Lesson On What's Really Important, i.e. Just Play!

[gmel555]

A few days ago a thread entitled "The Beginning Of The End" was posted. It was about having our ability to play, in our later years, threatened by arthritic hands, shoulders, etc. The OP and thoughtful replies were largely about making mods in guitar choices, strings, set-ups, exercises, diets, etc. An excellent thread!

I'm 65 and feeling some of these affects and "threats". Reading that post gave me a renewed appreciation for, really it's all about just playing.. I'm as good as anyone at obsessing on woods, body sizes/shapes, strings (don't get me started on strings !), scales, nuts, saddles, pins, luthiers, etc. All of that can/should be a lot of fun, have practical applications, and add to our enjoyment. But keeping it in perspective...ultimately it comes down to just playing.

Yeh, I still get GAS, but when I play the $299 Fender Paramount soon to be my granddaughter's, or the base GS-mini I got for travel, I still go to my "happy place". Hope I'm not being too presumptuous in saying here: just enjoy being able to play. That's what it's all about.

[dan!]

Love it!

Fancy guitars are wonderful, but if they didn’t exist we’d still make music...

This was a timely reminder for me to stop practicing scales and spend more energy making music...

[Cool555]

Thoughtful thread! Yes, appreciate the health that we still have and enjoy playing our guitars!

Nice to read that you still have GAS for cheaper guitars while already owning more expensive ones. I recently had GAS for a Cort guitar after playing it twice at a GC. I had to use lots of will-power and reason to talk myself out of it.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, Here in southern England, although I awoke to a beautiful blue sky, the seasons have changed rather suddenly.

In January and February this year my hands were very painful and I was suffering with trigger fingers on my left hand, and I was anxious to have some surgery so they would be OK for my first set of solo gigs in May -July.

Come the "you know what" all non essential health services were cancelled and whilst they sent me a letter saying I should ring in July if I wanted to reschedule my appointment - there was simply no answer to my couple of dozen calls.
However, after March until August there was little point in playing it has been an exceptionally hot summer, and my hands had a pretty good rest, apart from working on my allotments - digging carrying etc.

However, now I am playing daily if only in zoom teaching mode and I awoke this morning in a cold bedroom with the old aches and stiffness in my hands, especially my left hand, and my wife has developed some problem with her eye.

Yesterday we spent two hours trying to get a GP appointment with the surgery that we have used for 25 years, but we discovered that we could neither book online, nor ring for an appointment and an NHS "process" has been installed which requires us to submit a whole load of information including videos and images of passports, driving licences etc., which, it turns out cannot be done on a desktop or laptop photo - only smart phones.
Ok ,we have smartphones - have done for a week or so now, but we have no idea how to use them, and due to new rules cannot revisit the shop for advice.

These are obviously restrictive practices designed to stop people using our health service, so, I must assume that my wife may lose the sight in her right eye, and my hands can go whistle.

You don't miss your water until ...etc.

Arthritic/rheumatic joints still need to be moved.

I can only offer that you consider some hand exercises, practice good posture, and devise some exercises to keep your back and shoulders strong.



and

[SprintBob]

I fully agree with the OP, playing (as much as you like or want) should be a top priority.

As we age (I’m 62), there is quite a lot we can do to address issues that will come up. More attention to hydration, diet, weight, and engaging in regular physical activity of some sort become more important. I’ve always enjoyed outdoor sports and activities. I am an active cyclist and enjoy working out at the gym hopefully at least twice a week. I was recently diagnosed (6 months ago) with basal thumb arthritis in my left fretting hand and I was really worried about my future playing but I saw a hand therapist and I have become pro-active with stretching and adding strength training to build up the soft tissue around the arthritic thumb joint (as well as applying a CBD oil anti-inflammatory topical). This approach has pretty much minimized the symptoms and I have minimum pain and full range of motion. I know that eventually it might need surgery in a few years to correct but the prognosis is excellent I would get nearly full function back.

Bottom line is if we are lucky to avoid disease, there is a lot most of us can do to maintain and enjoy our current lifestyle if we take action and be consistent in taking care of ourselves. And even when you have some bad luck, keep “fighting”. Our AGF friend Silly Moustache above is a good inspiration to us all. SM, best wishes for a good outcome for your wife’s eye.

[wcap]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Hi, Here in southern England, although I awoke to a beautiful blue sky, the seasons have changed rather suddenly.

In January and February this year my hands were very painful and I was suffering with trigger fingers on my left hand, and I was anxious to have some surgery so they would be OK for my first set of solo gigs in May -July.

Come the "you know what" all non essential health services were cancelled and whilst they sent me a letter saying I should ring in July if I wanted to reschedule my appointment - there was simply no answer to my couple of dozen calls.
However, after March until August there was little point in playing it has been an exceptionally hot summer, and my hands had a pretty good rest, apart from working on my allotments - digging carrying etc.

However, now I am playing daily if only in zoom teaching mode and I awoke this morning in a cold bedroom with the old aches and stiffness in my hands, especially my left hand, and my wife has developed some problem with her eye.

Yesterday we spent two hours trying to get a GP appointment with the surgery that we have used for 25 years, but we discovered that we could neither book online, nor ring for an appointment and an NHS "process" has been installed which requires us to submit a whole load of information including videos and images of passports, driving licences etc., which, it turns out cannot be done on a desktop or laptop photo - only smart phones.
Ok ,we have smartphones - have done for a week or so now, but we have no idea how to use them, and due to new rules cannot revisit the shop for advice.

These are obviously restrictive practices designed to stop people using our health service, so, I must assume that my wife may lose the sight in her right eye, and my hands can go whistle.

You don't miss your water until ...etc.

Arthritic/rheumatic joints still need to be moved.

I can only offer that you consider some hand exercises, practice good posture, and devise some exercises to keep your back and shoulders strong.



and

We have interacted here on the forum some in the past (a few years back when I used to be very active here - I've been gone a few years). It is wonderful to sort of get to meet you as an actual person through these videos.

[Peter Z]

That is a nice post gmel! And true!

I'm 56 and playing for more than 40 years now, my instruments were more the 'love the ones your with if you can't be with the one you love' ones.
And I had LOTS of fun. Also, my instruments never stopped me from getting or playing gigs.

But this year, I went another route, bought the 7 more expensive guitars you find in my signature and played more than ever. I also practised more than ever, looks like I have even more fun playing guitar than ever.

So, I'd say, both is true, play with whatever you have and enjoy the nice instruments you can afford.

Of course, there ist also the most important decision I made earlier this year:
To stay alive while stopping to age! :-) At least in my mind.

[H. Mac]

I’m 66, and have found a lot of truth in the old adage that, “The older you are, the less it takes to make you happy.” It seems to apply very well to guitar playing. I’m grateful to be able to play, and become more grateful every day.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by H. Mac

I’m 66, and have found a lot of truth in the old adage that, “The older you are, the less it takes to make you happy.” It seems to apply very well to guitar playing. I’m grateful to be able to play, and become more grateful every day.

amen to that!

[Dru Edwards]

What a great post, gmel555. When possible, we thrive to get the most out of our instruments which is why we look at all those synergies.

I could have learned a lot more about tonewoods/bracing/this/that back in the '80s when I started playing guitar if I had the internet but I'm glad I didn't. I probably would have played less and been paralyzed by minutia when deciding what to buy.

[ruger9]

Originally Posted by H. Mac

“The older you are, the less it takes to make you happy.” .

IF you have grown wiser as you have grown older.

+1 to the OP. While I do have a couple of expensive "bucket list" items yet to purchase, I just want to play. I'd likely be perfectly happy (if I was wise enough), with 1 electric, 1 amp, and 1 acoustic. I just got a Farida OT-22, and while an LG2 is what I really wanted... the OT-22 sounds and feels great, and if it inspires me to play, that's all that really matters.

Recent finger joint issues (as well as a deep 2nd degree burn on my fretting hand!) really brought this to light recently.

[PapaC]

Agree! Can’t think of how many times during the day I’m doing something meaningless and think, “I could be playing my guitar right now!”

Time seems to be a precious commodity these days. Why is it, when I was younger it seemed I had more.

Play when you can, while you can.

Good words.

[RXMoore]

I'm going to be 63 in a couple of months. I didn't pick up a guitar until I was 58, so I'm dealing with the diminishing skills issue on a daily basis.

I suffered a lot of frustration early on because my g*****n hands just wouldn't do what they were told. Progress is slow, learning new things is a struggle, and still I pressed on.

After awhile, I realized that no matter how hard I worked, I probably would never be headlining any shows at Madison Square Garden. The arthritis isn't going anywhere. That pinky finger I broke 50 years ago isn't going to straighten out. This is what I have to work with.

At that point, my attitude toward playing changed and my enjoyment improved about 100%. Now, I enjoy what I can do without giving any thought to what I can't. I realize that there's a ceiling on what I'm capable of, and also that I haven't reached it yet. I'll spend the first half-hour of my practice time working on something new, and then I'll just start noodling around. Sometimes the noodling goes on for hours, and it's the part I enjoy the most. We set our own standards for pleasure, and if we set them too high, we're just crippling ourselves.

It's like Dylan said: "he not busy being born is busy dying."

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I'm 65. I love to play in the morning besides a cup of java. Sometimes my fretting fingers will get a little tingly this time of day. I'll take a couple minutes on my tablet seeking chords/lyrics/videos of things on my "to-do" list. My head is still "playing" while the fingers take a break. It's all good.

[Mr. Jelly]

One of the aspects involved in playing the guitar, it seems to me, is performing or mimicking finished songs. I find myself drifting away from this more and more. One of my guilty pleasures is to just play. I pick a key and find a signature lick or melody that strikes my fancy and expand it with verses and choruses and bridges. And when I'm done it's forgotten. I've always been able to do this type of thing and with the theory knowledge I've learned it's made it easier to do it on the fly. I incorporate flat picking to totally indulge myself while staying away from the movements and chord shapes that cause me pain.