I'm 61 and picked up a bass guitar for the first time 4 years ago. With the help of RUclips videos(invaluable) and lots of practice time since my kids are grown etc, I now have my own band and music has become my "thing". Keep your guitar next to your chair (I know you guys have a chair LOL), and pick it up when commercials are on etc. If practice isn't fun, go to woodworking. Give this lady's videos a chance. These selfless angels have changed my life.
What gives me the most encouragement is to find a new song (That I can play the chords to) and I find myself playing more often. And singing the song helps me with my timing. And once in awhile, I learn a new chord!
I'm 68 and just started guitar lessons 3 months ago. I came directly to guitar having been studying ukulele with the same teacher for 3 years. My teacher is 40 years younger than me but we bounce off each other really well. Because of the big age gap our music tastes are vastly different. So in a way we are teaching each other as I introduce him to classical and jazz music he's never even heard of but now loves playing, and he introduces me to music I'd never otherwise have considered trying. Being retired I have plenty of time to practice. I get aches and pains but I find that practising in chunks of 20 mins and then putting my instrument down for a while means I rarely play less than 1 hour a day and the improvements are coming, particularly with finger picking. I don't get sore fingers probably because my guitar, a Mayson MS1/S deserves a far better player than me and because I use 12 gauge strings. The guitar is always a joy to pick up and there is so much music available whatever your tastes. I have set various achievable goals for myself and a few that only time, lots of practice and perseverance will achieve such as my all time music for the soul - Bach's Sleepers Awake. Maybe by the time I'm in my 70s I'll get that one under my fingers.
Hi, I am 63 and having been playing guitar for 40 years but only really got somewhere with it over last 6 years after eventually getting a teacher. But now I find myself obsessed with bass and play with some guys, The guitar knowledge makes for better bass playing. Anyway, part of my regime is stretches, yoga, weekly Chinese massage and so on. Something along these lines is worth adding. Best to you.
@@JamieAndersonMusic Thanks Jamie. I sincerely hope so. I've just learned a Carulli Andantino which makes me sound far better than I am lol. A couple of good tips from my teacher are to practice whatever I'm learning slowly and work on the weakest part in isolation until it becomes the strongest part.
@@bahoonies Excellent! That's exactly what I tell my students. If you can't play it accurately at a slow speed then you won't be able to play it well at a fast tempo.
I’m 72 and struggling so this video was certainly made for me. I took lessons from a 23 year old with a man bun and after 6 months I knew 4 chords having spent the majority of our lessons listening to him play. I enjoyed the way you explain everything - thanks so much! I checked your list of videos and you list many of the songs I want to learn. I think I may have stumbled on to the perfect teacher for me. I’m now a subscriber. Thanks. I’ll let you know how this all works out for me!
You're very welcome. Wow, sounds like you had some teacher. That's like watching Tiger Woods play golf and thinking that's all you need to be a good golfer. 😄 Enjoy my lessons and keep playing!
I started learning the electric at age 52, almost with closed curtains, so nobody could see me struggle. I did all sorts of courses and books and also checked your channel from time to time. You once said to me: Keep playing. And I did, here I am, stil learning after 3,5 years, getting better each day. So thank you again for your great advice and encouragement.
@@warren4110 I just bought a couple of pedals in the Black Friday sale, so I'll be busy for a while. It's a lot of fun and well worth the effort. Good day and good practicing.
As a Boomer born in ‘53, I started playing when I was 16 in 1969 with my friends who had guitars. I didn’t own one for many yrs later and then I slacked off for many yrs and then got back into it. I took various lessons such as barre chords and finger picking etc at night school. I own 1 acoustic guitar and 2 electric guitars. The electrics are a Fender Strat and a Telecaster. I enjoy the electric cause it’s easier to play. The Tele feels like it’s twice as heavy as the Strat. I dislike the acoustic guitar due to the bigger body and if you have a sore shoulder or a sore rotator cuff, then it really aches to play it. I’m glad I lived through IMO the greatest Rock & Roll years compared to today’s music.
I feel that it's my obligation to respond when someone complains about today's music. There are tons of great music being produced today but you need to look for it. Hint, it's not on mainstream radio or football halftime shows.
@@jwh475ezc I totally agree, Jim. Tons of good new music out there, you just have to look really hard. I started watching Colter Wall on some RUclips videos, followed the suggested videos and discovered tons of good new music.
Try a smaller body size, like the concert body. Taylor Academy 12 and Academy 12e are great starters with a beveled armrest ($500-649 new) and Taylor Guitars' The Ebony Project will make you feel good that some companies are putting concern for the future of tone woods into action. I also found a new Breedlove Pursuit Exotic Concert E for $500 from a music store, so that's three in rotation as I learn by practicing at 65, and maintaining them at 50% humidity. Reverb has a video explaining the various body shapes and sizes.
John, go to a music store and try a Taylor GS Mini (gadzillions of them sold!) - they are TERRIFIC and reasonably priced "Parlor size" guitars, available in all types of wood and with/without amplification. I immediately fell in love with one (Mahogany), bought it, then a second used one, Spruce off Craig'slist.
I'm 53 and just crossed the 2 year mark this month. Im a lefty learning to play righty and can confirm that old farts can do this. I'm having a blast and can't wait for opportunities to practice... Jamie is absolutely correct on all fronts. Patience and practice will not let you down.. Oh, and just go ahead and get the les Paul...
Well I am 73 yo now and getting back into playing my guitar during these COVID times. I have found a unique MIDI guitar(not available anymore) which is very very light weight and the 6 string fretboard is not actual strings but has accurate sensors when you press down on the frets it plays just like a regular guitar - very easy on the fingers. The strumming area is where the actual strings are. By far, I am no expert but do a little finger picking, etc so it is fun to play my guitar to various sounds and backing tracks from my computer again. Thank you for your video.
As an aging baby boomer, I started back playing my guitar after a 20-year absence. Now been playing for 5 years. Learn several "open" chords like A E G D C Am etc and yes the dreaded F chord for beginners. There are very many good songs that use just a few chords. Once you can get good at playing these "open" chords, in the "first" position, learn to play them using Barre chords. After you get comfortable with those Barre chords learn the major and pentatoic scale. Keep the fingernails on the fretting hand trimmed as close as possible to make a solid pressure on the strings. Your fingertips will hurt as you learn to play. That's normal. Give it time to develop some callous. Learning to play an instrument also keeps your brain active and makes you happy when you achieve a goal. Learn simple songs that you enjoy, Keep Plucking,
I learned to play guitar in my 20s. I'm 58 now. Let ot slide for a long time as I was a carer to my parents. I took up my guitar in June of 2023 after my sister Clare died from cancer. I could only play for a few mins , maybe 15, but I kept coming back every day after. And it's been a real comfort to me. I'm trying to improve what I learned so long ago and maybe learn a few new things. I love your positive vibes. The comments are great to read. Thanks for your channel. I've subscribed.
I’m 62 and only started a few years ago. I love my Taylor GS Mini. It’s very playable. And I play ukulele too. Great tips, by the way. Very encouraging.
YES! GS Mini! I have two! YES! UKES! I have 5 including a wonderful/beautiful Koa Kanilea! I hope that you've seen on YT "Honoka & Azita" and "Jake Shimabukuro" (sic?) uke vids.
Awesome. Started learning 1 1/2 years ago at 65 and can play a lot of songs. Key is dedication. You cannot learn just practicing every once in a while. DO IT EVERY DAY. I started out at 15 minutes a day for about 2 weeks. Now I can play for 2 hours straight. Have fun and stay dedicated to learn. It will come, I promise.
Hey Jamie, how are you? I am the guy that plays the guitar left handed. Some years ago you had or may still have website. Some teachers even very few Players would look at me weird, cause I hold the guitar different. I even had one person, in your website, trying to force me to play the guitar right handed. after watching this video, I like how you give advice. It is true, especially older people. Its good to watch.
OLD FART is Right!! 63 working on Banjo and decided to add the Guitar. Got a Taylor GS Mini... love it....slow to progress due to inflammation in fingers. Hard to cord. working on it. May start lessons with you. My wife got a violin and twinkle twinkling me to death but I'm happy she is trying. Thank you......Doc.
You're welcome, Doc. You're never too old to learn. Unfortunately, I have a long waiting list now for private lessons. Happy to recommend other teachers if you can't wait. Keep playing!
Nice presentation. I went to the Ukulele as I was struggling with the Guitar. After 6 months and gaining confidence from playing songs on the Ukulele I went back to the Guitar. My enthusiasm was reignited. At 74 thats a whole lot of reignighting!!!
I'm in the old fart category, good tips. I totally agree about only learning songs you actually like. It's all about having fun and you already have an idea about the basic song structure. It's s great way to start learning. Best wishes.
Some great tips! Thanks for the video. I'm 64 and started playing 6 months ago. Haven't missed a day yet. Can't believe how much I enjoy it. Wish I had started years ago, but going to make the best of it.
My husband died 5 years ago. 3 years ago at age 52 I took his guitar out and decided I wanted to learn to play. I’ve been taking lessons for 3 years and I love it! One of the best decisions I’ve made. Thanks for your down to earth videos.
So sorry to hear that and I'm so glad you found something that you love doing. He is smiling down on you. I lost my dad a few weeks ago to covid and I just busted out my guitar to take some stress away. I'm not very good but I think its time to really learn and have fun. Good luck on your journey!
I’m 64 and been playing for 45 years. I played bass professionally for 40 years and 6 string on and off during this time. About 5 years ago I put all my efforts into the 6 string. I know a lot of musicians in my town and hooked up for lessons with a friend who still players in a band. Although I could play decent I wanted to be better. Now for the tips.... 1 get a nice guitar and have a professional luthier set it up. The easer it plays the more you’ll want to play it. He will ask your years of experience and set it up for you. 2 take lesions, like the excellent lady said, even if it’s on RUclips. And play what your interested in, again you’ll want to play more. 3 practice, if an hour a day seems too much, try just 5 minutes, that will turn into 10 minutes, into 20 minutes. I’m retired and play roughly 4 hours a day. 4 find other old farts to play with, I have a group of player come over on Sunday afternoon for 4 hours. Some have played for years, some just started. You’ll find the beautiful thing about true musicians is they’ll help you. They’re kind and will show you all they know. They want to see you succeed. Playing with other players will make you better.Last never give up on your dream, your worth it and no one should take it away from you..... rock on brothers and sisters
I'm 65 yo and just start learning guitar. Thank you for your lessons. You are a wonderful teacher. Subscribed right after the first lesson, Amazing Grace.
Sure does, bro. Every week, thanks to the miracles of technology, I play bass for Jimi at Woodstock. Haven't quite got it yet. Often wake up at 3a.m. plug in the amp and the phones and go for it. None of the other old codgers at the boarding house know. I wish I got old fifty years ago. My hands worked faster then, but I took them for granted. Loving every minute of the time I have left.
Hello from Finland. Iam beginner allmoust 53 old.I have watcht youtube videos for beginners but then i found you.I have watcht your videos and you are my youtube teacher now. Sorry my bad english.
Great video...67 yo guitar player but, just a strummer. I will be getting back into it as soon as I move into the home I am buying. I'm a huge Beatles fan with all their CD's, records, and songbooks. I enjoyed you video.
Good tips, Jamie. I'm 71 and broke all the fingers in my left hand 10 years ago. I've been playing since around 1970, although once I had a family I rarely played at all. Anyway, love your guitar. My acoustic is a 1972 Guild F-30 that I bought new, and I just bought a used Squier Bullet Strat and Fender amp since as you suggested the electric is a little easier to play. Working on it a little every day. Still having trouble with the strength in my little finger but I think it will come around. Going back to 60s and 70s rock and some folk.
How refreshing hearing from a fellow old fart! I stumbled across your RUclips video by accident and really enjoy your attitude. I shall now check out all you've done. I'm a 73 year old guitar teacher based in the UK, and have many young and older students (some of which are learning rock and metal). Nothing is taboo in music, everyone is an individual, and age is no barrier to what a person wants to learn and play. Rock on Jamie and carry on with your positive messaging.
I just discovered you. I am 74 and have played on and off for 56 years. I suffered memory damage and I have been advised by doctors to return to perhaps improve my memory. At one time I was a competent fingerpicking Delta blues fingerpicker. And, finally, I have had hand injuries and now also suffer the same nerve damage that is catching up with E. C. I recently sole some guitars (I can build) and bought a Republic brass-bodied Parlor Rocket. It has a relatively short scale--24 1/2" . I have always wanted a National steel bodied guitar, but the Rocket easily equals a National. I still have my 40 year-old Guild D 40, like yours and with the 25 1/2" scale is strung light. I am building a short scale 12 string right now, for myself. And, I have a Custom Shop Epiphone "Dot"--all USA guts and premium tobacco burst figured wood. They only did 500 of them in 2009 and they are special.. Oddly enough it is not marked with a country of origin. I have subscribed and hit the "bell."
Bravisimo! This is a GREAT video! I'm 62 years old and first started learning guitar when I was 16, but about 5 years ago Meniere"s disease rendered me completely, stone deaf in my left ear, and it affected my enjoymant of playing so much that I put the guitar down until a couple months ago, when I finally picked it up again. I'm very pleased to see that you've included playing 15 minutes a day to start, and using lighter gauge strings in your tips. The first month back I played for about 15 to 20 minutes per day to build up callouses, and now I am occasionally playing sets of an hour to 1 1/2 hours at a friends Kava Bar (audience of ten or less with masks and 6 feet apart). It really helps us old futs recapture a lot of the enthusiasm for life that may have faded a bit since we were young. Someone should start a charity to provide guitars, ukuleles, and other instruments to assisted living facilities for their community use! Beats the hell out of Bingo! Thanks for addressing a need for creative activity for those of us who are staring to get on in years.
I started playing guitar at 61. I had a teacher who had me learn theory, and I also learned to read music. I think that in the long run this made things a lot easier. Thanks, Jamie, this is a great channel.
I find it weird that older people find reasons not to do something. No one cares. I’m 56 and I play every day. Some days are better than others, but I don’t care. I have tendinitis in my shoulder, bicep and elbow. It doesn’t stop me. Don’t let it stop you either.
I'm 70. My hands are all messed up. I suck. I don't care. I love it; just learned drop D tuning and am working on Harvest Moon. Dave, you're a youngster; keep playin'.
Dave, I have tendinitis too, if I play too long it really hurts. I warm up nowadays and play for shorter periods. I also learned to play slide so that on the tough days I can still play and enjoy the guitar. Keep going buddy, take care.
'Cousin' ED here, lol...been playing for 45 years now...and i think its great you are helping people learn....im way past guitar lessons, learning drums and keybords now. music is the best.
Jamie just learned how to play parts of a three cord song tickled to death I have a electric strat and can change them fairly decent had my guitar for a yr now son bought it for my last birthday which I was 65 thanks for putting up with all of us love your videos
This 66-yr-old Old Fart just stumbled across this after learning the ukulele and then the guitar 4+ years ago. Many great tips! Yes, attitude is everything! I believe you can do anything you want, if you set your mind to it. Your only limitations are the ones you place on yourself. Wish I would have watched this video before because I was one who started one course, skipped to another and then another. Sticking to one is great advice! BTW - I have osteoarthritis, especially in my fingers and hands. I was experiencing severe hand pain a couple of years ago - overdid it trying to learn barre chords - and was under the care of a hand specialsit who sent me to an occupational therapist. Both the doctor and the OT were amazed at my manual dexterity and attibuted it to playing the guitar. While going through therapy, the OT recommended capsule form tumeric. She said there's no scientific evidence that it does anything, but some of her patients swore by it. Now I'm one of them and pain free!
Hi Jamie , great lesson ...I’ve been teaching guitar for 30 years in the UK and my students have ranged from 6 tears old to 83 ! There are no old farts only cool “ young at heart “ farts . You’re absolutely correct ...it’s never too late . One of my students started at 69 and after 4 years he’s fingerpicking all of his favourite folk songs . Hope you’re well , good luck , good wishes from the UK 🇬🇧 x
Good advice! I started my grandson with do, re, me, fa so, la, to, do. It's all based on that kinda... The major scale shape or pattern; learn it now if ya don't know it! Get it "under your fingers" on the entire fretboard. Merry Christmas!
Due to an accident and having my left index finger crushed, I play 3 string cigar box guitars, and after over 60 years of playing in bands, I still play concerts and gigs on a regular basis. I agree with you, Jamie, people are never too old to learn to play guitar. After watching your videos, I would recommend your lessons to anyone thinking about starting.
65 and haven't played for ten years. Thanks for the tips. I find I have to do physical left-hand stretch exercises, and that right now half-hour is about all I can handle. Also, I would recommend that beginners, and those, like me, that are more experienced but have not played for a long time, to Google "muscle memory" left hand fingering exercises that will help with proper finger placement (and rebuild callouses) and give a good intro/refresher into chromatics and left/right hand syncing. Good video for us aging boomers, thank you! :) And PS: "The House of the Rising Sun" is a great first song to learn, very easy chord progression: Am> C> D> F> Am> C> E> repeat.
Thanks for the suggestions and yes, warming up is great. While "House of the Rising Sun" is a good song, I don't recommend it for beginners because of the F chord. Learn some of the more accessible open chords first, then move to the F.
Agree with you on all points. I find too many people saying "I am too old to learn now. I wish I learned when I was young." NOT TRUE! I have said many times, keep your instrument handy (not in the case in the closet), pick it up 15 minutes a day as much as possible, don't fret any harder than necessary. You hit on others, all sensible. I like your approach. My wife shifted from guitar to ukelele exactly for the reasons you stated. She and I are both old farts.....and I am just picking up the fiddle.
I started playing at 8 and played throughout my teens / early 20s. Life happened and I didn't play for many years. Well, I am playing again and driving my husband insane😂. I've always played the same guitar 76 Alvarez. Well, last week I bought a PRS - SE. I'm happy to not be starting from the very beginning but I'm tackling the CAGED system which is new to me. You're never too old to learn something new. Happy Picking!
Two best tips learn by playing songs you love , practice , practice practice more practice will make you better it's not hard it's slow , oh yes I'm seventy been playing 20 years love it and played live and almost anyone can learn if their prepared to put the time in sending a hug
Why would any old fart stray out of their house when there are hundreds of lessons for free like yours,I was in my late 50s when I joined my first band,thank goodness that I had a great lead guitar teacher in the band to teach me about tone, although I played since childhood I was basically tone deaf, grew up playing acoustic guitar and was surprised at the latency of the electric guitar,which helped speed up my playing up, but of course I was tone deaf as far as getting some on the tones of the songs I grew up on, another thing that helped our band become the most popular was that we played every note perfectly, and that was the secret that kept our followers happy, even if most were just drunks in the bar scene of the venues we played, most importantly just have fun and don't worry about making mistakes it's all part of learning,thanks for your channel and your spirit as a teacher.
learning to play should be fun and relaxed. This is great therapy for older people for sure! I'm 66 years old and I have arthritis carpal tunnel. some days I can play for five minutes, other days for an hour. I do have trouble remembering chord changes and so I have to look at song sheets a lot. I have a very nice Martin acoustic that is a lot better instrument then I am a player, but why not have the best instrument you can afford? If nothing else, one of my grandchildren can have it when I die. I also have several electrics, but they are very heavy on my shoulder, so I mostly noodle around with the acoustic guitar. I like bronze light gauge strings by Ernie Ball for my acoustic and Regular Slinkys for my electrics! Have fun! Thank you Jamie for your teachings!
Hear the balance across the strings as Jamie strums? There are only a few guitars out there that have that balance; Guild being one of them. I still play my 1972 Guild D40 regularly. I was looking for a Martin D18, when the music store owner told me to try the Guild. It left with me that very day. Those in the know still love Guild guitars, and the blend of Sitka spruce tops with Mahogany makes the sound as sweet as honey. All the best.
This is very accurate…. Im 69 and one of those guys who started.. stopped… started. stopped…. and so on. I also have arthritis in the big joint of my left thumb. well my wife bought me an electric guitar about 3 or 4 years ago.. I had mid budget acoustic and "SEARS". classical…. and it was years old.. I started playing again.. well basicly I now practice 1 to 3 hrs a day at least 5 to 6 days a week…. In the last year I decided to learn to finger pick.. I now am working on pieces like black bird.. Yesterday, and I cant find my way home. as well I am working on old blues fingerpicking. I have found a teacher , though this break due to covid has been the longest break I have taken from him. I like to take a month or so of classes then a spell off to absorb it.. I just wanted to tell you guys this and support What Jamie Anderson is saying.. and on a light note.. not only is it fun but it helps my arthritis LOL. and the concentration is good for all us old guys.. focus.. LOL. thanks for the Video.. it was great.
Thanks, Mike, for the kind words and for your words of encouragement for other players. Maybe you need a teacher who teaches via Zoom or Skype? I teach via Skype but have no openings. If you want recommendations for other teachers, let me know.
@@JamieAndersonMusic I will keep that in mind. thank you for the offer. Im not very good with skype and zoom and all that stuff.. Do you do workshops?????? I live outside vancouver canada.. but I have been known to travel to workshop weekends all over north america.. when the covid thing is done I may do that for guitar this time
At last i have found a video for mature beginners , i am 65 and have tried to learn the guitar for many years with little progress. The one point i will add is as you advised, go to a good guitar store, and find a guitar that says "Play Me", and that you find comfortable. especially the feel of the neck, electric guitars that are correctly set-up are easier to learn on, you can move on to an acoustic as you progress.
I'm 65 and started playing guitar again at 57 and I knew that a way to improve my mind body connection and to get the most out of my practice was to prepare my body. I start with stretching and relaxing using some great utube videos, lower back, shoulders, neck, hand and arm stretches....I love the process of preparing to play. I feel ready to concentrate and learn. My hands are so relaxed I can allow the music to flow thru me to my hands and my practice sessions are so rewarding.... also a tip I use for soothe my finger tips if they are feeling beat up and a bit ragged is putting olive oil on the tips after practice.
Helpful video,thank you.I'm 51 and just bought my very first guitar,an electric semi hollow body,and a lefty.I have been looking around for tips on getting started.
Get a baritone ukulele- it plays exactly like a 4 string guitar - same chord shapes, same key - just way easier to learn. Easier on the fingers. And EVERYTHING you learn on it will transfer directly to 6 string guitar. But they are so much fun to play you might not switch. If you play baritone uke and someone hands you a 6 string you can just play on the 4 treble strings and very few people will even know. The learning curve between them is almost zero. Great travel guitar option too.
I've just turned 30 ( don't qualify as an old fart yet lol) BUT I'd say that the tip about proper string gauge is definitely relevant to younger players as well and not so often discussed on the internet. I've struggled for almost a year to find out the strings were too thick for the style i was trying to play. So it's not a bad idea to try someone else's guitar from time to time to compare playability
i'm having fun with guitar at 58. thinner gauge strings have helped me. also guitars with smaller body size and shorter scale length. i do have some pain in my left wrist when i play certain things.
I love your video. You inspired me. I've been playing for a ten+ yrs, but taking care of my grandson interrupted my playing on a regular bases. Thanks for lighting my fire.
I have the same guitar you are playing in the video. A Guild D 40. Ibe had it for many years ,like you just said in the case for most of them. Now I'm retired and trying to really learn how to read and play the guitar. I find that My elbow hurts if I play it too much and have switched to playing my classical guitar more. Thanks for your videos I get encouraged by them to keep playing.
@@JamieAndersonMusic i have a 1978 d 40 i bought new. it is still my favorite. it has kind of a fat neck compared to others but sounds great. i thought you had same but i see not.
I just happened onto your video, and was very pleasantly surprised. I started playing just one year ago. I'm 62 years young, and was very determined to accomplish this intimidating venture. I can, and often do practice up to several hours a day, and because of that dedication/obsession with playing, I have made great progress, considering that when I first held the guitar in my lap my thoughts of achieving success was very doubtful. I like your senior vocal points, and for the most part I have been doing everything your suggesting. Although I do have multiple instructors which they all have contributed towards my learning the songs that I like. I will be adding you to this list. I would also like to comment on the ukulele. There is a group here at the resort that i reside in which play Ukulele's. They prefer them to a guitar because they are easier to play. I have found that after playing my dreadnought for long periods of time my shoulder can begin to hurt.
Excellent Jamie, loved your clarity. i'm going on 59 and as beginner improver I easily get distracted by all the amazing videos out there - so item 7 resonates with me a lot. 'Stick to it' should be everyone's New Years motto! Subscribed.
Nice gentle encouragement for us oldsters! One thing you did not mention is to get any guitar set up properly. Computer aided manufacturing has made even entry level guitars much better than in years past, but any guitar needs a professional setup so that the action and intonation are as good as possible. Also, I have found Martin Silk and Steel strings to have a noticeably softer feel that is good for starters. They are not as durable for hard strumming, but good for beginners and us fingerpickers. One other thing: get a guitar stand and keep the guitar out where you can see it. I leave mine out on its stand with a dust cover fashioned from a sheet. I grab it and get in a few minutes several times a day if I don’t have time to sit down for an extended session. It’s how you eat an elephant, one bite at a time. It all adds up.
Great tips! Here's another one that's been helpful for me. Being a beginner can play havoc on your neck from all of the looking down. I just started practicing in front of a mirror so I can maintain better posture and still keep an eye on my fretting and picking.
Good advice. Also, the more you practice, the less you'd have to look down. It also helps to have a stand for your music. Adjust it so you're looking straight ahead.
Another great video, Jamie. As a senior, I find my once tack sharp memory fails me occasionally. I’m struggling to memorize the fret board from frets 1 thru 12. Some days I recall most of the notes, other days I feel like I’m starting from square one. Cheers from Alberta
Thanks, Matthew. I hear ya about memory. That's one of the things I neglected to mention in this video. I do think that learning and memorizing chord forms and scales helps with memory. Cheers from Ontario!
@@JamieAndersonMusic I think what kind of helped me was left and right hand coordination. I play the steeldrums and took it up when I was in my 40s. I looked at the fretboard on the bass and was a bit overwhelmed but my teacher is doing it in bite-sized chunks. I use the markers on the bass to let me know what fret I'm on. It's a work in progress though!
@@susiemuirhead561 Yes, learning in chunks is the way to go. If you look at the whole fretboard and try to memorize it, that's always going to be more challenging, no matter your age.
After telling myself I'd learn 'someday' for decades, I decided this is the year and I've just begun. I'll be 60 next summer :~) I've now had my first 5 days of play with some short, complete-beginner YT lessons on an acoustic I found in a relative's unwanted stuff in storage. My fingertips are having a hard time with the strings. Having a good look, I think the action is pretty high, even for 'regular' players, so I've taken the guitar to a luthier I found locally to be properly set up. Now I'm itchy to get it back; that's a good sign, yes? ;~)
Keep playing and the tips of your fingers get callouses on them so it hurts less and less. stop playing and they go away and hurts again so keep playing.
You are an inspiration! I’ve been playing a long time but reached a plateau (actually got bored). I hate playing in front of people. Maybe I can get motivated thru your videos.
thanks for the input about us old Persons after building guitars for grand children ,thought i might make one for me and ended up with three still play for an hour a day and reached many roadblocks but persisting .
hello Jamie, first time here, and you are perfect to listen to , a very good teacher. Try introducing '4 strong winds' by the searchers for the early learning novices (like myself) its a great soft gentle tune that's very easy on the chords and so satisfying to get thru . God bless, keep up the good work, Tom from England
Been playing guitar for over 40 years, I try to play everyday, the best tips I can give anyone who is just starting out. Dab a little rubbing alcohol on the tips of your fingers, it will numb the pain until you get caluses on them. Second, ( as you stated) try alot of different guitars before you buy one. Dont let anyone tell you which guitar is good for you, only you can determine that. Thanks for the Video.
I'm 73, have played since age 14. Recently have been struggling with arthritis in fingers so it's frustrating playing my 25.5 inch scale Martin. Thinking of buying a 24" scale electric to ease up on tension, so a shorter scale as we age may help.
Thanks for the video. I'm 58 and just started learning. I'm prone to pressing too hard on the strings and after 10 minutes my fingertips start to get pretty sore. Looking forward to those callouses but they haven't happened yet. I might consider those lighter gage strings.
when I started out, not so long ago, my fingers (and wrists) suffered and I longed for those callouses - and that was on nylon strings! But before that happened I wised up to the minimum amount of force that I needed to play a sweet sounding chord. Along with that there's a lot to learn about holding your guitar comfortably and effectively, and how to manage your handshapes. There's lots of advice online about those things, some of which should work for you. The thing is I skipped the callouses and a lot of the pain and moved on to steel strings without too much trouble. I believe no one should accept that it is going to hurt so just ignore it!
After many years of using medium gauge strings on my Takamine, I decided to experiment with a light gauge (D'addario EJ16) set. The difference was astonishing. Much easier left hand fretting with no loss in tone or volume. My only regret was not doing it earlier...
I’m 60. Been playing since I was 16. Never slowed up. All good tips as far as I can tell. If you ever wanted to play, it’s not too late. You don’t know what you’re missing!
I've been restarting to play guitar again after almost a decade of hiatus. My bad. I've tried all those alternate picking, shredding, arpeggios, sweep picking, fast riff, etc from day one. It gave me a severe back and shoulder pain for days. I'm only 35, and this got me thinking : am I an old farts now? Why this seemingly low cardiac activities hurt my body? Luckily, after learning how to stretch my muscle properly before playing and taking a rest periodically between sessions. The pain is pretty much gone away. Oh and don't forget to keep a comfortable body posture while playing. That helps me too.
One thing that worked for this old fart, I'm 70. I got a grip strengthener. You know the thingy you squeeze and build up your grip. My wife's orthopedic surgeon also recommended Cosamine DS and I take that when my hands hurt. But as far as music to play goes, I am just as happy playing Paranoid or Summer of '69, or More Than A Feeling, in fact I like it better than James Taylor. But what is killing me are the Advanced Chords, what Steve Krenz calls them in his course. The stretching leaves me wondering if I am going to have to break my fingers and let them heal in shapes to bend like that, and stretch that far. I have some problems with the Blues Swing and Boogie shapes as well. Getting that pinky 6 frets down kills my hand.
Very nice video. If you don't play often you probably won't build up callouses on your fingers thus it can hurt your fingers when you do play. The anticipated pain might discourage you from playing. Thus for people who don't play often I recommend nylon string/classical guitars. Much easier on the fingers as Jamie mentions. Plus for beginners the wider neck makes plucking strings with your right hand easier.
RUclips algorithm led me here, and I've been playing for about 45 years. Your advice is spot on pretty much for anybody, old fart or otherwise. The only thing I would add, if I may, is to enlist the help of a guitar playing friend, if you have one you trust- particularly when buying instruments. Also, You're adorable.
I like this video, the problem I've had is finding a way to keep motivated. Practice is obviously very important, but if drills and difficult songs take the fun out of practice I don't keep at it for long. I have been at it off and on for years, challenges and songs I want to learn often go together. I keep losing interest because of frustration with basics. I periodically find myself getting distracted by fiddling with gear and music theory. I am too cheap to take lessons and lately pushed a bit to just mostly strum chord based songs, finding balance has eluded me, so far. Thank You for the encouragement.
Find songs you want to learn. Leave the gear and theory alone for awhile and just learn some chords and strums for your favorite songs. You'll regain the joy, then.
Yes, I’m an old fart!😂 Totally enjoyed your video (first time viewer), filled with a lot of good/true stuff. I am 66 and have toyed with the guitar off and on since High School. I was taking lessons at my local music store here in Maryland and the instructor was a you fella who was in a very good band. I left because he liked to talk more than show, so I started with an on-line site. I now have 3 sites which I learn from, Guitar Tricks (basics), Andy’s Guitar (simple songs) and now your site (new subscriber). Looks like a fun site and looking forward to learning new things and having fun!! 😊🎸
Again inspirational , I keep falling in love with your videos. I am in my 40s, not sure if I can consider myself to be an old fart 😂😂. Thanks for all the encouragement 🙏🙏
Or just learn how to do it yourself. It's not rocket science it's just a block of wood with strings attached. That's what I did, now my guitars are so easy to play an infant could push the strings down on the frets.
Definitely! I started playing just over a year ago at the tender age of 52 on a hand me down guitar from my son! Getting it set up by a luthier was the best 30 pounds I ever spent.
I like your style. I am a seventy year old bass player. I have always played guitar, just to see what goes on in guitar player's heads. Usually not too much. Apart from basses, I have an Epi Les Paul Vintage el cheapo. I had a luthier go over it twenty years ago who replaced the nut, put in P90 pickups adjusted the truss rod and set up the tunamatic bridge. No problems since then. Prefer 9 gauge strings despite sixty-five year old bass hands. Playing music stops dementia. Playing music stops dementia.
@@JamieAndersonMusic Thank you for your kind reply. I prefer crossroads to crosswords. Love your channel. Looking for a senile drummer and over the hill guitar player to book residential care homes.
@@JamieAndersonMusic I do. And I love channels supporting older people to play music. I like your technique and style. One only has to know three chords to have fun with a guitar. Even Jaco Pastorius and Jack Bruce could only play one note at a time on bass. I still play with my cousins as "The Fabulous Pig Farmers" and when we remember to take our medication at the same time, we still get gigs for free meals and drinks. Even getting a ukelalie is good for old farts. We have the experience, just not enough time left. I could see you doing a programme imitating Hendrix with dentures. Love your work. Thank you.
I'm getting arthritis slowly and my doctor told me to not stop playing because if I do I might not get the dexterity back. So iv picked up my practice to twice a day on the guitar. I'll never get very good on the guitar because when I go out all my picking friends still want me to play my fiddle. I play the guitar at home. That's a nice sounding Guild you have there.
@@JamieAndersonMusic Yes ma'am I know you said in the video as well. I can remember putting light gauge on an acoustic it had way to much string buzz but a new nut; which is where the strings go across at the top of your guitar neck, for beginners to know, fixed my issue. Just letting people who might not know to look for the string buzz and realize its fixable. I enjoy your videos.
Great tips! I would also start with the ukulele it is simpler and you can carry it everywhere. Have you ever thought of starting with alt tuning i.e open E and playing songs with only 2-3 chords for the beginning?
I’m 70 in January and still learning after trying to play for nearly 55 years now; there’s no such thing as “learned it all now” with guitar! A little tip, if you want to try nylon strings without the wide neck get some ball end nylon strings and swap them for your steel ones.
Just to add to your point about which guitar to buy. The first thing is it has to be one that is easy to play. This may or may not be expensive - cost is not the point playability is. Take an experienced player with you when you buy one. A hard to play guitar is demotivating. Also inevitably people want a better guitar so work their way up through the various qualities. That is an expensive process. It is cheaper in the long run to buy a quality guitar from the beginning - learn from my mistakes. I'm 79 learnt to play late in life (I was 25) but have played professionally since the 70's and still jump on tables during guitar solos so age really is just a number. I currently live in the Czech Republic and play in 3 bands - one of them actually gets paid. :) A very light guitar is a Gibson 335 and it is electric and semi- acoustic so you have the best of both worlds.
@@JamieAndersonMusic :) I fell over once when jumping back off the table but the bass player (who is from the US - I'm British) noted that I still came back in on time. ruclips.net/video/O-c0qSxqY8o/видео.html
Thank you for the great tips. I finally made the decision to get serious about ukulele 3 weeks ago and am enjoying the number of folk songs I can play with just a few chords (especially since I know how to transpose anything to a different key). I have cut back my playing to no more than 15 minutes in a session, but I still have persistent tingling/numbness in my fretting fingers, even if I take a day off. Is this normal? Is there a better strategy?
I have just taken up bass guitar and I am 66 and told my teacher that I'll practise 3 times a day in 30 minute increments. He told me "Your fingers will have a say in how long you practise". This is true. I haven't really experienced the tingling/numbness though. The index finger tip on the fretting hand was a bit sore but no blistering yet. There is something called a Musician's Practise Glove that I saw on You Tube. It's not suitable for ukulele though. I was planning to get it but so far I don't have blistering. About the numbness/tingling try to practise for even shorter periods of time. If it doesn't go away it may be like a repetitive stress injury. My teacher says it happens sometimes when gripping the neck too tight, which I do as well because I have small hands. Give yourself time, it's a learning curve!
I'm an old fart who plays guitar at 62 . I picked up my first electric guitar at late 57 but played a classical guitar for over 25 years and fiddled around with guitars since I was 13 . I spend upto 8-9 hours a day now not because I'm crazy but because I'm a really dedicated guitarist. I originally was a singer but because of a form of muscular dystrophy I lost my ability to sing as the vocal chords are a muscles it also took away my ability to swallow food and now am only alive via a feed pump . You could use 9 gauge strings or even 8's especially if you play electric
I'm 67 and just started a couple of years ago and I think it's a good idea to start out on maybe a smaller size acoustic, maybe like a grand concert size and also decent quality so it plays well, or like you said, maybe electric, a Squier Affinity is a little over $200 and plays nice and some small amps sound great. Thanks for your videos, I just subscribed👍
Besides a ukulele, consider a smaller bodied guitar such as a 12 fret parlor, 00 or 000 which could be more comfortable. and not a 14 fret dreadnought which is the most common.
I'm almost 63 and have been playing since I was 14. I'm never going to be a great guitarist but there are a few things that I can play and think to myself "hey, that's not bad" and that's enough to keep me happy.
Hey there I’m an old fart too I’m 67 and playing guitar since I was 22 and 1974 I do know how to read music finger style guitar for about 46 years now I love it I will stop by Johnny fortune had a good time with him he wound up being my best friend for 30 years and tell he passed away in 2006 he was 60 fantastic guitar player and a great teacher missing much but I still play today you’re right James Taylor yeah Kansas yeah Simon and Garfunkel yeah the Beatles for sure and a host of many others I love my guitar and I’m glad people play them today it’s a good healthy hobby keep your mind sharp and keep it going have a great day thanks🎸🎸👍❤️
A wise old man once said "your old when your farts smell like your grandfathers". Thanks for the video. Of course I wanted to play guitar when my old arthritic fingers want to fight me. However I'm dumb and stubborn so I will carry on. Good videos thanks for sharing.
I’ve never found nylon strings to be ‘softer’ - on the contrary, I seem to have to work harder to fret a chord on a nylon-string. I’m 69, and I find that light strings on an acoustic fret the same (for me) as heavy strings on my electric. My fingers and hands are strong, and it’s to easy for me to ‘fret sharp’ if a string’s too light.
Classicals usually come with a higher action, I lower mine to 3.5mm on the bass E and 3mm on the treble E. I have no more trouble fretting nylon than steel. If you have the higher classical action that could be the problem. In fact I prefer the feel of nylon strings as I don't often use a pick.
Good choice Linda, silk and steel strings are designed for steel strung acoustics, not so much choice in gauges though. They're designed to be warmer and not so "loud", so you do get a feel and tone like having nylons on your steel stringer. So they're softer as you say, easier to fret and easier on your fingers. The different outer wraps make a difference to tone as well. Generally you don't get so much finger noise from them either as you do with steel. And of course if you practice and play at home they're less likely to annoy your neighbours.. Many use them for playing live as they're quieter they sit in the background nicely and don't overwhelm the vocals. I have them on an acoustic because they're somewhere between nylons and steel and they're really nice for finger picking. Steel strings can break your nails if you're not a fan of those push on finger pick things. Which I'm not, or wasn't. I've just ordered some Fred Kelly finger picks which look a darn sight better than the older types. Probably been around a while but I wasn't looking for them they popped up on amazon while i was looking for something else. I also ordered one of the thumb picks that's basically a normal pick which slides on your thumb,so you can grip it like a normal pick..at least I won't be watching picks land on the floor so much... Just thought I'd mention these in case they're of interest to any one. In general strings are one subject that doesn't get as much discussion as they should. Any guitars tone includes string choice and gauge choice not just pick ups and effects etc. Even more so on acoustics.
Electric guitars are easier, or more comfortable to play as they have lower action (strings closer to the guitar), lighter strings and thinner bodies. Also, you can use less strength to get more volume because you can just turn up the amplifier. Yes, they are heavier but choose the guitar carefully. I paid £245 for a used Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster thinline and it's about half the weight of a typical Les Paul. Also, some amplifiers have features that help you learn, and many solid state amplifiers have built in tuners.
I'm 61 and picked up a bass guitar for the first time 4 years ago. With the help of RUclips videos(invaluable) and lots of practice time since my kids are grown etc, I now have my own band and music has become my "thing". Keep your guitar next to your chair (I know you guys have a chair LOL), and pick it up when commercials are on etc. If practice isn't fun, go to woodworking. Give this lady's videos a chance. These selfless angels have changed my life.
Bless you. Glad that music is so much a part of your life. Great suggestions, too.
What gives me the most encouragement is to find a new song (That I can play the chords to) and I find myself playing more often. And singing the song helps me with my timing. And once in awhile, I learn a new chord!
Keep playing!
Totally agree. Finding a song with chords I can (mostly) play and has nice progressions is really encouraging and moves things along.
I'm 68 and just started guitar lessons 3 months ago. I came directly to guitar having been studying ukulele with the same teacher for 3 years. My teacher is 40 years younger than me but we bounce off each other really well. Because of the big age gap our music tastes are vastly different. So in a way we are teaching each other as I introduce him to classical and jazz music he's never even heard of but now loves playing, and he introduces me to music I'd never otherwise have considered trying. Being retired I have plenty of time to practice. I get aches and pains but I find that practising in chunks of 20 mins and then putting my instrument down for a while means I rarely play less than 1 hour a day and the improvements are coming, particularly with finger picking. I don't get sore fingers probably because my guitar, a Mayson MS1/S deserves a far better player than me and because I use 12 gauge strings. The guitar is always a joy to pick up and there is so much music available whatever your tastes. I have set various achievable goals for myself and a few that only time, lots of practice and perseverance will achieve such as my all time music for the soul - Bach's Sleepers Awake. Maybe by the time I'm in my 70s I'll get that one under my fingers.
I have no doubt you'll conquer that Bach piece. You have a great attitude and people could benefit by following your lead.
Hi, I am 63 and having been playing guitar for 40 years but only really got somewhere with it over last 6 years after eventually getting a teacher. But now I find myself obsessed with bass and play with some guys, The guitar knowledge makes for better bass playing. Anyway, part of my regime is stretches, yoga, weekly Chinese massage and so on. Something along these lines is worth adding. Best to you.
@@stephenbingham5935 Great suggestions. Thanks, Stephen.
@@JamieAndersonMusic Thanks Jamie. I sincerely hope so. I've just learned a Carulli Andantino which makes me sound far better than I am lol. A couple of good tips from my teacher are to practice whatever I'm learning slowly and work on the weakest part in isolation until it becomes the strongest part.
@@bahoonies Excellent! That's exactly what I tell my students. If you can't play it accurately at a slow speed then you won't be able to play it well at a fast tempo.
I’m 72 and struggling so this video was certainly made for me. I took lessons from a 23 year old with a man bun and after 6 months I knew 4 chords having spent the majority of our lessons listening to him play. I enjoyed the way you explain everything - thanks so much! I checked your list of videos and you list many of the songs I want to learn. I think I may have stumbled on to the perfect teacher for me. I’m now a subscriber. Thanks. I’ll let you know how this all works out for me!
You're very welcome. Wow, sounds like you had some teacher. That's like watching Tiger Woods play golf and thinking that's all you need to be a good golfer. 😄 Enjoy my lessons and keep playing!
I started learning the electric at age 52, almost with closed curtains, so nobody could see me struggle. I did all sorts of courses and books and also checked your channel from time to time. You once said to me: Keep playing. And I did, here I am, stil learning after 3,5 years, getting better each day. So thank you again for your great advice and encouragement.
You are so welcome. And I'll say it again - keep playing!
maacrl, I had to check and make sure I didn’t post this. Good luck and keep it up 🎸😁
@@warren4110 I just bought a couple of pedals in the Black Friday sale, so I'll be busy for a while. It's a lot of fun and well worth the effort. Good day and good practicing.
As a Boomer born in ‘53, I started playing when I was 16 in 1969 with my friends who had guitars. I didn’t own one for many yrs later and then I slacked off for many yrs and then got back into it. I took various lessons such as barre chords and finger picking etc at night school. I own 1 acoustic guitar and 2 electric guitars. The electrics are a Fender Strat and a Telecaster. I enjoy the electric cause it’s easier to play. The Tele feels like it’s twice as heavy as the Strat. I dislike the acoustic guitar due to the bigger body and if you have a sore shoulder or a sore rotator cuff, then it really aches to play it. I’m glad I lived through IMO the greatest Rock & Roll years compared to today’s music.
I feel that it's my obligation to respond when someone complains about today's music. There are tons of great music being produced today but you need to look for it. Hint, it's not on mainstream radio or football halftime shows.
Exactly. My students bring me songs they hear on RUclips and some of them are amazing.
@@jwh475ezc I totally agree, Jim. Tons of good new music out there, you just have to look really hard. I started watching Colter Wall on some RUclips videos, followed the suggested videos and discovered tons of good new music.
Try a smaller body size, like the concert body. Taylor Academy 12 and Academy 12e are great starters with a beveled armrest ($500-649 new) and Taylor Guitars' The Ebony Project will make you feel good that some companies are putting concern for the future of tone woods into action. I also found a new Breedlove Pursuit Exotic Concert E for $500 from a music store, so that's three in rotation as I learn by practicing at 65, and maintaining them at 50% humidity. Reverb has a video explaining the various body shapes and sizes.
John, go to a music store and try a Taylor GS Mini (gadzillions of them sold!) - they are TERRIFIC and reasonably priced "Parlor size" guitars, available in all types of wood and with/without amplification. I immediately fell in love with one (Mahogany), bought it, then a second used one, Spruce off Craig'slist.
I'm 53 and just crossed the 2 year mark this month. Im a lefty learning to play righty and can confirm that old farts can do this. I'm having a blast and can't wait for opportunities to practice... Jamie is absolutely correct on all fronts. Patience and practice will not let you down.. Oh, and just go ahead and get the les Paul...
Keep playing!
Well I am 73 yo now and getting back into playing my guitar during these COVID times. I have found a unique MIDI guitar(not available anymore) which is very very light weight and the 6 string fretboard is not actual strings but has accurate sensors when you press down on the frets it plays just like a regular guitar - very easy on the fingers. The strumming area is where the actual strings are. By far, I am no expert but do a little finger picking, etc so it is fun to play my guitar to various sounds and backing tracks from my computer again. Thank you for your video.
As an aging baby boomer, I started back playing my guitar after a 20-year absence. Now been playing for 5 years. Learn several "open" chords like A E G D C Am etc and yes the dreaded F chord for beginners. There are very many good songs that use just a few chords. Once you can get good at playing these "open" chords, in the "first" position, learn to play them using Barre chords. After you get comfortable with those Barre chords learn the major and pentatoic scale. Keep the fingernails on the fretting hand trimmed as close as possible to make a solid pressure on the strings. Your fingertips will hurt as you learn to play. That's normal. Give it time to develop some callous. Learning to play an instrument also keeps your brain active and makes you happy when you achieve a goal. Learn simple songs that you enjoy, Keep Plucking,
Good advice. I have lessons for all of that.
I'm a stroke suvieor and I'm trying to play. I have a acoustic steel and nylon string with 5 Squires and Epiphone guitars.
Go man go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I learned to play guitar in my 20s. I'm 58 now. Let ot slide for a long time as I was a carer to my parents. I took up my guitar in June of 2023 after my sister Clare died from cancer. I could only play for a few mins , maybe 15, but I kept coming back every day after. And it's been a real comfort to me. I'm trying to improve what I learned so long ago and maybe learn a few new things. I love your positive vibes. The comments are great to read. Thanks for your channel. I've subscribed.
Thanks for subscribing! Glad you have discovered the healing power of music. Keep playing!
I’m 62 and only started a few years ago. I love my Taylor GS Mini. It’s very playable. And I play ukulele too. Great tips, by the way. Very encouraging.
Thanks, Bib. Those minis are great. Also a fan of the uke, as you can see.
YES! GS Mini! I have two! YES! UKES! I have 5 including a wonderful/beautiful Koa Kanilea!
I hope that you've seen on YT "Honoka & Azita" and "Jake Shimabukuro" (sic?) uke vids.
Awesome. Started learning 1 1/2 years ago at 65 and can play a lot of songs. Key is dedication. You cannot learn just practicing every once in a while. DO IT EVERY DAY. I started out at 15 minutes a day for about 2 weeks. Now I can play for 2 hours straight. Have fun and stay dedicated to learn. It will come, I promise.
It's all about the practice. Keep playing!
Hey Jamie, how are you? I am the guy that plays the guitar left handed.
Some years ago you had or may still have website. Some teachers even very few Players would look at me weird, cause I hold the guitar different. I even had one person, in your website, trying to force me to play the guitar right handed. after watching this video, I like how you give advice. It is true, especially older people. Its good to watch.
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Been watching you for quite a while now, and learned a bunch. While also learning on my own. Thanks for all you do for us OLD FARTS.
You are very welcome, Greg. Happy to do my part for old farts.
OLD FART is Right!! 63 working on Banjo and decided to add the Guitar. Got a Taylor GS Mini... love it....slow to progress due to inflammation in fingers. Hard to cord. working on it. May start lessons with you. My wife got a violin and twinkle twinkling me to death but I'm happy she is trying. Thank you......Doc.
You're welcome, Doc. You're never too old to learn. Unfortunately, I have a long waiting list now for private lessons. Happy to recommend other teachers if you can't wait. Keep playing!
Nice presentation. I went to the Ukulele as I was struggling with the Guitar. After 6 months and gaining confidence from playing songs on the Ukulele I went back to the Guitar. My enthusiasm was reignited. At 74 thats a whole lot of reignighting!!!
Glad you're playing!
I'm in the old fart category, good tips. I totally agree about only learning songs you actually like. It's all about having fun and you already have an idea about the basic song structure. It's s great way to start learning. Best wishes.
Thanks and I agree, there's no reason to learn songs unless you love them.
I agree with Robbo57. I play for my own entertainment because I was born in 56 and alone.
Some great tips! Thanks for the video. I'm 64 and started playing 6 months ago. Haven't missed a day yet. Can't believe how much I enjoy it. Wish I had started years ago, but going to make the best of it.
Rock on! Thanks.
My husband died 5 years ago. 3 years ago at age 52 I took his guitar out and decided I wanted to learn to play. I’ve been taking lessons for 3 years and I love it! One of the best decisions I’ve made. Thanks for your down to earth videos.
So sorry to hear that and I'm so glad you found something that you love doing. He is smiling down on you. I lost my dad a few weeks ago to covid and I just busted out my guitar to take some stress away. I'm not very good but I think its time to really learn and have fun. Good luck on your journey!
You're welcome, Maryanne. Keep playing!
@@BloodySoup74 Really sorry to hear about your dad. Glad you're playing. Music is always good for the soul.
I’m 64 and been playing for 45 years. I played bass professionally for 40 years and 6 string on and off during this time. About 5 years ago I put all my efforts into the 6 string. I know a lot of musicians in my town and hooked up for lessons with a friend who still players in a band. Although I could play decent I wanted to be better. Now for the tips.... 1 get a nice guitar and have a professional luthier set it up. The easer it plays the more you’ll want to play it. He will ask your years of experience and set it up for you. 2 take lesions, like the excellent lady said, even if it’s on RUclips. And play what your interested in, again you’ll want to play more. 3 practice, if an hour a day seems too much, try just 5 minutes, that will turn into 10 minutes, into 20 minutes. I’m retired and play roughly 4 hours a day. 4 find other old farts to play with, I have a group of player come over on Sunday afternoon for 4 hours. Some have played for years, some just started. You’ll find the beautiful thing about true musicians is they’ll help you. They’re kind and will show you all they know. They want to see you succeed. Playing with other players will make you better.Last never give up on your dream, your worth it and no one should take it away from you..... rock on brothers and sisters
Good advice!
Sbrilliant advice David. A big thumbs up from me.
I'm 65 yo and just start learning guitar. Thank you for your lessons. You are a wonderful teacher. Subscribed right after the first lesson, Amazing Grace.
Thank you!
Being old and retired has the advantage of being able to play anytime...:-)
Definitely!
Sure does, bro. Every week, thanks to the miracles of technology, I play bass for Jimi at Woodstock. Haven't quite got it yet. Often wake up at 3a.m. plug in the amp and the phones and go for it. None of the other old codgers at the boarding house know.
I wish I got old fifty years ago. My hands worked faster then, but I took them for granted. Loving every minute of the time I have left.
My first retirement was at age 44, so I've probably an advantage...
Absolutely!
I started when I was 48. Bought a 3/4 sized nylon stringed guitar.
Now (just turned 50) just upgraded to a thin body steel stringed acoustic.
Keep playing!
Hello from Finland. Iam beginner allmoust 53 old.I have watcht youtube videos for beginners but then i found you.I have watcht your videos and you are my youtube teacher now. Sorry my bad english.
Your English is fine. 😊 I appreciate that you made the effort. Thank you for watching my videos! If you haven't already, please subscribe.
Great video...67 yo guitar player but, just a strummer. I will be getting back into it as soon as I move into the home I am buying. I'm a huge Beatles fan with all their CD's, records, and songbooks. I enjoyed you video.
Thanks. I love the Beatles too.
Good tips, Jamie. I'm 71 and broke all the fingers in my left hand 10 years ago. I've been playing since around 1970, although once I had a family I rarely played at all. Anyway, love your guitar. My acoustic is a 1972 Guild F-30 that I bought new, and I just bought a used Squier Bullet Strat and Fender amp since as you suggested the electric is a little easier to play. Working on it a little every day. Still having trouble with the strength in my little finger but I think it will come around. Going back to 60s and 70s rock and some folk.
Sounds great. Keep playing!
How refreshing hearing from a fellow old fart! I stumbled across your RUclips video by accident and really enjoy your attitude. I shall now check out all you've done. I'm a 73 year old guitar teacher based in the UK, and have many young and older students (some of which are learning rock and metal). Nothing is taboo in music, everyone is an individual, and age is no barrier to what a person wants to learn and play. Rock on Jamie and carry on with your positive messaging.
Rock on back to ya! Always love it when another teacher checks out my work.
I just discovered you. I am 74 and have played on and off for 56 years. I suffered memory damage and I have been advised by doctors to return to perhaps improve my memory. At one time I was a competent fingerpicking Delta blues fingerpicker. And, finally, I have had hand injuries and now also suffer the same nerve damage that is catching up with E. C. I recently sole some guitars (I can build) and bought a Republic brass-bodied Parlor Rocket. It has a relatively short scale--24 1/2" . I have always wanted a National steel bodied guitar, but the Rocket easily equals a National. I still have my 40 year-old Guild D 40, like yours and with the 25 1/2" scale is strung light. I am building a short scale 12 string right now, for myself. And, I have a Custom Shop Epiphone "Dot"--all USA guts and premium tobacco burst figured wood. They only did 500 of them in 2009 and they are special.. Oddly enough it is not marked with a country of origin. I have subscribed and hit the "bell."
Thanks for subscribing. Glad you're playing again. You've got some nice guitars!
Bravisimo! This is a GREAT video! I'm 62 years old and first started learning guitar when I was 16, but about 5 years ago Meniere"s disease rendered me completely, stone deaf in my left ear, and it affected my enjoymant of playing so much that I put the guitar down until a couple months ago, when I finally picked it up again. I'm very pleased to see that you've included playing 15 minutes a day to start, and using lighter gauge strings in your tips. The first month back I played for about 15 to 20 minutes per day to build up callouses, and now I am occasionally playing sets of an hour to 1 1/2 hours at a friends Kava Bar (audience of ten or less with masks and 6 feet apart). It really helps us old futs recapture a lot of the enthusiasm for life that may have faded a bit since we were young. Someone should start a charity to provide guitars, ukuleles, and other instruments to assisted living facilities for their community use! Beats the hell out of Bingo! Thanks for addressing a need for creative activity for those of us who are staring to get on in years.
Everything beats the hell out of bingo. 😜 Keep playing! Guitar, that is.
I started playing guitar at 61. I had a teacher who had me learn theory, and I also learned to read music. I think that in the long run this made things a lot easier. Thanks, Jamie, this is a great channel.
You're welcome, Peter. If you haven't already, please subscribe.
I find it weird that older people find reasons not to do something. No one cares. I’m 56 and I play every day. Some days are better than others, but I don’t care. I have tendinitis in my shoulder, bicep and elbow. It doesn’t stop me. Don’t let it stop you either.
I'm 70. My hands are all messed up. I suck. I don't care. I love it; just learned drop D tuning and am working on Harvest Moon. Dave, you're a youngster; keep playin'.
Dave, I have tendinitis too, if I play too long it really hurts. I warm up nowadays and play for shorter periods. I also learned to play slide so that on the tough days I can still play and enjoy the guitar. Keep going buddy, take care.
I love that my viewers are encouraging each other! Keep playing, everyone.
Always another great song to learn, Dave. Cheers
'Cousin' ED here, lol...been playing for 45 years now...and i think its great you are helping people learn....im way past guitar lessons, learning drums and keybords now.
music is the best.
Rock on!
Jamie just learned how to play parts of a three cord song tickled to death I have a electric strat and can change them fairly decent had my guitar for a yr now son bought it for my last birthday which I was 65 thanks for putting up with all of us love your videos
I don't have to put up with all of you, I genuinely enjoy this work. 😊 Keep playing!
This 66-yr-old Old Fart just stumbled across this after learning the ukulele and then the guitar 4+ years ago. Many great tips!
Yes, attitude is everything! I believe you can do anything you want, if you set your mind to it. Your only limitations are the ones you place on yourself.
Wish I would have watched this video before because I was one who started one course, skipped to another and then another. Sticking to one is great advice!
BTW - I have osteoarthritis, especially in my fingers and hands. I was experiencing severe hand pain a couple of years ago - overdid it trying to learn barre chords - and was under the care of a hand specialsit who sent me to an occupational therapist. Both the doctor and the OT were amazed at my manual dexterity and attibuted it to playing the guitar. While going through therapy, the OT recommended capsule form tumeric. She said there's no scientific evidence that it does anything, but some of her patients swore by it. Now I'm one of them and pain free!
Excellent. Keep playing!
Hi Jamie , great lesson ...I’ve been teaching guitar for 30 years in the UK and my students have ranged from 6 tears old to 83 ! There are no old farts only cool “ young at heart “ farts . You’re absolutely correct ...it’s never too late . One of my students started at 69 and after 4 years he’s fingerpicking all of his favourite folk songs . Hope you’re well , good luck , good wishes from the UK 🇬🇧 x
Thanks, Gary! A compliment from a fellow teacher is a high one indeed.
@@JamieAndersonMusic no problem Jamie , have fun , greetings from a wet and windy UK 🇬🇧 x
Good advice! I started my grandson with do, re, me, fa so, la, to, do. It's all based on that kinda... The major scale shape or pattern; learn it now if ya don't know it! Get it "under your fingers" on the entire fretboard. Merry Christmas!
Thanks, John.
Due to an accident and having my left index finger crushed, I play 3 string cigar box guitars, and after over 60 years of playing in bands, I still play concerts and gigs on a regular basis. I agree with you, Jamie, people are never too old to learn to play guitar. After watching your videos, I would recommend your lessons to anyone thinking about starting.
I can tell you’ve been around awhile. You called it your index finger instead of your pointer finger.
Thanks, much appreciated
I'm an old fart. 😊
65 and haven't played for ten years. Thanks for the tips. I find I have to do physical left-hand stretch exercises, and that right now half-hour is about all I can handle. Also, I would recommend that beginners, and those, like me, that are more experienced but have not played for a long time, to Google "muscle memory" left hand fingering exercises that will help with proper finger placement (and rebuild callouses) and give a good intro/refresher into chromatics and left/right hand syncing. Good video for us aging boomers, thank you! :)
And PS: "The House of the Rising Sun" is a great first song to learn, very easy chord progression: Am> C> D> F> Am> C> E> repeat.
Thanks for the suggestions and yes, warming up is great. While "House of the Rising Sun" is a good song, I don't recommend it for beginners because of the F chord. Learn some of the more accessible open chords first, then move to the F.
Agree with you on all points. I find too many people saying "I am too old to learn now. I wish I learned when I was young." NOT TRUE! I have said many times, keep your instrument handy (not in the case in the closet), pick it up 15 minutes a day as much as possible, don't fret any harder than necessary. You hit on others, all sensible. I like your approach. My wife shifted from guitar to ukelele exactly for the reasons you stated. She and I are both old farts.....and I am just picking up the fiddle.
Thanks, Larry. Enjoy the fiddle!
I started playing at 8 and played throughout my teens / early 20s. Life happened and I didn't play for many years. Well, I am playing again and driving my husband insane😂. I've always played the same guitar 76 Alvarez. Well, last week I bought a PRS - SE. I'm happy to not be starting from the very beginning but I'm tackling the CAGED system which is new to me. You're never too old to learn something new. Happy Picking!
Glad you're playing again. Tell your husband this is what it's like to live with a musician. 😊
Two best tips learn by playing songs you love , practice , practice practice more practice will make you better it's not hard it's slow , oh yes I'm seventy been playing 20 years love it and played live and almost anyone can learn if their prepared to put the time in sending a hug
Why would any old fart stray out of their house when there are hundreds of lessons for free like yours,I was in my late 50s when I joined my first band,thank goodness that I had a great lead guitar teacher in the band to teach me about tone, although I played since childhood I was basically tone deaf, grew up playing acoustic guitar and was surprised at the latency of the electric guitar,which helped speed up my playing up, but of course I was tone deaf as far as getting some on the tones of the songs I grew up on, another thing that helped our band become the most popular was that we played every note perfectly, and that was the secret that kept our followers happy, even if most were just drunks in the bar scene of the venues we played, most importantly just have fun and don't worry about making mistakes it's all part of learning,thanks for your channel and your spirit as a teacher.
You're right, making mistakes is part of becoming a good player.
learning to play should be fun and relaxed. This is great therapy for older people for sure! I'm 66 years old and I have arthritis carpal tunnel. some days I can play for five minutes, other days for an hour. I do have trouble remembering chord changes and so I have to look at song sheets a lot. I have a very nice Martin acoustic that is a lot better instrument then I am a player, but why not have the best instrument you can afford? If nothing else, one of my grandchildren can have it when I die. I also have several electrics, but they are very heavy on my shoulder, so I mostly noodle around with the acoustic guitar. I like bronze light gauge strings by Ernie Ball for my acoustic and Regular Slinkys for my electrics! Have fun! Thank you Jamie for your teachings!
You're welcome. Glad you're playing!
Hear the balance across the strings as Jamie strums? There are only a few guitars out there that have that balance; Guild being one of them. I still play my 1972 Guild D40 regularly. I was looking for a Martin D18, when the music store owner told me to try the Guild. It left with me that very day. Those in the know still love Guild guitars, and the blend of Sitka spruce tops with Mahogany makes the sound as sweet as honey. All the best.
I love my Guild.
This is very accurate…. Im 69 and one of those guys who started.. stopped… started. stopped…. and so on. I also have arthritis in the big joint of my left thumb. well my wife bought me an electric guitar about 3 or 4 years ago.. I had mid budget acoustic and "SEARS". classical…. and it was years old.. I started playing again.. well basicly I now practice 1 to 3 hrs a day at least 5 to 6 days a week…. In the last year I decided to learn to finger pick.. I now am working on pieces like black bird.. Yesterday, and I cant find my way home. as well I am working on old blues fingerpicking. I have found a teacher , though this break due to covid has been the longest break I have taken from him. I like to take a month or so of classes then a spell off to absorb it.. I just wanted to tell you guys this and support What Jamie Anderson is saying.. and on a light note.. not only is it fun but it helps my arthritis LOL. and the concentration is good for all us old guys.. focus.. LOL. thanks for the Video.. it was great.
Thanks, Mike, for the kind words and for your words of encouragement for other players. Maybe you need a teacher who teaches via Zoom or Skype? I teach via Skype but have no openings. If you want recommendations for other teachers, let me know.
@@JamieAndersonMusic I will keep that in mind. thank you for the offer. Im not very good with skype and zoom and all that stuff.. Do you do workshops?????? I live outside vancouver canada.. but I have been known to travel to workshop weekends all over north america.. when the covid thing is done I may do that for guitar this time
@@chinto50 I sometimes do live workshops on RUclips. Skype isn't too hard to learn if you find a teacher who uses that platform.
65 and a LEFTY to boot. I would love to learn to play The Ventures instrumentals, them or The Shadows. I just need the lead guitar fingerings.
I love their songs too but it's not something I teach. Sorry.
At last i have found a video for mature beginners , i am 65 and have tried to learn the guitar for many years with little progress.
The one point i will add is as you advised, go to a good guitar store, and find a guitar that says "Play Me", and that you find comfortable. especially the feel of the neck, electric guitars that are correctly set-up are easier to learn on, you can move on to an acoustic as you progress.
Excellent advice and yes, a good set-up is very important.
I'm 65 and started playing guitar again at 57 and I knew that a way to improve my mind body connection and to get the most out of my practice was to prepare my body. I start with stretching and relaxing using some great utube videos, lower back, shoulders, neck, hand and arm stretches....I love the process of preparing to play. I feel ready to concentrate and learn. My hands are so relaxed I can allow the music to flow thru me to my hands and my practice sessions are so rewarding.... also a tip I use for soothe my finger tips if they are feeling beat up and a bit ragged is putting olive oil on the tips after practice.
Great advice. Thanks.
Helpful video,thank you.I'm 51 and just bought my very first guitar,an electric semi hollow body,and a lefty.I have been looking around for tips on getting started.
You're welcome. This video is helpful for new players: ruclips.net/video/B2gsoXyu5pE/видео.html
Get a baritone ukulele- it plays exactly like a 4 string guitar - same chord shapes, same key - just way easier to learn. Easier on the fingers. And EVERYTHING you learn on it will transfer directly to 6 string guitar. But they are so much fun to play you might not switch.
If you play baritone uke and someone hands you a 6 string you can just play on the 4 treble strings and very few people will even know. The learning curve between them is almost zero. Great travel guitar option too.
Baritone ukes are fun and yes, they're usually tuned the same as a guitar.
I've just turned 30 ( don't qualify as an old fart yet lol) BUT I'd say that the tip about proper string gauge is definitely relevant to younger players as well and not so often discussed on the internet. I've struggled for almost a year to find out the strings were too thick for the style i was trying to play. So it's not a bad idea to try someone else's guitar from time to time to compare playability
Great suggestion. Thanks, Via.
I play with 7 high e
But I have to restring more often
Than I did with the 10 high e
Your a good teacher you have bless a lot of people I love gospel and a little old rock and the older country I cut the tv off and play my guitar 🎸
Keep playing!
i'm having fun with guitar at 58. thinner gauge strings have helped me. also guitars with smaller body size and shorter scale length. i do have some pain in my left wrist when i play certain things.
Glad you're figuring it out. Keep playing!
I love your video. You inspired me. I've been playing for a ten+ yrs, but taking care of my grandson interrupted my playing on a regular bases. Thanks for lighting my fire.
You're very welcome! Keep that fire burning.
I have the same guitar you are playing in the video. A Guild D 40. Ibe had it for many years ,like you just said in the case for most of them. Now I'm retired and trying to really learn how to read and play the guitar. I find that My elbow hurts if I play it too much and have switched to playing my classical guitar more. Thanks for your videos I get encouraged by them to keep playing.
Glad I could inspire you to play. And actually, I have a D50. They have a similar look and feel.
@@JamieAndersonMusic i have a 1978 d 40 i bought new. it is still my favorite. it has kind of a fat neck compared to others but sounds great. i thought you had same but i see not.
I just happened onto your video, and was very pleasantly surprised. I started playing just one year ago. I'm 62 years young, and was very determined to accomplish this intimidating venture. I can, and often do practice up to several hours a day, and because of that dedication/obsession with playing, I have made great progress, considering that when I first held the guitar in my lap my thoughts of achieving success was very doubtful. I like your senior vocal points, and for the most part I have been doing everything your suggesting. Although I do have multiple instructors which they all have contributed towards my learning the songs that I like. I will be adding you to this list. I would also like to comment on the ukulele. There is a group here at the resort that i reside in which play Ukulele's. They prefer them to a guitar because they are easier to play. I have found that after playing my dreadnought for long periods of time my shoulder can begin to hurt.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Keep playing!
Excellent Jamie, loved your clarity. i'm going on 59 and as beginner improver I easily get distracted by all the amazing videos out there - so item 7 resonates with me a lot. 'Stick to it' should be everyone's New Years motto! Subscribed.
Thanks, Andy!
"No, you're never too old, old, old to rock n roll, oh, oh, if you're too young to die" - Jethro Tull 1976
Had to hear that classic song after reading your comment. Now I can finish reading other comments.
@Randy Sporing Guitar player? Martin Barre
Nice gentle encouragement for us oldsters! One thing you did not mention is to get any guitar set up properly. Computer aided manufacturing has made even entry level guitars much better than in years past, but any guitar needs a professional setup so that the action and intonation are as good as possible. Also, I have found Martin Silk and Steel strings to have a noticeably softer feel that is good for starters. They are not as durable for hard strumming, but good for beginners and us fingerpickers.
One other thing: get a guitar stand and keep the guitar out where you can see it. I leave mine out on its stand with a dust cover fashioned from a sheet. I grab it and get in a few minutes several times a day if I don’t have time to sit down for an extended session. It’s how you eat an elephant, one bite at a time. It all adds up.
Great suggestions, Robert. Thanks!
Great tips! Here's another one that's been helpful for me. Being a beginner can play havoc on your neck from all of the looking down. I just started practicing in front of a mirror so I can maintain better posture and still keep an eye on my fretting and picking.
Good advice. Also, the more you practice, the less you'd have to look down. It also helps to have a stand for your music. Adjust it so you're looking straight ahead.
Another great video, Jamie. As a senior, I find my once tack sharp memory fails me occasionally. I’m struggling to memorize the fret board from frets 1 thru 12. Some days I recall most of the notes, other days I feel like I’m starting from square one. Cheers from Alberta
Thanks, Matthew. I hear ya about memory. That's one of the things I neglected to mention in this video. I do think that learning and memorizing chord forms and scales helps with memory. Cheers from Ontario!
@@JamieAndersonMusic I think what kind of helped me was left and right hand coordination. I play the steeldrums and took it up when I was in my 40s. I looked at the fretboard on the bass and was a bit overwhelmed but my teacher is doing it in bite-sized chunks. I use the markers on the bass to let me know what fret I'm on. It's a work in progress though!
@@susiemuirhead561 Yes, learning in chunks is the way to go. If you look at the whole fretboard and try to memorize it, that's always going to be more challenging, no matter your age.
After telling myself I'd learn 'someday' for decades, I decided this is the year and I've just begun. I'll be 60 next summer :~) I've now had my first 5 days of play with some short, complete-beginner YT lessons on an acoustic I found in a relative's unwanted stuff in storage.
My fingertips are having a hard time with the strings. Having a good look, I think the action is pretty high, even for 'regular' players, so I've taken the guitar to a luthier I found locally to be properly set up. Now I'm itchy to get it back; that's a good sign, yes? ;~)
Keep playing and the tips of your fingers get callouses on them so it hurts less and less. stop playing and they go away and hurts again so keep playing.
Very good sign. Glad you're getting it set up. That will make a big difference.
@@geekwillow8177 Yes, thank you.
@@JamieAndersonMusic Thank you :~)
You are an inspiration! I’ve been playing a long time but reached a plateau (actually got bored). I hate playing in front of people. Maybe I can get motivated thru your videos.
That would be awesome. Keep in mind that you don't have to play in front of people if you don't want to. Lots of reasons to play!
thanks for the input about us old Persons after building guitars for grand children ,thought i might make one for me and ended up with three still play for an hour a day and reached many roadblocks but persisting .
Keep playing!
hello Jamie, first time here, and you are perfect to listen to , a very good teacher. Try introducing '4 strong winds' by the searchers for the early learning novices (like myself) its a great soft gentle tune that's very easy on the chords and so satisfying to get thru . God bless, keep up the good work, Tom from England
Great suggestion! I'll add that to the list.
Been playing guitar for over 40 years, I try to play everyday, the best tips I can give anyone who is just starting out. Dab a little rubbing alcohol on the tips of your fingers, it will numb the pain until you get caluses on them. Second, ( as you stated) try alot of different guitars before you buy one. Dont let anyone tell you which guitar is good for you, only you can determine that. Thanks for the Video.
Thanks, Tony.
I'm 73, have played since age 14. Recently have been struggling with arthritis in fingers so it's frustrating playing my 25.5 inch scale Martin. Thinking of buying a 24" scale electric to ease up on tension, so a shorter scale as we age may help.
Great idea. You might also get the action on your Martin checked out.
Thanks for the video. I'm 58 and just started learning. I'm prone to pressing too hard on the strings and after 10 minutes my fingertips start to get pretty sore. Looking forward to those callouses but they haven't happened yet. I might consider those lighter gage strings.
Everyone has sore fingertips in the beginning and yes, lighter gauge strings will probably help. If you haven't already please subscribe.
when I started out, not so long ago, my fingers (and wrists) suffered and I longed for those callouses - and that was on nylon strings! But before that happened I wised up to the minimum amount of force that I needed to play a sweet sounding chord. Along with that there's a lot to learn about holding your guitar comfortably and effectively, and how to manage your handshapes. There's lots of advice online about those things, some of which should work for you. The thing is I skipped the callouses and a lot of the pain and moved on to steel strings without too much trouble. I believe no one should accept that it is going to hurt so just ignore it!
After many years of using medium gauge strings on my Takamine, I decided to experiment with a light gauge (D'addario EJ16) set. The difference was astonishing. Much easier left hand fretting with no loss in tone or volume. My only regret was not doing it earlier...
Thanks for the info .i play a Takamine also. I will try the D'addario.
Better late than never. Keep playing!
I’m 60. Been playing since I was 16. Never slowed up. All good tips as far as I can tell. If you ever wanted to play, it’s not too late. You don’t know what you’re missing!
Yes! Keep playing.
I've been restarting to play guitar again after almost a decade of hiatus. My bad. I've tried all those alternate picking, shredding, arpeggios, sweep picking, fast riff, etc from day one. It gave me a severe back and shoulder pain for days. I'm only 35, and this got me thinking : am I an old farts now? Why this seemingly low cardiac activities hurt my body?
Luckily, after learning how to stretch my muscle properly before playing and taking a rest periodically between sessions. The pain is pretty much gone away. Oh and don't forget to keep a comfortable body posture while playing. That helps me too.
Sorry, you're not an old fart at 35 but no matter the age, it's important to take care of yourself. Resting and stretching are excellent suggestions.
I'm in my 50s and have a mid 20s kid for a teacher. We have a blast with 80s tunes.
Excellent. Like I say in the video, it isn't always about age. Keep playing!
One thing that worked for this old fart, I'm 70. I got a grip strengthener. You know the thingy you squeeze and build up your grip. My wife's orthopedic surgeon also recommended Cosamine DS and I take that when my hands hurt.
But as far as music to play goes, I am just as happy playing Paranoid or Summer of '69, or More Than A Feeling, in fact I like it better than James Taylor. But what is killing me are the Advanced Chords, what Steve Krenz calls them in his course. The stretching leaves me wondering if I am going to have to break my fingers and let them heal in shapes to bend like that, and stretch that far. I have some problems with the Blues Swing and Boogie shapes as well. Getting that pinky 6 frets down kills my hand.
You can get those more advanced chords with practice but do it in moderation.
Very nice video. If you don't play often you probably won't build up callouses on your fingers thus it can hurt your fingers when you do play. The anticipated pain might discourage you from playing. Thus for people who don't play often I recommend nylon string/classical guitars. Much easier on the fingers as Jamie mentions. Plus for beginners the wider neck makes plucking strings with your right hand easier.
Thanks, Jon.
6:56, find yourself a used Les Paul Tribute on Craigslist for about $700. Has all the DNA of its big brothers but with a low cost finish.
Good advice.
Jamie, that was for you ;-)
RUclips algorithm led me here, and I've been playing for about 45 years. Your advice is spot on pretty much for anybody, old fart or otherwise. The only thing I would add, if I may, is to enlist the help of a guitar playing friend, if you have one you trust- particularly when buying instruments. Also, You're adorable.
It does help to have a friend with you when you're buying.
I like this video, the problem I've had is finding a way to keep motivated. Practice is obviously very important, but if drills and difficult songs take the fun out of practice I don't keep at it for long. I have been at it off and on for years, challenges and songs I want to learn often go together. I keep losing interest because of frustration with basics. I periodically find myself getting distracted by fiddling with gear and music theory. I am too cheap to take lessons and lately pushed a bit to just mostly strum chord based songs, finding balance has eluded me, so far. Thank You for the encouragement.
Find songs you want to learn. Leave the gear and theory alone for awhile and just learn some chords and strums for your favorite songs. You'll regain the joy, then.
Yes, I’m an old fart!😂 Totally enjoyed your video (first time viewer), filled with a lot of good/true stuff. I am 66 and have toyed with the guitar off and on since High School. I was taking lessons at my local music store here in Maryland and the instructor was a you fella who was in a very good band. I left because he liked to talk more than show, so I started with an on-line site. I now have 3 sites which I learn from, Guitar Tricks (basics), Andy’s Guitar (simple songs) and now your site (new subscriber). Looks like a fun site and looking forward to learning new things and having fun!! 😊🎸
Thanks for subscribing. You're getting a well-rounded education now. Guitar Tricks and Andy's Guitar are both great sites.
Again inspirational , I keep falling in love with your videos. I am in my 40s, not sure if I can consider myself to be an old fart 😂😂. Thanks for all the encouragement 🙏🙏
We will accept you as an honorary old fart. :) Glad you're enjoying the videos.
@@JamieAndersonMusic 😂😂🙏🙏
Something that you should mention is to get your guitar set up by a luthier, it can make it easier to play.
Definitely.
Or just learn how to do it yourself. It's not rocket science it's just a block of wood with strings attached. That's what I did, now my guitars are so easy to play an infant could push the strings down on the frets.
@@markgee9211 I always take my guitar to a professional but if you can do the work yourself, go for it!
Definitely! I started playing just over a year ago at the tender age of 52 on a hand me down guitar from my son! Getting it set up by a luthier was the best 30 pounds I ever spent.
I like your style. I am a seventy year old bass player. I have always played guitar, just to see what goes on in guitar player's heads. Usually not too much.
Apart from basses, I have an Epi Les Paul Vintage el cheapo. I had a luthier go over it twenty years ago who replaced the nut, put in P90 pickups adjusted the truss rod and set up the tunamatic bridge. No problems since then. Prefer 9 gauge strings despite sixty-five year old bass hands.
Playing music stops dementia.
Playing music stops dementia.
I agree, there are many benefits to playing and it beats the heck out of crossword puzzles. Keep playing!
@@JamieAndersonMusic Thank you for your kind reply. I prefer crossroads to crosswords. Love your channel. Looking for a senile drummer and over the hill guitar player to book residential care homes.
@@kevinmoor26 Go for it!
@@JamieAndersonMusic I do. And I love channels supporting older people to play music. I like your technique and style. One only has to know three chords to have fun with a guitar. Even Jaco Pastorius and Jack Bruce could only play one note at a time on bass.
I still play with my cousins as "The Fabulous Pig Farmers" and when we remember to take our medication at the same time, we still get gigs for free meals and drinks.
Even getting a ukelalie is good for old farts. We have the experience, just not enough time left.
I could see you doing a programme imitating Hendrix with dentures. Love your work. Thank you.
@@kevinmoor26 Hendrix with dentures. Now there's an image.
I'm getting arthritis slowly and my doctor told me to not stop playing because if I do I might not get the dexterity back. So iv picked up my practice to twice a day on the guitar. I'll never get very good on the guitar because when I go out all my picking friends still want me to play my fiddle. I play the guitar at home. That's a nice sounding Guild you have there.
Thank you, I love that guitar. Getting good on the guitar is not always the point, enjoying it is, so enjoy!
Light gage strings can cause a lot of string buzz so you should take it to a shop if there is buzzing from the strings they can put a new nut on.
Sometimes you need to get your guitar adjusted if you put on a different gauge string. Not always, though.
@@JamieAndersonMusic Yes ma'am I know you said in the video as well. I can remember putting light gauge on an acoustic it had way to much string buzz but a new nut; which is where the strings go across at the top of your guitar neck, for beginners to know, fixed my issue. Just letting people who might not know to look for the string buzz and realize its fixable. I enjoy your videos.
@@jitsroller Thanks, Tim
Great tips! I would also start with the ukulele it is simpler and you can carry it everywhere. Have you ever thought of starting with alt tuning i.e open E and playing songs with only 2-3 chords for the beginning?
Many guitars aren't set up to handle open E tuning. For beginners I recommend standard tuning and learning a few chords. A ukulele is great too.
Love it.
A happy fart never comes from a miserable ass...
We may be old farts, but we've got young hearts
:D
Is that a quote or original !?? It’s a beaut ! Chorus for a song.
Happy farts come from good coffee. Trust me.
I’m 70 in January and still learning after trying to play for nearly 55 years now; there’s no such thing as “learned it all now” with guitar!
A little tip, if you want to try nylon strings without the wide neck get some ball end nylon strings and swap them for your steel ones.
Make sure your guitar can accommodate nylon strings. They're thicker so they don't always stay put in the saddle and nut.
Just to add to your point about which guitar to buy. The first thing is it has to be one that is easy to play. This may or may not be expensive - cost is not the point playability is. Take an experienced player with you when you buy one. A hard to play guitar is demotivating. Also inevitably people want a better guitar so work their way up through the various qualities. That is an expensive process. It is cheaper in the long run to buy a quality guitar from the beginning - learn from my mistakes. I'm 79 learnt to play late in life (I was 25) but have played professionally since the 70's and still jump on tables during guitar solos so age really is just a number. I currently live in the Czech Republic and play in 3 bands - one of them actually gets paid. :) A very light guitar is a Gibson 335 and it is electric and semi- acoustic so you have the best of both worlds.
You jump on tables for solos? Very impressed! I can jump to conclusions easily, does that count? Great advice about buying a guitar, btw.
@@JamieAndersonMusic :) I fell over once when jumping back off the table but the bass player (who is from the US - I'm British) noted that I still came back in on time. ruclips.net/video/O-c0qSxqY8o/видео.html
@@2011littlejohn1 The show must go on.
Thank you for the great tips. I finally made the decision to get serious about ukulele 3 weeks ago and am enjoying the number of folk songs I can play with just a few chords (especially since I know how to transpose anything to a different key).
I have cut back my playing to no more than 15 minutes in a session, but I still have persistent tingling/numbness in my fretting fingers, even if I take a day off. Is this normal? Is there a better strategy?
I can't answer that, sorry. You might want to see your doctor to see if there's something physical going on.
I have just taken up bass guitar and I am 66 and told my teacher that I'll practise 3 times a day in 30 minute increments. He told me "Your fingers will have a say in how long you practise". This is true. I haven't really experienced the tingling/numbness though. The index finger tip on the fretting hand was a bit sore but no blistering yet. There is something called a Musician's Practise Glove that I saw on You Tube. It's not suitable for ukulele though. I was planning to get it but so far I don't have blistering. About the numbness/tingling try to practise for even shorter periods of time. If it doesn't go away it may be like a repetitive stress injury. My teacher says it happens sometimes when gripping the neck too tight, which I do as well because I have small hands. Give yourself time, it's a learning curve!
I'm an old fart who plays guitar at 62 . I picked up my first electric guitar at late 57 but played a classical guitar for over 25 years and fiddled around with guitars since I was 13 . I spend upto 8-9 hours a day now not because I'm crazy but because I'm a really dedicated guitarist. I originally was a singer but because of a form of muscular dystrophy I lost my ability to sing as the vocal chords are a muscles it also took away my ability to swallow food and now am only alive via a feed pump .
You could use 9 gauge strings or even 8's especially if you play electric
I'm 67 and just started a couple of years ago and I think it's a good idea to start out on maybe a smaller size acoustic, maybe like a grand concert size and also decent quality so it plays well, or like you said, maybe electric, a Squier Affinity is a little over $200 and plays nice and some small amps sound great. Thanks for your videos, I just subscribed👍
Great advice. Thanks for subscribing.
Besides a ukulele, consider a smaller bodied guitar such as a 12 fret parlor, 00 or 000 which could be more comfortable. and not a 14 fret dreadnought which is the most common.
Great advice
I'm almost 63 and have been playing since I was 14. I'm never going to be a great guitarist but there are a few things that I can play and think to myself "hey, that's not bad" and that's enough to keep me happy.
If it makes you happy, it's all good. Keep playing!
Hey there I’m an old fart too I’m 67 and playing guitar since I was 22 and 1974
I do know how to read music finger style guitar for about 46 years now I love it I will stop by Johnny fortune had a good time with him he wound up being my best friend for 30 years and tell he passed away in 2006 he was 60 fantastic guitar player and a great teacher missing much but I still play today you’re right James Taylor yeah Kansas yeah Simon and Garfunkel yeah the Beatles for sure and a host of many others I love my guitar and I’m glad people play them today it’s a good healthy hobby keep your mind sharp and keep it going have a great day thanks🎸🎸👍❤️
Keep playing!
Very cool Jamie! I love your fingerstyle videos.
Thanks Jerry
A wise old man once said "your old when your farts smell like your grandfathers". Thanks for the video. Of course I wanted to play guitar when my old arthritic fingers want to fight me. However I'm dumb and stubborn so I will carry on. Good videos thanks for sharing.
Nah, you're not dumb. Playing music is always smart, just don't overdo it. Carry on --
I’ve never found nylon strings to be ‘softer’ - on the contrary, I seem to have to work harder to fret a chord on a nylon-string. I’m 69, and I find that light strings on an acoustic fret the same (for me) as heavy strings on my electric. My fingers and hands are strong, and it’s to easy for me to ‘fret sharp’ if a string’s too light.
🤟Old Fart 🤓
Classicals usually come with a higher action, I lower mine to 3.5mm on the bass E and 3mm on the treble E. I have no more trouble fretting nylon than steel.
If you have the higher classical action that could be the problem.
In fact I prefer the feel of nylon strings as I don't often use a pick.
@@johnsee7269 😜
I use silk and steel on my 12 string. They're a bit softer on the touch but still chime.
Good choice Linda, silk and steel strings are designed for steel strung acoustics, not so much choice in gauges though.
They're designed to be warmer and not so "loud", so you do get a feel and tone like having nylons on your steel stringer.
So they're softer as you say, easier to fret and easier on your fingers.
The different outer wraps make a difference to tone as well.
Generally you don't get so much finger noise from them either as you do with steel.
And of course if you practice and play at home they're less likely to annoy your neighbours..
Many use them for playing live as they're quieter they sit in the background nicely and don't overwhelm the vocals.
I have them on an acoustic because they're somewhere between nylons and steel and they're really nice for finger picking. Steel strings can break your nails if you're not a fan of those push on finger pick things. Which I'm not, or wasn't. I've just ordered some Fred Kelly finger picks which look a darn sight better than the older types. Probably been around a while but I wasn't looking for them they popped up on amazon while i was looking for something else. I also ordered one of the thumb picks that's basically a normal pick which slides on your thumb,so you can grip it like a normal pick..at least I won't be watching picks land on the floor so much...
Just thought I'd mention these in case they're of interest to any one.
In general strings are one subject that doesn't get as much discussion as they should. Any guitars tone includes string choice and gauge choice not just pick ups and effects etc. Even more so on acoustics.
I used to have a D-40... great guitar. Wish I still had it.
Hi Jamie love the title , and the sound of that guitar. God bless
Thanks, Kim
Electric guitars are easier, or more comfortable to play as they have lower action (strings closer to the guitar), lighter strings and thinner bodies. Also, you can use less strength to get more volume because you can just turn up the amplifier. Yes, they are heavier but choose the guitar carefully. I paid £245 for a used Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster thinline and it's about half the weight of a typical Les Paul. Also, some amplifiers have features that help you learn, and many solid state amplifiers have built in tuners.
Excellent. Thanks, Chris.