MUSIC|PSYCHOLOGY

It’s Not Too Late For You To Learn To Play Guitar If You Want

Get out of your own way and learn to play whatever instrument your heart desires

I did not learn to play guitar until I was 29 years old.

I had only played the flute for a few years when I was a child and completely forgot everything I’d learned, such as reading music.

A girlfriend of mine moved to Los Angeles from Philly and asked me to hold on to her acoustic guitar until she returned. It had nylon strings, was a little smaller than standard acoustic guitars (which I didn’t know at the time) and was gentler on my fingers than steel string guitars (which I wasn’t aware of either).

I used to sing and write songs during my mid to late twenties. Sometimes I performed with friends in Seattle, St. John and Philly, but I always only sang and sometimes played tambourine.

I dreamed of playing the electric guitar like Prince or Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction. However, I never took learning guitar seriously until I took performing music more seriously.

When I used to perform a couple of my songs at open mics or with friends, the guitarist would usually ask me what key my songs were in. I oftentimes had no clue. We always worked it out because many could play by ear, but it took time instead of me just telling them the key or the chords of the song.

I was clueless and was determined to change that.

I didn’t like being seen as a “typical female” musician who didn’t do much more than sing and/or write songs. I wanted to level up. I already had a nice sounding acoustic guitar to teach myself the basics, so I did.

Here’s how you can do it too!

1- First of all, KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO IT and BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF.

You’re not going to sound like your favorite guitarists within a year- or even 10 years, but you CAN learn to play some of your favorite songs in your own way. Some people find a tutor. I used YouTube tutorials and books for beginners. Eventually I taught myself how to read guitar tabs as well. Start SOMEWHERE and commit to staying with it for at least 90 days.

2- LEARN BASIC CHORDS LIKE G MAJOR, C MAJOR, D MAJOR, E MINOR, AND D MINOR.

You’d be surprised just how much you can do with those 5 basic chords. One of my inspirations to keep at it was learning that many songs by Bob Marley only use 3 or 4 chords. It’s not how many chords you know. It’s how well you can play them that will keep you motivated.

3- BE PREPARED FOR YOUR FINGERTIPS TO BECOME CALLUSED. It’s worth it!

You will most likely quickly adapt to this change in your fingertips and be happy about these calluses forming for they allow you to press on the strings more which will produce better sounds.

When I first started playing chords, I had to stop after 15 minutes or so because my fingers hurt too much. However, within 2–3 months, I would for an hour without stopping, and that was on a steel string guitar. I was elated.

4- START WITH SIMPLE, EASY SONGS TO KEEP YOU MOTIVATED.

The first song I learned was a Christmas song, “What Child Is This”. It was only 4 or 5 chords. There was only 1 chord that I didn’t already know and I loved singing along with it. After more than a decade, I still love to play it, especially in a fingerpicking style that lights me up every time.

One of the greatest gifts that learning to play the guitar has given me is pure musical delight from my own hands.

It was a dream come true that I made happen.

I eventually bought an electric guitar with dreams of channeling my inner Prince meets Jack White. However, I realized that I do not like playing electric guitar nearly as much as I do acoustic.

ONE MORE VERY IMPORTANT THING THAT I ALMOST FORGOT…

Make sure that you like the way your guitar sounds!!!

After my friend returned to Philly and took her guitar back, I bought one for $50 from a pawn shop. I didn’t play it there. I just bought that cheapest one that looked good and it sounded terrible! Because of this, I stopped practicing as much.

One day, this guy I knew, another musician, gave me a really nice acoustic guitar when he decided to move across the country. He admired my music, respected my dedication and knew that I only had a crappy guitar to play.

That guitar became my baby.

It motivated me to play even when I didn’t feel like playing and that’s the kind of instrument you want.

It’s 15 years later and I have since taught myself to play the drums, a little piano and a little bass guitar. I became better at communicating with other musicians and encouraged many other adults who told me that they “always wanted to learn to play, but…”.

I showed them (and hopefully you) that learning a few basics can transform you for the better forever. No one is stopping you, but you.

Your $5 per month membership allows you to read unlimited stories, contributes to me earning half of that and opens the door to you earning money (I made almost $3,000 in 6 months) on Medium as well.