Music lessons as an adult....

[Run&Blade]

You are of course 100% correct. I found the guitar to be a very painful instrument to play. It hurt my levy hand a wrist.

Is that common?

Carpal tunnel from your career ?

 

[Herkmeister]

Carpal tunnel from your career ?

Sexual wear and tear.

 

[Fan In Black]

How did you figure out what to do without lessons or practicing?

When I noodle on my guitar, I just can master like the same three things and not figure anything else out. Maybe I’m just a spazz, lol.

People would show me chords, mostly Ramone or bar chords early on. The standard chords I learned from books. I just never got good at them, or changing chords, or understanding scales, until I played with others.

 

[Tailgater4Life]

We inherited a piano from my wife's side and paid a bit to get it fully tuned up so it could gather more dust. Always thought it would be cool to be able to just sit down and be able to knock out something other than Twinkle twinkle. How many lessons or years would it likely take to go from zero to playing something that isn't a kids song?

 

[GOHOX69]

I would like to learn how to play the keyboard. I have the same concerns as Torbee in so far as learning by yourself.

 

[ConvenientParking]

I would like to learn how to play the keyboard. I have the same concerns as Torbee in so far as learning by yourself.

Different animal, bro. Nobody wants to share weed with a keyboardist. You should probably pay for lessons.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Your mom was in her 40s when I taught her to play the skin flute.

 

[KPaterson1992]

I stumbled across your post while looking for something similar, and it hit home. I decided to pick up guitar a couple of years ago as an adult, and honestly, it’s been one of the best things I’ve done for myself. I started with some online lessons—artmaster.com has some solid options if you’re still looking—and it made it way easier to stick with it since I could do it on my own time.
One thing I learned is to keep it chill at the beginning. I started with super basic stuff—scales, easy chords, just noodling around—and made it a point to practice a little every day. It didn’t feel like a chore because I’d mix in songs I actually wanted to learn.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

My brother in law gave me a ukulele for Christmas, and I've played it every day since. I can play over 70 songs now; lots of Beatles, Eagles, John Denver, and plenty of pop songs. I highly recommend it for someone with 0 musical training

So, it's been six years since I picked up the ukulele, and I still play it nearly every day. I joined a local ukulele club back in 2020, and it's been a great social outlet for me, particularly since I've been WFH since the pandemic.

In addition to its accessibility for music novices, what I like about the ukulele is how different instruments can provide different sounds. Baritone ukes provide close to a guitar sound; the strings are like the top 4 strings of a guitar (DGBE). Banjo ukes provide another fun sound.