Am I Too Old to Play the Guitar?

I often get asked this question by prospect students when giving out trials lessons at my guitar school in Zurich. “Am I too old to play the guitar?” – Or rather – “Is it too late for me to start playing?”

I get your point… so many guitar playing (and successful ones) start so young and have so much experience under their belts that it can get intimidating just to think about what they went through to get to that virtuoso level that you secretly desire for yourself. Although I can understand why you would think that way, we are kind of missing the most important factor here: Mindset!

It may sound cheesy, but mindset is everything! Often said (but understated in my opinion), the old adage “you can accomplish anything that you put your mind to” also rings true for guitar playing, as long as you have the right mindset and act on it.

Just think about it… would you rather start playing an instrument at the tender age of 12 or 13, when your potential to create bad habits is at its peak (unless properly taught, of course) and your mindset is still forming for many years to come? For that matter, how many “aspiring to be” guitar players started on their teen years and ended up just giving up or losing interest?

Wouldn’t you rather start playing the guitar, fully knowing that this is something you want to do and enjoy for the foreseeable future? Wouldn’t it be easier to focus and work on something that became your passion during your adult years? – Finally, the main question here is – Don’t you think you’ll progress much faster if you start EXACTLY WHEN you want to start and for all the right reasons?

(Assuming your answer was “yes” to the questions above, you are already on the right track to start playing the guitar with the right mindset in place!)

Not everybody is lucky enough to find the right teacher at the time they’re starting to play the guitar… a teacher that not only knows how to play, but is continuously learning how to teach, how to keep students engaged and motivated, and most importantly, how to cultivate their mindsets.

Regardless of your age, as long as you put in the work and are constantly pointed in the right direction by somebody who cares about your results as much as you do, I guarantee you can and WILL become the guitar player you are meant to be.

About the author

Based in Zurich Switzerland, Gonçalo Crespo is a professional guitar teacher and musician. He has taught guitar for over 8 years covering a variety of styles but focuses mainly on getting his students to guitar playing success in the most efficient way possible. Founder of Music&Co. guitar music school, Gonçalo also offers tuition for acoustic and electric guitar. Check out his website at Gitarrenunterricht Zurich.