Learning to play a musical instrument after Retirement?

[Ed B]

I already know how to play a musical instrument, but retirement has allowed me the opportunity to invest more time both learning and playing. As a result, I am a lot better player than I was just a year ago...

I will probably pick up the guitar again. I have a nice Guild and a sweet sounding Yamaha, the latter of which i bought in 1980 after gaining enough skill to be about to tell that my $30 fleamarket guitar sucked really hard....even harder than I sucked as a player at that moment in time. ?

Reading the earlier response about a relative who fought through arthritis to learn and play guitar was encouraging.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I never had music lessons growing up but when we bought a piano a few years after getting martied, I took weekly lessons for several months. I never ever could play with both hands at the same time. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Music Lover]

I will probably pick up the guitar again. I have a nice Guild and a sweet sounding Yamaha, the latter of which i bought in 1980 after gaining enough skill to be about to tell that my $30 fleamarket guitar sucked really hard....even harder than I sucked as a player at that moment in time. ��

It's not very much fun playing a poor quality guitar or a guitar with high action. Even though I'm primarily a bass player, I have a very nice acoustic guitar. The action is so low and it's so easy to play that after the guitarist in one of my bands tried it, he went out and bought himself a new acoustic guitar the next week...

Treat yourself...if you want to take up guitar again, buy a decent one with good action that's easy to play. Trying to get back into it on a cheap guitar will only lead to frustration.

 

[dixonge]

F has begun playing the ukulele this year, just a couple of months ago I think. He has never played a stringed instrument before, so he decided to start with the ukulele; maybe he will move up to guitar after a little while. He is teaching himself with the help of youtube and the internet.

The wife is convinced she will pick up and learn the ukulele down in Mexico. There's a local group of enthusiasts, evidently. We shall see...

 

[Winemaker]

I have to learn the piano that has been in my living room for over 33 years, but something always comes up and i don't have the time. Really, don't have the time.

 

[Tallman4123]

Began playing guitar at age 12 when my parents bought me my first one for my birthday. I remember learning to play Red River Valley off a 45 rpm instructional record. Never played anyhing but rhythm guitar but enjoyed it immensely. Don't play much anymore though. Bought an electric upright piano 20 years ago with every intention of learning to play. Took lessons for a winter but never really picked it up beyond basic chords. When we moved a year ago I tried to get rid of it by calling every piano store I could find and offering it for free if you just come take it off my hands. Even though it's in pristine condition, no one was interested since technology has changed so much. So now it's like an albatross taking up space in our guest room. Maybe someday I'll try again to learn it...

 

[jjquantz]

I already know how to play a musical instrument, but retirement has allowed me the opportunity to invest more time both learning and playing. As a result, I am a lot better player than I was just a year ago...

+1

 

[Idnar7]

W2R you seem absolutely smitten with F. I am happy for you and be his biggest fan.

 

[razztazz]

It's not very much fun playing a poor quality guitar or a guitar with high action. Even though I'm primarily a bass player, I have a very nice acoustic guitar. The action is so low and it's so easy to play that after the guitarist in one of my bands tried it, he went out and bought himself a new acoustic guitar the next week...

Treat yourself...if you want to take up guitar again, buy a decent one with good action that's easy to play. Trying to get back into it on a cheap guitar will only lead to frustration.

You can't do anything about a low end guitar except buy a better one but you can raise or lower the action on any guitar can. It's not difficult but for a novice you can take it to a music shoppe or a knowledgeable guitar maven.

If you had to shop around for a guitar with an ideal (or close) action you might never find it. It's like a pair new eyeglasses. They might seem OK in the store but you really have to wear them for several days before you notice they need an adjustment.

In fact my personal experience with "cheap" guitars has been, if you spend for really good strings and adjust the action to your liking you can disregard spending $1000 or more bucks for a better instrument. The difference and playability can be quite shocking with just those two interventions.

Now, if you can really play then go for the good one!! If you're strictly amature/play for pleasure/amaze and annoy your friends, a $1000 guitar won't really make you sound any better.

 

[Music Lover]

You can't do anything about a low end guitar except buy a better one but you can raise or lower the action on any guitar can. It's not difficult but for a novice you can take it to a music shoppe or a knowledgeable guitar maven.

If you had to shop around for a guitar with an ideal (or close) action you might never find it. It's like a pair new eyeglasses. They might seem OK in the store but you really have to wear them for several days before you notice they need an adjustment.

In fact my personal experience with "cheap" guitars has been, if you spend for really good strings and adjust the action to your liking you can disregard spending $1000 or more bucks for a better instrument. The difference and playability can be quite shocking with just those two interventions.

Now, if you can really play then go for the good one!! If you're strictly amature/play for pleasure/amaze and annoy your friends, a $1000 guitar won't really make you sound any better.

I agree to a certain point. You can only do so much with a cheap guitar. A more expensive guitar will have a better build quality and use better tone woods. Also, once a certain price point is reach, the wood choice becomes solid wood rather than laminate.

I just helped the drummer in one of my bands buy an acoustic guitar. Neither he or I liked anything in the $200 - $500 range (Canadian $$), but once you get to the next price point the difference is noticeable. He ended up with an $800 guitar that is very comparable to the one I paid $2000 for.

In short, there is a big difference between a $400 guitar and an $800 guitar, but then, like many things, the rule of diminishing returns kicks in. Once you get over $1,000 then you're paying for bling.

 

[Ed B]

You can't do anything about a low end guitar except buy a better one but you can raise or lower the action on any guitar can. It's not difficult but for a novice you can take it to a music shoppe or a knowledgeable guitar maven.

If you had to shop around for a guitar with an ideal (or close) action you might never find it. It's like a pair new eyeglasses. They might seem OK in the store but you really have to wear them for several days before you notice they need an adjustment.

In fact my personal experience with "cheap" guitars has been, if you spend for really good strings and adjust the action to your liking you can disregard spending $1000 or more bucks for a better instrument. The difference and playability can be quite shocking with just those two interventions.

Now, if you can really play then go for the good one!! If you're strictly amature/play for pleasure/amaze and annoy your friends, a $1000 guitar won't really make you sound any better.

I had my Yamaha acoustic adjusted by a professional to "just above a buzz" as he put it. It made quite a difference even though it wasnt bad in stock condition. It was not my first guitar, but it was my first nice one and cost about $150 new back in 1980. The sound on that guitar is very rich and really caught the ear of the pros who did the work on it even as i was buying the "better" Guild from them. The Guild was about $400 - $450 when I bought new aroung 1990. It was recommended as a lower cost alternative to a Martin by several much better (than me) guitar players that I knew back then. It is nice but I still prefer the sound of the Yamaha.

 

[Breedlove]

Been playing guitar since a very very early age , still perform locally . Martin guitars are nice but needed to step up their game Taylor pushed them to do it . I do not play Martin and I do not set my guitars . I tried when I was a kid and really made a mess of things .
I do not believe you need to spend lots of money to get a good guitar . A few years ago I used an 88.00 guitar on our Wonderjam in Europe . I remember my Luthier asking me if found some new firewood. One of my best friends and a great guitar player for years used an Alvarez while everyone was chasing Martins . an old 400.00 guitar (Monte Montgomery ) Get what you like and never cut another persons instrument down.

Today I use Breedlove's a good guitar. priced moderately and sound a lot like a Taylor.

 

[Souschef]

Sigh-I admire every one of you for your talents. My late wife was Scottish, so i bought a bagpipe chanter and used to go out at lunchtime and practice in my car.
I could never get more than 3 notes from it, so I gave up.
My problem is lack of patience, because i love all kinds of music, but cannot play a note.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Sigh-I admire every one of you for your talents. My late wife was Scottish, so i bought a bagpipe chanter and used to go out at lunchtime and practice in my car.
I could never get more than 3 notes from it, so I gave up.
My problem is lack of patience, because i love all kinds of music, but cannot play a note.

My wife knows one of my many funeral requests is to have a single Bag Pipe playing amazing grace.

 

[Souschef]

My wife knows one of my many funeral requests is to have a single Bag Pipe playing amazing grace.

I found another lesser known bagpipe funeral chant called "Flowers of the Forest" which commemorated the clansmen killed on Cullodon Moor. Very haunting

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I found another lesser known bagpipe funeral chant called "Flowers of the Forest" which commemorated the clansmen killed on Cullodon Moor. Very haunting

Thank you. It was beautiful

 

[BBQueen]

RE: learning to play an instrument later in life

I decided to learn piano 2 years ago at 60. Always wanted to play and I'm glad I started. I found out that reading music was easy for me, and with practice time, I am doing pretty well. It's been rewarding in many ways - I take lessons at a nearby studio and enjoy the camaraderie with other students, mostly children. Their view of life, practice, music is so interestingly refreshing. When I sit down to practice, time flies! I have no aspirations of being a concert pianist or doing recitals so the only pressure is my own desire for a certain level of expertise. Which seems to be higher than many others. I find it a nice place of focus, challenge and relaxation. Regardless of whether you are great at it, I vote for trying and enjoying the personal accomplishment at whatever level suits you! Ask yourself why you wouldn't do it and go from there. Failure is for us to determine, no one else. Go for it! and have fun! You might be pleasantly surprised...

 

[Tree-dweller]

I play mean dashboard bongos when riding shotgun. The other muses have eluded me.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I play mean dashboard bongos when riding shotgun. The other muses have eluded me.

I was slowly patrolling my sector of responsibility one quiet evening. I was going about 10 MPH looking out of my side of the car for anything that might be amiss. All of a sudden the guy I was with(not my regular partner) starts playing the dashboard bongos. He nearly gave me a heart attack. I had never heard or seen anyone do that before. I thought he was having a meltdown of some sort.

 

[sengsational]

I played bass in high school, but quit when I went to college. I got an acoustic in college, but quit when I got married.

So after 30 years, I brought out the bass again. I did a tune-up on the bass and got new strings. That was back in January. First thing I did was finish learning "Day of the Eagle" (the last song I was working on in high school, hehe!) I've got it down pat now, with vocals. But I've only tried to learn that one song plus just started fiddling around with "Pride and Joy", which is a 12 bar I-IV-V.

 

[boilerman]

I decided to learn piano 2 years ago at 60. Always wanted to play and I'm glad I started. I found out that reading music was easy for me, and with practice time, I am doing pretty well. It's been rewarding in many ways - I take lessons at a nearby studio and enjoy the camaraderie with other students, mostly children. Their view of life, practice, music is so interestingly refreshing. When I sit down to practice, time flies! I have no aspirations of being a concert pianist or doing recitals so the only pressure is my own desire for a certain level of expertise. Which seems to be higher than many others. I find it a nice place of focus, challenge and relaxation. Regardless of whether you are great at it, I vote for trying and enjoying the personal accomplishment at whatever level suits you! Ask yourself why you wouldn't do it and go from there. Failure is for us to determine, no one else. Go for it! and have fun! You might be pleasantly surprised...

That is great! I also plan to take up piano after I FIRE next year. I played for a few years when I was a kid and then played percussion through high school.

I've wondered about methods like Scott Houston's Play Piano system that promise quicker progress. Anyone have experience with his program?

 

[razztazz]

That is great! I also plan to take up piano after I FIRE next year. I played for a few years when I was a kid and then played percussion through high school.

I've wondered about methods like Scott Houston's Play Piano system that promise quicker progress. Anyone have experience with his program?

I took a similar course locally. I recognized it as basically the Scott Houston concept that I had seen on PBS.

I ended up going with the guitar instead of piano but only because of space, portability, and cost concerns

It looks like a fantastic way for "regular" people to get into playing without having to spend years learning music from what goes on "under the hood". Or what Billy Joel calls "all the dots." Apparently even he didn't like studying the mechanics of music.

I learned a lot about music though. What I'd call "Applied music" not theory. And it transcribed over to playing guitar so I didn't waste the class after all. The "hand practice" was the only thing that differed.

 

[Trooper]

You can't do anything about a low end guitar except buy a better one but you can raise or lower the action on any guitar can. It's not difficult but for a novice you can take it to a music shoppe or a knowledgeable guitar maven.

If you had to shop around for a guitar with an ideal (or close) action you might never find it. It's like a pair new eyeglasses. They might seem OK in the store but you really have to wear them for several days before you notice they need an adjustment.

In fact my personal experience with "cheap" guitars has been, if you spend for really good strings and adjust the action to your liking you can disregard spending $1000 or more bucks for a better instrument. The difference and playability can be quite shocking with just those two interventions.

Now, if you can really play then go for the good one!! If you're strictly amature/play for pleasure/amaze and annoy your friends, a $1000 guitar won't really make you sound any better.

I retired a year and a half ago with "learning how to play guitar" on my bucket list. I'm somewhat musically inclined - can read music and taught myself how to read guitar tabs. I am really just looking to be able to play songs that I enjoy listening to, so I spend time on YouTube and muddle along that way. After a couple of months I can play a few tunes that one may even recognize

I'm using a Mitchell guitar that I had around the house from the last time I tried to learn - when I was w*rking. I'm sure it's not a great guitar, but I can't really justify anything better at my current proficiency level. In fact I had never heard of this thing called "action" until now. Still trying to get callouses on my fingers so they don't hurt so much

 

[Breedlove]

I think Mitchell is Guitar Center / Musicians friend House brand. Take it in have them set the neck and put new strings on . not a bad guitar. You will think you got a new guitar . Usually only costs no more then 40.00 total. If you were in Houston I would take you to the best Luthier I feel in the world. He is an incredible person , he also builds guitars and he is very honest.

 

[Trooper]

I think Mitchell is Guitar Center / Musicians friend House brand. Take it in have them set the neck and put new strings on . not a bad guitar. You will think you got a new guitar . Usually only costs no more then 40.00 total. If you were in Houston I would take you to the best Luthier I feel in the world. He is an incredible person , he also builds guitars and he is very honest.

I think you are right about Mitchell being Guitar Center's house brand, Breedlove. I bought it there probably about 15 years ago. About 3 months ago I had GC put a new set of strings on...what does 'set the neck' mean? I've heard that moving the strings closer to the fretboard helps alot. Wish I could meet your luthier!