Hey! I get you. The most important thing is to teach yourself, that you are capable, despite whatever life, humans and the world is trying to say to you. This bad feeling is unfounded, it is just something the outside, which does not know you at all, tries to make you feel. And if you are able to work on your dreams and goals, putting aside these negative feelings, you will reach whatever you would like to :)))
My advice for what it's worth, keep busy, go for walks, visit friends, turn up at ANY and EVERY local event, you will get a job, it WILL happen, good luck ❤
Hey Brother, you didn't keep a job for 31 years because you are a slouch. You kept it through devotion, loyalty and superb work ethics. You can and will reinvent yourself.....MAKE IT HAPPEN. I have a few years on you and it's what I also must do. Life just kicked me in the nuts...we are old stock Americans.....we get things done. Pat
I retired 3 years ago when my wife had a stroke and I became her caregiver. I played music all my life as a “side gig.” Today, at 70 years old, I am fulfilling my dream of being a full time musician. Note to self (and everyone else): it’s not too late and you’re never too old. Thank you “Uncle Rick.”
That’s so loving of you. My father had a stroke and only lasted 3 weeks. My mother did everything she could, but in vain. I don’t know how she keeps going.
I am a 72 year old female and started to learn the drums in April of 2023. My background was a typical classical piano music education including playing for church serves. In 1989 I started playing rhythm piano fora local Celtic group. My limbs couldn’t stop moving when playing for dancers. I had a dream that if I could learn to play the drums, I could really put all my limbs to work, as well as my brain. I now practice 1 - 2 hours a day. I have the best drum teacher anyone could have. His name is Brent Barry and my plan is to be the best 70+ badass female drummer in this area. I joined a gym and work out to be able to make the instrument sound it’s best. I am living my best life now. Age is but a number and you can learn anything you want if you put the time in. I am not growing older, I’m growing younger. Check in with me at 90!😊
That is awesome! I love Celtic music. I have 3 recordings on my channel of an old band called Scartaglen (they were from Kansas City) if you want to check them out.
Age is just a number. I’m 66, lifelong musician, songwriter, building contractor, single dad, huge, travel, enthusiast, who picks up the guitar every day, still rides, building a new studio in my basement as we write this and continue to keep doing this until the day I die, and getting better until then! There is no end in this beautiful life.
I started a career change age 45. While married with two great daughters, I got my RN at age 50. Now I'm 64 and have been an emergency room nurse for the last 12 years. Rick is right, it's never too late.
Rick, I was in sales for 30 years in four different fields and then was diagnosed with cancer. Battled it for two years and then after beating it, I became a church facility manager! Talk about a shift! 😵💫 I am now retired but both of us are living proof that if you work at something hard enough you can make it work!
That is kind of the same thought I have when I try to explain 2 GREAT guitarist or bands that have VERY different approaches. There is the "complex" like Van Halen which is primarily high energy complex guitar arrangement as opposed to what I call "clever" like Elliot Easton and The Cars.
You left out one talent - you are probably the greatest music-interviewer/documentarian that has ever existed. You know what to ask, when to ask it, and when to shut-up and let them speak. Genius.
Your last statement is the most important one. "If you're willing to work hard enough." That's the difference between achieving your goal or failing. The best guitar player, drummer, basketball player etc. all have this in common. They worked harder than anyone else and that's how they became the best.
@Cheguebuddha to put it in formal logic terms, hard work is (usually) a necessary condition of being great, not a sufficient condition. Meaning, you can't do it without hard work, but hard work is no guarantee. Really, there are no guarantees in life.
My wife took up the electric bass guitar at the age of 45. Since then she has progressed up through all the grades and beyond. Now at 57 she has formed a band (“AlphaLine”) and they have just released their first album (“Electromagnetic”.) Very proud of her , it’s never too late !!
28!! You've just started your life from... A week?😅...! Happy for you...at almost 40 (ok, I'm still 39, for some month😂) I'm SO MUCH more optimist, motivated, enthusiastic to learn things and discover than at my 28! age is just a number (or almost it is! ) Rick is right! 😉 bye
@@albertoluciano2169 well, rather than pursuing what I’ve always wanted to as a kid, I allowed my family’s words that sunk into myself image like razor sharp talons to dictate what I did in life up until this past February. My dad helped me go to college for something completely useless to me but any mention of dancing, music or acting he laughed at me and would stay stone cold silent. I let that spite and wrath build until I couldn’t take it anymore. Most weekends has been spent drinking my paychecks away at the bar, smoking cigarettes and doing pills. Thank God (Jesus) I stopped it all. I’m just now picking up the pieces and loving myself or at learning how to for the very first time in my life.
I am now a retired High School Chemistry teacher. I spent my whole career telling school age children (who are totally institutionalized - ie - SCHOOL is their whole identity) that they must not characterize themselves by what happens in the earliest days of their lives at their mandatory secondary school. So many kids (particularly boys!) beat themselves up (and sometimes others too!) because they can't succeed between ages 11 - 18 at what we serve up to them as- so-called "curriculum!". So many kids go on to be, do and achieve things which didn't exist even while they were in school. Your life experience is actually quite common, Rick. Its great to hear you share it though. Your YT channel is one of my favorites. I play guitar and sing (to the bathroom mirror). Am totally awestruck by your perfect pitch and Dylan's too. Wow!
Martin Scorsese recently lamented that, at 83, he's "only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late.” Life is short, difficult, and milestones are meaningless. The knowledge and wisdom gained along the journey are what matter. I'm 40 and may pick up an instrument after abandoning the saxophone in middle school.
Do it! No one ever learns an instrument and says it was a waste of time. Peace, joy, self expression......it's all waiting to come out in the music you will create, unique to you.
My man if you mind works alright, anything's possible. My dad turned 80 this year and he's living like he's 35. Goes out on dates, tries new stuff, got a puppy a couple years back for the fun of it, goes to Tango lessons on the weekends. I know people 50 years younger than him with less life in 'em. So rock on, brother.
I'm also 70, been playing out for over 30 years, never been busier. I love every minute of it, and at this age i appreciate the ride more now than I ever did back in the day. I'm playing better now than I ever have. It's so satisfying.
Im 46 and i lost all hope some how !!.. dont know what happened with me ... Maybe i been paying attention too everybody that no assess anything .. i really need it this !! 😢
No shortcuts, but some people get some talents and circumstances...other don't. Rick didn't have parent loss when a toddler (like yours truly), bad health when young, widly more successful siblings, a proclivity for paranoia and depression, and a dozen other things I could name. Also he was able to find love and fullfilment, which is immensely rare. In other words, he wasn't a complete failure of a human being.
@@jippalippa - No one is a failure of a human being. And yes I agree everyone is dealt a different hand, but we have to play the hand we're dealt. There are many people who've achieved greater success, at least in outwardly visible/societal standards than Rick has with a far worse start in life, with far more chips stacked against them.
45 and watching from my bunk at yet another seasonal waiter job, trying to hang on til the end of my contract. Thank you Rick, for the glimmer of hope and the comforting reminder that there are always new skills and gifts to be discovered along with new ways of sharing them. Will think of you while playing the hotel dining room piano on my next night off.
Beyond telling a good story, you have the ability to come across as if you are speaking to each of us directly. In a world where we do less and less direct socializing, I'm sure that millions of people you have never met consider you a "friend." What's more, the format of RUclips creates the illusion that we interact with you. I'm your age and started noticed long ago that certain people have a way of coming across in an intimate and honest way on certain television shows. RUclips has taken that to the next level. It's a real gift--I think you could describe paint drying and make it an interesting story. Stay well. The world is a better (and more interesting) place with you telling your stories.
I think what makes Rick so compelling is that he's excited about music. He's excited about listening to it and figuring it out, and he's excited about talking about it. That kind of passion is incredibly compelling and it's what keeps me coming back to this channel.
Absolutely - I wanted to become a librarian and create ambient music in my spare time. Was REJECTED to post-grad library school TWICE. Ended up as a self-taught sound engineer and camera operator in TV for 20 years until I was MADE REDUNDANT at age 52. Then worked for five years at MINIMUM WAGE making news videos as a self-taught journalist for a scummy little newspaper, but then started receiving very good streaming royalties from the ambient music I'd made in my spare time thirty years earlier and was able to retire at age 57. You might not realise it, but all the set-backs can end up steering you in positive direction you never knew of and spare time spent on doing interesting hobbies can open all sorts of future doors :)
Autodidacts for the win! The big secret being that we’re all autodidacts. It’s not learning that’s hard; it’s change. Thank you for this timely and eternal message, Rick. Keep mixing it up.
Your video proves that the classic line from The Who, “Hope I die before I get old” is nothing more than a misguided sentiment of the young who have yet to learn about the wisdom of the old.
I'm now 74, female, and long ago chose that song as my ID, interpreting the term 'old' as stuck in a rut, unwilling to change etc. The term 'old' in the context of the song came from a viewpoint of counter-culture that I much enjoyed and lived by as a young teen and adult in culturally hip West-Berlin.
Good on ya, Rick! I'm 57, recently "retired", and changed my career three times during my life. My wife kept asking me to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and I kept telling her I refused to grow up. Speaking of "starting late" or "reinventing yourself", I quit a good, secure job at the age of 35 because it involved very heavy business travel and after being "on the road" over 100 days per year for 11 years, I was burned out. I moved my family 300 miles from NJ to VA, where we didn't know anybody, to attend law school. I started law school at 36 and was 14 years older than the average first-year law student. Graduated at the very top of my class (#1) and was recruited by a giant, international law firm - one of the top 100 law firms in the world. Practiced very complicated and esoteric tax and environmental law for seven years, was paid a lot of money to do it, and hated every minute of it. I quit the biglaw firm at the age of 45 to start my own business. Didn't know what it was going to be, but I knew I couldn't do the biglaw thing anymore. I ended starting up a franchise of a nationally-known professional junk removal service. Started with one truck and two employees and eight years later had seven trucks and 14 employees, grossing $1 million per year. Just sold that business a couple months ago (I got out just in time) and now I'm looking at buying and selling land - or just doing whatever I want. 😁
That is an interesting journey. I retired young and have done a lot of things with music as a hobby. Was hoping to ride that joy all the way to the end but tinnitus torpedoed my journey with music, to a degree. Can still strum the acoustic etc, but the joyous band days are over for me. At 62 I find it somewhat difficult to dive into other endeavors. I need to find something that really inspires me. Seems to be harder as you get older....
@@CaptainRonAhoy I spent a week pumping warm water and ear drops into my ears, and my "Tinnitus" came pouring out, into the sink! Maybe I was misdiagnosed. Any way, my father used to cough a lot from smoking. We all figured he would be dead before 60. He quit smoking and took up golf. Five years later, he was as healthy as I can ever remember, even though his doctor insists he has COPD. Golfing saved his life. He is almost ninety years old and I attribute the last 30, to him being active and involved in doing something he never knew he even liked, before he tried it. Walking around in the fresh air, and hitting a little ball can, at the very least, keep you fit, as you search for something better, but be warned... It's addictive!
Hey Rick, I am a 59 year old pastor who has been playing guitar since the summer before 9th grade (except I didn't break an ankle). I have been making videos of surf guitar instrumentals, as well as devotional videos with acoustic guitar and ukulele. I have a lot to learn about editing and recording, but I am excited to learn. You are an inspiration, sir! I really enjoy what you do!
Rick - I’m 72 and have been playing guitar since I was 9. Your “What Makes This Song Great” videos have brought so much joy to me. Your interviews with some of my musical heroes are amazing and I hope you’re around for a very long time.
I continually remind myself that each breathe is a brand new breathe. Each moment is new, we are new each moment. The past is gone and we will all die, NOW is your time to try.
I just turned 35 and seeing this just gave me hope that there’s always time to make yourself successful in many more ways than one. I really needed to see this today. Thank you Rick ❤
Rick, you left out being able to interview! You do great interviews, and always ask the right questions, stuff no one else asks. You allow the interview to breathe, and let the interviewee expand on their thoughts and say what they want. I’m the same age as you, and haven’t played my guitar in about three years; the fire just kinda went out. I hope to pick it up again soon, and use your Beato Bundle to learn the things I never did the first time (self taught, we didn’t have the internet!). I love your channel, it’s been a joy watching it develop over the years.
I 'm 61, I have reinvented myself so many times I lost count. I have been a soldier, an electrician, a college student (12 yrs total), a university researcher/ instructor (microbiology & molecular genetics), a small business owner (with a partner, electrical contractor) and for the last 12 years I have been teaching English in Europe. Never been super succesfull (monetairly) but the experiences have been priceless. You can do anything you set your mind to.
I'm 58, when I was in HS my goal in life was to get a degree in music and be a rock star. Baritone vocalist, played in bands, sung in choir, won my IMEA All state and performed at Nationals in HS. In college I joined a fraternity and promptly flunked out. Junior college to get my Associates degree, Bartender, telemarketer, worked in a warehouse, was a Radio and club DJ. Finally graduated college with HS in Business, minor in music. Promptly got married, started a family, and music went on the back burner. Accidentally tripped into the computer industry as the internet was starting in 1994, and 30 years later it has been a wild and satisfying career. But I always loved music. Live in Austin, 'Gig'd with a couple local bands playing 80s rock and Country, and now I am staring at retirement with few ideas on what is next. I absolutely love your channel - music seems to speak to you like it speaks to me, in my heart. I have your books, and that will likely be my first thing when I retire. Keep on rocking!
I admire your POSITIVITY and PASSION, Rick. Also detect zero arrogance or narcissism, but...rather...humility and integrity. Born in Atlanta! On Peachtree Street, Long Hospital, 1952.
With arrogance and narcicism you wouldn’t be able to learn anything anyway. It takes humility to recognize you suck at something, challenge yourself, and work your way up to learn new skills.
I needed this, Rick. I'm 43 and, despite having worked on a PhD in musicology for the past 7 years and being a happy father of a 4 year old son, it still feels like I need to accomplish and learn more. You're an inspiration. Thank you.
@@jippalippa Oh, I do believe me. Just because you want more doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate what you have. I’m deeply grateful for what I have, I just want to pursue new things and Rick is correct that there’s a stigma around people older than 30 pursuing and achieving new goals. That self doubt can be powerful and his story is an inspiration.
@@devon9822 My son is about your age, this is a tough environment to find a career that flourishes. My son tells me the worst thing is being "ghosted" after submissions. It's an awful feeling. A rejection letter used to be a courtesy, not any more. Very sad. But listen, the world has a place for you. Keep your chin up. Do what you love, the rest will follow.
Good luck Devon, don't give up...I've endured unemployment too ; many people have. Keep a diary, reflect on things and be positive. "Adversity is like a toad that wears a precious jewel in its crown..." wrote Shakespeare.
I started to learn to play ukulele in 2015 while recovering from shoulder surgery. I was soon to turn 58. Last year, after losing my wife to cancer, I made my first cd of 12 original songs. This year I will be 67 in December, and I am soon to finish my second cd of 12 more original songs. You are correct. You're never too old to do something great. I really enjoy your videos.
Rick, I think it’s because you’re a musician that you are able to continue to grow and create. A musician is the epitome of curiosity, discipline, awareness, expression and creativity. Showing up to the gig on time, practicing, preparedness, vulnerability, individuality, performance, responsiveness, and the reward of transcendence (potentially) = a soul that is ever evolving.
Well said! I feel blessed to go through life with the ethos of the Performer: whatever you put out, you will get back in spades. I love that in performance this is codified into the social contract: the audience arrived and sat down - that’s their job done / their fulfillment of the social contract. Now it’s on YOU to put out the energy, and (all going well) receive it back multiplied many times over. Then you give back more to them, and so on and so on. It’s a beautiful metaphor for life.
Well said. Music-making employs and hones so many different mental and physical skills, never mind tapping into creativity and self-expression. If you go at it right, it will boost your self-awareness and critical thinking skills, and teach you how to learn and how to teach yourself. Those skills are applicable to all of life.
There's a component of luck that people often ignore that means you can put all the work in and still fail. That said, the work often creates more opportunities for that good luck to strike, so still a recipe for possible success, just not a guarantee
I sent this to my son who's 26 and feels like he's spinning his wheels in his chosen profession. I always tell him that he has plenty of time and his greatest path to happiness will arrive when it's time. So, relax.
Yes as long as you a breathing there is still time for most things. Another way to look at it everyday above ground is a good day. There is a maturity thing that happens to us around 25. It looks like is his case he is starting to realize he wants more. I did not start to think that way until later in life.
I'm 66, and after playing guitar all my life, I picked up electric and upright bass a year ago and have just been accepted into a well-respected local orchestra. I've also played in the pit orchestra for several musicals. It's a dream come true, and I never thought this could happen. I have a long way to go, but I'm having the time of my life. It's never too late if you love something and work hard at it. Thank you Rick for your endless inspiration.
Ah man, I'm so glad you shared that! I'm 32 and have been playing guitar since I was 14. I'm going to start playing bass as soon as I can get one, sometime in the next couple months. Never played in my life but I want to so badly, I am so excited!
After a nearly 50 year career as a recording engineer I reinvented myself at age 61 as a narrator of audiobooks. I'm now 72. I'd been fortunate enough to have worked with the best VO talent in the world in NYC and I learned a ton about storytelling. Storytelling is the oldest form of humans passing knowledge to the younger generations, way before the written word. I feel as if I'm both a throwback to the ancients and a modern communicator to a mass market. Thank you, Rick, for reinforcing the fact that you're never too old to learn something new.
I started my literary career when the construction biz in Cabo San Lucas fell through the floor after 2009 - at 52 years old. Never wrote a book before. After 14 years and over 4 million sold, a feature on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and 76 novels released, the idea that your life is whatever it's going to be at 30 or whatnot is idiocy. I've been a dancer, musician, songwriter, actor, angel investor, entrepreneur, architect, builder, winemaker, wall street activist, and moved to Mexico at 40 when I sold my medical company - 20 something years ago. Reinvention is cathartic and keeps you youthful mentally and invigorated physically. No idea what I will be in five years, but it won't be playing shuffleboard or staring at the tube. There are no obstacles in life, just opportunities and lessons. Congratulations, Rick. Yours sounds like a life well lived.
I’m 52. I played bass in some bar bands in my 20’s, then kind of hung it up for family and career. But over the last few years I’ve been taking guitar lessons and I am working toward getting back on stage at some point. Thank you for your message in this video! I have struggled with these thoughts of it being too late, but I am soldiering on in my journey.
I dug this! I am turning 83 next week. Started playing guitar as a folkie at age 16 and never looked back. I have nurtured many different musical interests including jazz, ragtime, and some classical styles and transferred them to guitar at various points in my life. I have never done this full time but developed a career in science to earn a living, but music and the guitar have been an equally important part of my life. I continue to learn and practice daily because as Pablo Casals once said when he was in his 90's he practices daily because he thought was improving. I think Jascha Heifetz said something similar. Go get 'em Rick, you will never stop until you are forced to. None of us should. Always be a lifelong learner!
@@joelgevirtz6181 you still look great man. Beard looks epic and your post was inspiring. I’m 43 and have always wanted to learn guitar. I’ve noodled with chords but never took it seriously. Been thinking of buying one and just diving in. It’s silly but i keep having the intrusive thoughts like “what’s the point?” Trying to drown it out.
@@cobrakaiX You should start. This is the best time ever with the abundance of material on RUclips. It is a life-long journey as most will tell you. Just get on board and take the trip!
I'm 72, still teaching college, still learning how not to grow too old to stop learning. Everything you said resonates with me - so keep on keeping on!
Add to all that, you are the best interviewer on RUclips. Best case was Sting, notoriously bad subject who always seems bored. After a few minutes with you he was telling great back stories and picking up an instrument and playing songs! As an older guy who keeps on plugging away myself, I salute you, sir!!
I myself come from a family of 7 from Pennsylvania. Always wanted to play guitar but never did at 30 my husband bought me a guitar and tried learning but 6 kids later I didn’t continue with it. Earlier this year I was having health issues and was a widow for 3 years so getting healthier and being alone I made a bucket list and guitar was one of the things I wanted to do so my son got me a guitar and found someone who could come to me bc I don’t drive and have been taking lessons from him! I’m loving it and at 73 I agree with you after watching your video you can do things later in life!! Thank you for that enjoyed watching what you had to say! 😊👍
I was bon in Los Angeles and am a lifelong musician. I passed up a potential career in music to go into ministry, but always wondered, “What if?”. Then at 52 (and emotionally worn out), I began pursuing a professional life in music. Now at 62, I am living out my dream and making my way in the world as a musician. Rick… your channel has always been great, but knowing your story is even better! It is affirming and inspiring! Thank you for taking the time and caring enough to share!!! 🎸
Rick - yes, you are a storyteller. And the thing that ALWAYS comes through in all your episodes is your passion for music and for learning. It is a privilege to watch your channel. Thank you!
I watch every new video you put out. My go to for entertainment! Im an old school lifetime musician that played big hair 80s music with the same band for 34 years until we lost our bass player to diabetes! We are a dying breed! Your channel is living proof of a time where music was a much more driving force! I lived it and still do! Love your content and please keep it going! You're killing it! Go man!
Thank you for this, Rick. I’m 23 just out of college and have been feeling a bit hopeless about my direction and place in life. I always really enjoy your content and this video in particular has left me feeling hopeful and motivated to keep working and searching. I appreciate it greatly.
Man you're still a baby at 23. Go out and experience the world. I didn't figure out what I wanted to do for my career until I was 30. I even refined it further as I moved into my 30's. Too many really young kids out there thinking their life is over at 25, we gotta stop this only one route through life thinking.
Stevie, a thing I heard once, A guy said -some of the best people I know, are people who are still not yet sure what they want to do for a living. Meanwhile think about the things that make you happy and more importantly, the things that bring you contentment. And head that way
Never, ever let anyone tell you, you can't do what you want to do in this one and only life. That includes you. I made that mistake. But, at past age 70 I'm finally making up for lost time. It's not perfect and never will be. But, it's better now that I'm following my passion finally.... and will until the lord calls me to do something else or calls me home.
The education system and especially universities try to pigeonhole you into a certain career whether are interested or not. Remember, most educators have never worked in the business world but claim to be experts. You have to decide what YOU want to do and be willing to work for it! You will probably fall on your face a few times but if you are flexible you will find what you are good at and enjoy. At 66, I am recently retired but worked in different types of sales as the markets changed (sold diskettes..look it up! 🤪) and did facility management. Never once considered any of my jobs in college! Best of luck to you! 👍
I played viola - classical and chamber music - until I finished college. Then, with marriage, children and career, I hardly ever picked it up again. At age 70 I realized that I really missed music. I bought a cheap fiddle, not knowing how to play by ear, not knowing fiddle techniques, and not knowing how to jam. Went to some jam classes, took some fiddle lessons, started going to jams, kept at it, and now 5 years later I'm having the time of my life playing bluegrass and Celtic music, singing, and generally having a blast. When I travel these days, I take my fiddle with me and go to the local jams. So glad I didn't worry about being too old, and just went for it!
Playing guitar since I was 13, I thought I missed the boat when I turned 33 having never been in a band... I made a half-joke to this cover band I knew, and suddenly I was auditioning for them AND writing a solo for their original single (my first ever) to go along with the audition. Before long, there we were, shooting a music video for the song, playing all throughout New England (and a fateful NY show where the place caught on fire 5 minutes before we took the stage). Then, on the way home from a show, a thing happened I NEVER thought would happen to me... My band, my guitar solo, playing on WAAF... I couldn't effin' believe it. I spent my whole life thinking my guitar playing wouldn't lead to anything, and oh how wonderful it felt to be wrong... I'm still in the band to this day (Exhale, Boston-ish based), and though we've had some bumps on our journey with the pandemic and other stuff, we're back at it getting ready to gig again, and I just feel so friggin' lucky. Sure, I'm a young 41 next week compared to some of you with longer and more interesting stories than mine, but I still have SO much I want to accomplish, and Rick's words here really struck a chord (hah) with me, and it's just the thing I needed to hear as I continue to try and push myself to give more to my band and pull more from my creativity. I hope you all continue to fight to bring happiness to yourselves, because it indeed is never too late.
My oldest guitar student was 77 years old. We all cried a river when she reached her long time dream to play the guitar. My take away was: "You are more then you so far dared to believe". I have followed your channel since the early days and I can't put to words how much you have inspired me and accelerated my insights and knowledge when it comes to music and creativity.
"There's still time to change the road you're on"-Robert Plant. I'm 63 and I, too, have learned that it's never too late to change and start anew. FACT. And you are loved, Rick.
I couldn't agree more. I never imagined I'd start a RUclips channel at the age of 51, teaching American gospel music-something some might argue isn't even my music-speaking in front of the camera in English, which isn't my native language, and learning at least 10 different software programs to create my videos and build my website. Even when it all seemed impossible, the fire in my heart made it possible. I'm so glad I started; it makes me feel alive to share what I know with the world.
Rick, I’m 59 yrs old. I have an 11 yr old son and a 21 yr old step son. My boys and wife are everything to me. I own my own business but in construction/remodeling. Business has been terrible this last year so I took a part time job at my church as a facilities manager to supplement my business. I also play lead guitar for my church modern service. I’m struggling, I’m burned out, I’m broke most of the time. I used to thrive but not anymore. I’m looking for new avenues of income. I want something different. I see your vid and you give me the confidence to act on my passion. Music is my passion! I’m not saying that I will pursue music but it will Suply the beat to which I march on my new path. In short, thank you for the inspiration to move forward and leave the fear of failure behind! Damn I respect you!
Just turned 50 this summer. Just finished dinner with a friend who is going to be 30 in the next few days. This should be required viewing for anyone hitting a milestone and wondering if they are done in any area of their lives. It is as informative about him as it is inspirational for all of us. Thank you Rick.❤
Amen, brother! I too was a terrible student, until interest and desire motivated me to learn. Never got a degree, but now at 65 I design courses for people with advanced degrees in technology. If you want to learn, do it! Love you, Rick - like many here I appreciate all you share.
I was 49 then I started to play guitar again, after 33 years of not touching a guitar, This time I meant it: with three major ingredients: Rick's insights (videos, bundle...), my professional guitar teacher and the hard energy to get the basic structural skills right. I have a PhD in social sciences, but what I have learned in this almost 5 years in the area of music is more than I could hope. It has changed my life. Just (re)start and just really mean it, regardless of your age!
👆 This is the key point. Education of all forms is more than just the facts you're learning; it's also teaching you how to learn. Not only that, but things that you are 100% sure you will never use turn out to become very important in life in some unexpected ways.
When I was 18 and going to college I sat next to a guy in his 60's. If I remember correctly he told me he was 61. He was upbeat, super nice guy & had immense positive energy. Numbers shouldn't deter you from doing anything you want to do in life and it certainly didn't stop this man from getting a bachelor's degree at 61.
Riffs - When my wife decided to modify her career path, she went to law school, in the evenings. During a break, the group found out she was in her 40’s, and one of the students remarked she’d be 43 when graduating. Her response back was “And, I’ll be 43 if I don’t graduate” has always stuck with me.
And interviewing! You're one of the best interviewers out there. You really let the interviewee tell their stories, really give answers the viewers want to hear
Hubby and I bought a house on 5 acres of sand at age 57 and 58. No knowledge or experience with land development - but we started planting and diy landscaping and researching like crazy. 21 years later we live in a forest with patios, gazebos, lawn and a pond. Your talk was so inspiring and affirming. You can do anything if you start with desire. Thank you for channel and thank you for your warm hearted videos!
TOTALLY agree, Rick! My wife of 30 years died ten years ago at age 51. That year I started a new business. The following year I joined a band for the first time AND started my RUclips channel, teaching my business. NEVER too old!
You are also a great interviewer. Your ego doesn't make you talk over your guest, you listen and ask insightful questions. You were always destined for greatness.
God Bless You, Rick! You have NO IDEA how much I needed this video RIGHT NOW! I'm 51, a 20-year IT career burn out, 27-year divorcee who can't seem to find my place in this world anymore. The only thing I'm passionate about is music. But I've always believed I was too dumb, too lazy, too everything to make it a priority. Love your channel. I'll be watching as long as you keep making videos.
My wife of 43 years decided to go to college and this summer at the age of 61 she graduated next week she goes back to get her masters in American Sign Language. I’m 64 and simply amazed by my wife, her drive has lit a newly found spark in myself. Both of our fathers passed away at 77 because they retired and became stagnant. We are not going to let that happen to us. Thank you Rick we love your videos.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this video. I am a vocalist who was full steam ahead in my late teens/early 20’s pursuing a vocal performance career. I got married and pregnant 3 months later which wasn’t the initial plan. In order to raise a family, my goal of touring the world and performing had to take a back seat. Though I’ve sung throughout raising a family, it’s not near the caliber I’d performed prior to starting a family or where my hopes and dreams once were. I now am trying to get back into that arena and am optimistic I can do it. Again, I just want to say thank you for putting out there that you DON’T have to be in your 20s to pursue your dreams and learn new things.
When I was a 17 year-old freshman at UMass, one of my greatest experiences to was be in a dorm with a floor of “non-traditional” (read: old) students. Not only back in college in their 40s and 50s, but living in the dorm at ZooMass! The friendships I developed and lessons that I learned transcended anything delivered in the classroom. It’s never too late, and thank you for the reminder! Here I am at 53, and toying with the idea with learning to play the guitar that I couldn’t get the hang of when I was 9! Be healthy my man!☮️
Everybody should always be learning. I'm 74 and learned things today that I didn't know yesterday, It doesn't have to be anything important - what I learned was the answers to two crossword clues. I have been doing woodwork for 25 years, but didn't know one end of a screwdriver from the other 26 years ago. Never stop leaning, and never be afraid to learn.
After you master the screwdriver, we'll work on the allan wrench. Next week, the bastard file. ha ha, I'm 72. and should probably not try to start a career writing jokes for Jimmy Kimmel.
Wow! Just wow! I just turned 54 and I'm about to start my 29th year of teaching middle school science. I've lasted this long because I'm a great story teller. However, I think it's time to learn something new. Rick, I still have doubts, but you've inspired me to try.
Dude, I didn’t start my PhD until I was thirty. Twenty-eight years later I’ve been a research microbiologist for twenty-one years, I have over 150 publications, I have several students who are now senior scientists, researchers, and MDs. My brother laughed when I started my PhD, he said, “you’ll be forty before you have a real job.” My dad said, “well, in ten years he’s going to be forty anyway, so why not be forty and a scientist?” Never look back do now, NOW!
You and I are the same age. This summer, shortly after my 62nd birthday, I launched a guitar-oriented charity that's starting to take off. Never too old to do it! Oh, and if you'd told 15 year old me who was playing bass in 3 bands and guitar in another at the time, that at 62, I'd be gigging in a 90s grunge band (which 15 year old me, in 1977 wouldn't have even fathomed the existence of), I'd have called BS on you, but here we are. Good on ya, Rick, this channel is one of my favorite diversions. That is when I'm not playing or wrenching on guitars.
I’m currently 30, I have been unemployed for two years, and I am desperately looking for employment, but I want to go back to college to study music. I went to community college to study anthropology, but I took a course in music theory, and I was hooked. I left community college when I had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed Bipolar. I’m struggling to get back into college, but I’m trying. I hope things improve for me, but this video, like most of his videos inspired me to keep trying
I'm just now setting up a home studio at 53 having been writing and playing guitar since 14. I'm looking forward to my new best friend DAW! I love your pod and thank you for being there for us all!
Father of 2 here, in 2 days will turn 39 summers. I am currently learning German, Networking, cyber security, and I work breakfast shifts in a hotel. I studied Graphic Design, and I dream every free moment of the drawings I haven't done and the clouds I paint in my head. I love to hear you speak the language of the gods (music theory) and your short lessons. They light parts of my brain that feel very pleasant. Thank you Master Beato.
Rick! I love your channel. Been watching for about 5 years. I am also 62, and I started my YT channel in 2007, knowing nothing. With your permission, I want to also make a life event summary, using your title... the original one... Great work, I completely agree. I am always talking to people, mostly younger than me, that want to make videos, but don't for... reasons. I tell them "hold your nose, jump in, and you'll figure it out!" Rick Beato, you are a hero of mine.
At age 36 I got out from behind the drumset, taught myself marimba to perform on and started a band that I led (previous bands were co-lead situations). This month I turned 70 and that band has gigged more in 2024 (with me on all kinds of percussion) than in any prior year. And like @homestudiotutorials I'm a stage 4 cancer survivor. A passion for music has sustained me in multiple ways since "She Loves You" and "Stop! In the Name of Love" (great use of vibraphone) were Top 40 on AM radio.
At 45, I picked up the ukulele. At 55, I played music with some one else for the first time and wrote my first song. At 56, I performed at my first open mic. At 58, I released my first full length album and performed with a band. Still 58, I am working on my second album and it is going to be a double. Always say yes!
Rick, I'm also 62. I love this subject. I whole heartedly believe that you can do start new things your entire life. I started playing piano when I was 5, studied formal lessons from 1st grade thru 12th grade. I began playing bass when I was 13, played in bands in my teens, went to Berklee and graduated in '85. I played professionally on bass for a some years, then started a band and switched to guitar. We never got signed, but played a lot of gigs and wrote a lot of songs. I played bass in some bands, showcased in L.A. with some bands, etc. Took up sax as a hobby in the 90s, and from '98--'02 played sax and keys in a band every weekend. In '02, I entered grad school at UNT and graduated in '05 with a Masters in Jazz Studies on upright bass. I've played upright and some electric bass for from '02 until about 2020 when Covid hit. Since then, I have split my time pretty much equally between doing jazz gigs on upright, electric bass, guitar, and sax. I also gig on drums and piano to a lesser degree. I've never been happy just playing one instrument for very long. Most likely, I'll end up playing mostly piano again. It's probably the instrument you can play well at an old age, and is the least taxing physically compared to upright bass, or sax, or drums, etc. I never think about my age when it comes to musical goals. I only think about where I want to be, and what the next step is. I also enjoy playing a variety of gigs in a variety of roles on different instruments, and I don't get stuck in a rut.
I'm 72. I work out in the gym 3-5 days a week. I've been writing since I was a teenager. Yesterday, I spent 4 hours writing on a novel. I'm also working on another song having started writing songs in 2015. I am a voracious reader. Stay active and learn something new everyday.
This was quite inspirational, man. I'm 27 and have been working at a mine for a few years. Just a couple months ago I started trying to figure out what I want to do in life since I haven't been the happiest with my job. Can't help but say that I've been feeling like a bit of a loser for not having everything figured out by now. This video gave me some hope.
I have been playing drums for 34 years. Bummed around with all sorts of bands but always loved the instrument. I have put hours of practice in and studied all the greats. My first love is jazz and jazz fusion, now at 52 I have got a regular drumming job in a band where the other members (3 of them) are in their 20’s. This year we played festivals all over the UK through the summer and got some great coverage and feedback. It’s the highlight of 34 years of dedication to music for me. One thing that did happen, at a festival someone asked me “Isn’t it a little late in the day to start running up and down the UK playing in a band?” I answered straight away “You see it as late in the day, I see it as the start of a beautiful evening”.
Great story Rick. Totally agree with your revelation. Retired and at 70 started learning music composition and production. Also play guitar and sing. Just learning to sing since I was 68 and now at 73 Im producing my own music. No ambition but to continue to learn new things that interest me to keep my head going full speed for as long as possible. Enjoy my voice and guitar/production weekly lessons. I have been using your interactive books to learn theory and train my ears. Keep up the great work that you do. BTW - a great interview would be Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
Aside from all the educational, informative and entertaining output on your channel, I always get the overwhelming feeling that you are a good family man, and it was lovely to see, albeit briefly, Nina and the kids.
Great video, Rick! I’m 65 and reinventing myself right now! I have found that my life and education experiences help me pick up on new ideas. It also helps to know how to pose excellent questions! Learning never dies-until you do! 😊
Man, that’s why you are so loved by all of us. You are so knowledgeable in so many ways. You are never condescending or act better than any of us. You just want to pass long all you’ve been lucky enough to learn and be gifted with. So unique and loving in your approach. Everything you’ve achieved is well deserved. Thank God for people like you in this world. ❤
Great video. I became a Volunteer Firefighter at 52 and it’s the best decision I made in the last 30 years. If you have the motivation, training and a plan, you can do almost anything. Starting something new is what keeps you vibrant and energetic.
Always curious why God favours some over others. I live an honest, integrity based life. I help anybody, complete strangers in any way i can, but I have not been blessed with the any 'highest paying job'.
I am 53 yrs old...I worked the same job for 31 yrs...now I am unemployed & scared to death...that really lifted my spirits...THANK YOU !!!
Hope you find a new job soon. Keep ya chin up. 👍
Hey! I get you. The most important thing is to teach yourself, that you are capable, despite whatever life, humans and the world is trying to say to you.
This bad feeling is unfounded, it is just something the outside, which does not know you at all, tries to make you feel.
And if you are able to work on your dreams and goals, putting aside these negative feelings, you will reach whatever you would like to :)))
My advice for what it's worth, keep busy, go for walks, visit friends, turn up at ANY and EVERY local event, you will get a job, it WILL happen, good luck ❤
I'm with you. 50 and scared to death of new phase or possible new phase and this was greatly needed.
Hey Brother, you didn't keep a job for 31 years because you are a slouch.
You kept it through devotion, loyalty and superb work ethics.
You can and will reinvent yourself.....MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I have a few years on you and it's what I also must do.
Life just kicked me in the nuts...we are old stock Americans.....we get things done.
Pat
I retired 3 years ago when my wife had a stroke and I became her caregiver. I played music all my life as a “side gig.” Today, at 70 years old, I am fulfilling my dream of being a full time musician. Note to self (and everyone else): it’s not too late and you’re never too old.
Thank you “Uncle Rick.”
Wow!
ata' boy. 👏👍😊
That’s so loving of you. My father had a stroke and only lasted 3 weeks. My mother did everything she could, but in vain. I don’t know how she keeps going.
I’m 72. Started photography in my late 50s. Not an artist bone in my body. Last year I started painting my photos. It consumes me.
Best wishes going forward and God Bless. Hopefully your wife's condition has improved.
I am a 72 year old female and started to learn the drums in April of 2023. My background was a typical classical piano music education including playing for church serves. In 1989 I started playing rhythm piano fora local Celtic group. My limbs couldn’t stop moving when playing for dancers. I had a dream that if I could learn to play the drums, I could really put all my limbs to work, as well as my brain. I now practice 1 - 2 hours a day. I have the best drum teacher anyone could have. His name is Brent Barry and my plan is to be the best 70+ badass female drummer in this area. I joined a gym and work out to be able to make the instrument sound it’s best. I am living my best life now. Age is but a number and you can learn anything you want if you put the time in. I am not growing older, I’m growing younger. Check in with me at 90!😊
That is awesome! I love Celtic music. I have 3 recordings on my channel of an old band called Scartaglen (they were from Kansas City) if you want to check them out.
You go, girl!
omg, this is so inspiring, thank you!!!
What kind of music are you playing on the drums?
Fantastic! God bless you.
Age is just a number. I’m 66, lifelong musician, songwriter, building contractor, single dad, huge, travel, enthusiast, who picks up the guitar every day, still rides, building a new studio in my basement as we write this and continue to keep doing this until the day I die, and getting better until then! There is no end in this beautiful life.
Still writes that’s supposed to say not rides
Fucking Vampire!
"Still rides" sounds cool, too :)
Amen 🙏
Age is a real thing. Life is short. Start today regardless of age. You’ll never get the wasted years back.
I started a career change age 45. While married with two great daughters, I got my RN at age 50. Now I'm 64 and have been an emergency room nurse for the last 12 years. Rick is right, it's never too late.
Rock on man, I love to hear people who make the leap. I know people who are stuck in a rut they're not happy in and it's sad to see.
Wow 😮 that is amazing! I am 44 and considering a career change and overthink that I am late. Thank you for sharing your story…it is encouraging to me.
Rick, I was in sales for 30 years in four different fields and then was diagnosed with cancer. Battled it for two years and then after beating it, I became a church facility manager! Talk about a shift! 😵💫 I am now retired but both of us are living proof that if you work at something hard enough you can make it work!
You married two daughters? Wow.
Kidding.
That's great man, keep it up.
👏👏👏
Youth has Energy, but age brings WISDOM.
That is kind of the same thought I have when I try to explain 2 GREAT guitarist or bands that have VERY different approaches. There is the "complex" like Van Halen which is primarily high energy complex guitar arrangement as opposed to what I call "clever" like Elliot Easton and The Cars.
Experience also brings wisdom🌠
You left out one talent - you are probably the greatest music-interviewer/documentarian that has ever existed. You know what to ask, when to ask it, and when to shut-up and let them speak. Genius.
Jeez man, no need to bow so low.
Totally agree!!! Rick's ability as an interviewer is incredible!!
That seems a bit much now, don't you think?
100 percent 😊
THIS! Rick, we need your interviews with Pete Townshend and Hank B Marvin!!
Your last statement is the most important one.
"If you're willing to work hard enough."
That's the difference between achieving your goal or failing.
The best guitar player, drummer, basketball player etc. all have this in common. They worked harder than anyone else and that's how they became the best.
You can work hard and still not get anywhere.
still its life. :D Its ok.
Of course you need to work hard and SMART
@Cheguebuddha to put it in formal logic terms, hard work is (usually) a necessary condition of being great, not a sufficient condition. Meaning, you can't do it without hard work, but hard work is no guarantee. Really, there are no guarantees in life.
My wife took up the electric bass guitar at the age of 45. Since then she has progressed up through all the grades and beyond. Now at 57 she has formed a band (“AlphaLine”) and they have just released their first album (“Electromagnetic”.) Very proud of her , it’s never too late !!
That is awesome!
That is inspiring too. And I'm 48.
I checked it out. She’s good. The band have an interesting, brooding sound. Wonder if it will be available on any physical formats.
wow…amazing 👏🏻
Thats so cool
At 28 years old right now you don’t know how much this has saved my life… thank you.
Yup
28!! You've just started your life from... A week?😅...! Happy for you...at almost 40 (ok, I'm still 39, for some month😂) I'm SO MUCH more optimist, motivated, enthusiastic to learn things and discover than at my 28! age is just a number (or almost it is! ) Rick is right! 😉 bye
@midwest73 facts
@@albertoluciano2169 well, rather than pursuing what I’ve always wanted to as a kid, I allowed my family’s words that sunk into myself image like razor sharp talons to dictate what I did in life up until this past February. My dad helped me go to college for something completely useless to me but any mention of dancing, music or acting he laughed at me and would stay stone cold silent. I let that spite and wrath build until I couldn’t take it anymore. Most weekends has been spent drinking my paychecks away at the bar, smoking cigarettes and doing pills. Thank God (Jesus) I stopped it all. I’m just now picking up the pieces and loving myself or at learning how to for the very first time in my life.
Did not land my dream job til I was 40. You have so much time but also no time to waste!! Focus and hustle really does pay off!
My son tells me, "when is the best time to plant a tree?, 20 years ago...when is the second best time...Now"
Keep up the great work and inspiration.
Love it!! Going to put that one in the back pocket! Your son is a wise man, good tree you planted!
Yeah, that’s an old saying
19 years ago would have been better
I am now a retired High School Chemistry teacher. I spent my whole career telling school age children (who are totally institutionalized - ie - SCHOOL is their whole identity) that they must not characterize themselves by what happens in the earliest days of their lives at their mandatory secondary school. So many kids (particularly boys!) beat themselves up (and sometimes others too!) because they can't succeed between ages 11 - 18 at what we serve up to them as- so-called "curriculum!". So many kids go on to be, do and achieve things which didn't exist even while they were in school. Your life experience is actually quite common, Rick. Its great to hear you share it though. Your YT channel is one of my favorites. I play guitar and sing (to the bathroom mirror). Am totally awestruck by your perfect pitch and Dylan's too. Wow!
Chemistry? Walter White......is that you?
Martin Scorsese recently lamented that, at 83, he's "only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late.” Life is short, difficult, and milestones are meaningless. The knowledge and wisdom gained along the journey are what matter. I'm 40 and may pick up an instrument after abandoning the saxophone in middle school.
Do it!
Start guitar. The amount of free information that exists out there on the Internet can give you 100 lifetimes of material to learn. Tab is easy
Piano too @@theshapeexists
Go for it!
Do it! No one ever learns an instrument and says it was a waste of time. Peace, joy, self expression......it's all waiting to come out in the music you will create, unique to you.
I'm 70. Rick, you give me hope - I really need that right now. Thankyou so much for your honesty and your generosity of spirit.
My man if you mind works alright, anything's possible. My dad turned 80 this year and he's living like he's 35. Goes out on dates, tries new stuff, got a puppy a couple years back for the fun of it, goes to Tango lessons on the weekends. I know people 50 years younger than him with less life in 'em.
So rock on, brother.
My moms 86 and she just started dating a guy. You got this!
I'm also 70, been playing out for over 30 years, never been busier. I love every minute of it, and at this age i appreciate the ride more now than I ever did back in the day. I'm playing better now than I ever have. It's so satisfying.
I hear ya, I am 64 - and hope ? That's just a word, this vid is a bit of a boost tho.
Im 46 and i lost all hope some how !!.. dont know what happened with me ... Maybe i been paying attention too everybody that no assess anything .. i really need it this !! 😢
This is a great example of how to deliver a simple but powerful message without being self- centered or patronizing. There is no shortcut to success.
No shortcuts, but some people get some talents and circumstances...other don't.
Rick didn't have parent loss when a toddler (like yours truly), bad health when young, widly more successful siblings, a proclivity for paranoia and depression, and a dozen other things I could name.
Also he was able to find love and fullfilment, which is immensely rare.
In other words, he wasn't a complete failure of a human being.
@@jippalippa - No one is a failure of a human being. And yes I agree everyone is dealt a different hand, but we have to play the hand we're dealt. There are many people who've achieved greater success, at least in outwardly visible/societal standards than Rick has with a far worse start in life, with far more chips stacked against them.
@@SlimyLotusKingfacts!
Well said!
45 and watching from my bunk at yet another seasonal waiter job, trying to hang on til the end of my contract. Thank you Rick, for the glimmer of hope and the comforting reminder that there are always new skills and gifts to be discovered along with new ways of sharing them. Will think of you while playing the hotel dining room piano on my next night off.
Beyond telling a good story, you have the ability to come across as if you are speaking to each of us directly. In a world where we do less and less direct socializing, I'm sure that millions of people you have never met consider you a "friend." What's more, the format of RUclips creates the illusion that we interact with you. I'm your age and started noticed long ago that certain people have a way of coming across in an intimate and honest way on certain television shows. RUclips has taken that to the next level. It's a real gift--I think you could describe paint drying and make it an interesting story. Stay well. The world is a better (and more interesting) place with you telling your stories.
Yeah...I thought and think the same thing. I really wish that I had that gift to come across as a good friend to everyone.
I think what makes Rick so compelling is that he's excited about music. He's excited about listening to it and figuring it out, and he's excited about talking about it. That kind of passion is incredibly compelling and it's what keeps me coming back to this channel.
Very well said, @andywindes4968. I feel exactly the same way.
You're never an old dog until you give up.
Old dogs never give up... 😊
You’ve never failed if you keep trying ✌🏻
And I gave up.
Seem to have become an old dog without even having reached my mid-30s.
I feel lost.
The voice in my head is still about 8 years old.
Absolutely - I wanted to become a librarian and create ambient music in my spare time. Was REJECTED to post-grad library school TWICE. Ended up as a self-taught sound engineer and camera operator in TV for 20 years until I was MADE REDUNDANT at age 52. Then worked for five years at MINIMUM WAGE making news videos as a self-taught journalist for a scummy little newspaper, but then started receiving very good streaming royalties from the ambient music I'd made in my spare time thirty years earlier and was able to retire at age 57. You might not realise it, but all the set-backs can end up steering you in positive direction you never knew of and spare time spent on doing interesting hobbies can open all sorts of future doors :)
That's a unique streaming success story! Maybe worth sharing in detail
Whatever you do, don't discover Imnotep!
Could you please share some thoughts on what you do musically, and how you do it? That would be really interesting to know.
Autodidacts for the win! The big secret being that we’re all autodidacts. It’s not learning that’s hard; it’s change. Thank you for this timely and eternal message, Rick. Keep mixing it up.
Your video proves that the classic line from The Who, “Hope I die before I get old” is nothing more than a misguided sentiment of the young who have yet to learn about the wisdom of the old.
Pete Townsend is still defying his age...he even switched from telecasters to superstrats recently
Maybe the real meaning is that no matter your age, you don’t need to be’old’
I'm now 74, female, and long ago chose that song as my ID, interpreting the term 'old' as stuck in a rut, unwilling to change etc. The term 'old' in the context of the song came from a viewpoint of counter-culture that I much enjoyed and lived by as a young teen and adult in culturally hip West-Berlin.
@@jimmynickles828 yes its a state of mind. Don't get caught in it.
@@myggggeneration I agree wholeheartedly. I'm "only" 70 and I have kept trying to reinvent myself. It's the one constant in my life. Rock on!
I am 69 and created a meditation podcast with over 26 million downloads. Listen to Rick, a great mentor for your life. Thank you, Rick.
Good on ya, Rick!
I'm 57, recently "retired", and changed my career three times during my life. My wife kept asking me to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and I kept telling her I refused to grow up.
Speaking of "starting late" or "reinventing yourself", I quit a good, secure job at the age of 35 because it involved very heavy business travel and after being "on the road" over 100 days per year for 11 years, I was burned out. I moved my family 300 miles from NJ to VA, where we didn't know anybody, to attend law school.
I started law school at 36 and was 14 years older than the average first-year law student. Graduated at the very top of my class (#1) and was recruited by a giant, international law firm - one of the top 100 law firms in the world. Practiced very complicated and esoteric tax and environmental law for seven years, was paid a lot of money to do it, and hated every minute of it.
I quit the biglaw firm at the age of 45 to start my own business. Didn't know what it was going to be, but I knew I couldn't do the biglaw thing anymore. I ended starting up a franchise of a nationally-known professional junk removal service. Started with one truck and two employees and eight years later had seven trucks and 14 employees, grossing $1 million per year.
Just sold that business a couple months ago (I got out just in time) and now I'm looking at buying and selling land - or just doing whatever I want. 😁
That is an interesting journey. I retired young and have done a lot of things with music as a hobby. Was hoping to ride that joy all the way to the end but tinnitus torpedoed my journey with music, to a degree. Can still strum the acoustic etc, but the joyous band days are over for me. At 62 I find it somewhat difficult to dive into other endeavors. I need to find something that really inspires me. Seems to be harder as you get older....
@@CaptainRonAhoy I spent a week pumping warm water and ear drops into my ears, and my "Tinnitus" came pouring out, into the sink! Maybe I was misdiagnosed.
Any way, my father used to cough a lot from smoking. We all figured he would be dead before 60. He quit smoking and took up golf. Five years later, he was as healthy as I can ever remember, even though his doctor insists he has COPD.
Golfing saved his life. He is almost ninety years old and I attribute the last 30, to him being active and involved in doing something he never knew he even liked, before he tried it.
Walking around in the fresh air, and hitting a little ball can, at the very least, keep you fit, as you search for something better, but be warned...
It's addictive!
Hey Rick, I am a 59 year old pastor who has been playing guitar since the summer before 9th grade (except I didn't break an ankle). I have been making videos of surf guitar instrumentals, as well as devotional videos with acoustic guitar and ukulele. I have a lot to learn about editing and recording, but I am excited to learn. You are an inspiration, sir! I really enjoy what you do!
I’m 63 and still learning. And Rick a lot of the new knowledge comes from you 🙂
64 and STILL learning.
Yes, good one!
Rick - I’m 72 and have been playing guitar since I was 9. Your “What Makes This Song Great” videos have brought so much joy to me. Your interviews with some of my musical heroes are amazing and I hope you’re around for a very long time.
I continually remind myself that each breathe is a brand new breathe. Each moment is new, we are new each moment. The past is gone and we will all die, NOW is your time to try.
I just turned 35 and seeing this just gave me hope that there’s always time to make yourself successful in many more ways than one. I really needed to see this today. Thank you Rick ❤
Rick, you left out being able to interview! You do great interviews, and always ask the right questions, stuff no one else asks. You allow the interview to breathe, and let the interviewee expand on their thoughts and say what they want.
I’m the same age as you, and haven’t played my guitar in about three years; the fire just kinda went out. I hope to pick it up again soon, and use your Beato Bundle to learn the things I never did the first time (self taught, we didn’t have the internet!). I love your channel, it’s been a joy watching it develop over the years.
Amen to this!!
I 'm 61, I have reinvented myself so many times I lost count. I have been a soldier, an electrician, a college student (12 yrs total), a university researcher/ instructor (microbiology & molecular genetics), a small business owner (with a partner, electrical contractor) and for the last 12 years I have been teaching English in Europe. Never been super succesfull (monetairly) but the experiences have been priceless. You can do anything you set your mind to.
I'm 58, when I was in HS my goal in life was to get a degree in music and be a rock star. Baritone vocalist, played in bands, sung in choir, won my IMEA All state and performed at Nationals in HS. In college I joined a fraternity and promptly flunked out. Junior college to get my Associates degree, Bartender, telemarketer, worked in a warehouse, was a Radio and club DJ.
Finally graduated college with HS in Business, minor in music. Promptly got married, started a family, and music went on the back burner. Accidentally tripped into the computer industry as the internet was starting in 1994, and 30 years later it has been a wild and satisfying career. But I always loved music.
Live in Austin, 'Gig'd with a couple local bands playing 80s rock and Country, and now I am staring at retirement with few ideas on what is next. I absolutely love your channel - music seems to speak to you like it speaks to me, in my heart. I have your books, and that will likely be my first thing when I retire.
Keep on rocking!
Sounds very familiar.
"You can't refuse the muse !" Music has gotten me through SO many rough times in my life. Thank God for the gift of music !!
Hey I’m about your age and live in Austin and I’m a good singer and guitar player. Do you sing?
This was inspiring. Also, thank you for doing your part to keep Austin weird and full of music.
I admire your POSITIVITY and PASSION, Rick. Also detect zero arrogance or narcissism, but...rather...humility and integrity. Born in Atlanta! On Peachtree Street, Long Hospital, 1952.
With arrogance and narcicism you wouldn’t be able to learn anything anyway. It takes humility to recognize you suck at something, challenge yourself, and work your way up to learn new skills.
copycat bot. someone else wrote that in this comment section.
I needed this, Rick. I'm 43 and, despite having worked on a PhD in musicology for the past 7 years and being a happy father of a 4 year old son, it still feels like I need to accomplish and learn more. You're an inspiration. Thank you.
You have no idea how lucky you are...
Inspiration.. yes!!
@@jippalippa Oh, I do believe me. Just because you want more doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate what you have. I’m deeply grateful for what I have, I just want to pursue new things and Rick is correct that there’s a stigma around people older than 30 pursuing and achieving new goals. That self doubt can be powerful and his story is an inspiration.
Everything is about commitment and passion. Age is not important as long as you are healthy.
I’m 33, jobless and have no money. Thank you, Rick. I needed this.
Good luck buddy. You’ll get there. It’s a sliding door moment for you. Sign up for a course maybe. Anything to give you a reason to leave the house.
@@marynoonan6111 thank you for your kind words. I’ve been turned down on so many jobs lately. I’m close to starting all over again. It hurts a lot.
@@devon9822 My son is about your age, this is a tough environment to find a career that flourishes. My son tells me the worst thing is being "ghosted" after submissions. It's an awful feeling. A rejection letter used to be a courtesy, not any more. Very sad.
But listen, the world has a place for you. Keep your chin up. Do what you love, the rest will follow.
@@skylark5789 thank you for saying what you did. I’m hoping for the best. I just wish I could get THE break.
Good luck Devon, don't give up...I've endured unemployment too ; many people have. Keep a diary, reflect on things and be positive. "Adversity is like a toad that wears a precious jewel in its crown..." wrote Shakespeare.
I started to learn to play ukulele in 2015 while recovering from shoulder surgery. I was soon to turn 58. Last year, after losing my wife to cancer, I made my first cd of 12 original songs. This year I will be 67 in December, and I am soon to finish my second cd of 12 more original songs. You are correct. You're never too old to do something great. I really enjoy your videos.
I joined an ukulele group two years ago looking re-engage after covid. I'm having a ball. Congratulations on your success!
Rick, I think it’s because you’re a musician that you are able to continue to grow and create. A musician is the epitome of curiosity, discipline, awareness, expression and creativity. Showing up to the gig on time, practicing, preparedness, vulnerability, individuality, performance, responsiveness, and the reward of transcendence (potentially) = a soul that is ever evolving.
Well said! I feel blessed to go through life with the ethos of the Performer: whatever you put out, you will get back in spades. I love that in performance this is codified into the social contract: the audience arrived and sat down - that’s their job done / their fulfillment of the social contract. Now it’s on YOU to put out the energy, and (all going well) receive it back multiplied many times over. Then you give back more to them, and so on and so on. It’s a beautiful metaphor for life.
good comment. The part of the brain you use for music keeps you constantly inquisitive and striving.
Well said. Music-making employs and hones so many different mental and physical skills, never mind tapping into creativity and self-expression. If you go at it right, it will boost your self-awareness and critical thinking skills, and teach you how to learn and how to teach yourself. Those skills are applicable to all of life.
I'm reminded of Herbie Hancock and The Headhunters 50th anniversary - octogenarians still jamming!
I’m 60 and started piano lessons a few months ago. I practice every day and it’s fun.
".... If you're willing to work hard enough!" That's really the key take away.
There's a component of luck that people often ignore that means you can put all the work in and still fail.
That said, the work often creates more opportunities for that good luck to strike, so still a recipe for possible success, just not a guarantee
I sent this to my son who's 26 and feels like he's spinning his wheels in his chosen profession. I always tell him that he has plenty of time and his greatest path to happiness will arrive when it's time. So, relax.
Yea. Maybe. Hopes and Prayers
Yes as long as you a breathing there is still time for most things. Another way to look at it everyday above ground is a good day. There is a maturity thing that happens to us around 25. It looks like is his case he is starting to realize he wants more. I did not start to think that way until later in life.
This is the kind of inspiration that changes the world... one person needing to hear this message at a time.
My oldest Piano student was 77, but he told everyone that he was 88 so that they would say wow you look so good.
I'm 66, and after playing guitar all my life, I picked up electric and upright bass a year ago and have just been accepted into a well-respected local orchestra. I've also played in the pit orchestra for several musicals. It's a dream come true, and I never thought this could happen. I have a long way to go, but I'm having the time of my life. It's never too late if you love something and work hard at it. Thank you Rick for your endless inspiration.
... the most important thing.... having fun, 😊🙏
Ah man, I'm so glad you shared that! I'm 32 and have been playing guitar since I was 14. I'm going to start playing bass as soon as I can get one, sometime in the next couple months. Never played in my life but I want to so badly, I am so excited!
After a nearly 50 year career as a recording engineer I reinvented myself at age 61 as a narrator of audiobooks. I'm now 72. I'd been fortunate enough to have worked with the best VO talent in the world in NYC and I learned a ton about storytelling. Storytelling is the oldest form of humans passing knowledge to the younger generations, way before the written word. I feel as if I'm both a throwback to the ancients and a modern communicator to a mass market. Thank you, Rick, for reinforcing the fact that you're never too old to learn something new.
I started my literary career when the construction biz in Cabo San Lucas fell through the floor after 2009 - at 52 years old. Never wrote a book before. After 14 years and over 4 million sold, a feature on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and 76 novels released, the idea that your life is whatever it's going to be at 30 or whatnot is idiocy. I've been a dancer, musician, songwriter, actor, angel investor, entrepreneur, architect, builder, winemaker, wall street activist, and moved to Mexico at 40 when I sold my medical company - 20 something years ago. Reinvention is cathartic and keeps you youthful mentally and invigorated physically. No idea what I will be in five years, but it won't be playing shuffleboard or staring at the tube. There are no obstacles in life, just opportunities and lessons. Congratulations, Rick. Yours sounds like a life well lived.
I’m 52. I played bass in some bar bands in my 20’s, then kind of hung it up for family and career. But over the last few years I’ve been taking guitar lessons and I am working toward getting back on stage at some point. Thank you for your message in this video! I have struggled with these thoughts of it being too late, but I am soldiering on in my journey.
I dug this! I am turning 83 next week. Started playing guitar as a folkie at age 16 and never looked back. I have nurtured many different musical interests including jazz, ragtime, and some classical styles and transferred them to guitar at various points in my life. I have never done this full time but developed a career in science to earn a living, but music and the guitar have been an equally important part of my life. I continue to learn and practice daily because as Pablo Casals once said when he was in his 90's he practices daily because he thought was improving. I think Jascha Heifetz said something similar. Go get 'em Rick, you will never stop until you are forced to. None of us should. Always be a lifelong learner!
What a great comment. My heroes are in their '80's.
Dude i have to ask. Is your pic current? If it is you look super healthy for 83.
@@cobrakaiX I just changed it. That pic was when I was in my early 70's. You can see I've aged quite a bit.
@@joelgevirtz6181 you still look great man. Beard looks epic and your post was inspiring. I’m 43 and have always wanted to learn guitar. I’ve noodled with chords but never took it seriously. Been thinking of buying one and just diving in. It’s silly but i keep having the intrusive thoughts like “what’s the point?” Trying to drown it out.
@@cobrakaiX You should start. This is the best time ever with the abundance of material on RUclips. It is a life-long journey as most will tell you. Just get on board and take the trip!
I'm 72, still teaching college, still learning how not to grow too old to stop learning. Everything you said resonates with me - so keep on keeping on!
Add to all that, you are the best interviewer on RUclips. Best case was Sting, notoriously bad subject who always seems bored. After a few minutes with you he was telling great back stories and picking up an instrument and playing songs! As an older guy who keeps on plugging away myself, I salute you, sir!!
I myself come from a family of 7 from Pennsylvania. Always wanted to play guitar but never did at 30 my husband bought me a guitar and tried learning but 6 kids later I didn’t continue with it. Earlier this year I was having health issues and was a widow for 3 years so getting healthier and being alone I made a bucket list and guitar was one of the things I wanted to do so my son got me a guitar and found someone who could come to me bc I don’t drive and have been taking lessons from him! I’m loving it and at 73 I agree with you after watching your video you can do things later in life!! Thank you for that enjoyed watching what you had to say! 😊👍
I was bon in Los Angeles and am a lifelong musician. I passed up a potential career in music to go into ministry, but always wondered, “What if?”. Then at 52 (and emotionally worn out), I began pursuing a professional life in music. Now at 62, I am living out my dream and making my way in the world as a musician. Rick… your channel has always been great, but knowing your story is even better! It is affirming and inspiring! Thank you for taking the time and caring enough to share!!! 🎸
We love you Rick!
- Planet Earth
Rick - yes, you are a storyteller. And the thing that ALWAYS comes through in all your episodes is your passion for music and for learning. It is a privilege to watch your channel. Thank you!
I watch every new video you put out. My go to for entertainment! Im an old school lifetime musician that played big hair 80s music with the same band for 34 years until we lost our bass player to diabetes! We are a dying breed! Your channel is living proof of a time where music was a much more driving force! I lived it and still do! Love your content and please keep it going! You're killing it! Go man!
Thank you for this, Rick. I’m 23 just out of college and have been feeling a bit hopeless about my direction and place in life. I always really enjoy your content and this video in particular has left me feeling hopeful and motivated to keep working and searching. I appreciate it greatly.
Man you're still a baby at 23. Go out and experience the world. I didn't figure out what I wanted to do for my career until I was 30. I even refined it further as I moved into my 30's. Too many really young kids out there thinking their life is over at 25, we gotta stop this only one route through life thinking.
Stevie, a thing I heard once, A guy said -some of the best people I know, are people who are still not yet sure what they want to do for a living.
Meanwhile think about the things that make you happy and more importantly, the things that bring you contentment. And head that way
Never, ever let anyone tell you, you can't do what you want to do in this one and only life. That includes you. I made that mistake. But, at past age 70 I'm finally making up for lost time. It's not perfect and never will be. But, it's better now that I'm following my passion finally.... and will until the lord calls me to do something else or calls me home.
You're so young...
I'm more than 10 years older than you, and in a similar situation.
The education system and especially universities try to pigeonhole you into a certain career whether are interested or not. Remember, most educators have never worked in the business world but claim to be experts. You have to decide what YOU want to do and be willing to work for it! You will probably fall on your face a few times but if you are flexible you will find what you are good at and enjoy. At 66, I am recently retired but worked in different types of sales as the markets changed (sold diskettes..look it up! 🤪) and did facility management. Never once considered any of my jobs in college! Best of luck to you! 👍
I played viola - classical and chamber music - until I finished college. Then, with marriage, children and career, I hardly ever picked it up again. At age 70 I realized that I really missed music. I bought a cheap fiddle, not knowing how to play by ear, not knowing fiddle techniques, and not knowing how to jam. Went to some jam classes, took some fiddle lessons, started going to jams, kept at it, and now 5 years later I'm having the time of my life playing bluegrass and Celtic music, singing, and generally having a blast. When I travel these days, I take my fiddle with me and go to the local jams. So glad I didn't worry about being too old, and just went for it!
You are not a bad student Rick, you are teaching us about life using music.
No one stops learning.
He may have been a bad student, but he's a great teacher.
Playing guitar since I was 13, I thought I missed the boat when I turned 33 having never been in a band... I made a half-joke to this cover band I knew, and suddenly I was auditioning for them AND writing a solo for their original single (my first ever) to go along with the audition. Before long, there we were, shooting a music video for the song, playing all throughout New England (and a fateful NY show where the place caught on fire 5 minutes before we took the stage). Then, on the way home from a show, a thing happened I NEVER thought would happen to me... My band, my guitar solo, playing on WAAF... I couldn't effin' believe it. I spent my whole life thinking my guitar playing wouldn't lead to anything, and oh how wonderful it felt to be wrong... I'm still in the band to this day (Exhale, Boston-ish based), and though we've had some bumps on our journey with the pandemic and other stuff, we're back at it getting ready to gig again, and I just feel so friggin' lucky. Sure, I'm a young 41 next week compared to some of you with longer and more interesting stories than mine, but I still have SO much I want to accomplish, and Rick's words here really struck a chord (hah) with me, and it's just the thing I needed to hear as I continue to try and push myself to give more to my band and pull more from my creativity. I hope you all continue to fight to bring happiness to yourselves, because it indeed is never too late.
My oldest guitar student was 77 years old. We all cried a river when she reached her long time dream to play the guitar. My take away was: "You are more then you so far dared to believe". I have followed your channel since the early days and I can't put to words how much you have inspired me and accelerated my insights and knowledge when it comes to music and creativity.
The most humble dude w/4mil subs. Wholesome, knowledgable and open. Wouldnt be the same world without ya Rick!
"There's still time to change the road you're on"-Robert Plant. I'm 63 and I, too, have learned that it's never too late to change and start anew. FACT. And you are loved, Rick.
I couldn't agree more. I never imagined I'd start a RUclips channel at the age of 51, teaching American gospel music-something some might argue isn't even my music-speaking in front of the camera in English, which isn't my native language, and learning at least 10 different software programs to create my videos and build my website. Even when it all seemed impossible, the fire in my heart made it possible. I'm so glad I started; it makes me feel alive to share what I know with the world.
Rick, I’m 59 yrs old. I have an 11 yr old son and a 21 yr old step son. My boys and wife are everything to me. I own my own business but in construction/remodeling. Business has been terrible this last year so I took a part time job at my church as a facilities manager to supplement my business. I also play lead guitar for my church modern service. I’m struggling, I’m burned out, I’m broke most of the time. I used to thrive but not anymore. I’m looking for new avenues of income. I want something different. I see your vid and you give me the confidence to act on my passion. Music is my passion! I’m not saying that I will pursue music but it will Suply the beat to which I march on my new path. In short, thank you for the inspiration to move forward and leave the fear of failure behind! Damn I respect you!
Just turned 50 this summer. Just finished dinner with a friend who is going to be 30 in the next few days. This should be required viewing for anyone hitting a milestone and wondering if they are done in any area of their lives. It is as informative about him as it is inspirational for all of us. Thank you Rick.❤
Amen, brother! I too was a terrible student, until interest and desire motivated me to learn. Never got a degree, but now at 65 I design courses for people with advanced degrees in technology. If you want to learn, do it! Love you, Rick - like many here I appreciate all you share.
I was 49 then I started to play guitar again, after 33 years of not touching a guitar, This time I meant it: with three major ingredients: Rick's insights (videos, bundle...), my professional guitar teacher and the hard energy to get the basic structural skills right. I have a PhD in social sciences, but what I have learned in this almost 5 years in the area of music is more than I could hope. It has changed my life. Just (re)start and just really mean it, regardless of your age!
Always keep learning. Always be hungry. Not everything you learn will help your career or life in the long run but the learning process will.
👆 This is the key point. Education of all forms is more than just the facts you're learning; it's also teaching you how to learn. Not only that, but things that you are 100% sure you will never use turn out to become very important in life in some unexpected ways.
I've been in more than a few bands, and the best one I've ever played with I joined when I was 54. Never stop.
When I was 18 and going to college I sat next to a guy in his 60's. If I remember correctly he told me he was 61. He was upbeat, super nice guy & had immense positive energy. Numbers shouldn't deter you from doing anything you want to do in life and it certainly didn't stop this man from getting a bachelor's degree at 61.
Riffs - When my wife decided to modify her career path, she went to law school, in the evenings. During a break, the group found out she was in her 40’s, and one of the students remarked she’d be 43 when graduating. Her response back was “And, I’ll be 43 if I don’t graduate” has always stuck with me.
Great Response! :)
And interviewing! You're one of the best interviewers out there. You really let the interviewee tell their stories, really give answers the viewers want to hear
Hubby and I bought a house on 5 acres of sand at age 57 and 58. No knowledge or experience with land development - but we started planting and diy landscaping and researching like crazy. 21 years later we live in a forest with patios, gazebos, lawn and a pond. Your talk was so inspiring and affirming. You can do anything if you start with desire. Thank you for channel and thank you for your warm hearted videos!
It's not about age nor other people's perceptions. For me, it's about self-trust, perseverance, & humbleness. I'm with you, maestro.
Humbleness, especially
TOTALLY agree, Rick! My wife of 30 years died ten years ago at age 51. That year I started a new business. The following year I joined a band for the first time AND started my RUclips channel, teaching my business. NEVER too old!
You are also a great interviewer. Your ego doesn't make you talk over your guest, you listen and ask insightful questions. You were always destined for greatness.
God Bless You, Rick! You have NO IDEA how much I needed this video RIGHT NOW! I'm 51, a 20-year IT career burn out, 27-year divorcee who can't seem to find my place in this world anymore. The only thing I'm passionate about is music. But I've always believed I was too dumb, too lazy, too everything to make it a priority. Love your channel. I'll be watching as long as you keep making videos.
Your honesty, transparency and ability to weave a story are what make your channel work.
My wife of 43 years decided to go to college and this summer at the age of 61 she graduated next week she goes back to get her masters in American Sign Language. I’m 64 and simply amazed by my wife, her drive has lit a newly found spark in myself. Both of our fathers passed away at 77 because they retired and became stagnant. We are not going to let that happen to us. Thank you Rick we love your videos.
That is the key.
Have a reason to get up every morning.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this video. I am a vocalist who was full steam ahead in my late teens/early 20’s pursuing a vocal performance career. I got married and pregnant 3 months later which wasn’t the initial plan. In order to raise a family, my goal of touring the world and performing had to take a back seat. Though I’ve sung throughout raising a family, it’s not near the caliber I’d performed prior to starting a family or where my hopes and dreams once were. I now am trying to get back into that arena and am optimistic I can do it.
Again, I just want to say thank you for putting out there that you DON’T have to be in your 20s to pursue your dreams and learn new things.
When I was a 17 year-old freshman at UMass, one of my greatest experiences to was be in a dorm with a floor of “non-traditional” (read: old) students. Not only back in college in their 40s and 50s, but living in the dorm at ZooMass! The friendships I developed and lessons that I learned transcended anything delivered in the classroom. It’s never too late, and thank you for the reminder! Here I am at 53, and toying with the idea with learning to play the guitar that I couldn’t get the hang of when I was 9! Be healthy my man!☮️
If you can find someone or two to play with, it will really propel you forward. Good luck and have fun....
Everybody should always be learning. I'm 74 and learned things today that I didn't know yesterday, It doesn't have to be anything important - what I learned was the answers to two crossword clues. I have been doing woodwork for 25 years, but didn't know one end of a screwdriver from the other 26 years ago. Never stop leaning, and never be afraid to learn.
After you master the screwdriver, we'll work on the allan wrench. Next week, the bastard file. ha ha, I'm 72. and should probably not try to start a career writing jokes for Jimmy Kimmel.
Wow! Just wow! I just turned 54 and I'm about to start my 29th year of teaching middle school science. I've lasted this long because I'm a great story teller. However, I think it's time to learn something new. Rick, I still have doubts, but you've inspired me to try.
47 year old middle school art teacher here, being a good story teller is the KEY!!! Keep on keeping on my friend!
Heisenberg?
Dude, I didn’t start my PhD until I was thirty. Twenty-eight years later I’ve been a research microbiologist for twenty-one years, I have over 150 publications, I have several students who are now senior scientists, researchers, and MDs. My brother laughed when I started my PhD, he said, “you’ll be forty before you have a real job.” My dad said, “well, in ten years he’s going to be forty anyway, so why not be forty and a scientist?” Never look back do now, NOW!
Your dad is a very wise man! And absolutely right!
You and I are the same age. This summer, shortly after my 62nd birthday, I launched a guitar-oriented charity that's starting to take off. Never too old to do it! Oh, and if you'd told 15 year old me who was playing bass in 3 bands and guitar in another at the time, that at 62, I'd be gigging in a 90s grunge band (which 15 year old me, in 1977 wouldn't have even fathomed the existence of), I'd have called BS on you, but here we are. Good on ya, Rick, this channel is one of my favorite diversions. That is when I'm not playing or wrenching on guitars.
I’m currently 30, I have been unemployed for two years, and I am desperately looking for employment, but I want to go back to college to study music. I went to community college to study anthropology, but I took a course in music theory, and I was hooked. I left community college when I had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed Bipolar. I’m struggling to get back into college, but I’m trying. I hope things improve for me, but this video, like most of his videos inspired me to keep trying
@maliciousRainDog I wish you well, my friend. Stay encouraged and focused on your passion. It will help you get through the dark days❤
I'm just now setting up a home studio at 53 having been writing and playing guitar since 14. I'm looking forward to my new best friend DAW! I love your pod and thank you for being there for us all!
Father of 2 here, in 2 days will turn 39 summers. I am currently learning German, Networking, cyber security, and I work breakfast shifts in a hotel. I studied Graphic Design, and I dream every free moment of the drawings I haven't done and the clouds I paint in my head. I love to hear you speak the language of the gods (music theory) and your short lessons. They light parts of my brain that feel very pleasant. Thank you Master Beato.
Rick! I love your channel. Been watching for about 5 years. I am also 62, and I started my YT channel in 2007, knowing nothing.
With your permission, I want to also make a life event summary, using your title... the original one...
Great work, I completely agree.
I am always talking to people, mostly younger than me, that want to make videos, but don't for... reasons. I tell them "hold your nose, jump in, and you'll figure it out!"
Rick Beato, you are a hero of mine.
At age 36 I got out from behind the drumset, taught myself marimba to perform on and started a band that I led (previous bands were co-lead situations). This month I turned 70 and that band has gigged more in 2024 (with me on all kinds of percussion) than in any prior year. And like @homestudiotutorials I'm a stage 4 cancer survivor. A passion for music has sustained me in multiple ways since "She Loves You" and "Stop! In the Name of Love" (great use of vibraphone) were Top 40 on AM radio.
At 45, I picked up the ukulele. At 55, I played music with some one else for the first time and wrote my first song. At 56, I performed at my first open mic. At 58, I released my first full length album and performed with a band. Still 58, I am working on my second album and it is going to be a double. Always say yes!
Amazing!!! 👏🏽
Rick, I'm also 62. I love this subject. I whole heartedly believe that you can do start new things your entire life. I started playing piano when I was 5, studied formal lessons from 1st grade thru 12th grade. I began playing bass when I was 13, played in bands in my teens, went to Berklee and graduated in '85.
I played professionally on bass for a some years, then started a band and switched to guitar. We never got signed, but played a lot of gigs and wrote a lot of songs. I played bass in some bands, showcased in L.A. with some bands, etc.
Took up sax as a hobby in the 90s, and from '98--'02 played sax and keys in a band every weekend. In '02, I entered grad school at UNT and graduated in '05 with a Masters in Jazz Studies on upright bass. I've played upright and some electric bass for from '02 until about 2020 when Covid hit. Since then, I have split my time pretty much equally between doing jazz gigs on upright, electric bass, guitar, and sax. I also gig on drums and piano to a lesser degree. I've never been happy just playing one instrument for very long.
Most likely, I'll end up playing mostly piano again. It's probably the instrument you can play well at an old age, and is the least taxing physically compared to upright bass, or sax, or drums, etc. I never think about my age when it comes to musical goals. I only think about where I want to be, and what the next step is. I also enjoy playing a variety of gigs in a variety of roles on different instruments, and I don't get stuck in a rut.
I'm 72. I work out in the gym 3-5 days a week. I've been writing since I was a teenager. Yesterday, I spent 4 hours writing on a novel. I'm also working on another song having started writing songs in 2015. I am a voracious reader. Stay active and learn something new everyday.
You're not stupid, you're stupendous.
@Mattened My sentiment, exactly. 🙂
This was quite inspirational, man. I'm 27 and have been working at a mine for a few years. Just a couple months ago I started trying to figure out what I want to do in life since I haven't been the happiest with my job. Can't help but say that I've been feeling like a bit of a loser for not having everything figured out by now. This video gave me some hope.
I have been playing drums for 34 years. Bummed around with all sorts of bands but always loved the instrument. I have put hours of practice in and studied all the greats. My first love is jazz and jazz fusion, now at 52 I have got a regular drumming job in a band where the other members (3 of them) are in their 20’s. This year we played festivals all over the UK through the summer and got some great coverage and feedback. It’s the highlight of 34 years of dedication to music for me. One thing that did happen, at a festival someone asked me “Isn’t it a little late in the day to start running up and down the UK playing in a band?” I answered straight away “You see it as late in the day, I see it as the start of a beautiful evening”.
Great story Rick. Totally agree with your revelation. Retired and at 70 started learning music composition and production. Also play guitar and sing. Just learning to sing since I was 68 and now at 73 Im producing my own music. No ambition but to continue to learn new things that interest me to keep my head going full speed for as long as possible. Enjoy my voice and guitar/production weekly lessons. I have been using your interactive books to learn theory and train my ears. Keep up the great work that you do. BTW - a great interview would be Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
Aside from all the educational, informative and entertaining output on your channel, I always get the overwhelming feeling that you are a good family man, and it was lovely to see, albeit briefly, Nina and the kids.
Great video, Rick! I’m 65 and reinventing myself right now! I have found that my life and education experiences help me pick up on new ideas. It also helps to know how to pose excellent questions! Learning never dies-until you do! 😊
Man, that’s why you are so loved by all of us. You are so knowledgeable in so many ways. You are never condescending or act better than any of us. You just want to pass long all you’ve been lucky enough to learn and be gifted with. So unique and loving in your approach. Everything you’ve achieved is well deserved. Thank God for people like you in this world. ❤
Great video. I became a Volunteer Firefighter at 52 and it’s the best decision I made in the last 30 years. If you have the motivation, training and a plan, you can do almost anything. Starting something new is what keeps you vibrant and energetic.
I'm almost 47 and started a new career in January. Highest paying job I've ever had and the best company I've ever worked for. God is great.
Sooo happy 4yo brother ... Im my case i thought i was useless!!
Actually, it is YOU who is great!
That's awesome
Gratz man. I’m 48 and things are finally going well. Life is tough sometimes but I never gave up.
Always curious why God favours some over others. I live an honest, integrity based life. I help anybody, complete strangers in any way i can, but I have not been blessed with the any 'highest paying job'.
You sir, are very gifted in telling a story. Thank you for who you are Rick..... cheers from way up north in Canada.
I'll be 66 this Monday Sept 2, 2024 and I'm still learning and growing. It never stops until you throw in the towel.