Guitar?

Is this crazy or what? My son has played guitar for a number of years and he is pretty good.
Now, finally having some time, I'm thinking of giving it a try.
I don't know if I can do it, or even if I have the perseverance to carry the attempt through. But if one doesn't try, one will never know.

I would definitely get lessons if it's worth trying. I'm a drummer, but tried switching over to guitar/bass a few years back. I spent lots of money buying all the gear only to sell it all a year later. The biggest thing I regret was not taking lessons and thinking I could just figure it out having played numerous instruments over the years. Of course, some people can just pick up a guitar and it works well for them, but for most, it does not.

Give it a try. It can be pretty relaxing, and you might love it. I used to play years ago and used it as a way to unwind. Even took part in a crappy little cover band, and we had tons of fun.

I'm seriously considering picking up the banjo now.

I think the plan is to find a decent used acoustical guitar, and just plink and pluck and see how it goes. One issue is that I have a hearing deficit, but as long as there is not a lot of background noise it should be OK.
Then if all goes well, I'll look into lessons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y8QxOjuYHg

Heck, DO it. I wish I had had the time to keep up on my keyboard playing all of these years. I'm trying to plink around on the keyboards I now have every now and again, but I can DEFINITELY tell that my biggest failing is my memory. I can spend the time to practice something new but when I come back to the keyboard the following day I have to struggle to remember what I did the previous day. There is a LOT of truth in that statement "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Maybe if and when I get my car problems off of my shoulders I can put more effort into it. Being distracted is certainly no help.......

But really, if you want to do it, DO it. Playing music, even on a beginner's level, is very self rewarding and enjoyable. The results will be directly related to how much interest, time, and effort you want to put into it. So be prepared for that.

Oh, as for your hearing problem, as long as you aren't tone deaf (which is the equivalent of color blindness in sight) you should be OK. Try to spend a LOT of time to be able to tell notes and chords by ear. If you can do that, then you may be able to play any song you can think of and hear in your head. That's what they refer to as "playing by ear".

Heck, I haven't touched the keyboard in weeks now. I really should get back to it. I need to crack the whip at Connie, too, as she hasn't touched her keyboard neither.

A few years back I broke my leg and my sleep patterns were horrible. I watched an Esteban infomercial at like 2 am. I almost ordered, lol. He has a large line of really reasonable priced guitars and instruction video's. He is relaxing to listen to and watch play also.

http://www.estebanmusic.com

Thanks Joe. I'll check out the site.
A broken leg is no fun.

I found a nice used Yamaha and it is on the way along with various books and CDs on how to start off.
You know, we ought to have a music sub-forum.......

So how many people would post on a music forum?

Lucille, Don't buy an Esteban guitar, you can get a decent used one for a fair price. I'd suggest looking at the brands Seagull, Art & Lutherie, and Takamine.. you can get a good used one for a low price. My very first guitar was an esteban and certain chords were nearly impossible on that thing. Stay away from Takamine JASMINE, too. I'm willing to bet that someone on here might even make a trade as in Guitar for Critter, I know I would if I had a guitar I was willing to give up.. lol.