Over 20 and thinking of learning guitar ?

How many times did I hear when I was playing guitar with people around that they would love to know how to play but unfortunately they were too old for that, that it was too late for them.

I'm sure you are in the same situation since you are interested in my article ;)

(You could be that man)

The funny thing is, when these people were saying that, they were all very surprised to learn that I started practicing guitar at 24, alone, having only Youtube as a teacher (and it's a great teacher if you use it wisely).

Set up realistic goals

People think that it takes forever to reach a certain level, and most of the time they set unrealistic goals. They take for example the virtuoso guitarist of their favourite metal band and think that it would take years to achieve this.

While it's clearly true that you need to practice over and over to reach a certain level of technicity and be able to solo like your hero and master complexe technics like arpeggios, alternate picking, sweeping... You can have fun by having a more realistic goal.

(Don't try this at home)

The guitar is a fantastic instrument because it's very versatile, and the beauty of it is you can have fun quickly by mastering a few chords. Once you have solved the barre chord challenge, you are able to play a tremendous quantity of songs and you will want to bring your guitar and have fun with your friends, playing all the songs you can.

Fun should always be your main motivation

The key to stay motivated playing is to see us improving and playing harder songs. For having that nice feeling, practicing regularly is the key and having intermediate goals helps a lot.

It's better to play for example 20 min a day or more if you can rather than playing 2 hours on a Saturday and then leave the guitar alone for a long time. However, I would not suggest to make it an obligation. You don't have to play your 20min a day and you should never force yourself. Having fun should always be the main reason why you take your guitar and that's a big difference between someone learning at a later age and a kid that could have the potential to become a guitar hero.

(If you make this face while thinking about your 20 min daily routine, then don't play!)

Dexterity will come eventually

I often hear that when you start at an early age, you learn quickly and your dextirity comes quickly. That's all true, I see that myself when I play with people that started at a much earlier age than me. They are usually faster and more acurate than me, however it does not mean you can't reach a certain a level of virtuosity.

(Starting guitar late shares similarities with starting bodybuilding late)

The human body is a fantastic machine and even at a later age, changes happen. You can change your body and become a more muscular version of yourself, even after 40. The difference is you will never be as muscular at 40 than at 20 because of your testosterone level that is lower and the fact that your can train much more when younger.

It's the same scenario for the guitar, you can reach a great level but you won't be the best version of yourself because you did not start early, but is it a problem ? Remember having fun should always be your main motivation, you will see people playing faster, more beautifully, more acurately but so what ? Just do your thing and enjoy it.

I hope you enjoyed this article, and please no excuse now, buy a guitar and start your guitar journey, life is too short to have regrets !