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Too late to learn to play?
- Thread starter History Buff
- Start date
You might want have a look at the Squier Classic Vibe 60s Mustang Bass and maybe TI Jazz Flats for strings. It is short scale (30” compared to the more common 34”), has a slim neck and with those strings is easy on the hands, fun to play and sounds great.
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If you should really end up with this combination, make sure to get the medium scale (32”) strings, as with the Mustang Bass the strings go through the body and that’s where the extra two inches go…
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I started back at my late 50's and loving every minute of it! I would stay away from upright Bass for now. Arthritis is a nasty and angry disease!
I have not read the entire thread, but if you just want to play some songs and maybe with other people, may I recommend the Tenor Guitar. A 4 string guitar that isn't so high as a mandolin. I would recommend you use the mandolin tuning GDAE. Your hand will basically have to learn one position with a couple of variations to play any song.
Hope this is not frowned upon here, but why not try an electric guitar? the neck is MUCH smaller than bass, and if you are just playing around the house, you will be able to strum "cowboy chords" quickly, and be able to follow easy charts quickly and you could be singing camp songs, 2-3 chords in no time, and maybe it would be easier on your hands long term. If I were you, thats what I would do...I love bass, but in your case, I would be open to non-bass instruments.
Also, if you go the route of electric bass, probably a pair of good headphones, like e.g. the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, and something like the Zoom B1 FOUR might be preferable to an amp, especially in the beginning.
B1 Four / B1xFour | Buy Now
DT 770 PRO
B1 Four / B1xFour | Buy Now
DT 770 PRO
Never too late to learn, but with arthritis I would agree with others and say avoid the double-bass. Also (IMHO), you might find the scale length of the bass Uke to be a little 'compressed' if your fingers are a bit stiff or inflexible. I would say that a 30" (short-scale) electric bass guitar would be the best place to start. I emphasise electric because typically they are easier to set up with an 'easy' playing action compared to most acoustic instruments that have limited adjustability if you don't know what you are doing.
YMMV
Is it ever too late to learn something? I don't think so. Learning never stops and being a lifelong learner is a beautiful thing. Keeps your mind sharp and playing a string instrument can often help with arthritis and such. Keeping your body moving prevents it from locking up. Of course, everyone's body is different and you'll get a cavalcade of opinions on which bass guitars are easiest to play with arthritis and such. (This forum tends to skew a bit older than most online communities, so "best bass for arthritis" would be a thing).
I'm "only" 45 and feel like the more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing, so I set out to learn more to fill in those gaps, but the more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing, and the cycle begins again. Some of the skills and playing techniques I couldn't quite get when I was starting out in my teens, I'm now improving on in my 40s.
The only thing I think that stops people from learning something later in life is mindset. When you've spent so much of your working life being an expert at something, it's hard to transition back to being a novice. Some people feel condescended that they're grown adults, smart, experts in such-and-such and now have to feel like small children learning their ABCs again. That whole mentality of having to be a novice again.
I feel like if you're willing to let go of that ego and allow yourself to go back to square one to learn something new, then you're golden.
I'm "only" 45 and feel like the more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing, so I set out to learn more to fill in those gaps, but the more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing, and the cycle begins again. Some of the skills and playing techniques I couldn't quite get when I was starting out in my teens, I'm now improving on in my 40s.
The only thing I think that stops people from learning something later in life is mindset. When you've spent so much of your working life being an expert at something, it's hard to transition back to being a novice. Some people feel condescended that they're grown adults, smart, experts in such-and-such and now have to feel like small children learning their ABCs again. That whole mentality of having to be a novice again.
I feel like if you're willing to let go of that ego and allow yourself to go back to square one to learn something new, then you're golden.
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I will say that although I don’t think it’s too late at all, it will be harder than you think. Two things that trouble me in your OP are assuming that bass is simple (it is not) and not wanting to play with others. Bass is at its heart, a supportive ensemble instrument. It’s not to say it isn’t gratifying to play alone, but it’s way more fun to play with others. If you want to learn a solo instrument then I would recommend picking up an acoustic guitar or perhaps a keyboard. Melody instruments
- That is a stretch! But let’s see, if playing in a band with 6 band mates, where 5 of them wanted to be a BL by finding/booking gigs playing the same list of songs and getting the other band mates to play them, then I guess it’s possible.As mentioned by most, it’s never too late start doing anything that you are capable of doing, willing to allow the time for it, setting realistic goals to obtain it and believe that you can accomplish it to your reasonable expectations. Even if it’s playing in 5 or more bands at the same time!
I took some lessons in my late 40s after just messing around, learning songs from tabs, and not really knowing what I was doing for a lot of years. I didn’t start playing with others until I was in my early 50s and that was just in a couple of different basement jams. Then I finally joined my first gigging band and played my first gig about two weeks before turning 55. Unfortunately that was just a few months before the COVID pandemic started, so I had to go on pause for about two years and I felt like I went back to square one. But we reformed with a couple of new band members who really helped raise our level and we’ve been gigging regularly since New Year’s Eve 2020.
You absolutely CAN do it. It’s not easy starting up later in life because of family and job responsibilities. But, as your kids become adults and you wind down your career, time opens up. It’s not easy to do at that age, believe me, I REALLY wish I started 45-50 years earlier. But it’s amazing what you can do in a relatively short time if you’re consistent and focused.
Others may disagree, but I’d strongly recommend finding a good teacher and discuss your goals (yours are different from mine, but a good teacher should hav3 no trouble dealing with it) in order to develop a learning plan that will get you there. There are no shortcuts, so having a teacher who understands your goals and, more importantly, understands that your not the average 12 year old kid taking lessons my first teacher did NOT, that’s why I found another) is important. The good ones will help you get much farther much faster.
Best of luck and feel free to IM me here on Talkbass if you want to discuss things experiences of an older student.
You absolutely CAN do it. It’s not easy starting up later in life because of family and job responsibilities. But, as your kids become adults and you wind down your career, time opens up. It’s not easy to do at that age, believe me, I REALLY wish I started 45-50 years earlier. But it’s amazing what you can do in a relatively short time if you’re consistent and focused.
Others may disagree, but I’d strongly recommend finding a good teacher and discuss your goals (yours are different from mine, but a good teacher should hav3 no trouble dealing with it) in order to develop a learning plan that will get you there. There are no shortcuts, so having a teacher who understands your goals and, more importantly, understands that your not the average 12 year old kid taking lessons my first teacher did NOT, that’s why I found another) is important. The good ones will help you get much farther much faster.
Best of luck and feel free to IM me here on Talkbass if you want to discuss things experiences of an older student.
if my tone deaf mother than couldn't carry a tune in a bucket could learn how to play the ukulele, and then got to play during the 7th inning stretch with her ukulele class at a minor league baseball game, then yeah, you can too!
It's never too late to start. Granted these two started music earlier, they didn't have career success until later in their life. Check out Sharon Jones, and Charles Bradley. Two of my favorite artists that got somewhat big in their 60s (sadly both have died).
DO IT! playing bass is the best
It's never too late to start. Granted these two started music earlier, they didn't have career success until later in their life. Check out Sharon Jones, and Charles Bradley. Two of my favorite artists that got somewhat big in their 60s (sadly both have died).
DO IT! playing bass is the best
Just to pile on the positive. I started at almost exactly 70.5 years of age. It’s been several years, and it has made my life so much richer, even though I’m just a bedroom player. I too suffer from arthritis (osteo) and have the bent fingers to prove it. I have had to make concessions such as playing a short scale (not really a concession, as I like the tone), playing only with a pick (first knuckles on my right hand revolt when I try to pluck with my fingers), playing for shorter periods (no more than about 45 minutes at a time), etc. And, I love it. I can make sounds that resemble music, and it makes me happy. I have set some realistic goals, and I have generally met them, giving me a sense of fulfillment. My most recent goal was to learn to read bass clef, which I can do reasonably well now, opening up a new world of music. I look forward to my practice time and have created a bass cave for my hobby. Retirement just means I no longer go to work for reaching my goals.
Oh, and beware of GAS. It’s a difficult itch to resist.
Oh, and beware of GAS. It’s a difficult itch to resist.
Yes. In the OP's case, it reads as it he wants to learn to play a string instrument, and play along with records a bit.
Any instrument takes time to become somewhat proficient, so adding a different instrument - usually suggested to help understand music theory - takes away from the time the OP will need to invest in learning to play a primary instrument.
He has expressed no interest in learning keyboards/piano or music theory for that matter (IIRC). So yes, at THIS point in time, as far as I can ascertain (which is, admittedly, about as far as you can - IE we're both guessing) I would say that it would definitely take away some of the fun.
