I've tried learning twice (with a few lessons) with no success. Is there still hope for my 59 yr old fingers? Where should I start and with what kind of guitar. I had an Ovation, but was told the neck was too thin for me; could that be?

It's NEVER too late. I wish you were in this area. I would never charge, but one of the most satisfying things I do is help people learn guitar. I currently help three kids from a family I help, three mid-level players who want to learn jazz and a VP at one of the financial institutions I do contract work for.

Lessons are GREAT, but some professional teachers intentionally dole out things in a manner designed to maximize the number of lessons students buy.

You already have a lot of the basics. If you decise to proceed, email me and I'll try to help with some shortcuts. Guitar is a great instrument, and easy to understand (the basics, anyway) if you get the right start.


Good luck!

Russ

[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 04-16-2009).]

Hi cass,

I've been playing since i was 5. Guitar is awesome. I would actually suggest learning on a cheap electric. The action is low, use extra light guage strings. Much softer on your fingers. Both these recommendations are based on ease of learning and not getting discouraged, not for overall sound purposes.

I say learn how to play chords first, It will build your confidence in a shorther time. call me anytime for advice or any tips. my phone numbers are on my sites.

Good Luck

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Mikey

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Neck thickness is not really an issue and is more a matter of personal taste. The Ovation was probably fine. It's more a matter of what feels comfortable for you. I have Gibsons that have thicker necks and Fenders that have slimmer necks but they are all quite playable.

But Mikey's point about getting a guitar that has a comfortable action is a good one. You want to have a guitar that isn't awkward to play by having too high an action and having lighter gauge strings is a good idea. You can always increase the gauge as your fingers get stronger over time. But a lighter gauge and low action will let you easily play barre chords along the full range of the the neck that will allow you to play a lot of songs by just knowing a few basic barre chords.

And nowadays cheap guitars can be very good value thanks to computer controlled manufacturing. Just go down to a local guitar store and try a few out to see what feels good to you ( electrics or acoustics ).


[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 04-16-2009).]

Isn't it amazing how people jump out of their skin to help someone with their expertise for free.
It could turn this site into something useful for the lesser talented to subscribe to for a change.
Ray

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Ray The Saint

I agree 100% on this recommendation and electric squire will cost you $99 and they are very easy on the fingers.

I started teaching 5 teenagers at church a couple a years ago all of them became good players better than me,but I'm not a very good guitar player



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HE'S COMING, MAKE MUSIC, GET READY!

I agree with working on your chords first. Once you learn the variations of one barre chord, you basically know many....

Good luck!

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Bill in Dayton

YOU GUYS ARE GREAT! Thanks so much for all the advice. I have a friend willing to lend me her nylon string acoustic and have access to a great used guitar store too. I'll start there.

Feel free to keep the thread alive. I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in learning guitar. We can all benefit from all your many talents. Thanks everyone.

I have been studying guitar for about three months. I’ll be eighty next year. No, it’s never too late. Find that chords are as much a problem as learning the notes of the fret board, because of problems with finger positioning to prevent buzz or muting of adjacent strings. So, I don’t see that much advantage of concentrating on chords at first. For me, chords can be more discouraging than practicing single note songs, at times. Sometimes I think I would do better with a Classical Guitar with a two inch nut. That would spread the strings a little. My hands are large so I don't have a problem with reaching the sixth string. Am using a cheap ($200) Epiphone Electric guitar which seems to work out well as a learning instrument.

There is an excellent guitar course from Legacy Learning Systems with Steve Krenz as the instructor. http://www.learnandmaster.com/guitar/ If you already know music theory, there is a lot of repetition in that area. But if you don’t have time or schedule consistency to work with a local teacher, that DVD course is a great way to get “personal” training in a structured way.

I started playing guitar at about age 11 and have played both acoustic and electric. Both Piano and Guitar are great instruments to help you learn how to play various other instruments too. That's why it's nice to have solid, fundamental musical skills on those instruments i.e. guitar and/or piano, at an early age. It's never too late to learn of course though. For instance, I didn't start playing piano (keyboards) until my mid-forties. How much time you spend practicing will be your quickest means of achieving your goal(s) of accomplishment on your instrument of choice though, needless to say.

All the best,
Mike