Is it ever too late to learn the guitar? An analogy.

Jonathan Osterling studied guitar at the Los Angeles College of Music. He teaches guitar in Zurich and is a versatile live and studio guitarist.

One of the questions my students* often ask me is, "Am I too old to learn to play guitar?". I don't have a musical background, I'm just a* music lover". Compared to other instruments, the guitar is certainly rather easy to learn. When you see your favorite artist strumming a chord or two, you get the impression that you will be able to play it soon.

You decide to learn the guitar.

So you decide to embark on this adventure. Here's an analogy:

Imagine you live in a small house at the foot of an infinitely high mountain. No one has conquered the summit yet, but today you decided to climb it to see how far you can get.

In the beginning, you walk among trees and rocks without leaving a trail. You feel like giving up, but curiosity wins out and makes you keep running.
This is, in my opinion, the most difficult phase in learning something new in life, in this case the guitar: deciding to take the first step and getting used to the instrument, especially physically. The stones and trees that lie in the way represent the difficulties of getting your fingers used to the fretboard, coping with the tension in your wrist, playing your first chord, getting the strings to sound right, etc.

But once you get past that step, the next phase is like waking up in the daylight the next morning, seeing a clear path to the mountain, looking back and not seeing the little house at all. You have new strength and energy to keep moving forward.

The learning curve goes up exponentially. Discovering the fretboard, understanding basic diatonic harmonies, learning your favorite songs, all of that goes much better now and you see a clear path ahead of you...

...until you realize that the peak is infinite. You keep climbing for a day and the summit doesn't get any closer. You call it a day and try again the next morning with the same result. You may ask yourself, "Why didn't I start climbing sooner?"

Well, don't forget that the peak is infinite! Even those who started earlier have not yet reached the top and still encounter trees and rocks along the way. The journey never ends and that's a good thing!

I see time and time again with students* that if they don't lose the passion and belief that they can get far (no matter how far), they can achieve anything. And that's regardless of their age or previous experience. Listen to the great songs or artists* that you admire or inspire you and find a teacher that fits you and guides you along the way, - because this is the goal.

Will you also set out on the path?

Here's Jonathan's profile.

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