Hi all
as I mention in the title, never played an instrument but always wanted to and now with more time on my hands, decided to get myself an electric guitar and just working my way slowly through grade 1.
Slow going as struggling with timing and chord change speeds/accuracy at the moment, but not in any hurry so enjoying it a lot
looks like a great community hub here so be good to be involved and learn more and progress
Welcome to the community V!
Welcome to the forum
welcome 
Welcome to the forum! 
Hello Vi & Welcome!
Since you describe yourself as a complete “newbie”, I offer this:
Get yourself a stand or wall hanger so that your new friend is always “at hand” & ready to play, even when you only have a few minutes… I like to play while the coffee 
is brewing! Those few minutes “here & there” really add up & will contribute to your progression!
Also, the most important element IMHO is to have lots of Fun! If you’re having fun, you’ll pick up the guitar more often… if you pick it up & play, you’ll improve!!! Simple, right?
Good luck!!!
Tod from New Mexico USA
Great advice from Tod… I’ll second it wholeheartedly.
Oh, and welcome to the forums (fora?)
Welcome Virenda! You’ve picked the best time to start playing an instrument - now! Don’t be a stranger…
Welcome V
I’m in the same boat, age wise and also a total newby.
I agree about have a stand … its good to have your new best friend close at hand!
Hi V ,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun 
Great time to start when you in no hurry 
Greetings,Rogier
You mentioned 2 important things there; patience and fun 
Hold on to those!
Welcome!
Welcome to the community. I started playing guitar thanks to Justin when I was 53 and now well over 10 years later I’m so glad I did. It’s a wonderful reward to be able to pull a song out of my back pocket whenever I feel like it. Such great reward for what seemed like great effort at the start but in hindsight seems like very little effort
thanks, sounds like good advice!
Hey V – me too, like you, but later in life, just started here myself in August '24 at 65.
I endorse the ideas presented: floor stand, practice, fun, and be kind to yourself too–patience.
This is a S-L-O-W process. I go, “Oh man, I’m sooo slooow changing chords!”–yet if I look back at the numbers I’m a lot less slow than I was.
I got a nice floor stand that works well for me (cannot compare to any other as I have no experience w/any other). It can fold up so it’s easily carried to a friends to play: K&M Heli 2 Cork Acoustic Guitar Stand. All I do is pivot my chair and there’s the guitar, wanting to be played! I don’t even need to get out of the seat to pick up. Practice a bit. Do something else, practice a bit.
Lastly, play songs, a lot. Find ones you like the feel/sound of. And, if you have the JustinGuitar APP, you can slow it down to a tempo you can keep up with, then bump it up, til your changes are smooth, then bump it up again. The APP is about $100, and I think totally worth it. I strongly suggest you play either with the app or with a metronome as it forces you to stay in time, and to learn to keep on going even when you flub a chord or a strum. You get used to making a lot of mistakes, and LO_AND_BEHOLD, that’s just fine, nobody is hurt, and it can reduce anxiety and tension, so playing keeps getting more and more enjoyable and rewarding.
Hi V, welcome to the community forum.
Hello V
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space.
https://community.justinguitar.com/categories
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a ‘community’. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
Also, please make sure to read the community etiquette announcement for some important information and guidance.
Richard
Welcome @virsolo ! I started at 54 without any real musical experience either. You will have fun! Consider the Justin Guitar app , if you haven’t already. The app lets you start strumming along from the beginning and teaches smooth strumming, timing and rhythm really well for those of us with no clue. And it was fun as heck. I don’t use it anymore, but did for the first 2-3 years. Totally worth it.
Also, as you learn more, you realize there is so, so much to learn. Don’t be intimidated, just take it a bit at a time and learn what you need.
hi,
thanks for the details on the stand will take a looll
yes slow and lots of mistakes but actually compared to when I started, its already improved so just need to get some more practice, repetition, repetition until I start building muscle memory and get the fingers better at moving