The aging guitarist....

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by Myopic Squirrel

As Mickey Mantle said: “If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself!”

A lot of people haven’t had the luxury of growing old. As I excitedly anticipate the completion of 79 circuits around the sun in about an hour, I’m reading a lot of wisdom on this forum. And before I’m tempted to wallow in a personal pity party,
I’m inspired by some of the courageous AGFers who posted here. Every day is truly a gift.

Yes, indeed!!! Thanks for the post, Myopic Squirrel

Paul

[jjbigfly]

At 76 I find that I am no longer motivated to organize my first world tour (that’s good news for professionals, right?). Can’t do the Barr chords now, but I CAN make music that I am pleased with. I was always motivated to play for others and I play out more now than ever.
I get the body discomfort issues, sitting for 2 hours playing thinking I can still do this as well as any of the kids out there, until you try to stand upright that is. I sit when I play now, use an Ipad for lyrics and chords, and no, don’t care that some think this is all wrong.
Not all is lost however. At this stage I know my stuff quite well, I can practice when I feel like it ( still like it though), don’t HAVE to play new things (though I do). I think that I have more FREEDOM to enjoy my music even though my body is not what it used to be. I no longer have the desire to progress every day and my goal now is to simply play and enjoy the music….
It all works out in the end…….

[FretMuse]

When I bought a guitar about four years ago I knew my late-in-life musical odyssey would be a slow marathon.

Now, at almost 67, my fingers occasionally protest chord changes, and my eyes are beginning to strain to see strings clearly, yet my brain still dances with anticipation every single time I pick up one of my guitars.

The way I look at it, each chord I master is a triumph against the ticking clock, and the resonance of certain chords is enough to stir my soul and keep me on the pilgrimage.

[Br1ck]

Originally Posted by TBman

Not a pretty sight. Loss of dexterity, finger stiffness, any glimmer of speed has gone on down the road. My hearing is probably going too, but headphones help cover that up I suppose. Playing nylon almost 100% of the time has helped alleviate a lot of the finger soreness I was getting.

What a kick in the teeth. You work all your life and are now in retirement able to take the time to play any time of the day and now the hands aren't cooperating.

Worse things could happen though. Just another old guy rant

You can improve your hearing with hearing aids. Costco will set you up for $1500 which is money well spent. Stream TV into your aids and never miss dialogue. Three weeks in and I can't live without them. I have a channel for playing music I got dialed in. And I'm not asking folks to repeat stuff all the time.

[delb0y]

A couple of years into retirement, and for the first time in my life I find i can really put some serious daily hours into the guitar. It is annoying - that idea that had I put those hours in forty-five years ago then who knows how good I could've been? But at least I get to do so now.

I'm nowhere near as fast as I was, but I like to think I'm playing a lot more melodically and tastefully, and these days I focus on finger-picking. It can take a few minutes for the left hand finger joints to warm up, and I've had shoulder problems. But overall I'm enjoying my guitar playing more than I ever have before.

I have a gig tonight, a few more in the diary, but I no longer search out such things. If they come my way i do them, if not, I'm just as happy playing in the kitchen.

Elsewhere I have a pace-maker and my teeth are being taken out at an alarming rate and the aforementioned shoulder-pain won't quite go away. But (when it's not raining) I still like to get out and cycle twenty or thirty miles and do some fishing. Retirement is by far the best job ever.

[gmel555]

Yep, I'm on that "bandwagon" too. Soon to be 69yo: Some arthritis in hands/fingers, ulnar neuropathy/impingement, some tinnitus as well. Just had surgery (successful)for trigger finger and the ulnar nerve, both in the fretting arm/hand. My more recent purchases have been short scale and smaller 00/000-ish bodies and I've moved to light strings as well. Fortunately there are more great guitar and string options than ever before.... Life in-part is a series of adjustments and I'm grateful to still have the ability to adjust.

[frankmcr]

[redcrow]

I'll be starting my 76th orbit of the sun in a couple weeks. This body has been through the mill. A motorcycle accident in the late 70's shattered my left femur, broken my pelvis, and gave my left wrist a 1/4" offset from my forearm due to a Colles fracture. I have a small catalog of other motorcycle misadventures including one that took off the last joint of my left thumb, but those are the one that most affect my daily life now. I gave up motorcycles after the 1978 crash and took up bicycling. Serious bicycling. Like 75 - 100 miles with 2500 ft of climbing. That got me into the best shape I've ever been. Which I believe was a literal life saver because in 2012, I suffered a heart attack of the sort very, very few survive. I was clinically dead for a while, but was successfully resuscitated. Got bypass surgery and my last echo-cardiogram was miraculously near normal. I'm basically "healthy" now if you don't pay attention to the Rand-McNally like web of scars I carry.

But what's important is that I am fully alive both physically and spiritually. You don't go through this much trauma without consequences, but I refuse to let them dictate my lifestyle. So when I re-discovered to music in general and guitar in particular after a 35 year hiatus, it was so life affirming it amazed me. No, I can't play like I did in my 20's, but just playing what I can, I do believe that my appreciation for my current abilities is fuller than it was 50 years ago

[Horsehockey]

Originally Posted by jricc

Hopefully this will be helpful to someone here. Some good tips.
https://acousticguitar.com/9-tips-fo...eid=7ac94f7dd6

Thank you, Joe. I started playing at 67 and am now 70. I know three songs both flat picking and strumming as well as fingerpicking and I’m working on my fourth song. I hadn’t thought about some of these timing and breathing issues. I think it can help me.

Meanwhile, anyone reading this who knows of a LEFT HANDED short scale 12 fret and wide neck, please PM me or respond here. As you can all guess my problem is the left-handed aspect of this request. I’ve had no luck looking so far for the last two years and I need both a smaller car and a smaller guitar. Thank you!

[Horsehockey]

I’m an old motorcyclist and a young guitarist now at age 70. Still riding and still trying to learn how to play my guitar. grateful I made it as many miles as I did without a serious get off and the rest of my limbs and extremities continue to function pretty well except for the one that sends me to the bathroom about every two hours. Carry-on good soldiers

[scriv58]

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=683584

[FretMuse]

Originally Posted by Horsehockey

Thank you, Joe. I started playing at 67 and am now 70. I know three songs both flat picking and strumming as well as fingerpicking and I’m working on my fourth song. I hadn’t thought about some of these timing and breathing issues. I think it can help me.



Meanwhile, anyone reading this who knows of a LEFT HANDED short scale 12 fret and wide neck, please PM me or respond here. As you can all guess my problem is the left-handed aspect of this request. I’ve had no luck looking so far for the last two years and I need both a smaller car and a smaller guitar. Thank you!

You might want to consider this Eastman, or try to find one ... I just bought a right-hand. It's 12-fret, wide neck, 24.9" scale.

https://reverb.com/item/79296962-eas...coustic-guitar

Lefty's, in Scituate, Massachusetts, has a couple of Collings, an 01 and an 02, I think.

[Murphy Slaw]

I just keep reminding myself that I'm younger than Sam Bush...

[guitargabor]

A tip to all of my "senior" guitarist colleagues"

Quite severe, bothersome neck and left shoulder pain begins after about one hour of continuous playing.

I discovered that the shoulder strap definitely contributes to this issue.

Of course arthritis plays a role.

Changing to a more comfortable strap has improved those symptoms...

[rllink]

Originally Posted by RP

I know that I never set guitar my playing/performing sights as high as many of you so at 74 I haven't really fallen that far. I've outlived the age of my father at death by a decade, I enjoy playing guitar to entertain myself and I'm happy to wake up every morning. Looking forward to next week at the beach...

I am the same way. My expectations as a guitar player have always been realistic. I've found that setting goals I can reach is more rewarding than aspiring to levels that realistically will only lead to failure.

Age is just another reality that I have come to accept. That said, I'm also lucky. At 73 I've never had any significant injuries that plague me and I take pretty good care of myself physically. Memorizing things is something I make an effort to do to keep my mind active. I find it much more rewarding than crossword puzzles and soduku, which is what the doctors have my father-in-law doing to keep his mind active and honestly, he is pretty good at.