Learning guitar at an older age
This article will discuss whether learning guitar at an older age is possible and what’s involved.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes, I want to make my intentions clear. I was asked by Ira, Christopher, Steve and Leo (readers of the blog), to discuss challenges for an older guitarist. The word old is a loaded one, and I intend no disrespect by using it. I am just not going to dive into euphemisms.
Ok. Let’s get down to business.
Yes. You can.
I have been asked several times by readers of the site if I think they can take up classical guitar study at a later age. The resounding answer is yes.
There really is no limit to what each one of us can achieve, and in many respects age is no restriction. The basic tenets of learning apply to everyone, regardless of age, advantages or disadvantages. Success requires hard work, dedication and perseverance.
More often than not, the marker of success will not be receiving a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall, the mark of success will be reaching goals, expressing yourself through music and having fun along the way. If that happens to be on stage at Carnegie/Wigmore Hall, so be it, but believe me when I say there is no “making it”. There is only the journey we each take, guitar in hand.
Choosing repertoire.
This might be the biggest take home point, and I am going to repeat myself later, but I believe the point is so important it warrants repetition.
Repertoire that is too difficult is the biggest impediment of your progress.
I have some young kids that I teach. They are great fun, and they will do anything for a sticker. More often than not, they are not familiar with the guitar repertoire, and as I work through books that have simple melodies and a steady progression, they just accept what I give them and will be happy if it is not too difficult. As a teacher, this means I can build their technique and foundations to be strong and comprehensive. As students, this means that they improve, and they improve fast. Have you ever seen a little kid play like a pro at the age of 8? It is because they had a good teacher, and did what she asked.
The allure of advanced repertoire
Adults and teenagers, however, will most likely come to the classical guitar because they know and love the repertoire. Because they know the repertoire, they want to play it. Even if it isn’t going to be good for them! This means, as a teacher, I am constantly trying to bargain about what piece to play. I know that simpler pieces will be more productive, but they want to get to the greats as soon as they can.
There are two ways to go about this. The first is to look at the goals and objectives, if the answer is to have fun and you don’t want to go through the less entertaining studies and simple pieces, then, go for it. You need to know, however, that you might be plugging away at Recuerdos Del Alhambra for a number of years, and it might cause great frustration as it may never reach the level you had hoped. It might not be “fun” for that long.
The second way, is to play the long game, and hold off on the more advanced pieces. Start with simple pieces, and progress through the repertoire to arrive at your dream pieces with a technique that is up to the task. I think the payoff of this route is bigger, and if you can learn to enjoy the process, then you might forget about rushing to those concert pieces and start enjoying what is right in front of you.
Goals and objectives
At the outset of study, you need to answer the question:
Why am I doing this, and what do I want to achieve?
The answer will be different for everyone, but as an older student you might be looking for personal enjoyment and fulfillment over career aspirations.
By no means is someones age a requirement for a professional career. Actually if there ever was a requirement, it would be sustained passion and hard work.
If your goal is personal enjoyment, perhaps the realization of a long time desire to play music or learn the guitar, you need to think about how you are going to achieve that goal. What is actually going to make you happy during this process?
Professional Career
If your goal is going to be along the lines of a professional career, I would simply advise to start from the beginning and work patiently and steadily through a comprehensive method. No corner cutting.
Dedicated Amateur
An amateur is someone who loves the craft. For me this is the most pure of pursuits. It is not distracted by trying to earn money or appease others.
Goals I have encountered in the past from older students have included:
- Wanting to play a certain piece or pieces of repertoire like Asturias or Lágrima
- To play in an ensemble
- Study for the sake of studying and have projects to work on
If you want to perform a masterwork, you can. Know, however, that the path is long and if you want to make it to your destination you need to be mindful of developing frustrations and being impatient. Be focused on your own development and do not try and compare yourself to anyone around you. The speed at which you progress might be slow, so I believe at an older age you will need to exercise even more patience, and be more disciplined than others to achieve your goals.
Play in an ensemble
Playing with others is a wonderful experience and education in itself. If you want to play in an ensemble, you will need to develop good reading skills, and a technique that is sufficient to play fluently. Not a virtuosic technique, but one that allows you to play in time and respond to changes in tempo/dynamics etc. Once again, these skills will need to be developed steadily and comprehensively.
A great goal to aim for is to play in a classical guitar society orchestra, or perhaps team up with some colleagues to for a quartet.
Study to study
This goal is a little different to the others. It is the only one where I would be inclined to give a green light on difficult repertoire. If you don’t want to spend time on studies and technique, and just want to approach the pieces that inspire you, you can. I strongly believe, however, that this is a short sighted approach and that it will lead to frustration very quickly, and abandonment soon after. It will be ten times slower than walking a steady path, and it can be tiresome for the teacher too. So it might make you happy, but not for long.
So, as you can see, the best approach to all of these goals will be to study from the basics and build your way up in a comprehensive fashion. The goals you set might influence the type of repertoire you choose, and the training you get (for instance sight reading will be important for ensemble playing), but in reality the most fulfilling, enjoyable and fun way to achieve these different goals is to work slowly and steadily.
Enjoying the process
I could get very philosophical here, but I think there is a great deal of fulfillment and enjoyment to be found in the learning process itself. Small increments and small achievements can feel as profound as any other. Make sure you celebrate, or at least acknowledge, when some progress has been made and know that you are in good company if you get mired in doubt and frustration. Not just good company, everyone’s company. We all go through peaks and valleys.
I sometimes like to work on pieces that I never intend to perform and that are well within my technical abilities. In them I find joy because I can focus on making a good sound, phrasing and expression. In a word, I am focusing on music and I can assure you that even in the simplest Sor Study, there is music to be enjoyed. Don’t always feel like you have to push and progress.
Challenges
Speed of progress
At an older age progress could be slow, and for this reason, it is important to set realistic short term goals and celebrate successes. I would advise this for anyone at any age, but I think that older guitarists can be impatient as they will often have a great knowledge of the classical guitar repertoire. Being familiar with all of the great works for our instrument and knowing how the masters can perform them might give you doubt and frustration at how far away it seems. Once again, focus on your path, your playing, and your progress.
Physical challenges
Almost every individual has physical challenges that need to be addressed when it comes to playing the classical guitar. It is very rare to come across someone with a good back, good nails, good memory, and good hands, regardless of age.
I have had my fair share of run-ins with physical therapists by the age of 32 and I am not looking forward to when the famous “Powis back” and gout come into play. Genetics, gotta love ‘em.
An older age brings the likelihood of more problems, however, by no means should that discourage you from learning the guitar. You, and I just need to get creative about adapting your technique to make it work for you.
Let’s take my student, Peter. He has some tendons that don’t work in his left hand (he is left handed so that is his “strumming” hand. Because of this, finger style guitar is not going to be an option, well, it could be but only with his thumb and index. Instead we are using a pick, and playing single melodies, along with strumming chords. Having a good plectrum method, can almost be as agile as the fingers when developed well.
So, if you have some fingers that are not going to work for you, maybe you can leave them out of your technique? In the very famous case of Django Rheinhardt, he had several joints of his fingers missing and he actually used the shorter fingers to create a barring technique that influenced his sound and overall style. He also did some AMAZING things with just the index and middle finger in his left hand.
The point is, your physical impediment does not have to be a roadblock to your learning, just be open minded about adapting your technique to make music.
Preventative measures for physical health
At an older age you need to be more mindful of how you treat your body, and playing a musical instrument is quite demanding on the body. It may seem passive, even sedentary, but you are holding tensions in unusual places (neck, back, shoulders) for large amounts of time.
You should incorporate stretching, breaks, and be mindful of your posture.
Also consider your set-up. Is your chair at the right height? Are you using a footstool or a more ergonomic solution like an ergo play or guitar support? Is the stand at a good height so your neck is not strained?
These considerations are important for all of us, but the negative effects will surface more quickly as an older student.
Mental focus and memorization
At an older age focus and memorization can prove a challenge. To this I say as the Delphic oracle did, “know thyself”. You need to consider your strengths and weaknesses and adjust accordingly.
If you have poor focus. Set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and decide on a specific exercise or passage to work on. That timer can end up being a great focus motivator.
If your memory is not strong, develop your reading skills so that you perform from the score, not from memory. If your sight is not great, blow up the print to a large size.
You get the idea. Where there is a will…
Patience & Discipline
You can achieve your goals, but you will have to exercise more patience and discipline than others. Getting frustrated can be avoided by working in small increments and being mindful of how you practice and progress. Returning to the role of a student can be intimidating and feel unnerving but the joys that are awaiting you are many and varied.
Summary
Many of the points here pertain to everyone. Young, old, beginner and advanced. I have chosen them, however, because these points are the most important ones to consider as an older guitarist.
I hope that you found some ideas and inspiration here, and if you have your own knowledge or experiences to add please share them in the comments below.
Also, if you would like to hear a discussion about Learning Classical Guitar at an Older Age you can listen to this episode on the Podcast
Cheers,
Simon
Thank you for taking the time to address this subject – much appreciated.
Motivation is certainly a key element. But if like playing the Classic Guitar, then no matter how old you
are. It is a physical and mental challenges.
I love it.
Karl, 75 years old, Sydney Australia,
As an older learner I find myself agreeing with Simon’s comments and would add,
we often mellow as we get older and enjoy greater patience that may have escaped us
in our youth. It’s easier to follow credible advice when you’ve experienced
the consequences of not doing so, a natural consequence of life experience.
It’s great to be young, a passion for music and your guitar never leaves you,
so no matter how old you are we all share this in common.
I agree with you, PDL, I am much more patient and forgiving of my mistakes and memory lapses than I ever would have been when I was younger. Just enjoying the music, enjoying my slow, incremental progress, and enjoying the opportunity to devote myself to something so beautiful and rich – these are motivation and reward enough for me. <3
When I picked up the guitar a little over a year ago, I had my doubts about overcoming such a late start and how long I would be able to sustain my interest, given the physical and mental challenges. I have only grown to love it more and quickly came to the realization that I was doing it as much for the process and challenge of learning as for the enjoyment of playing. I am comfortable knowing that I will never be more than amateur … if I am that lucky. I am grateful for the small successes … and for finding CGC.
Thank you, Simon for addressing this subject and the thoughtful advice … especially where you have identified goals and objectives.
Simon, reading this reminded me of a story I once heard. A young guitarist was visiting New York City. He asked a passer by how he could get to Carnegie Hall. His reply was, Practice, practice, practice and more practice. Thanks for the encouragement.
Russ Walsh
Phoenix, AZ
I would like to echo many of the above comments.
In particular, after 2 years of playing I have deliberately stopped trying new pieces.. Rather I have been trying to play the many pieces I have learned so far better.
All the famous Spanish numbers are on my wish list and I have even tried some. However they seem to take forever to get right.
Originally I chose Classical guitar because it did not need accompaniment or singing. However, even though I love the sound I find few people are really interested preferring you to play a swinging pop song they can sing along to…even the grandkids!
So I fluctuate between my steel string “country” guitar and the classical which does confuse the fingertips!!
Motivation is certainly a key element. The steel string is a more “social” instrument…although playing chords all day is a bit boring after fingerstyle.
Anyway, its just a journey without a destination….apart from the waypoints.
Enjoying CGC . Thanks for being there.
So good to hear from others who have taken up the CG later in life! I’m fortunate in having a great teacher but one of the frustrations is not having someone of my age group to share frustrations (and joys) with! Enjoyed all of your comments. Simon, I wonder if we could have a regular space for oldies? I feel daunted by some of the CG sites available for chatting. Enjoy your newsletter each week. Can’t get enough of my CG fix. Thanks for doing this!
I agree that we “oldies” have an advantage of hopefully learned patience, but frustration in remembering so much theory, then applying it and then enjoying the instrument.
One question I have…does one take private lessons forever??? Sometimes I think I have enough material to practice for years without a teacher. It gets expensive too :)
To Nancy “does one take private lessons forever???” I have also considered this. I am an eternal student, I guess.
Yes, it is expensive. Nevertheless,we can supplement our knowledge of guitar w/so much you tube & other internet info.
I picked up my vintage 1969 Guild T-50 guitar last January when I was laid up after some minor surgery. I knew I wanted to relearn the guitar, but was not interested in playing to sing along with. I don’t sing. You can’t imagine how happy I was to find this site.
I’m finding that It’s taking me longer than I thought it would to get up to speed again. The hands don’t have as much flexibility as they used to. But hey, what’s the rush! This time I am going to “learn” the guitar. I did have to put my old guitar back in its case and buy a classical guitar. It’s awfully hard to play finger style with a pick guard.
CGC has given me the motivation as well as the tools needed to achieve my goal, although sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the amount of material available. Level 3….Maybe in a couple of years.
Laurie
After 40 years I’m again taking up my guitar. As to what tunes are most technically factible and enthralling musically at this age, I find the Luís Milan Pavanas are wonderful on both counts – and also Gaspar Sanz’s capricho y preludio. The going is slow but I feel I’m really playing great music.
John, 80 years old.
Thanks Simon for picking up on this topic. I agree with most everything here. In my case, I studied seriously and for decades in my teens through 30s and then stopped cold. I have resumed and now have a good three years. My technique, concentration, musicality are actually much better now than then, because it is now a labor of love. I practice in a very focused way in the early am, and it has a meditative quality. Studying is great for mental acuity – better than Mindtrap! I now listen to what i am playing – maturity brings musicality.
Physical issues: ErgoPlay has made a huge difference with back and left wrist problems. Posture and stretching are crucial for me. The social aspects are wonderful – working with a wonderful teacher, and the option of ensemble playing can be great to broaden a narrowing range of social contacts. Ugh.
Hi, love the inspiration. My present guitar teacher is around one year younger than I am and knows what a challenge playing classical guitar can be for a person my age (I’m 73). He is patient and supportive and we have a lot of fun at my lessons. This is worth more than gold to me and serves to offset the frustration I sometimes have with a difficult piece. Even though I would love to take to the stage, I may not be able to but as you say, it’s the journey.
I’m 77 and still enjoying to play guitar. I’m not very ambitious and I don’ t intend to convert myself into a master but I still can play very fluently some easy pieces from Mozart, Bach ans Simon’s 10 and 12 progressive pieces. I also play reasonably well Lagrima and others. To play guitar is my favorite hobby now that I’m retired. It gives me satisfaction and pleasure without any limits!
Thanks for your comments, Jose, it’s great to hear your story. Can’t wait to hear where it takes the next.
Hi Simon,
Very good advice. I have been learning properly for just over a year and have made good progress, thanks to a very good teacher, who is slightly older than myself. I am 48 soon.
I can now play “Greensleeves” a lot better than previously. I can do this by memory.
An easy version of “Ave Maria” is also one of the pieces I can play. I think that is a beautiful piece!
I have also learnt to memorize that.
I would definately say small increments.
O how I wish I had this advice (and heeded it!) when I took up piano – I often wonder whether I might have achieved pieces I am still working on much earlier and with far better technique. – I probably know the answer!
As for classical guitar – it is wonderful to have started from the very beginning with excellent guidance – and to be able to work at my own pace. I LOVE the collection of study pieces that Simon has published for beginners – and really looking forward to the next collection — the classical guitar is very seductive – I hide mine away in between practice times or I would never get any work done.
Thanks to Simon for a brilliantly structured and comprehensive course. I had one lesson with a local teacher- and was told to use the little finger as a support on the guitar – the fact that it really hurt my pinky prompted me to look online for help and led me to CGC, which is a very good place to be.
Brilliant advice!
Thank you Maestro!!!
Musically yours with the utmost respect,
Mark (age 50)
Can you recommend a repertoire for older players that is achievable for older players. I have played for a number of years but do not have the same skill level I had in the past
Chuck Hicks
At 51 I am picking up the guitar after a 25 year hiatus. I’m trying classical this time, although I still have my old Strat! I just found this site and I’ve been enjoying it very much. Thank you Simon for putting all this together! I do have to ask…is it strange for me to have a man-crush on an Aussie musician/teacher/Ph.D.? No worries, I’m happily married. :)
You mention the simple pieces in the beginning over the concert classics. Can you name a few pieces tha you consider simple – are we talking about some of the Sor studies, for example. It’s just that I wonder if I am guilty of wanting to play the repetoire. At the moment, I am learning Dowland’s What is a Day and some Calaytud. Any thoughts?
Your advice about goals and focus are right on. (Surprisingly so, for such a young guy. Ha.)
I like the structure of your courses and I trust your ability as a teacher. I plan to go through all your courses, step-by-step.
I studied as a kid and years later for a few years but didn’t get very far for lack of goals and focus and teachers who let me get away with it. Now, many years later, I am at it again.
I got the idea when I saw Ray Reussner’s Youtube video of Mussgorski’s “The Old Castle” where he sounded like he was channeling Segovia. It hit me that if Ray could get that sound, may I could, too. I mean, maybe I could play easier pieces with Segovia-like sound and phrasing. So as I start over again, this time with pieces I can learn in a reasonable amount of time, I always have in mind what the Master said: “Without a beautiful sound, the charm of the guitar disappears.” (“Sin un bello sonido, la guitarra pierde su encanto”.) A month ago I got a good deal on a great Ramírez 1a made in 1975 so I am always happy to get out of bed and get right to work on the “beautiful sound.”
I wish you much success.
One correction, Simon. Django Reinhardt was not missing any finger joints. I have heard people say that he was missing two entire fingers, which is also incorrect – he had two crippled fingers on his left hand. What happened was that he was badly injured at the age of 18 in a fire that broke out in his caravan after he returned home late one night from playing his six-string banjo at a gig. His wife had been making hundreds of celluloid flowers to sell at the market, and somehow a candle got overturned, causing them to go up in a flash. Django got his wife and baby out, but he was badly burned. In addition to severe burns to his right leg, his left hand was injured, and when he healed, the scarring to the tendons of his two small fingers caused them to curl up into a permanently bent shape. Django’s brother Joseph brought him a guitar to use while he recuperated, perhaps because it was a lighter thing to use in his hospital bed than a banjo. Django spent two years teaching himself to play around his “handicap.” He was able to use the last two fingers in a limited fashion for chording, employing chord shapes that did not require extending those fingers. He did all of his soloing with his index and middle fingers, and his style, which has been described as “ornamented arpeggios,” was highly influenced by that.
There is only one known video of Django that has sound sync’ed with the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qopVXZvdVT8
The Django sequence starts at about 2:25. You can clearly see his two-fingered soling technique, as well as his two crippled fingers.
Ironically, the night Django was injured, he had received an offer from Jack Hylton to join the latter’s jazz orchestra, and the two were scheduled to meet the next day to sign the contract. If it were not for the fire, Django might have faded into obscurity instead of becoming one of the greatest guitarists ever.
By the way, thanks for the encouragement, from an old fart. I am just now taking up classical guitar at the age of 69 with an excellent teacher after a lifetime of playing other styles, including bluegrass, big band swing, and most recently gypsy jazz. Love your site!
[…] Janet Agostino has a deep knowledge of education from a variety of perspectives and in our conversation I asked Janet to discuss some of the issues that come up when learning classical guitar later in life. It is a topic that is important to many members and readers of the site and I have actually addressed the issue in a previous article. […]
I started playing guitar a little over a year ago, at the age of 60. This after an absence from music for some 20 years, as I had studied classical piano for 15-20 years in my ‘younger’ days. I am in the hands of a very capable instructor, and am very pleased with my progress…..AND I am thrilled, and so enjoying music, once again!!!!! Thank you for a wonderful article, encouraging all to pick up this beautiful instrument.
I would love to continue to learn to play, etc, but my nails are a mess. They grow flat, and then chip often. I told I need much calcium, gelatin, etc. to get them in shape. What can I do?
I had tried gelatin & all sorts of other remedies in a fruitless bid to strengthen my nails. I have learned that this is what you need to do. Go to a manicure salon & ask for a gel manicure. The technician will put layers of a clear substance on your nails & cure each application under a UV or LED light. (As a man, you may want to skip the colour application on top) Your nails will be protected and nourished and will not break or chip for about 3 weeks, until the polish starts to fall off. At that point it’s time for a fresh coat. You will be surprised how quickly & beautifully your nails will grow when they are protected from breakage this way.
Well, thank you so much for the advice. I’ll try it.
For Jesus Escobedo. I had the same problem with my nails then after researching the subject of NAIL CARE I bought some Myrrh oil for nails and cuticles. I apply this every day and started last April. Now my nails are growing thicker, more supple and at a rate that is normally known to younger people only. I get the Myrrh oil from Skin City (on line). The ancient Egyptian upper class folk used Myrrh oil to enable them to grow long nails as a symbol of their perceived superiority. It works just as reliably today as it did then. There is life after youth is lost.
This sounds good and natural. Thank you.
The classical guitar music and fellowship with other guitarists has made my retirement fun and full of challenges as well as having lots of joyful experiences. At 75, I consider my playing as “nursing home” insurance . You learn new concepts, use your right and left hand in different tasks, plus memorizing pieces for your repertoire, all recommended cognitive activities for seniors. I also was fortunate enough to join the Philadelphia Munier Mandolin/classical guitar Orchestra that plays a wide variety of classical,jazz and folk tunes. Simon has helped in his great pedagogy and wonderful course outline and the recommended practice for technical skill building. Looking forward to working thru all the songs and learning some music theory. Molly
I enjoyed this article. thank you for reaching out to us older musicians…
I found guitar six years ago at the age of 52, with no previous experience… I started at ground zero. Initially it was an experiment to teat my true interest with a cheap Ibanez classical guitar. As a yoga instructor and teacher of meditation, I applied these practices to my learning which enhanced the experience. I found a great local teacher who gave me weekly private lessons at my home 3-4 times per month. As an older (mature) student, I was very specific with my teacher about my goals and he was open to my direction. So I chose not to invest in learning to read music, I have a working knowledge of music theory via learning TAB and playing structured pieces, e,g. Manual Ponce, Villa Lobos, Roland Dyens,…
All of this has lead to arranging and recording original meditative instrumentals based on our travels. Now I have two very nice Spanish guitars, am learning sitar, play Native American flute and continue to write original pieces. My recordings are available for free via soundcloud from our website, http://www.yogawithdennisandkathy.com.
Guitar has become a daily part of my life. Its a meditation… its magical. Music is magical.
Thank you for your article.
I need some way of getting my fingers to stretch more. I lot of songs I would love to play requires finger stretches I can barely do or cant do. Does anyone know of some excerses I can do ?
Hi Lyhn,
There are lots of videos on this, but one of the best and safest I have found is this one on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/TSrfB7JIzxY
Most importantly, BE SAFE. Do not over stretch or do it for too long as you can hurt yourself just like overstretching large muscles. These really do help.
For dexterity, look up the “Spider Excercises”. These are challenging, but also help quite a bit.
Take care, Vince
I began my study of guitar 10 years ago when I was 57. I am so glad I did. I have played in public many time. Mostly easier pieces, but some harder ones that took longer to learn. I know there are some I will never be able to play, but I enjoy working on the Cello suites by Bach. I have a background in music, so that helps. I play violin and viola and I sing also. But guitar is still my favorite.
I’m a tender 87 years old just starting to play my Spanish Guitar in the Classical way. I have no teacher at present perhaps because they all play in a diferent style – Jazz _ Blues etc. and I am only interested in Finger picking. There are so many on line courses available that I simply can not choose one w/o advise. Can anyone lend a hand in the proper selection of an on line course in Classical Guitar ? Thanks in addvance. Ron
God Bless you Ron! You are my hero. Look at John Clarke Music
Thanks for the article. I had an older student who suffered with arthritis in his hands. Seems the exercise he was giving the fingers while learning guitar really helped stifle some of the pain. I wonder if you have any thoughts on this. Thanks Max Steinhoff
Hi Max,
I have taken up classical guitar after a 20+ year hiatus and was really surprised how my hands had changed with age. I have some minor arthritis in both hands, but my left hand was bothering me quite a bit. I’ve found that proper stretching of all of my fingers, thumbs, and arms have helped to get started, but have also been very encouraged and amazed at how improved my left hand is now after playing almost daily for about a year. I hardly have any pain anymore and my fingers are nowhere near as tight feeling as they were in the beginning. It definitely is proof that “movement is lubricant” as a physical therapist I once had stated.
[…] had just read an article in The Classical Guitar Corner on exactly that subject. My answer was, “Absolutely […]
This is an excellent article – thanks for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate what you said about repertoire. That is such a challenge with adults and teens – they do want to play challenging pieces before they understand the basics. I teach children mostly, but do teach several adults and teens. I started using Matthew Hinsley’s “Classical Guitar for Young People” for the adults as well and they have done beautifully. The music is very enjoyable and graded well. The book also comes with a CD, so students can listen to all the music and get to know it well. I suggested to Dr. Hinsley that he change the book name to “Classical Guitar for Young People and the Young at Heart”, which he did! :)
Hi I am a retired 78 year old. I would like to know a serious method for learning the notes on the fretboard. I am just learning to play for my own personal pleasure and enjoyment. Any help and suggestion for learning the notes would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Charles,
Thanks for your note. I love Drew’s advice and I think it would be quite useful. Another thing to try is Simon’s “six string scales,” which are designed to help you learn where each note is on each of the six strings across the fretboard. They’re a bit challenging to play at first, but the more you play them the quicker your recall of where each note will become—and that will mean you learn the fretboard quite quickly and thoroughly. Check it out here:
https://www.classicalguitarcorner.com/six-string-scales-learning-the-fretboard/
Peace,
Dave B (CGC team)
Hi Charles,
Good for you! Someone may have a better way than this but here is what I recall……
I think what helped me was to make my own diagram on paper and write down the notes by hand. I learned the notes going across in the open position, at the fifth fret and the seventh fret—and later more positions across. This seemed to give a structure from which I could locate and recall the other notes. I also played each note, on each string, from the first position to the twelfth position saying the notes out loud. Recognizing that the notes were the same at the twelfth position helped too.
All the best to you,
Drew
Sometimes old short fat men should not play classical guitar, and I wrote that more than twenty years ago. Here I am still playing and loving the sound every time I strum a string. I fell asleep one night after playing and dropped the guitar resulting in some damage but I just felt more secure holding it in my arms. I was comfortable like a woman and I just didn’t want to let go. My mother once said that, “No one can ever take your music away”. I’m seventy four now and love my guitar but I need to use it more. Great blog!
This is a brilliant summing up of the challenges of classical and the dangers of trying to race before you can walk at a decent pace. Having written loads of songs and been fairly proficient in a number of styles including fingerstyle on steel string, I started teaching myself classical and learning to read music to get myself out of a rut. I picked Tarrega’s Capricho Arabe as my first piece to learn as I liked it and had no idea that it was considered a pretty high level piece. I’m still working on it but have had to go back to basics and work on some easier pieces, and really understand that my time on steel string does not make classical guitar a cinch. It is a huge challenge and I have had to work on dispensing with old habits of left-hand placement which may be fine for steel string with its narrower neck (I have a lovely Martin D-19 which I bought new and is now 35 years old and still marvellous and versatile) but not suitable for the classical instrument. Also while only we ourselves can do the work the guidance of excellent teachers is indispensable. I got a huge amount out of this year’s CGC summer school, and through contacts there now have an excellent teacher here in London. It’s a great arrangement where I see him when I’ve absorbed and worked on points of technique and musicality we’ve discussed rather than every week/fortnight etc. Only an experienced teacher can help you with the challenges you have to meet. I’m delighted to have acquired beginner’s mind again and am now on the road to being a good musician rather than someone who’s reasonably competent on the steel string. Oh, and more good news is that learning classical is really improving my steel string technique too!
Thank you so much for addressing the issues of the older guitar player. I have simply avoided getting started because I am very nervous of my abilities and rate of progress but your comments have given me the courage and confidence to take up the guitar again,
Jim, 71 years young, London Canada
Hi Jim,
Great to hear! You are definitely in good company here at CGC :)
Hi Jim, now you can say YOU give others (me, for example) having this same initial lack of confidence the words that will encourage them to start again, and we can see in this section many others “oldies” who actually are an inspiration !
One of the nice things about returning to the guitar after many years of not playing–I am almost 71–is that you now have the patience to learn things the right way. Or at least that’s the way I feel. I’m no longer in any hurry. And if I’m playing a duet with a guitarist, a flutist or a violinist, I always try to play with someone that’s musically just a little better than I am. It always makes me try harder! I think that would be good advice no matter what your age.
As an old beginner, I’m not clear, as to how I can get to where I’d like to be on classical guitar. I do practice but how to practice and what exactly to practice are simply a guess for me. Listening to accomplished guitarists seems impossible to me and yet I continue to practice the fundamentals with numerous questions.
Hi Simon et al,
A big thumbs up to you for this recent article. Just a pity it wasn’t 36 years ago when I began my own personal quest. Any advice would have been very helpful then, but sadly nothing like that was available in my part of the world.
For me, its always been a personal quest to try an achieve something with this instrument. And with that, I’ve never allowed the
apparent difficulties to diminish this drive. Over time I’ve been able to achieve a level of about 4-5 which has brought its own sense of achievement and personal satisfaction eventually allowing me to pal up with a duet partner. My horizons then being expanded accordingly.
Fortunately for many, there exists plenty of instructional material on the internet now that can provide assistance for those that lack a teacher or an associate. This can be helpful to some degree in reinforcing what a particular piece “should” actually sound like when played professionally, particularly if the player is also struggling with sight reading at the time. This situation shouldn’t present any problems however, provided it is used as a guide only. Whereas trying to emulate any of these YouTube productions at correct tempo just leads to mounting disappointment. I agree with the notion that one of the largest mistakes beginning players do make is trying to play pieces at tempos that are well beyond there personal capabilities, with disappointment lurking just around the corner.
In reading some of these comments I gain a sense that there remains an expanding need for some informal interaction here between beginning players and a ‘virtual’ teacher aid. The recent comment by Jeff Blackwell ( August 1, 2018) being a nice example.
I’m happy to provide some assistance here too, if practicable.
Cheers
Bill Gifford
Wow! Great article. Very thoughtful and insightful. Thanks.
Hi Simon. Many thanks for this article. In an earlier life I got to quite a good standard but sadly at a much older age, I am struggling particularly with focus and application. Your article has made me think a great deal and I shall try to apply new approaches to what I’m doing with the guitar.
Thanks again
I believe it has been fairly well established that learning a musical instrument as one gets older, is highly advantageous, in that it helps to keep the mind active and alert.
Simon, your comment about mental focus in older people, is certainly at odds with my experience and the experience of many of my associates. Indeed, it is the young who apparently have challenges around focus and concentration span. In fact, many young people I know, have the concentration span of a newt.
I have found that learning the classical guitar has been a wonderful journey and as I have no teacher, it is also something of an adventure. Trying out ways of doing things that are perhaps not conventional, is quite liberating. The downside is that one occasionally ventures down fruitless paths…..not always entirely fruitless though, mainly because all efforts in any direction, can (and often do) lead to new insights and surprisingly fortuitous outcomes.
Many thanks for your thoughtful article, Simon.
Cheers……..John, (Wollongong) Australia.
Many thanks for tips on learning in older age. As usual I find Simon’s text great to follow. I started after retirement at 64 & can well support, in my case, the long haul from scratch approach. As much as I would love to crack on with something complex I can see this would be impossible for me & the frustration would indeed make me lose interest. My method (& it looks like Simon’s preferred to) gives me great pleasure learning patiently practised small steps. I agree nothing comes quick, although I have always in the past been a quick learner, it took me over a year to clear Book 1 of my series but what I have learned is strong.
Thank you SOOOO much for this advice! I was just about to ask fellow ‘oldie’ guitarists on the forum, how they treated every technique exercise. Does one need to ‘flog’ each one until perfect, or move on after a while.? I submitted my provisional for Grade 1 in June but I am unlikely to be proficient by Oct to submit final of grade 1, despite daily practicing. My only wish is that we could be given 1 or 2 more simple, well known pieces to enjoy, between the listed repetoire. E. G. Greensleeves … or some Chtistmas carols in time for the season.
Good stuff everyone! I decided to teach myself in February of 2014. BTW I’ll turn 66 this year. Very first song was Cavatina – one single note at a time. i didn’t know how to read music, didn’t know the notes on the fret board. It was like building a brick house – making a trip to the hardware store for each individual brick to be set in place. 4 and a half years later I can played it somewhat beautifully start to finish. Along the way it was joined by Capricho Arabe, Lagrima, What a Wonderful World, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, La Paloma, Sabor a Mi, Solamente Una Vez, Manha de Carnaval and several Christmas songs. I’ve recently taken on the finger-style challenge with beautiful songs in Chet Atkins style – Freight Train, I’ll See You In My Dreams, Borsalino. And lastly a nice little jazz classic called Take 5. I think I know maybe 4 or 5 more that aren’t listed… I play every day at least an hour – in short 15 minute bursts, with a tool I’ve learned to despise, in fact I think I enjoy anesthetic free root canals more than using it! It’s called a metronome (horse whinnys in the distance everytime i say the word.) If you decide to do it… you can. My mantra consists of the 4 P’s – i keep it in my head for inspiration. Patient, Persistent, Plucking brings Pleasure!!! Get started and enjoy the adventure and always remember its all about the journey, not the destination.
I started at age 65 (I had learned chords but forgotten all about guitar after age 18.) This article is spot-on. Some advantages of age–more patience, better listening skills. The graded books are a big help. Don’t bite off too much at once. Yes I get pain now and then. But the best advice I have is to be in the moment and enjoy it. Even if you are playing level 1 etudes, they still are the most beautiful music if you love classical guitar.
Thanks for the helpful response, Joanna! Hope all’s well with you.
Peace,
Dave B (CGC team)
I retired in July 2017 and on returning to Australia, started serious Classical Guitar lessons with a tutor. I wish I had read this article at that time as it would have saved me quite some frustration.
After reading and digesting the article I find myself in a much better place. And yes I have been guilty of sneaking ahead with a difficult piece when I should have been building my foundation. I will likely join the Guitar Corner my return from a visit to Western Australia, I feel I need the structure and guidance that appears to be the culture displayed by those within the Guitar Corner membership/team. And yes, my guitar will be going in the car for our trip to the West. Thanks to Simon and at the team for the timely advice.
I am now wanting to start seriously learning my Classical guitar. I started guitar at 14 years old and have kept a number of them . In 1995 I bought a Takamine Classical in Houston Texas, and later a Prudencias Siaz in Barcelona. Now I am 66 and during hip replacement surgery following a fall, the hospital somehow broke my left ring finger without realizing and it has healed almost straight, which now will not bend more or be absolutely straight and I have some arthritis in my hands. Guitar is good exercise for my hands and I am still doing well with the limited movement in the ring finger if I use the correct positioning. I think from photographs it looks like Segovia had arthritic hands too. So we must continuer.
I think there are some very successful handicapped guitarists , so we just have to not be deterred by our problems and keep playing.
watch some video of José Monserrate Feliciano Garcia, he is an ispiration.
Hi Alan,
You are absolutely right that there are many examples of guitarists with hands that provided challenges and this was perhaps part of their success. They had to find creative solutions and in doing so they found their own musical voice.
Not sure if this has been addressed in the comments (didn’t get through all of them), but I’ve started on classical several times over the past 50+ years (now 68), but each time eventually become discouraged because I can’t keep decent nails. I find continuously varying nail length (or lack thereof) to be detrimental not only to tone, but consistent technique development. (And I dislike the muted tones of flesh only…) I know there are artificial nail options, but they always seemed like too much trouble. But that doesn’t stop my love of classical guitar, and I’ll probably be inspired to pick it up again one of these days.
Thanks for a great article!
Dear Simon and you all.
Thank you for very enlightening comments and from a wonderful webpage Simon. This topic goes to the heart of my playing, as I am now 66 years of age, but started playing around the age of 17. I was totally hooked by hearing the recording of Bach Lute suites 1 Eminor and 2 by Julian Bream back in the 1970´s. I ahem been playing for many years now, a bit on and off, but the latest 10 years or so fro about 30-45 minutes per day, and have improved a little bit compared to my younger days. I also regularly attend the Koblenz guitarfestival which is a really exciting experience- to see the level of playing these days and all the young students from all over the world- and to meet the great stars of course.
To the point Simon: I see your advice not to play pieces that are too difficult. But it is a struggle not to do so, because some of these a-bit-too -difficult -pieces are so beautiful and it gives me so much pleasure to try to cope with them, even if I get frustrated. I can mention Serenata Espagnole by Malats. Sevillas by Albeniz, E-minor suite Bach and of course Recuerdos, as I always struggle with getting a good tremolo..
I want something to struggle with, even though I will never play these pieces perfectly.
I also do a little bit composing myself and that is a great pleasure, as it is a very creative endeavor, and these are pieces that I are very integrated in my mind/soul, a part of me so to say.
One question at the end: In my age closing up to 70 in some years, are there limits set by age, such as a certain reduced mobility in fingers, stiffness etc, even though I have no known diseases or disabilities that mug impede my technique?
All the best to all and to you Simon
Per from Oslo, Norway
So similar to my history and experience! All the best
AH
Thanks for letting me see this, I found it, and the comments, most encouraging and insightful. What I find particularly frustrating is not so much learning where to place my fingers, but getting the sound and accuracy that I want. I expect this is something that affects all ages.
I agree with you regarding wanting to play certain ‘standards’ – in the past (when I tried to learn to play classical guitar – ie before YouTube which is a great resource) these pieces were all you heard, but now it is possible to see and hear a huge amount of material that is more accessible.
I have found that recording my playing (over the last eight years) and saving it on my PC is great for measuring progress and for boosting self esteem(!)
Should one play to friends and relatives? And does what you play have to be perfect? I did surprise and amuse my grandchildren by entering the over 15 years category in our town’s music festival, playing Adelita.
The conversations I’ve read here are fascinating. They also help motivate me to move ahead. I’ve thought about – and wanted to – learn to play guitar since I was a teenager. That was back in the 70’s. I’m 62 now with plenty of time and am interested in doing something new. Skimming through what’s been said for 3-4 years has boosted me. While using a classical guitar is my thing, classical music is not. Hopefully I’ll one day work on early rock ‘n roll – The Beatles, post-group Lennon, and if that’s too much for me easier musicians from their era. I truly do miss the music from those olden days. So much happened in the ’60’s, for me, listening to the music brings all sorts of memories to the surface. Quite a decade.
Love your comments. After 45 years of off and on, most off playing, I have gone back to my fits love, classical.
I use your practice routines and also from thisisclassicalguitar. With these resources and youtube lessons it is easier than ever to remotely learn and individually improve. As ever it is being brilliant at the basics which make the most improvements.
I am now creating my own repertoire list of material i like and can play relatively well. I find it really motivating to have be able to play music, of whatever level, which sounds awesome.
There is a real market for repertoire books that reflect different levels and that keep a person interested while playing great sounding music at all levels. For that reason alone I am considering buying the Suzuki method books.
Look forward to bro g a part of this community going forward.
Many thanks for you Simon, I really enjoy all your discussions especially this one which is about the old ages classical guitar students. And many thanks for all of you dear commenters.
I’m a 53 year old man processional as a consultant engineer, I started to learn playing classical guitar 30 years ago however I stopped after a very short time for some reasons.
One year ago, my daughter asked me to buy her a guitar, I picked up an acoustic one for her to practice however after a while I found myself using it more than her in a fingerpicking style. So I bought myself a classical one and started my way from scratch.
I started with a couple of simple method books, then after a lot of researches I found that I have to go through what exactly Simon said, so and also after a lot of researches i picked up one of technique books ( begginer to advanced level ) beside a series of Repertoire and Etudes (also from beginner to advanced).
Sorry dear Simon, all what I said above was before I discover you, otherwise you and your books will be my teacher.
Many thanks again for all of you
Amer
[email protected]
I found this article very relevant and I have no intention of learning classical guitar, but at 68 after playing blues from a young age I decided to learn Flamenco and there is much on CCG that helps in this as well, My tutor is very professional and I none the less I sometimes feel he must be frustrated with my progress. Having flamenco lessons is tone of the hardest things I have ever done and like Simon my tutor takes some of the problems and try’s to find ways to how to overcome them them. Nerves are the one that Simon did not mention and I suffer badly from tuition anxiety ( in a past life playing blues I never had performance anxiety but I was well within a comfort zone). So in the end my single comment is trust your tutor to guide you along a route that is in the end a journey of enjoyment.
I have loved listening to recorded classical guitar music since I was a teenager. Now I am 77 years old, retired, and have been learning to play this instrument from scratch without a teacher for almost a year. So far I have been working only on fundamentals, which have given me much pleasure and satisfaction, along with a good deal of challenge and frustration. In another month, I expect to advance to repertoire and real music. I can’t add anything to the other comments on this page other than to say that it looks like I’m in good company. Maybe I should have been born a Spaniard.
At the age of 70, I appreciate that you tackled this topic head-on. I returned to classical guitar at age 66 after a 40+ year hiatus as I entered retirement. There is no other way to express it: I have become totally immersed with learning, playing, listening to all things classical guitar. My goals have been to stimulate my brain; and to be able to play technically well and musically as far as my ability will take me. I found a guitar performance doctoral student teacher, which has been a great help. I am my worst critic, so it takes me about a year to memorize and play well enough to move on to the next. I have been able to achieve the Intermediate Level (in CGC system Level 6) with not a huge repertoire, but a very satisfying one. A guitar support helps my sciatica and I am battling against time with arthritis in my hands. Stretches and posture are important. You are so right—it’s all about the journey. What a wonderful ride it has been these last 4 years!
That’s great, John! I hope you continue to enjoy the journey. Thanks for the nice comment.
Peace,
Dave B (CGC team)
Hello, I am 71. I made a brief foray into electric blues and rock guitar in mid-90’s but quit when job, kids, life became a little too hectic. I have now been taking classical guitar lessons for 1.5 years. I have a great teacher but have taken advantage of CGC and bought a few of the lessons. Also, I got to meet Simon during the Houston Classical Guitar Festival early this year. He was kind enough to give me his “20 Practice Routines” book which I have found to be very helpful.
I practice on average, 40 minutes a day, and love it. Although I sang in a choir for a while, I am fairly new to music theory so learning music and the theory behind it has been challenging but rewarding. I won’t be doing Carnegie Hall any time soon but I am having a wonderful time learning something new…….and who knows, maybe a little concert in my condo parlor sometime in the future with my new violin student buddy who also happens to be a very accomplished pianist and has helped me a lot. Thanks!
Hi Tom,
That’s fantastic! Glad to hear that you’re doing well with it and especially that you’re enjoying the process. I think a concert with your buddy at the condo parlor would be a great thing — I encourage you to pursue that! Thanks so much for your comment.
Peace,
Dave B (CGC team)
Hello CGC c/o Dr. Simon Powis and company,
Well, I studied at yamaha school way back then for 24 sessions, here in the Philippines. I had my recital back then. However, work took hold of most of my time that I rarely am able to play my guitar. But for almost a month now, I made time to revisit my lessons so as to be able to play for appreciation of the craft and so that I may be able to pass on the skill to younger kids as a form of social service for the out of school youth. Am already 58 yrs. old, and all I need is to allocate time for practice. I bought from Amazon Dr. Powis’ “20 Practice Routines for Classical Guitar” as a graduated practice material besides my usual Carcassi Method for the Classical Guitar. At the moment, I am polishing William H. Monks’ “Abide with Me” for Solo Guitar. Thank you for the motivation that age is not a hindrance to continue playing!
Oh, regarding enrolling…still prioritizing my bills, hehehe, that’s why I have not yet enrolled…Anyway, if I get the opportunity…at least am practicing using Dr. Powis’ book. Will buy also his book of graded studies for added guide…
Love seeing this topic…at 67 have now been studying classical guitar for almost three years now …Dr. Powis’ books’ 20 Practical Routines’ and ‘Graded Repertoire’ have been my building blocks for about the past year…slowly but surely have just arrived at the intermediate level…the goal in these years of study are the pure enjoyment of practice toward fluency and mastery of a piece and the mental acuity achieved in the ‘music area of my brain’ has been noticeable…have always adored classical guitar music and am thrilled to be a thread now in its woven century old tapestry…and…it prompted me to move forward in the purchase of a flamenco guitar ; mow immersed in joys of flamenco strumming…classical music-what a blessing!
Now 67 I have been playing since I was 14. I have never played so well, being now retired with lots of time for practice.
First of all, we never apologise for saying “at a younger age” so we don’t need to apologise when we say “at an older age”. It just isn’t an issue. Young is young and old is old, it’s just how it is. I started a second university degree at age 59 and started learning the classical guitar. I have since acquired a second foreign language and am acquiring a fourth musical instrument. I have every intention of continuing to a stage of playing the music I love and I know that I will be able to. It does help being a professional musician already but even if I wasn’t I believe that all of us are capable of learning just about anything at any age. I think if I had aspirations to play classical guitar professionally then I would be deluded. But the wonderful thing about learning something “at an older age” is you finally get to do something purely for yourself (and others if the opportunity arises) and purely for joy. After spending years preparing 10 months or more for recitals, then performing 10 month’s work in 40 minutes and it’s all over and you start all over again with the pressure of the next performance pending (you do it also because you love it but….it is your “career”) it is a welcome joy to just play music with no ultimate end goal i.e. a gig. My only regret about getting older is that one day I will have to stop learning because my time will be up but I will feel like I have milked life for all the best things it had to offer and playing the guitar at “an older age” will be on a long list of other accomplishments. Never stop learning is the secret to contentment “at an older age”. Voilà. :)
When I started playing at 10 I quickly learned the basics but then was confounded by paper thin, soft nails that quickly wore away as well as “sticky” skin on my fingers that made it difficult to develop fluency. I was also very impatient and tried to learn pieces that were beyond my ability at the time. Skip ahead fifty-five years. During that time I continued playing and slowly overcame my deficiencies, such as embracing artificial nails, expanding my repertoire with easy and intermediate pieces that I enjoyed, and focusing on total relaxation, improving my sense of timing and rhythm as well as revamping my right hand technique which had many deficiencies aside from tension. So after being retired for several years and focusing on guitar technique I have discovered the importance of going slow and breaking down tasks into small chunks. As an older player, I recognize the physical dangers from overexertion which is why I take frequent rests, concentrate on physical relaxation as I play as well as committing myself to exercising each day to strengthen my back, core, and arm muscles. It has become extremely difficult to learn new repertoire, but if I’m patient and learn in small chunks the pieces eventually come together. Fortunately I had 55 years to learn pieces, so I already have a lot to choose from with the caveat that none have ever been perfected. It has taken a lot of close listening and recording to hear my playing for what it is rather than what my mind wants to hear, and this has made a big difference. In addition, I am learning to impart my own interpretations rather than restricting myself to the written text or being overly dependent on the interpretations of others (although those are extremely useful and inspirational, in the end I prefer not to simply copy someone else’s style).
Good morning to you Sir your points are quite encouraging you have addressed if not all most Issues of my concern thank you
I am happy to note that patience comes with age, if there is a course on this I would be most interested, I am 88 and am enjoying becoming a genuine antique, however I am still searching for that lost land of patience.
Hello, I loved this article about older guitarists. I’m 53 years old, from Brazil, and I learned Classical guitar from 12 up to 16 years old. I stopped studying music, and last January 2021, I decided to restart it. I enrolled in a Conservatory and, in 8 months now, my level approached the same level I had when I was teenager, upper intermediate Level. I focus on chosing a repertoire of 10 or 12 píeces, those include some songs I played in the past and pieces which I learned this year. I have fun playing guitar at older age, it’s a therapy for me. Thanks to Prof. Dr. Simon for a lot of tips and articles about Classical Guitar. Cheers. Luciana.
I have enjoyed reading all the comments listed here. I’m 86 and looking forward to a challenge.
At 67 I love music. I play guitar country and soft rock. I have been doing this the early 70s. Over the years I have played hard with bands but have laid out for years at a time.. I now play when and what I want.one thing I love is buying and selling guitars. This has given me great enjoyment and opportunity to meet others that enjoy guitars. So age is not a problem take your time and enjoy what you are doing if you’re in Kentucky look me up.
How about 88 years old!!!!! That’s right and I think I can master a few works!
Just scanning the comments recently, and wondered how things have changed. The facilities available via internet, You tube and
virtual instruction have improved immensely. However, the extent of human interaction available for both teaching and duet or ensemble playing seems headed well south. I’ve just lost a duet partner of 25 years. He’s a tad younger than me ( 81 yrs) with a background in electric guitar from a previous rock band in his younger days. My interest being classical guitar only, meant a big conversion was necessary for him and that happened, providing the mutual benefits of duet playing. He was, unfortunately, the last of his kind as I’ve been unable to find any other person, young or old with sufficient interest in expanding their abilities or any desire to engage. That search has continued in the form of a potential trio partner for more than 25 years now and the results continue in negative terrain, despite there being a music conservatory at a local regional university.
No regional teachers, no real interest in schools ( considered too hard with limited results) and continued stonewalling of any volunteering through the need for Blue, Pink, White or Purple cards necessary to get through the front gate. None of which helps much with providing some associated experience for younger people ( or older for that matter).
That’s a glimpse of my situation in regional Queensland and I often wonder how similar countries fare. Are there any success stories out there on how this has been overcome ?
Cheers
Bill Gifford
After 12 years of sporadic noodling, I play at the early beginner level. Going from one method book to another, hoping that the next method will be the one that results in me becoming a solid intermediate player. Eventually, I realized that the problem wasn’t the method books, the problem was, and is, me. Noodle for a few months, quit altogether for a few months. Try to play entire pieces instead of isolating the difficult sections and learning the piece slowly, due to lack of patience. Becoming enamored with one piece, learning about a third of it, get bored with it, go on to another piece. I can play pieces of pieces but not whole pieces. I can’t play even simple melodies several times in a row without making mistakes. I fall apart when trying to play in front of an audience. A few times I’ve tried to play in church and just embarrassed myself. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is very difficult for an older learner to progress to the intermediate level and perhaps nearly impossible to get to the advanced level. It certainly won’t happen with the path that I have trod. Anyone taking up classical guitar at an older age needs to be aware that the effort required to become reasonably proficient is enormous, and takes years. But it takes years of correct, consistent, thoughtful practice. I didn’t count the cost in the beginning and was not willing to pay the price. Now I see the result.
A failed classical guitar attempter at 68 years of age.
Richard in North Carolina
Hi Richard,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. Something that Simon talks about in the post above that I think is really important is recognizing that your goals on the instrument will be different from someone else’s and that will put each of us on different pathways to reach those goals. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve encountered so much frustration with the classical guitar over the last 12 years, but I do think there is still hope!
It seems like you’ve been learning along the way the approaches that do *not* work, such as simply playing through pieces rather than isolating sections that need work, or what Simon calls “shiny object syndrome,” becoming enamored by the next attractive thing and moving on too soon from the piece you are currently working on. Sometimes when we are self-learning it can also be difficult to know what *does* work and how we should better be spending our precious time. The first and most important part of this process is to have a structured approach to your practice. We provide this kind of approach at CGC Academy, and I do think it can be very useful to have a teacher or guide to help provide you with materials that are suited for where you are on your journey and what goals you’d like to achieve. Even without a teacher or curriculum, however, you can indeed begin to build structure into your practice by paying close attention to your goals and being realistic about how to get there practically.
We are always here to help out so if you have any questions about any of this process please let me know. We wish you the best and I hope you won’t give up on classical guitar!
Peace,
Dave B (CGC team)
To me, regardless of age, the production of a pleasant, perhaps even a lovely or seductive, sound is the absolute requirement for any guitarist. Because that is what people will hear, even if you don’t think they are listening. A really simple piece like an Aguado study can be really beautiful to hear if the player has the musicality to play with expression and subtle variations of tone.
It is a little different with keyboard instruments, in that there is rather less influence on the sound, although a Mozart sonata played by Andras Schiff will always sound better than the same sonata on the same piano played by a good amateur. The guitar’s sound is capable of infinite variations depending on firstly the nails, which are like the singer’s vocal cords or the violinist’s or cellist’s bow, but more subtly on the amount of force used by the right hand fingers, the string a particular note is played on, and the tasto/ponticello depending on the extent to which the hand is over the sound hole. Careful use of apoyando is vital. None of this variation is available with a keyboard instrument.
That is why in my view guitar ensembles and orchestras may not be the best way to learn the classical guitar in one’s later years, because tone production and variation in these is to a large extent irrelevant, the object being merely to play ‘the right notes in the right order’ per JS Bach, at the right sound level. For that reason ensembles above a quartet are not always very pleasant to listen to. It is quite impossible to get true ensemble in the sense of a string quartet, and the guitar simply does not have the dynamic range to be an orchestral instrument.
Let’s face it, the guitar is a quiet instrument and multiplying it x times will not help that. At the end of the day it is a solo, or duo, instrument where the quality of the sound is paramount, especially when one considers that the pieces will be quite short compared to, say, piano music.
By all means learn the guitar in your retirement, but concentrate above all else on producing a full and clear tone that you would want to listen to. This can be done given proper attention to the nails and to the many ways of producing a lovely sound.
To me, regardless of age, the production of a pleasant, perhaps even a lovely or seductive, sound is the absolute requirement for any guitarist. Because that is what people will hear, even if you don’t think they are listening. A really simple piece like an Aguado study can be really beautiful to hear if the player has the musicality to play with expression and subtle variations of tone.
It is a little different with keyboard instruments, in that there is rather less influence on the sound, although a Mozart sonata played by Andras Schiff will always sound better than the same sonata on the same piano played by a good amateur. The guitar’s sound is capable of infinite variations depending on firstly the nails, which are like the singer’s vocal cords or the violinist’s or cellist’s bow, but more subtly on the amount of force used by the right hand fingers, the string a particular note is played on, and the tasto/ponticello depending on the extent to which the hand is over the sound hole. Careful use of apoyando is vital. None of this variation is available with a keyboard instrument.
That is why in my view guitar ensembles and orchestras may not be the best way to learn the classical guitar in one’s later years, because tone production and variation in these is to a large extent irrelevant, the object being merely to play ‘the right notes in the right order’ per JS Bach, at the right sound level. For that reason ensembles above a quartet are not always very pleasant to listen to. It is quite impossible to get true ensemble in the sense of a string quartet, and the guitar simply does not have the dynamic range to be an orchestral instrument.
Let’s face it, the guitar is a quiet instrument and multiplying it x times will not help that. At the end of the day it is a solo, or duo, instrument where the quality of the sound is paramount, especially when one considers that the pieces will be quite short compared to, say, piano music.
By all means learn the guitar in your retirement, but concentrate above all else on producing a full and clear tone that you would want to listen to. This can be done given proper attention to the nails and to the many ways of producing a lovely sound.
[Note: re sending as appears to have disappeared ]
This is really good insight and guidance. I’m a long-time musician and I grew up playing the cello and guitar–however on guitar I played acoustic steel string and was self-taught. I love classical music and I am one of those “older” (65!) musicians familiar with the music of Albeniz, Tarrega, Mangore, Ponce, and others, and I dream about playing their pieces.
So I will take it slow, and focus on the fundamentals. Simon is 100% correct- the lure of wanting to jump ahead and sound like a maestro is not going to happen unless we put the work and patience in. So I’m back to being a “kid” and focusing on the basic skills that will be the building blocks for learning the more complex pieces later on. Even if that means I’ll be 70! :)
Thank you very much for the insights on how I can make progress at age 78. Try to apply the same methodology that I use with my calisthenics training that I began at age 71. Prepare, Practice, Play, Push and Ponder for all my sessions. I am still trying to work out a good training routine. And would appreciate what a training session should look like.
Thank you for all the lessons you have made available to us.
I first learned to play classical guitar in my 20s, and then my career got in the way and I left it behind for a number of decades. Now I have the time and desire to get back into it. I’ve been playing again for over a year. Yes, my fingers are not what they used to be. I have a fused middle joint on the middle finger of my right hand, but I seem to be playing just fine with P I A and C (the little finger). I recently discovered that Scottish classical guitarist Matthew McAllister also has to make do with the M finger, and he plays at a professional level. I have the opportunity to play at our local Classical Guitar Society meetings and I sometimes play with a guitar orchestra that just started up. Plus I get together with a few other older guitarists, and we play for each other periodically. So I’m pretty happy with where I am, and I’m making some progress. Thanks for the great support that you offer here.
Really interesting. I’m 83 years old . I spent 12 years as a professional guitarist and electronic keyboard (Hammond Organ) player playing with anything from duos to a 26 piece orchestra. I went back into engineering at the age of 39 to cut back on the travelling. I’ve recently started playing guitar again and learning the piano. Seeing the ad for the “Easy Classical pieces” took me back to the 6 Classical guitar lessons I had when I was 19 years old. They were the only lessons I ever had although during my last one (He was retiring due to ill health) he showed me the basics of playing “Dance Band “Guitar with a plectrum. He said I’ve probably given you 3 years work in one hit so you’ll have some work to do. It all stood me in good stead. I’m trying the book now and can already play the first Carcassi Prelude to a reasinable standard on my Schertler 6 string acoustic( with steel strings). it’s probably the easiest piece in the book but it has proved very rewarding. I struggle with the memory problems Simon mentioned. It took me about a week to memorize it. And my eyesight makes sight reading tricky but I’ve loaded it onto my Samsung 12.5 inch tablet so I can sqidge it up in sections. I’m thinking I might buy a nylon strung guitar now to enhance the achievement. Thank you so much Simon for providing the Free download. I would never have bothered to buy anything and I am sure I will enjoy going through the book to see if there are other pieces I can manage.
That sure is a great advice, which inspires me to keep going on with my guitar on classical music. Thank you so much!