Newbie needs input

Im a 57 year old newb. Im a truck driver so I live in a truck, I have limited time for practice and learning. am I way off here? can I learn to play guitar? is this a place that a newb old guy can profit from? I need help/guidance etc.
John

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not that I necessarily recommend it, but Steve Morse had a small guitar that he actually practiced with WHILE he drove on his long commutes lol


" I understand you maintained your practice regimen on those long tours—seven while driving.

I insisted on it. I did it at the expense of sleeping. I would practice between sets and after the gigs, and, yeah, I’d practice while driving. It wasn’t as difficult as it sounds—especially if you’re on long stretches of highway. It wasn’t like I was on a slalom course. You use your knees to work the steering wheel, and you’ve got your feet to work the speed, so I could play the guitar with two hands. It was child’s play to run scales while driving. Now, I want to point out that I’m not suggesting other people try to do it—especially nowadays when people have the temptation to look at texts and things. I don’t like the idea of endangering other people. And I stress that I always had my eyes on the road, so I could react to anything that was coming my way."

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I just turned 50 and I intend to still be learning at 57.
Your good too go.

If I was a long haul trucker I’d have a guitar with me.

I think this is a very good place for a new player
Between here and youtube you have all you really need.

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thanks for the reply. I want to play.

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Glad I never asked him for a ride :sweat_smile:

@jpwatts, even with short practice time you can make good progress, if you focus on a small number of goals at a time (talking to myself as well here :wink: )

Also, I think working on music that you really like is going to make it more likely that you will have the energy and patience to stick with it (please don’t get stuck playing chromatic exercises for an hour a day- ask me how I know!)

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Truck driver actually sounds like an ideal occupation for learning a skill like guitar playing.

I’m imagining you have downtime in kind of boring places with fairly few distractions - perfect for watching some tutorials and practicing licks over and over and over again without worrying about annoying the family or neighbors.

For a total beginner, this site isn’t the material I’d begin with - it’s pretty technical and much of it assumes knowledge and ability, but there is a wealth of beginner guitar instruction on YouTube. Check out some videos and see what you like and what makes sense to you, and keep going - there is obviously no maximum age for learning, it’s all about the time you put in, and instruction is better than it has ever been.

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