Starting guitar lessons at 55 and older? Vancouver Wa.

bonnieraitt

This is a picture of one of my favorite guitar players…do you know who she is?
Her name is Bonnie Riatt, and she sing/plays a mean blues slide guitar.
She is 60+ and has not lost any of her singing or guitar playing ability.

She is not a current or former student of mine, but she is an inspiration to me and other musicians who are ” older” or ” experienced ” in life. Just because you are older, does not mean you can learn to play guitar, banjo, mandolin or sing. Your age is just a number and should not define you.

But there are a few realities I have observed:
It does take longer to learn an instrument if you have never played one before.
You need to be patient.
You need to make a time commitment to practice.
And you need to find/ learn songs that are part of your musical generation.

About me:
I am older, experienced long time singer and musician. I grew up listening to and playing music of the early 1970’s folk rock movement. Think CSN&Y, America, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, The Byrds, .. you get the idea.

Todays modern music reflects a lot of the same singing style and musical disciplines that modern music is based upon.
In my music lessons, we go back and study/ learn how to play the songs that you grew up on.

When you start to learn a musical instrument, its important to learn songs that you are familiar with. You should know the melody and the words. Singing and learning to play the guitar go hand in hand. If you can sing ( even a little but) you will progress faster.

A person is never too old to begin music lessons.
I teach beginning and intermediate guitar, 5 string banjo, mandolin, piano ( by ear) and voice.

Lets start your musical journey now!
You are never too old to start guitar lessons.. you just need to find the right teacher… that’s me!

Thanks for reading my blog!