It is never too late to start learning a musical instrument.
You don’t need any musical experience or talent in order to learn how to play the guitar; it’s just about having patience and practice. Fretboardhustle.com will aim to be a comprehensive resource for learning how to play the guitar, and paint a framework for how to approach any other instrument as well.
I still have my first guitar. It was a cheap beginner’s electric, and my dad bought it when I was 10. In the years that have followed, I’ve played in psychedelic rock bands, ska-punk bands, jazz, blues, funk & soul groups, country & western outfits – you name it. Over time though (and with plenty of practice) my playing improved to the point where people now consistently come up to me after gigs appreciating the talent and confidence I display with my instrument, some even looking for lessons.
They often tell me they had started on an electric guitar too as a teenager, but found that their hands just weren’t big enough for chords or that picking out melodies on such a small fretboard was impossible for them so they gave up. I say this not to brag but to identify who I think this website can most help.
This lack of self confidence in someones own ability always frustrates me because guitar talent is not a biological gene pool that people are born into. It’s something developed and cared for over time with both hard work and pleasure; any well rounded musician will confirm this. To disregard this fact is to disregard the hours that talented musicians have devoted to the instruments – however those hours also have rewarded these players with something that (for good reason) many ‘amateur’ musicians see as an unattainable level of professionalism or raw talent. I’m here to tell you that ANYONE, including you, are MORE than capable of growing into a superb guitarist of that same professional caliber as long as you are ready and willing the put in the hustle to get there.
I know when I was starting out, I was young so It’s hard for me to speak to experience on this front, but I have taught, learned from and witnessed many students of the instrument who have faced doubts about whether or not it would be too late for them to become good guitarists who are now performing at a level they couldn’t have dreamed they’d reach. The truth is that you don’t need to start young in order to learn how to play well.
In fact, starting later in life can be an advantage because you are coming to the instrument with a great deal of knowledge and life experience already. This gives you an upper hand on your peers who are not as versed in their instrument or more broadly, the way they apply themselves to learning a subject like this. The only thing that has been holding you back from being able to express yourself is the hesitancy to fully dive into something that you fear may not work out. I know what that is like.
So how do you know that your efforts will not be thrown away? Fretboardhustle.com helps ease that stress! If you follow with the courses we are developing when they’re released, I have no doubt you’ll not only see an improvement in your playing, but in your mindset about growing with your instrument and developing a deeper relationship with music as a whole.
Thanks for reading and Rock on –
Bryan