I asked for a guitar for my 60th birthday, now 61. I'm retired and decided I needed to fill life with things I wanted to do not just go to work. Love the guitar play everyday and it's getting better. My tip...have fun
I’m 44 & haven’t really played since high school. I still know the basic chords but not much else. I’m looking forward to finally learning how to actually play the guitar. How is it going for you? Hope you’re still playing. Take care.
62. Started learning when I was in my late 30's. Lost my index finger tip mid 40's. I'm now 62 and have decided to try to pick it up again. Index finger is missing most of the pad and is a lot shorter, but the joint is still there. Making chords using that finger is a challenge, to be sure, but I am figuring out how to use it again. Still working on simple man. Scales aren't a problem. Chords are tough c, d, am, any chord that uses that index finger is tough but I am overcoming it! You give great instruction and I am impressed. I'm also subscribed! Thanks!!!
Glad to help! You wouldn't be my first student to have missing digits. A little bit of adjustment is definitely required, but I had a student with index and middle both missing their tips, and he was pretty darn good. I'm sure you'll reach your goals!
Started at 69 been at it for a year now, James has so many good ideas. Lauren Bateman has good things for injured or older players. We have been there bro and now we should learn for ourselves. Hang in there.
At 83 years I have been messing around with about 4 or 5 chords for 66 years and am still hopeless. I am going to go back to basics with your beginner lessons. Baz
Thank you. When I started learning I was 42 years old. Ten years later I still find motivation and procrastination as my biggest obstacles. You are so right about leaving your guitar out near you and tuned and ready be practiced. Even though I love music, getting started is the hardest step.
I'm turning 42 in a week and I started guitar last year. I'm still struggling with changing chords but it's also my fault since I don't practice much at all. I need to devote myself more.
This is a great video. Having played for a few years I sometimes still consider myself a beginner. Yet, reflecting back to the times my fingers hurt, or when I struggled within basic chord changes, I realize I’ve actually progressed much further than I give myself credit. Having the discipline to follow a system, I’m certain I’d be much further along. Perhaps it’s time to get serious. 🤔
Thanks for sharing your experience with comments.... great advice for everyone...I am 78 yrs old & although I have played for a few years I am still learning...I have arthritis in my fingers so some chords are 'simplified' for my application as I play Travis picking style... just love my guitar... cheers from Australia i
Yes James as an older learner, I need to warm up first. I need to be methodical in my learning as I want to do so much as quickly as I can. So I am thinking break this down in little sections as you have said. Thanks a alot
James excellent lesson there I am now doing some of your longer lessons now and it's coming on very very well with your lessons good guitarist the best thanks so much Neil england
You are so right I have my guitars out all the time and as I am working from home three times a week since COVID my skills have come on, so let the music play ,The Big Kahuna
I am going to be 70 in one month. I played the Trumpet in my youth so I can read music. I retired at 64 & started playing the guitar & play beyond beginner now. However, I struggle with transitioning from open chords to barre chords. I can barre real good just not transition quick enough (timing). The song The Weight is an example when transitioning to B & back. I really appreciate your vids! Great instructions!
Thanks, James, great tips. I have learned so much from you. At my stage I know I will only be able to accomplish just so much but already, with the handful of chords I have learned, I can make my way through many, many tunes.
Many moons ago, as a young man in high school, I learned to play a G chord with only two fingers (sometimes 3, but mostly just the two), and that's how I played a G chord for about 4 decades. Fast forward to today, I'm 63, and I have learned how full, and beautiful a FOUR fingered G can sound. It's marvelous. But retraining my hand to go from an E or C chord, back to that beautiful G, is an absolute pain in the a**! My fingers almost NEVER land back where they're supposed to be. They automatically go for that 2-fingered G. So, thanks for this video. I'm hopeful your tips will help me break this old habit. 👍👍👍😏😏😏
Almost 64 here - agree with every single tip! Would add one more… #8 - make sure your guitar is set up properly especially acoustics! Get an experienced player to play it a bit - a friend, a teacher, someone at a guitar store. I’ve seen many cases where a simple tweak of the truss rod can make a guitar so much easier to play for a beginner!
Glad it was helpful! And thanks for reading the description. I write them all up individually instead of just copy+pasting the usual blurb, and I can't really tell if anyone actually reads them, haha!
Fantastic lessons for learning how to Play Guitar . I‘am 55 years old now and it‘s hard work and also fun . Excuse my bad englisch , because my first Language is German . Thank you very much and Greetings from Hamburg Germany Stephan
Been playing 3 weeks now from scratch: learnt notes A-G with minors, 7s etc plus notes like C9add. Each session starts with a recap or chords and some fretboard experimentation so sub-consciously learn cheats or tricks. I then pick a song and learn any new notes like F#7 etc followed by practicing a section of the song to learn the chord changes...like D and C, I perhaps try a lazy D by barring the e, G and B on fret 2 and finger G on 3rd fret to get a sense of how to cut corners as guitar playing seems to be a precise as you want. I practice about 1 hour a day and love the learning process along with a lesson every 2 weeks.
Hey, this video recommended to me and I was looking at guitar guides for beginners me who’s about to turn 40. This partly because my 12yr old daughter asked me if she can have a guitar and this reminds me of how back then at 9-10yrs old I loved to play my flute and toy piano 😂 why have her practiced guitar alone right? The more the merrier
Sound advice (no pun) 73 here strummed a bunch of tunes 35 years ago and let it lapse. Life gets in the way. Just picked it up a few months ago. Got a second hand Keith Urban 30 songs in 30 days ( Yeah if you're a pro) off of E-bay. Playing along with the band tracks is invaluable. Taking a break to develop finger picking skills. HARD but it'll be worth it . Any advice? Your presentation is excellent
That is a brilliant tutorial. Adding to it, I find that a little bit of fingers, wrists, elbows and shoulders stretching before playing the guitar relaxes my muscle tensions and joints as well. Thank you.
Thank you James! I’ve watched this excellent video two or three times over the last two years that I have been trying to teach myself guitar online. It reminds me that sometimes I’m trying to go too fast and I have, to be honest, wandered all over the Internet trying different teachers at different times. It’s possible I might continue to do that, however as of today I’m going to try to focus just on your lessons and try to move through them slowly and with purpose. I am a lifelong teacher by profession and calling so I think I have enough experience to say that you are a kind, patient and excellent master teacher. Thank you for putting so much heart into each and every one of your lessons.
Leaving a guitar out all the time might not be the the best idea. Here in Arizona, Where humidity is very low (23%) the guitars get dry and get destroyed. I have a cheaper guitar that leaves outside to be played more often. The nicer acoustic lives in the case with the humidifier. I enjoy your videos. 😀👍
Hi Daniel. That's a good point. I live in Vancouver, Canada, where the weather is consistent. It's either rainy, cloudy or sometimes sunny, and the temp/humidity is fairly constant throughout the year. I never considered taking care of a guitar in other climates. Although, when I was in Australia/SE Asia, I did notice fresh strings died within a few hours (instead of 2 weeks).
Look at carbon fiber. Perhaps not as good on sound, but no problems with humidity and temperature. And no, I don't own one yet, savings must be built up first! 😀
As a player who started in my 60's and having previous hand injuries. I can't play barre chords, I wish someone would do a video on this problem with suggestions to work around not being capable to play barre chords. But great tips in this video.
James, I enjoy your videos a lot and have learned quite a bit in my short guitar journey. However, I am concerned that I am unable to become a good guitar player as I am simply unable to get my fingers in some chord patterns i.e.G. I am 75, have smallish hands and the arthritis that comes with age. Is there any hope?
Age is just a number. I try learning to play guitar at age 39 years old. 7 months in, I now can play many songs. You just need passion to learn and dedication to practice.
Awesome! I just discovered you & i find your teaching style really great. Your breakdown is crystal clear and easy to follow..coming from an older beginner! Love it. Thank you kindly!
Another geat helpful video . I am 78 years young and just started with an Acoustic about 2 months ago . My fingers don't bend all that well , and can't always press the strings properly. I was reading about "Silk Steel strings". Can you please give me any advise on these . Thank you James
I've heard silk+steel strings have a softer feel, but I'm not sure if they're easier to press, or just feel better on the fingertips as I haven't tried them myself.
Very useful good tips! Inspire me too! So happy to know about light strings...for whole lifetime nobody ever tell me that! I never pick up guitar in my young days because I have naturally sharp fingertips (not rounded blunt fleshy fingertips like majority people) so it’s too difficult to press down the strings also I don’t want my fingers to bleed. U make me happy that I could have easier options. Now I just curious if electric guitar must have electricity to play? Are most Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler’s music on electric guitar or acoustic guitar? Is there a place where i can get all chord arrrangement for any songs, music in the world so I can play them? Or do most musicians try to play the music by ear, ie without music sheet?
Electric guitar doesn't necessarily require electricity. The guitar itself is very quiet, though, so if you want to perform you would need to plug it into an amplifier (which requires electricity). Eric Clapton has a few acoustic tunes: Change The World, Tears In Heaven and Layla Unplugged come to mind. I have a few hundred chord charts available on my patreon page (patreon.com/goodguitarist). Otherwise, you can try googling, and usually something comes up.
As someone who was self taught and has been playing for a few years, he's absolutely right. Stick to a practice routine, focus on fine-tuning your technique and for the love of god, use a metronome. It'll save you a lot of headaches in the future.
I just use .12 or 0.13 string but I change my G-string to a plain string så its alot more easy to do my bends and then i dont use so light or extra light strings than i got more sound out of my guitar unplugged
Can you do a tutorial on a mother mother song, burning pile, wisodn, ghosting, any of these, I can't find any that are in my range or way to simplified.
I asked for a guitar for my 60th birthday, now 61. I'm retired and decided I needed to fill life with things I wanted to do not just go to work. Love the guitar play everyday and it's getting better. My tip...have fun
Same here
I’m 44 & haven’t really played since high school. I still know the basic chords but not much else. I’m looking forward to finally learning how to actually play the guitar. How is it going for you? Hope you’re still playing. Take care.
62. Started learning when I was in my late 30's. Lost my index finger tip mid 40's. I'm now 62 and have decided to try to pick it up again. Index finger is missing most of the pad and is a lot shorter, but the joint is still there. Making chords using that finger is a challenge, to be sure, but I am figuring out how to use it again. Still working on simple man. Scales aren't a problem. Chords are tough c, d, am, any chord that uses that index finger is tough but I am overcoming it! You give great instruction and I am impressed. I'm also subscribed! Thanks!!!
Glad to help! You wouldn't be my first student to have missing digits. A little bit of adjustment is definitely required, but I had a student with index and middle both missing their tips, and he was pretty darn good. I'm sure you'll reach your goals!
Started at 69 been at it for a year now, James has so many good ideas. Lauren Bateman has good things for injured or older players. We have been there bro and now we should learn for ourselves. Hang in there.
Count your self lucky. I lost all the fingers on my left hand, I'm right handed. I know use my cat as my surrogate hand. She is awesome. The best
@@jimmycricketlopez2746 That Kat Must Really Strut
At 83 years I have been messing around with about 4 or 5 chords for 66 years and am still hopeless. I am going to go back to basics with your beginner lessons. Baz
Thank you James remembering the old people for the lesson tips.
Thank you. When I started learning I was 42 years old. Ten years later I still find motivation and procrastination as my biggest obstacles. You are so right about leaving your guitar out near you and tuned and ready be practiced. Even though I love music, getting started is the hardest step.
Keep it up!
I'm turning 42 in a week and I started guitar last year. I'm still struggling with changing chords but it's also my fault since I don't practice much at all. I need to devote myself more.
Thank you James for thinking to older beginner. Great lesson again. 💯
No worries!
Thanks James, I appreciate the way you teach by breaking everything down. I'm in the process of watching all your videos. Very informative ...
I learned when I was 15 ..after a long time I started again at 46 .I am so happy finding you here and practice your lesson everyday.thank you james
This is a great video. Having played for a few years I sometimes still consider myself a beginner. Yet, reflecting back to the times my fingers hurt, or when I struggled within basic chord changes, I realize I’ve actually progressed much further than I give myself credit. Having the discipline to follow a system, I’m certain I’d be much further along. Perhaps it’s time to get serious. 🤔
Thanks for sharing your experience with comments.... great advice for everyone...I am 78 yrs old & although I have played for a few years I am still learning...I have arthritis in my fingers so some chords are 'simplified' for my application as I play Travis picking style... just love my guitar... cheers from Australia i
Thanks again James I am a older player you are the best
Yes James as an older learner, I need to warm up first. I need to be methodical in my learning as I want to do so much as quickly as I can. So I am thinking break this down in little sections as you have said. Thanks a alot
Good stuff!
James excellent lesson there I am now doing some of your longer lessons now and it's coming on very very well with your lessons good guitarist the best thanks so much Neil england
Thanks, and I believe it applies to younger learners too !
You are so right I have my guitars out all the time and as I am working from home three times a week since COVID my skills have come on, so let the music play ,The Big Kahuna
I am going to be 70 in one month. I played the Trumpet in my youth so I can read music. I retired at 64 & started playing the guitar & play beyond beginner now. However, I struggle with transitioning from open chords to barre chords. I can barre real good just not transition quick enough (timing). The song The Weight is an example when transitioning to B & back. I really appreciate your vids! Great instructions!
Thanks, James, great tips. I have learned so much from you. At my stage I know I will only be able to accomplish just so much but already, with the handful of chords I have learned, I can make my way through many, many tunes.
Many moons ago, as a young man in high school, I learned to play a G chord with only two fingers (sometimes 3, but mostly just the two), and that's how I played a G chord for about 4 decades. Fast forward to today, I'm 63, and I have learned how full, and beautiful a FOUR fingered G can sound. It's marvelous. But retraining my hand to go from an E or C chord, back to that beautiful G, is an absolute pain in the a**! My fingers almost NEVER land back where they're supposed to be. They automatically go for that 2-fingered G. So, thanks for this video. I'm hopeful your tips will help me break this old habit. 👍👍👍😏😏😏
Almost 64 here - agree with every single tip!
Would add one more…
#8 - make sure your guitar is set up properly especially acoustics!
Get an experienced player to play it a bit - a friend, a teacher, someone at a guitar store. I’ve seen many cases where a simple tweak of the truss rod can make a guitar so much easier to play for a beginner!
That's a great tip! Wish I could go back in time and add it haha.
I started …again at 61 not giving up this time . Slow progress but you can actually recognize some songs now .
Great info in the video, and timestamps and other useful info in the Description.
Glad it was helpful! And thanks for reading the description. I write them all up individually instead of just copy+pasting the usual blurb, and I can't really tell if anyone actually reads them, haha!
Such a great lesson here, and all so true. Well done, thank you so much.
Fantastic lessons for learning how to Play Guitar . I‘am 55 years old now and it‘s hard work and also fun .
Excuse my bad englisch , because my first Language is German .
Thank you very much
and Greetings from Hamburg Germany
Stephan
Been playing 3 weeks now from scratch: learnt notes A-G with minors, 7s etc plus notes like C9add. Each session starts with a recap or chords and some fretboard experimentation so sub-consciously learn cheats or tricks. I then pick a song and learn any new notes like F#7 etc followed by practicing a section of the song to learn the chord changes...like D and C, I perhaps try a lazy D by barring the e, G and B on fret 2 and finger G on 3rd fret to get a sense of how to cut corners as guitar playing seems to be a precise as you want. I practice about 1 hour a day and love the learning process along with a lesson every 2 weeks.
Great video! Thanks for making this!
I have a simple song( Country Roads), I play first every time, before anything else.Works for me to loosen my fingers! Great lesson!
Hey, this video recommended to me and I was looking at guitar guides for beginners me who’s about to turn 40. This partly because my 12yr old daughter asked me if she can have a guitar and this reminds me of how back then at 9-10yrs old I loved to play my flute and toy piano 😂 why have her practiced guitar alone right? The more the merrier
Sound advice (no pun) 73 here strummed a bunch of tunes 35 years ago and let it lapse. Life gets in the way. Just picked it up a few months ago. Got a second hand Keith Urban 30 songs in 30 days ( Yeah if you're a pro) off of E-bay. Playing along with the band tracks is invaluable. Taking a break to develop finger picking skills. HARD but it'll be worth it . Any advice? Your presentation is excellent
That is a brilliant tutorial. Adding to it, I find that a little bit of fingers, wrists, elbows and shoulders stretching before playing the guitar relaxes my muscle tensions and joints as well. Thank you.
I'm 33 and just starting to learn. Thank you so much for the tipps, I already wrote some of them down 😅 Greetings from Germany
Thank you James! I’ve watched this excellent video two or three times over the last two years that I have been trying to teach myself guitar online. It reminds me that sometimes I’m trying to go too fast and I have, to be honest, wandered all over the Internet trying different teachers at different times. It’s possible I might continue to do that, however as of today I’m going to try to focus just on your lessons and try to move through them slowly and with purpose. I am a lifelong teacher by profession and calling so I think I have enough experience to say that you are a kind, patient and excellent master teacher. Thank you for putting so much heart into each and every one of your lessons.
Thanks for encouraging words
Hey brother am 61 really like to learn guitar what a great song to start with. Thank you so much.great work
From Thailand..Thank you so much for your good and helpful suggestion.
Useful tips James. Thanks again!💯👍🎸🎶🎵
My pleasure!
Thanks
Leaving a guitar out all the time might not be the the best idea. Here in Arizona, Where humidity is very low (23%) the guitars get dry and get destroyed. I have a cheaper guitar that leaves outside to be played more often. The nicer acoustic lives in the case with the humidifier. I enjoy your videos. 😀👍
Hi Daniel. That's a good point. I live in Vancouver, Canada, where the weather is consistent. It's either rainy, cloudy or sometimes sunny, and the temp/humidity is fairly constant throughout the year. I never considered taking care of a guitar in other climates. Although, when I was in Australia/SE Asia, I did notice fresh strings died within a few hours (instead of 2 weeks).
Look at carbon fiber. Perhaps not as good on sound, but no problems with humidity and temperature. And no, I don't own one yet, savings must be built up first! 😀
Another great lesson James. Thank you
Happy to help!
Thanks for great advice for beginner.
Glad it was helpful!
Great advice- keep up the good work!
Thanks, will do!
As a player who started in my 60's and having previous hand injuries. I can't play barre chords, I wish someone would do a video on this problem with suggestions to work around not being capable to play barre chords. But great tips in this video.
Great tips. 😊
Great tips
As always a great video, always made with a good deal of thought and person skills thank you 😊
James, I enjoy your videos a lot and have learned quite a bit in my short guitar journey. However, I am concerned that I am unable to become a good guitar player as I am simply unable to get my fingers in some chord patterns i.e.G. I am 75, have smallish hands and the arthritis that comes with age. Is there any hope?
Good tutorial. Working on it. Thanks!
You're welcome!
Great and very useful video. Thank you.
You are welcome!
Thank you soo much.
Always welcome
Age is just a number. I try learning to play guitar at age 39 years old. 7 months in, I now can play many songs. You just need passion to learn and dedication to practice.
Awesome! I just discovered you & i find your teaching style really great. Your breakdown is crystal clear and easy to follow..coming from an older beginner! Love it. Thank you kindly!
Always do a great job on all ur tutorials. Thank you!
Glad you like them!
Another geat helpful video . I am 78 years young and just started with an Acoustic about 2 months ago . My fingers don't bend all that well , and can't always press the strings properly. I was reading about "Silk Steel strings". Can you please give me any advise on these . Thank you James
I've heard silk+steel strings have a softer feel, but I'm not sure if they're easier to press, or just feel better on the fingertips as I haven't tried them myself.
I’m 76 and trying to learn to play the guitar and I find using extra light string are easier to fret and my fingers don’t get sore either!
Great bro.. Your very nice work... Guitarist
Thankyou so much sir..
Most welcome
Very useful good tips! Inspire me too!
So happy to know about light strings...for whole lifetime nobody ever tell me that! I never pick up guitar in my young days because I have naturally sharp fingertips (not rounded blunt fleshy fingertips like majority people) so it’s too difficult to press down the strings also I don’t want my fingers to bleed. U make me happy that I could have easier options. Now I just curious if electric guitar must have electricity to play? Are most Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler’s music on electric guitar or acoustic guitar? Is there a place where i can get all chord arrrangement for any songs, music in the world so I can play them? Or do most musicians try to play the music by ear, ie without music sheet?
Electric guitar doesn't necessarily require electricity. The guitar itself is very quiet, though, so if you want to perform you would need to plug it into an amplifier (which requires electricity).
Eric Clapton has a few acoustic tunes: Change The World, Tears In Heaven and Layla Unplugged come to mind.
I have a few hundred chord charts available on my patreon page (patreon.com/goodguitarist). Otherwise, you can try googling, and usually something comes up.
Lots of good tips as usual James. One of your 70 year old students.
As someone who was self taught and has been playing for a few years, he's absolutely right. Stick to a practice routine, focus on fine-tuning your technique and for the love of god, use a metronome. It'll save you a lot of headaches in the future.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thhhhhaaaaaaankkkk youuuuu 🙏
You should be called The Good Guitar Teacher.
I just use .12 or 0.13 string but I change my G-string to a plain string så its alot more easy to do my bends and then i dont use so light or extra light strings than i got more sound out of my guitar unplugged
Can you do a tutorial on a mother mother song, burning pile, wisodn, ghosting, any of these, I can't find any that are in my range or way to simplified.
Im wondering if you do payment plans Im a recovering addict trying to busy myself and Ive allways wanted to learn the guitar
We can figure something out. Email me: info@goodguitarist.com
👍
Theory is very necessary 🎶
I like all your explanations 🎶
RANDY JUDAH TALK 🎼❤️
You are so welcome
What about acoustic-electric guitar for the beginners
An acoustic guitar with pickups? As far as playing it, it feels the same as acoustic. It does give you more options in terms of amplification however.
Any tips for older small hands trying to get left hand around ((((((.
I have a tip, eat more vegatables.
No links?
👏👏👏👏👏👍🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Singing and Strumming at the same time is horror 😫
It is definitely one of the more challenging aspects of guitar. I will try to make some lessons for it in the near future.
@@Good_Guitarist thanking you 🙏
My solution to that is... make someone else sing it.
@@markdavich5829 thanking you very much 🙏 I will try with my daughter 🍀
it is my dream to be able to play and sing along!! but it seems impossible at this point... hope it clicks for me eventually
LOL. Beginner here. I’m 59.
Right on!
Throw over 30 in there too. In the job market a thirty something year old is an old fart. Sad but true.
But I'm over 30... I can't admit to myself that I'm old... yet.
Thank you so much sir...