I hate fractions.This Halloween to be the official date of turning 62. I gave up saying things like 61 & 7/8 way way back when I was 10 & 7/16.
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Am I too old to get started in this?
- Thread starter ski_rush
- Start date
I'm 52 and getting back into playing after a little 30 year hiatus. Played bass for 5 years in highschool Concert and Jazz bands. Got a Ibinez SR500 this year getting my hands back in shape. Not too hard since I already have tradesman fingers. Lol.
Additional note: I told my wife a couple of years ago when I hit 60, I would start a new band and instead of calling it Weezer...it would be Geezer...
The last time I saw a friend of mine was just after a milestone birthday of his; he was wearing a shirt that said. "I survived both of the '60s".
Time keeps marching on.......thankfully!This Halloween to be the official date of turning 62. I gave up saying things like 61 & 7/8 way way back when I was 10 & 7/16.
Uhh, I think there are many examples that contradict this. Most musicians, even world-class virtuosos, don't start before the age of five. Yes, they mostly start young, but not before 5. For example, Jimi Hendrix didn't start before age 5. Yo-yo Ma and Itzha Perlman did, but Jimmy Page didn't. Famous pianist Emanuel Ax didn't start before age 5. John Entwistle didn't start before age 5. My favorite violinist, Janine Jansen, didn't start before age 5. So I'm pretty sure it is possible to become a virtuoso even if you start later than age 5.
I have a PhD in cognitive psychology and share a department with a bunch of neuroscientists and I have never heard this, but I would love to see the evidence for it--do you have a reference for this? Because most of the neuroscience I know regarding music suggests that there is not specialized neural hardware for music. I don't keep close tabs on this literature, though, so if there are newer findings on this I would be super-interested in them!
(For a nice summary of the literature on this aimed at a non-neuroscientist audience, the book "Guitar Zero" by Gary Marcus has a good summary. However, that book came out in 2012 so maybe that book is now dated.)
This is true for pretty much everyone at every age. The majority of the variance in skill is accounted for by amount of deliberate practice, and the number of hours per week that adults usually have to devote to that is limited, which makes progress slow. That's one of the major advantages kids have--they have a lot of hours to burn.
remember the tv ad “got milk?” my daughter gave me a black t-shirt in my 60th. in white, craggy letters it says “got old?”...i get a lot of compliments on it. cracks me up.
In addition to that I feel that progression is the amount someone is fascinated in the task or hobby in hand, for younger kids making sounds and music with an instrument is fascinating, while older people are not as mystified by playing an instrument, not to say an older person can't share the fascination.
They tested me in high school where I was failing math, reading and history- they wanted me in special ed, but I didn't want to, so they sat me down for 3 days with puzzles, written and spoken questions, ink blots ect. They said I had a high IQ (128) but had ADD, ADHD and Dyslexia, wanted me on Ritalin and other garbage, instead, I just had to study after school and muster all I could, I managed to pass everything with a C or higher.
But, where I say interest makes a huge difference- Science, Biology and Physics, and Geometry, I absolutely nailed it, always had an A or better, because I am amazed at the physical world, and being able to solve problems that actually exist (not theoretic numbers) was and still is the coolest thing to me. And in Auto shop, always was top student, I Aced every single ASE test I've ever taken and the first one asked to diagnose problems at work.
After that tangent, while I feel I'm progressing at a good pace at bass, I'm no savant, I'm slow to learn material, still can't remember what chords are for all the keys, it's not that I'm not enthralled in bass, it's just I have a busy schedule and learning an instrument takes muscle memory, timing, imagination and an "ear."
In the end Psychologists will always be looking for a definitive answer to why some people excel at certain things, age, sex, diet, genetics ect. The fact is some people are made to do specific things and are naturals, other people just have to work and dedicate themselves to it, either one can become just as skilled as the other, the only difference is how long it takes to get there.
Thank you for posting this. I had to deal with dyslexia, OCD, and ADHD long before anybody knew what they were. I was made to feel stupid. That's what we were back then.
Some how I learned find a way to decipher words that didn't make sense and stored that information, eventually making recognition easier as time went on.
Information uptake for me was difficult for me as a kid, really slow but much like remembering words I tended to remember whatever I learned. I'm better at it now which is handy at work when running work. I can remember prints, circuits and panels, where tools and materials around the jobsite are, etc.
My personal joke is I have a mind like a steel trap...IF information can get in it will never get out.
Dyslexia affects me most in conversation. Putting words together to create coherent sentences is a chore. As a result of this I only have limited conversations. It is just too much work.
Oddly enough, when I was tested in my early twenties I aced a test that only went to 145. The shrink wanted me back to explore more, but the session got really close to the family secret of abuse. I was brought there by my mother who wanted no parts of that. I of course at that time did not have the money for that.
Besides, I was too involved with drugs and alcohol trying to kill the pain of that abuse.
This was from an Ann Landers column:
The reader wrote:
"I've always wanted to go to medical school. I just got my bachelor's degree and have the opportunity to go. But in 4 years, I'll be 52. Should I go?"
Ann wrote, simply: "And how old will you be in 4 years if you don't go to medical school?"
I read that column when I was in high school, and I've lived my life by it.
Go for it !!
The reader wrote:
"I've always wanted to go to medical school. I just got my bachelor's degree and have the opportunity to go. But in 4 years, I'll be 52. Should I go?"
Ann wrote, simply: "And how old will you be in 4 years if you don't go to medical school?"
I read that column when I was in high school, and I've lived my life by it.
Go for it !!
Sorry to hear that, Yeah, I have pretty bad OCD too, probably wash my hands 50 times a day, worry if I take a shortcut it could end someone's life (hey, makes me a thorough tech however!).
I got better at speech working at the hobby shop in my early 20's, made nothing as far as money, but got some confidence speaking to people, and that is worth more than money.
My problem is I can start a conversation strong, but then I slowly drift and become self conscious of what I say to the point where I don't know if I said what I thought and thought what I said.
People like talking to me because I listen more than blabber- but then the ADD kicks in when I lose interest, so I bob my head- that usually works
Sorry to hear that, Yeah, I have pretty bad OCD too, probably wash my hands 50 times a day, worry if I take a shortcut it could end someone's life (hey, makes me a thorough tech however!).
I got better at speech working at the hobby shop in my early 20's, made nothing as far as money, but got some confidence speaking to people, and that is worth more than money.
My problem is I can start a conversation strong, but then I slowly drift and become self conscious of what I say to the point where I don't know if I said what I thought and thought what I said.
People like talking to me because I listen more than blabber- but then the ADD kicks in when I lose interest, so I bob my head- that usually works
Unfortunately, with ADHD I can't do that. If we're talkin technical we're in business. I can read a tech manual, research, and what not but cannot read a regular ol book.
My coworkers love to quiz me because my knowledge of who sung what song or better yet say a few lines and I will finish the song.
I find it odd that I find similarities between me and Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory.
Trying to memorize scales, progressions, et al is diffult at best for normal folks, I go so far and whoops, where's Chris? O that's right, the connection was lost and he's with his fingures running up an down and up and down the fretboard til I regain control and end with a full length slide to a thunderous low E.
Wood working, carving, model railroading, learning to play bass are all efforts to make me exercise patience and concentrate on detail, which takes all three.
I was told to try meditation once, lot of good that was with ADHD.
I started playing more seriously later in life also. I spent most of my life doing Other Things and only since reaching my fifties have I made the commitment to playing bass. The main thing is to play just about every day and keep pushing yourself to learn new things. Learning new things is what makes you better. Also getting good at what you are learning. Becoming a fluent player takes practice but if you put the effort in it will develop into something worthwhile. What you put in will be what you get out of it so put a whole lot in towards getting a whole lot out.
As far as age goes?
I wouldn't worry about it.
Practice and learning is more important.
As far as age goes?
I wouldn't worry about it.
Practice and learning is more important.
As for what bass to play?
This is very subjective and NOT really an objective matter.
Here is where personal taste and various other subjective qualities come into play (no pun intended).
Part of the personal journey into music is finding and developing who you are, and this is one area where you will mostly likely have to venture on that journey on your own. People can make suggestions but ultimately you have to find out who you are and this is something nobody can do for you.
The developmentnof each of our own identities in music is what makes the journey into music more fun.
Just keep trying basses until you find one or two you like.
Also we grow as we learn and begin to develop an ear as we go along and this will go towards your developing your own sound and identity in music. So what you might like at one point can in fact change as you develop as a player and learn music. The more musical knowledge you gain can also effect how you develop and change.
Again all part of the fun.
The main thing is to Just Go For It and have fun learning it.
.
This is very subjective and NOT really an objective matter.
Here is where personal taste and various other subjective qualities come into play (no pun intended).
Part of the personal journey into music is finding and developing who you are, and this is one area where you will mostly likely have to venture on that journey on your own. People can make suggestions but ultimately you have to find out who you are and this is something nobody can do for you.
The developmentnof each of our own identities in music is what makes the journey into music more fun.
Just keep trying basses until you find one or two you like.
Also we grow as we learn and begin to develop an ear as we go along and this will go towards your developing your own sound and identity in music. So what you might like at one point can in fact change as you develop as a player and learn music. The more musical knowledge you gain can also effect how you develop and change.
Again all part of the fun.
The main thing is to Just Go For It and have fun learning it.
.
For example I use a fretless six. This is my favorite bass. I have been using it for years and my fretless six will probably always be my main bass. Alternately I also have a fretted fender five. I like this bass a lot but much prefer my fretless six.
Some like fretless fives, some fretted fours, some jazz, some precision, amd so on and ao on and so on and so on...
You will just have to try basses until you begin to develop a sense of who you are. Once your own identity begins to develop you will know what you like for a bass.
Some like fretless fives, some fretted fours, some jazz, some precision, amd so on and ao on and so on and so on...
You will just have to try basses until you begin to develop a sense of who you are. Once your own identity begins to develop you will know what you like for a bass.
One thing I have noticed. Most bass players tend to fall into one of two catagories. Fretless and fretted. The vast majority of players are fretted while a few of us are fretless and for the most part you wont find many who are good at both. Again something you will have to figure out as part of the journey into music and bass playing.
