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For the +50 guys, when did you start playing

#121
I'll be 67 next month. Played guitar in several bands in the early to mid 60's then pretty much put them away for over 40 years. Started jammin' with some guys a couple of years ago after I retired. Lot's of guitar players but no bass players so I picked up the bass about 15 months ago and haven't looked back.
This is the band I'm with now....
Geezer1.jpg
..and occasionally sit in with these guys.
CB Bart3 12-8-09.jpg
 
#122
I'll play along, I'm 51, started with piano at age 5, trumpet in school band around grade 5 or 6- then got my first bass when I was 15, 1974. From there, I played fairly steadily for the next almost 20 yrs, retiring from music in 1992. Lived a fairly normal life up until around '05, when I started in again with the bass, and have become a bit of a gear junkie since then- having owned the vast majority of my basses and amps all within these past 5 yrs. Not as busy a bassist as I was in the 80's, but I'm not complaining.
 
#123
Bought my first bass about 26 years ago. Living in a party house with a drummer and two other bass players. What choice did I have, really?
It took about 5 years to get to the point where my left hand would do the right thing, without conscious thought. What a surprise that was.

After that I stopped noodling, and started practicing.

;)
 
#125
I may have inspired a "young" guy to learn to play bass. I played my first gig last weekend and this guy was talking to my girl friend about how good the band sounded. He told her that someone had given him a bass but he felt like he was too old to learn at 47. She told him I had started playing a year ago and that I am 55. He told her that we sounded like we had been playing together for years.
 
#128
Just turned 50, started when I was in my early 20's but never committed to it and always felt bad about it. When my business slowed down 3 years ago, I had the time and started playing again. I've found plenty of people to play with in Chicago.
 
#130
I played in high school and afterwards. Band fell apart and I was rather disillusioned with the whole scene anyway. Besides, I really wanted a motorcycle. Sold the gear and that was that for 15 years.

Over the years starting about the mid-90's:

- Toyed around on bass...got bored
- Toyed around on acoustic 6 string...got bored again
- Started on bass again...got tendonitus
- Gave 6-string electric a semi-serious shot...got discouraged and quit
- Started on bass 6 months ago and...

Having a blast! Started playing with some people and playing out 2 months ago. Putting in about 3 hours per day now and seeing serious improvement every month. At this point, it's just a matter of some more band experience and building a repertoire. Then I'll be comfortable stepping into a jam session, which was pretty much my initial goal. There are blues jams every night here in Chicago. I've gotten a little more serious with the music theory too. I'm thinking maybe I'd like to be a good bassist rather than an okay bassist.

Thor said:
I found this old jam pic from 1977. I am still friendly with these guys though they look a lot older now. Of course, I still feel like I look the same. Go figure. Who the
eff is that guy in the mirror though ... ?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the guy with the gray hair and the gut? That's a mirror gremlin. I get them too.
 
#132
Good for you youngster!
Welcome to the bottom...

Turning 60 in August and haven't stopped since I was 13...

EVERYBODY wanted to start a band in 1963 and so did my friends...one played the guitar, one drums and me and another fellow didn't play anything yet. We both wanted that rythm guitar spot so we could be John Lennon....It got down to a coin toss and I became the the new bass student.

When I think about that day ...I have to say I won the toss
forty seven years later I still think I won the toss
 
#133
I started playing bass when I was a sophomore in high school, which would be when I was around 15. I am now 57, and still doing it full time.
 

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