Playing in Middle Age verus your Younger Days

andyoz

I had a bash as guitar in my 20's.
Got sick of all the macho shit that seems to come with other 20yo lads and packed it in after a year (less tech to help then too).

Took it back up a few years back in my mid 40's.  It's been like light and day.
I assume I'm not the only one.

Guitar just wasn't as 'accessible' back then in the 90's...

jonnygreentrees

If I was playing in the Middle Ages I'd be rocking a lute for sure

andyoz

Oh yeah...

mudslide73

I've been playing throughout but I've only been gigging properly for about 10 years (I'm 43). I'm a better player now than I've ever been due to all of the resources available. It's just easier now.

Sassafras

Technically, I suppose I'm a better player but I had more inspiration and creativity in my younger days.
The last 20 years or so have just allowed me to simplify my playing to make it a lot easier, especially these days when arthritis, rheumatism and MS severely restrict my shredding potential.
And anyone that's read my posts knows how much I love shredding, tapping and wang bar dive-bombing.

DiscoStu

It was all about thrash metal when I was learning, humbuckers and 100watt stacks, palm muting, being in the heaviest band and growing my hair.
Now in my 40s it's more about playing on my own, melody, singing, strumming chords on an acoustic, and having no restrictions. I still play electric but the band days are gone.
Learning to let my playing 'breathe' was when things changed. Hell, I even bought a Tele!

thomasross20

Younger days is better for amount of time you can put in due to lack of other commitment.

p90fool

My knowledge has increased at around the same rate as my technique has deteriorated, meaning I can shoehorn my tired clichés into about a dozen extra genres compared to my youth. 

In another 30 years I'll be able to drool and poop myself in time with free form jazz. 
 

andyoz

thomasross20 said:

Younger days is better for amount of time you can put in due to lack of other commitment.

That is the bitch though...3 kids and all that....

andyoz

I never did get to gig in my 20's (apart from a few rough attempts before I had ANY technique - not clever).

Harder to get into that now...

robinbowes

andyoz said:

thomasross20 said:

Younger days is better for amount of time you can put in due to lack of other commitment.

That is the bitch though...3 kids and all that....

I've got 5 - still giggin'

R.

Stevepage

From 16 to 19 I played guitar every day for hours as I went to college and studied music.

Now, I still play as much as possible but I focus on learning licks and songs. Things I find enjoyable rather than trying to be the heaviest or fastest player possible. I found that my playing improved much more melodically just by jamming to backing tracks and taking it easy.

slacker

^ I can tell when someone's worked on scale and technique or worked on playing music.(wisdom)

Sassafras

robinbowes said:

andyoz said:

thomasross20 said:

Younger days is better for amount of time you can put in due to lack of other commitment.

That is the bitch though...3 kids and all that....

I've got 5 - still giggin'

R.

If I had 5 kids, I'd also use any excuse to get out of the house.

axisus

My technique has successfully stood still over 30 years but my creativity fell off a cliff 27 years ago. 

richardhomer

I think hearing how players mature with time is interesting.

I recently listened to a live recording from when I was about 21; I was shocked how flashy I was - a real swaggering performance - in truth slightly beyond my capabilities at the time.

Now I have a much more sophisticated sense of phrasing and harmony - and a much greater appreciation of space.

On balance, I wish I could combine the youthful exuberance with middle-aged taste. If I could, I reckon I'd be a pretty good player....

Gassage

Here's a thing; you'll forgive my analogy with cricket here...I hope.

When I was young, I had reasonable talent, enough to make it of interest to make money at playing the sport.

As a youngster, up to say age of 27-28, I was a seaming all rounder who bowled a lot of overs (typically 25 on a league Saturday!) and batter 5, 6, 7. I was bombastic and my game was based largely upon physical power.

As my bowling declined with age/pace, I spent more time working on my batting- at that point typically I'd score 400 runs in a league season, maybe 3 or 4 fifies and the occasional 100.

Then one day I turned a massive corner. I realised I had a sound defence, 3 or 4 very strong scoring shots, and that there were another 4 or 5 I tried to play with mixed success- all cross bat shots really-mainly hook, pull, sweep, square cut.

So, with the advice of good coaches, I removed those 4 or 5 so-so shots out completely. I swore never to play the cross bat shots until I'd got 50 or so. I literally removed them from my game. I then learned that scoring big runs was all about cadance and rhythm and getting in a mental zone where you were not distracted and felt in your own sweet spot.

This coincided with me going to play at a club in Kent with a first class ground famed for runfests. I was told, upon joining, that I'd need to score 1500 runs a season (all cricket not just Saturday league) and 4 or 5 hundreds to bat in top 5 of first team.

In 2 seasons I reduced my bowling workload a lot, but I found that the above adjustments changed me from a 400 run a league season man (16-18 innings) to a 800 run a league season man, with 2 or 3 hundreds (1500 with 4or 5 for the entire all cricket season)

I have, without wishing to be bragging and being totally factual, now got 99 league/minor/club hundreds and around 35,000 career runs in all cricket.

How does this relate to guitar?

Easy- the same logic applies. Once you remove the things you're shit at, you acknowledge those as a threat to your ability to perform, but you focus positively on the things you do really well, you become VERY effective. And that's what it's about- being effective.

In the guitar world my idol, Mr G, is the epitome of knowing his limitations. He plays what makes him brillaint, unique and effective. So does Buckingham, Moore, Clapton, Knopfler....all my heroes.

Once you learn those things, focus on them, they are now your game. Remove everything else- focus on what makes you good.

Your playing will be all the better for it.

richardhomer

Gassage said:

Once you learn those things, focus on them, they are now your game.

Your playing will be all the better for it.

That's very interesting - I suppose that's what I've done - though not consciously.

You've certainly made me feel better about the things I'm not great at - and you're right - all the great 'stylists' (as opposed to shredders) work within their technical limitations.

'Wisdom' duly awarded, Sir. Now stop being sensible and go and buy another guitar....

boogieman

p90fool said:

My knowledge has increased at around the same rate as my technique has deteriorated, meaning I can shoehorn my tired clichés into about a dozen extra genres compared to my youth. 

In another 30 years I'll be able to drool and poop myself in time with free form jazz. 
 

I lol'd at that. Basically because that's me too. 

Gassage

richardhomer said:

'Wisdom' duly awarded, Sir. Now stop being sensible and go and buy another guitar....

As if I need encouraging...

Would it surprise you to learn I am a bat anaorak and have shed loads of them?

impmann

My first gig was when I was 17... sadly there is video footage of it. It is not for public consuption - its terrible, so was I. However, I was sure I was going to be the next super-star guitar player.

Through the late 80s and into the mid 90s, I played in *many* different bands - some shit, some terrible, some abysmal and some diabolical. At no point did I flinch in my confidence that I'd become a superstar guitar player.

Then I found a great band... and we toured, we played fairly big (for us) gigs and played support to people that others had heard of. Great times, great parties and some great young ladies. BUT!!! Suddenly, confidence took a battering - it all got a touch competitive for me, and frankly I saw and experienced some things that made me put the brakes on it all. I gave it all up and eventually sold everything off by about 2000.

About five year ago, I started gigging pretty regularly with a local covers band - I'd done a few bits and bobs in the interim, including being in a band that gigged rarely. We were doing 40+ gigs a year and we had (they still have) a bit of a following. I loved it - but also started to resent being away from home pretty much every weekend. So when I moved house, I knocked it all on the head to get my time back... I miss the gigging but don't miss the time spent.

So what do I want to do in the future? I'd like to be involved in an original music project, so when we do gig its for the right reasons...