Hi! I have tried to learn to play the guitar more than 5 times in my life…each time, I spend 3-4 weeks and then putter out - usually staff after I have been introduced to the F chord. I have started again and, this time, plan to take it to fruition! One of the common problems with my five former attempts is that I did not have proper expectations, so that is the topic of this post. At 64 y.o. what is a realistic expectation for my progress? Any tricks out there for someone who still can “learn new tricks”?
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I started with Justin at 67. Here I am, at 75, still plugging away. "Reasonable expectations"are going to be different for everybody. What is it you want to do with it? Be a campfire strummer for friends and family? Maybe find like-minded “seasoned” people to form a band? What kind of music? How much time a day do you plan to give to it? All these will have an impact on how you progress.
For me it was to occupy a couple of hours every day in my retirement, and get a better understanding of music. I’ve met those goals and continue in that vein.
You may not realize just what your goals are until you’ve been at it for a couple of years. I had to adjust mine when I realized I wasn’t going to get “good.” But you may find that you have more of an aptitude for it than I do, and get good enough to perform for others, or you may be like me and just entertain yourself.
In any case, there is plenty of support in this group for whatever path your guitar takes you on. Welcome!
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Hi Tom, and welcome! You’re in good company here. As Mark @markr31 says, both “reasonable” and “expectations” differ for most of us. One expectation (which you’ve already learned) that is not reasonable is learning the F chord inside 4 weeks of playing! Some tricks I’d offer (as a Grade 3 beginner) are: don’t be in a hurry; follow Justin’s lessons — especially Grades 1 and 2 — in order; learn songs; don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good; ask questions in this community; enjoy the ride! You’ll figure out your expectations and goals as you go, and they will change as you progress. It’s a journey!
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Hi Tom,
started at over 50 and while I can’t state I’m good 
I was happy with my progress along most of my journey.
On one hand I think your expectations are automatically more reasonable with age. On the other you seem to have kept motivation in you to have started a few times.
How did you feel with those chords before the F chord? How did strumming feel?
If you had a better feeling than with the F chord, I think you could do it this time if you think it yourself.
In hard times, I go like
- practice the hard bit a lot. I mean for weeks, months possibly.
- When I really got enough of it (maybe earlier than “months”), I do something else… learn songs with other chords, practice whatever… but after a little break with that bad thing, I take it up again and I just practice it a tiny bit every day. Just a few times, possibly a few minutes, but I won’t let it spoil my journey.
Usually, doing other things is more fun, and in the long run, you’re slowly getting better at that thing you didn’t like.
There’s more than one way to Rome
I think if you follow Justin’s lessons and in case of problems come back here and talk about it, you’ve got a much better chance than on your own in the wild web.
.
Good luck in any way!
PS. Forgot something! If the F chord is really hard, make sure your guitar setup is ok. And even possibly start with a lower setup and lighter strings. Then, the F chord will be easier if that was one of the reasons.
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Hi Tom ,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun 
Look at the Old dogs topic and there you see hundreds learning all kinds of new tricks…stay just here and take it easy and don`t stop 
Greetings,Rogier
If you’re repeatedly struggling to find yourself making progress due to finding the barred F chord uncomfortable, then I 'd say you may find it easier to change tact a little and put some daily practice into making the same shape at (the relatively easier) fret 5 i.e. the barred A chord.
This will at least allow you to develop the underlying muscle memory of the required chord shape, as well as developing core hand strength.
You may not know this yet 
, but this ‘shape’ can then be gradually moved back along the frets as your hand gets stronger to make other major chords i.e. fret 4 (G#), fret 3 (G), fret 2 (F#), fret 1 (F) - BINGO! 
(I really wish someone had told me this approach to beat the F chord issues when I first started learning!)
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Hi Tom, I started at 60 seven years ago. I think the best expectation is to enjoy the journey. I simply enjoy making music. My wife Jen has picked up the bass and playing together is one of our favorite pastimes. As mentioned above it depends on your goals. And welcome to the Community.
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I started playing at 55yo and am now 59.
One thing I am free of, as an older learner, is any agenda. I do not need or expect to be special in any way, to be a rock star, to make money, all for example.
I also, at this point in my life, do not need to impress anyone.
I want to learn about and interact with music. Learn songs that I enjoy playing. Have something of value to me to do in the evenings that brings beauty (if you are charitable🤦🏼♂️) to my small piece of the world.
I want to challenge my brain and stave off dementia (my opinion, as a neurologist, is the best activities to maintain cognitive function are robust brain/ body tasks. Playing music is an excellent example of this).
I want to be an example of growth, learning and dedication for my daughter.
So, you may notice that for me, goals have nothing to do with how good I may get or how fast. Those will be what they may and letting go of those as goals is very freeing.
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True, the F chord is something that come along in the Justinguitar grade system after months of practice, if not even a year ? The grade system is better paced than most youtube tutorial which goes too fast. 
Welcome to the forum Tom
Welcome and I think you’ve come to the right place!! You can do it man - and isn’t that a truly wonderful thing. Of course you can. You love music? Want top play? You can!! So great that you’re here.
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As I said many times - it’s never too late to find a new hobby, whatever it is…
Welcome to the Community and have fun, Tom.
Greetins from Poland, Jacek, 69.
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Hi Tom well i`m 70 never going to be a great or even good player so I stick to mostly campfire songs still dabble in the more difficult stuff but campfire songs are good for family and friends, at the moment I am learning power chords and cocaine ( the song) so can still rock it
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Hello Tom,
Perhaps a shift in mindset may provide you with a breakthrough.
Remove the ‘expectation’ mindset, completely, from the equation, and simply make a firm written committment to learn for the next 6 months.
The only conditions you will put on this committment are one;, to bring joy to the experience, and two; to put no pressure on yourself, or your perceived progress.
Re-evaluate after 6 months, and go from there.
You may be surprised at where you are at after that time.
Cheers, Shane
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You probably need to decide what you want to accomplish and why you are learning. without short and long term goals it will be difficult to keep up motivation and get frustrated by challenges.
The F chord is for sure challanging to start moving into barre chords but there will also be more challanging things coming down the road. Deciding why you are doing this and what you want to get out of it will help you not only with F chord but many other challanges along the way.
Good Luck!
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I started at 53 and nearly 67 now and going strong. Had 1 failed attempt before that puttered out.
The difference for me was a more specific goal. 1st time goal as “learn to play guitar”.
2nd time goal was “learn to play songs others will sing along to around a campfire”.
2nd time instead of spending time on scales and similar exercises I was focused on songs. Justin’s one minute chord change lesson, and choosing a simple 3 chord song made the difference. Once I learned my first song all the way through I was off. I had the bug and it’s had me ever since.
Besides the goal, also think of the reward. For me, I can now sit down any where, any time, with my guitar and pull a dozen or two or more songs out of my back pocket. Particularly rewarding
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Hi Tom, welcome to the community forum. I’m 69 and still learning. I practice about 30 min/day and my only goal is to have fun and perhaps get a little better each year, or at least learn a little more.
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Hi Tom, I’m approaching 66 and started 2 years ago. I can sit and play 5+ songs one after the other from memory. I’m not great, and occasionally I screw up if I let my mind wander, but it’s an awesome feeling. I doubt I’ll ever be able to play lead but I’m currently very happy just playing rhythm guitar. And I’m still working on that F chord but I couldn’t do it at all a year ago.
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That’s awesome that you’re giving it another shot! The F chord is a classic roadblock, but with patience, you’ll get there. Progress at 64 is totally doable—it just takes consistency over speed. Aim for small wins, like clean chord changes and smoother transitions, rather than rushing into complex stuff. Tricks? Try a partial F (just the top 4 strings) to build strength before tackling the full barre. And don’t forget to have fun—play songs you enjoy, even if simplified.
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Hi Tom, welcome. Good you’re giving learning to play guitar one more try. Yes, it’s all about expectations. If the objective is playing guitar you can achieve it relatively quickly and you may have already achieved it. Why? As soon as you know how to strum a strumming pattern consistently and fret two or three chords that sounds more or less clear while strumming and changing between them and play a song, you know how to play guitar and if you’re learning to play the F chord you may have already past that milestone. From there is an endless path of development, improvement and learning new songs. If the objective is playing like Dave Gilmour, or Jeff Beck, or Steve Va, well, for Dave Gilmour, Jeff Beck, or Steve Vai likely it took some time and effort for them to sound like Dave Gilmour, Steve Vai, or Jeff Beck and likely they learnt some things wrong that became part of their signature sound. With a good teacher like Justin you have a sure path to become each day a better player than yesterday. Just follow the lessons. Have fun.
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