I am circa 7 months in to re-learning the guitar after a 25 year gap. I first learnt when I was 17 and whilst I would not class myself as a musician then, or now, I got technically quite proficient and could pick up things quite quickly.
Fast forward to being (almost) 54 and I am finding it so much harder. I am having to break physical and mental barriers which is really hard work. Either my fingers just can’t keep going or my brain seems to struggle converting what needs to happen into what needs to happen!
I watch Justin teach a song and he makes it look effortless. What looks to be an easy riff or pattern takes me an age to learn, even at slow speeds. Is this normal? I know all about muscle memory but I get the impression Justin (for example) can just listen to something, work it out and play it pretty much right away whether it’s something he has done before or not.
Take For Whom The Bells Tolls by Metallica as an example. There is a short interlude lead section, which consists of sets of 4 triplets repeated a few times. On the face of it, nothing overly complicated but after a week of practice sessions every day, I can still only manage a 90% success rate playing it at 70% speed!
This isn’t to say I am not enjoying re-learning the guitar, I am having a blast and am totally addicted to playing but I am struggling to understand why it takes me so long to pick things up. Also whilst I have come a long way in the last 6 months or so I then go and see a live band (last night Green Lung) which really puts me in my place!
I am sorry to tell you, but this is quite normal. After 2 years if I have to play anything but open chords it will take weeks to get it right, especially rifts!
It is good to feel in awe of professional players. It brings you back to the ground and gives you an idea of what you would like to achieve, knowing that there will always be better guitarists than you.
You’re probably trying too hard, it’s all too easy to try to run before you can walk! My advice would be to go back right to the start on the beginner course and run through it, you will pick up on the things that you don’t know or have forgotten. I did this 9 years ago and am still here now and still learning - I’m 73 and have played guitar on and off since I was 10, just to put things into perspective - I found a lot wrong with what I was trying to do, it wasn’t doing me any favours!
Be realistic in your goals and just push yourself to meet them, but as you get older practice time shouldn’t be extended, if anything it’s best to do a couple of short practices at a time spread out through your available time. I don’t practice any more than 10-15 minutes a time these days, it’s difficult to cope with more without fatigue setting in, both physically and mentally.
Hi Andrew,
Yes, that’s what happens as we get older, it becomes less easy … and you really shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone … but if you look at it, Justin is a very bad example … he has been playing Uke since he was 6 or 7 years old and then switched to guitar fairly quickly … many hours a day (8+) for years in a row … studying guitar at a conservatory while we were in the pub at that age or doing some kind of sport … he looked out the window as a teenager and saw friends were playing football… and he decided to play the guitar indoors and practice…
We have to continue slowly and put in the hours… and above all have fun, because we are probably not going to become (or want to be) professional, so have fun and start at the beginning…this changed and you probably will pick up new things what will speed your learning later up … a solid foundation is the begin of all the good stuff
Hmm… I did 7 hours one day last week trying to get a song down perfectly. I felt absolutely shattered at the end of it. Problem is I am a bit of a perfectionist! I will say though that I still enjoyed my 7 hours, much to the displeasure of others in the household that had instructed me to undertake some chores!
The problem with protracted practice sessions is that if you’re not very careful you can end up practicing mistakes, always remember that practice makes perfect, whether it’s correct or not.
When you measure yourself against professionals or live musicians, it usually gets frustrating. Maybe it would be good to join a group at the same level. I had similar concerns and then found at the community college fellow travelers on the journey that guitar learning is. Or just watch the nitsuj videos , I think Justin made them partly to overcome such concerns.
Ha ha…well leave out that stick out tongue…I just practiced more …apparently I/we can’t just copy and paste those images here…just learned something new and for myself
Greetings and now I go outside in the sun doing some gardening things
well I have the same problem with learning, just turned 70 and it does take longer, also found if I get tired and start to make mistakes stop and give it a rest for a couple of days and things improve, my take on practice is little and often instead of Hrs bashing away and getting frustrated and just take small bits to learn then move on to the next bit if it a complicated song and eventually join them altogether.
Being a perfectionist is a choice, you can choose to let go of it, I have done. Perfectionism ruled my life for years and did me no good at all, took the joy out of everything. Learn to appreciate how far you have come rather than focusing on not being at the destination yet. Letting go of perfectionism isn’t giving in, it doesn’t mean you become sloppy, it means you get joy from life and if you enjoy something you’ll do more of it and improve… it’s so much better than beating yourself with a stick all the time
… a solid foundation is the begin of all the good stuff 
, I think Justin made them partly to overcome such concerns.
and 
for myself 
