Welcome, and Introductions! (Page 1 of 3)

Glad to meet you. I, too, have been playing for only 2 years (maybe 2 1/2).
I live in North Louisiana with my wife of (almost) 38 years - 2 sons , grown & gone. I first started playing at 14, played for a little while and broke my arm. When that happened I quit. When I started back I was 54 years old and the reason was my wife started singing with a cousin of her's. I've had a few lessons but I've mostly learned on my own. Having a ball playing, and I believe I am improving. (at least I hope I am) Anyway, thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

Nela

Awesome!  Thanks for the feedback, guys.

Nela, I actually have a funny story about my first attempt at playing.

Roughly 12 years ago, my wife bought me a cheap classical guitar with nylon strings. I had a Mel Bay book, and was learning some chords. I got tired of the "toy" sound of the nylon strings and decided I wanted some "manly" strings, so I went to the local music shop and bought some nice steel strings.

Two weeks later, as I was tuning up, the saddle ripped out of the laminated top. I was in much worse financial position then, and couldn't afford to replace it, so I stopped playing until about 2 years ago when my wife bought me a "real" guitar (with steel strings!) for my birthday!

Thanks for the kind words, and encouragement from everyone! Good to be among future friends!

I'm too lazy to re-type so I'll cut and paste from some other posts:

Some background before we get started.  I'm 43 and have been playing a few months and am progressing nicely and I’m happy with my progress.  I know CAGED Em,Am,  G7, E7, etc.  I’ve finally gotten the F but need to work on speed with it next.  I play 40-60 min EVERY DAY.  I am playing lots of songs (playing them well if I do say so myself) and am having a BLAST.  I’m a fairly good singer and my interest in music has been life long and have planned on playing my entire life but I finally did something about it a few months ago when I jumped in and bought a guitar. 

I play both types of music Country and Western.  Ok j/k but I do play mostly country but I’m the words biggest Bruce Springsteen fan so it’s really that I like to play ballads of country, rock, folk etc.

I started with a Fender Squire, gave t to my son bought a Mexican Fat Strat but when my interest in music began to clarify I realized I needed an acoustic guitar.  My wifey plays, but I hate her Ovation so I went out and bought an Alvarez PD80SC and I really like it but……..now things are a little more clear to me or maybe less clear?

Edited to Add (ETA)- I ended up violating my price objectives BUT got a great deal on a Taylor 810ce

A little more cut and paste:
Interesting but what I didn't say in my original post was that my youngest got interested in guitar and THAT was what finally pushed me to finally take up guitar.  I don't know, I kind of felt "dorky" wanting to start guitar at 30, then 35, then 40, and finally I did it, but really only because my son did it.  I guess the lesson is that if I hadn't started now, I may never have.  You know once we get to be adults and parents sometimes it's hard to "bare our souls" and try something completely new.  But, I try to teach my kids that life is about learning and I try to give them examples of that.  I got my MBA at 38, learned to mat and frame photos about the same time and took up guitar at 43.  The one thing I try to tell people is that if you are interested in playing you can do it by just learning CAGED and in a month or so be able to play MANY songs.  So it's never too late to start.

Maybe we should start a "Late Starters" thread?

Final details- I've been nmarried almost 22 years and have 3 kids, 18, 16, 14.  The 18 year old is off to college next year so we decided to not join our country club this year.  As I'm an avid golfer also, this will finally leave me the time to devote to guitar so "a door closes, a window opens"

I was a late starter as well--got my first guitar six years ago for my 40th birthday after a long and accomplished air guitar career.

I'm very fortunate because my wife always wanted to play bass, so I got her one for her 42nd BD, now she wants to learn a little acoustic so she got one for Christmas.  Now I'm up to two acoustics and an electric, and Laurie has an electric & acoustic bass as well as her washburn acoustic.  So, our guest bedroom has turned into our "music room" so if anyone ever spends the night at our house, you're going to have to sleep on the couch!

As must be the case everywhere, the guys in my work quite often talk of the TV shows they've seen and can never believe when I say I never saw it. My brother-in-law gave us a DVD to watch some months ago and I have just returned it to him unwatched. He was horrified that we could've had this movie for so long and not watched it.

Quite frankly, I'd rather play guitar. My wife is also very tolerant. Hey, I could be in the pub, but I'm at home strummin and singing away to myself.

I'm another who came back to the guitar after a LONG break. Now I can't get enough. I'm even starting to enjoy playing in front of friends and family. Whisky is a wonderful thing.

All the very best; welcome to Chordie.

Maybe I'm a bit out of line here BUT......I like TV yes I watch that box that sits in the corner and not just the News and Weather but Oh God.......Yes I'm going to say it Soaps and no I'm not to proud to admit it.
I still make my own music as you know and have other hobbies.
It's not an either or for me but an also.
Each to there own.
Ark

Oldnewbie.  You're right around the corner from me and Jets60.  Maybe we should get a little jam together, have a little fun, play a few songs, and generally commiserate on how learning to play guitar causes gray hair ('cause it can't be our age, eh?).

- Zurf

That is great advice. I won't forget it!

Correct, Oldnewbie - singing while playing a bassoon is not a good idea.  Still a great instrument though - lovely melancholy sound and it can be quite expressive . . . but I need to get my lips back in shape.  Guitarists have fingers callouses, double reed players have mouth muscles.

The whole 'time to play' thing for me is a matter of using my time as efficiently as possible to do what I have to do (job, chores, etc.).  Everybody has the same 24 hours a day - I try not to fritter any of mine away.  I don't always succeed in that effort, but it is a goal and I find that I am happier being busy than being bored.

Years ago, I went through a period of depression & insomnia - some very dark times.  Learned from that to stay active and engaged in the things that are important; family, job, friends, hobbies, etc.

I joke now that I am a 'very shallow guy', but that's just another way of saying that I don't sit around and worry about stuff that I can't do anything about.

Hello Oldnewbie and welcome to chordie!

I got my first guitar when I was 9. I believe I took 4 lessons and never touched it again. Well except for 1 or 2 times in my early teens just to fool around with when I was bored at home. A friend borrowed it in high school and It (supposedly) got stolen from his car. At the time I didn't really care because I had no interest whatsoever in playing and had long since givin' it up as a lost cause. So for almost 20 years I never even thought of trying to learn to play again...Then came along the fall of '06...A friend and I were driving home from work one day and he wanted to stop by the music store and look around. He had been thinking of trying to pick it up. We go in and he picks up a guitar that he had been making payments on. We go back to his house a sit on the front porch and just start messing around. Neither of us could even strum it evenly...lol Anyway we still had a ball. That evening gave me the fever. I couldn't stop thinking of trying to learn to play again. However, I didn't pursue it right then. I waited about a month to see if the urge would pass (hated to buy one and never touch it like before). Finally I could take it no longer. I bought one and the journey had begun...I was hooked! Still to this day there has not been a day that it hasn't been played for at least an hour (usually 4 or more). I even had to carry it on vacation and pay for an extra nights stay just so I wouldn't have to leave it in the hot car when we went hiking the final day...lol So I've been playing now for about 14 months. At the age of 33 it makes me sick to think of the time I wasted earlier in my life! If I would have only stuck with it when I was 9...lol

As I mentioned I'm 33yrs of age. Happily married with three sons (the youngest celebrating his 6th birthday today) I live in southeast North Carolina. I'm an active musician that works as a contractor on the side...lol Well I think that's the most I ever posted on here about myself. Welcome again to chordie! Peace!

No chance.  You'll understand that comment better when we meet.