Learning Guitar As An Adult – Why It’s Hard?
Learning guitar as an adult can be really hard. It’s not just because of the music notation, but also due to the fact that you have to learn how to hold the instrument and whether it is the right size for your body.
This article will provide you with some tips on how to make this experience easier.
When people think of learning guitar as an adult, they often think of learning guitar as a child. However, there are many differences between these two age groups.
For example, adults have more responsibilities and may not have time to practice every day as a child does.
In addition, adults are more likely to be left-handed than children are and there are different ways that guitars can be structured for adults versus children (such as fretboard size).
This is why it is important to take these differences into consideration before deciding to learn guitar as an adult.
As an adult, you may have a number of responsibilities and may not have time to practice every day.
If this is the case, try to practice for at least fifteen minutes every day. The more you practice, the better your skills will be.
Also, if you feel like you have hit a plateau with your skill level and guitar playing, it may be time to learn different musical styles and beginner guitar lessons.
The Reasons
In this post, I am going to share with you 8 reasons why learning guitar as an adult can be really hard. It is not enough to just want to learn guitar. You need to take a few more steps and be determined in order for it to work out.
1) You don’t have the time to practice
2) Learning new chords can be frustrating
3) You don’t know how to read music
4) Your fingers are not flexible as they used to be
5) It’s difficult to find time for lessons
6) You’re not sure which type of guitar is best for you
7) There is so much to learn!
8) It’s difficult to get your hands on affordable lessons
Now that you know the reasons, let’s take them one by one.
#1 You don’t have the time to practice
The first reason on our list is time.
With so many responsibilities, our time seems to slip away from us. Well, we all have the same time, 24 hours. If you looking to add more time to your day then I can’t help you.
We always think it will take a lot of time to learn something new. However, many studies show that if you do something for 15-20 minutes every day, this little time will accumulate at the end of the month/year into something outstanding.
It is called The Compound Effect.
Set aside 20 minutes every day to practice, or at least 5 days a week, and rest on the weekends. If you really can’t do that, then I advise you to stop reading the rest of the article.
#2 Learning new chords can be frustrating
The next reason is fair enough.
Learning new chords can be frustrating in the beginning. Your fingers hurt, the sound is awful, and you can’t switch between them fast enough!
However, if you are very new to the guitar there is something you can do to avoid this hustle.
Are you ready?
DO NOT LEARN CHORDS IN THE BEGINNING!
Yes, that is right.
You can learn guitar in the beginning without learning chords. How?
By learning how to read notes.
Which will take us to the next point.
#3 You don’t know how to read music
This one I struggled with in the beginning, as I taught myself how to play guitar when I was 20 years old (still considered an adult).
But I was alone with one book and no teacher. Now, the resources are infinite. You can learn almost anything online, and for free!
However, to save you the time to look for a good resource to learn how to read music, you are in the right place.
In my courses, I teach you just enough so you can start to play the guitar, then we take it step-by-step in the course after that, and so on.
#4 Your fingers are not flexible as they used to be
This is sad but true.
But don’t worry, there are a few things you can do that will increase your finger’s flexibility and stamina.
The first thing is playing scales. If you don’t know what are these, they are a set of notes starting from one note like G, going up until you reach the same note again, then going down the note where you started.
This is like the warming up for a boxer, he jumps the rope for 10 or 20 minutes to warm up his muscles for what is coming.
Scales are the same thing to the guitarist’s fingers, only we don’t do fighting afterward!
Playing these scales over and over will increase the finger’s flexibility dramatically, and within a few months, you will be able to stretch and hold the chords with more ease.
#5 It’s difficult to find time for lessons
Unless your guitar teacher will come to your house, you will spend most of your time going to and back from the lessons.
Even if you take a lesson once a week, that’s four lessons a month. This means at least 10 hours per month for just one lesson a week!
After a month or two, you will find yourself canceling your lessons and quitting guitar.
We don’t want this to happen!
Instead, you can take an online course. A full course at the comfort of your home, where you can take the lessons at 7 am or 11 pm!
No time is wasted going back and forth, and you can take as many lessons as you want during one week.
In fact, I have many students who wrote to me saying that they finished the entire course in 2 months, as the lessons are short and they practice what they learn, then move on to the next lesson the next day.
#6 You’re not sure which type of guitar is best for you
Many beginners struggle with this one as they have no clue what guitar to buy.
I always tell them to start with an affordable guitar so they don’t waste a lot of time picking the perfect guitar!
The guitar you will buy in the beginning is your first, not your last guitar. You want a medium-quality guitar at a moderate price. You will want to buy a guitar that is not too expensive, but not too cheap either.
Buying a cheap guitar will make your practice time a nightmare! This is a hobby you wanted to do for as long as you remember, so get something around $250-500. You will save yourself a lot of frustration, and you will enjoy the sound that is coming out of your guitar.
As for the type of the guitar, I recommend that you start with a Classical Guitar, not an Acoustic Guitar.
Why?
To take it easy on your fingertips in the beginning.
RELATED: Top 10 Classical Guitars for Beginners and Pros in 2022
#7 There is so much to learn!
Yes.
Learning guitar is exactly like learning a new language, there is so much to learn.
But Rome was not built in a day, neither are your fingers.
Practicing guitar – or any other instrument – will take some time, but it is an investment you are making, so you can play your favorite music.
#8 It’s difficult to get your hands on affordable lessons
The cost of private guitar lessons in the USA is $30-35 per lesson on average, and this rate can go up to $60!
I totally agree that the fastest way to learning guitar as an adult is by taking private lessons with a good teacher.
However, we don’t all have the luxury of paying this amount for a hobby.
Instead, you can pay the same price – or maybe less – for an entire course. And I am not talking about 4 or 5 video lessons here, I am talking about 4 hours of video content that is filled with information to walk you step-by-step from the beginning to become a confident guitar player.
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