right now i pretty much suck but im getting better slowley
    i think if you want to and work at it anyone can really learn
    dream like your living forever
    live like your dying today
  • EchoesEchoes Posts: 1,279
    How much? I could go for a cheap electric guitar.

    And WAyne Coyne and the Flaming Lips were about 40 when they released the Soft Bulletin, so there isn;t such a thing as an expiry date.
    printf("shiver in eternal darkness\n");
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    Echoes wrote:
    How much? I could go for a cheap electric guitar.

    And WAyne Coyne and the Flaming Lips were about 40 when they released the Soft Bulletin, so there isn;t such a thing as an expiry date.

    i dont know, care to make an offer? $40? i have no idea how id ship it though or what that'd cost...
  • I think in the time this guy has argued his desire to play he couldve learned the 4 chords for last kiss or something, or at least a nirvana riff (pff) anyways, thats my two cents, and i kinda want them back

    harrison
    2005.09.04
    2005.09.05

    "how many people did die from that?...did P.Diddy kill them?" - Eddie Vedder 2006.02.19
  • I started at 14 and didn't really get anywhere too far until I turned 16 and met my former bandmate. The guy could play the most amazing stuff, and he was two years younger than me. He's a prodigy actually.

    He was better at 14 than I am now at 20 (almost). He was doing contract studio work by 16 and can rip a seriously mean one. He basically taught me how to play. He auditioned for Jazz guitar at the New England Conservatory or Music, NYU and McGill university in Montreal and was accepted to all. He went into Engineering instead, but he's still a killer player.

    He also has the nicest gear I've ever seen in my life!
  • EchoesEchoes Posts: 1,279
    i dont know, care to make an offer? $40? i have no idea how id ship it though or what that'd cost...

    take some pictures for me? that sounds like a pretty alright proposition
    printf("shiver in eternal darkness\n");
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    Echoes wrote:
    take some pictures for me? that sounds like a pretty alright proposition

    i dont have a digital camera. after the weekend maybe ill look it up and see if i can find it online. it's basically the knid of starter guitar you can get in a package at media play for $200 i think.
Sign In or Register to comment.