When We "Grow Up" and Stop Playing 

I actually really needed to hear this, I started playing guitar at 14 and was obsessed with it then I got to high school and kinda fell outta it which bummed me out. Now at 23 I’ve had a burning feeling to get back into playing, so this video was the boost I needed

I'm 58 and I guess I've never grown up because I started playing at 14 and I'm still going strong. Growing old is mandatory. Growing up however it purely optional!

Lol I think it's safe to say that every guy wanted to be a ninja as a kid

My biggest issue is I never "grew up." F**k that noise. You can be an adult, handle your responsibilities, and all that grown-up stuff without throwing away your inner child. There's room for both. Of course, I didn't start playing guitar until I was 18 and I never stopped except for a couple of years when I went back to college. As soon as I could I started playing again. Music and guitar are the only things that matter to me. I've always been stuck between professional and serious hobbyist.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw

I'm 53, have been playing since I was 16. Always had guitars with me. Haven't been in a band since high school though, but I would say I am, in your words, a "serious hobbyist". I don't play professionally, I don't perform, but my guitar is always there for me. I unwind with it when I get home from work. I'd say about 5 times a week. Weekends, after my daily and familial duties have been fulfilled, I have longer, louder sessions. Playing guitar helps me keep my sanity.

Imagine you're walking home at night and you hear some strange sound, kind of familiar but you can't really place it. Then it hits you, it's the over the nut bend from iron man and right as you realize it you hear a whooshing sound. You turn around and see a guy dressed in a ninja outfit doing the windmill on top of a cardboard box in his garage. It's Mike the guitar shredding, breakdancing ninja. Yeah, this timeline has them all.

Amazing video. I’m an older noob trying again after a very long break. These videos are helping me move forward. Also - Your parent(s) were absolute saints to allow 6 junior high school age kids to play music in their basement. Wow.

Was a serious hobbyist growing up till about 24 and have slowly turned into a casual hobbyist coming up on 30.

I first started when I was 14-15 ish. Played a few years then joined the Army. I took my ESP MG550 in cherry red with me through it all. It went to Germany, Canada, France, Iraq and then back to the UK. Sadly I ended up homeless when I came back and had to sell it and had no backup. I quit guitar there for 12 years ish. Sad time. Now I am in a better position I guess though. Been relearning for the past 2 years.

I grew up in a poor small community where a kind elderly man offered group lessons and provided a guitar if you didn't have one. I had to pay for the lessons myself, and I was only ten. My grandmother made me a strap for the guitar I borrowed from my teacher. I ran out of money I made from mowing lawns, and there were family problems, so I had to give the guitar back. It was a sad day for us both. I picked the guitar back up later in life.

I’m 42 now. Never left the guitar and put aside money so that I could always have a studio in my house. Stopped playing at parties and pubs, but still get out the old CD’s that were recorded, plug in my guitar,and close my eyes. Takes me back to when I was 19-24 every time. At least I get to relive those happy times whenever I need to.

I played guitar at 16 - 17. The we form a band and I played the bass for 1 year. After a fight with the other members I quit music for almost 15 years. At 32 I realize I wasn't happy with my dayjob (IT for a medical group) and started doing what's my actual passion, making videogames. During that process I also got back to the music, and bought my very first own guitar (back when I started I played a borrowed guitar and bass) and started to play every day. I'm really happy doing so, even when it's just a short 5 - 10 minutes practice/jamming, makes me feel good

Yeah I feel like once I turn 18 I may have to stop guitar and “grow up” and realize I won’t be able to make a band that’ll tour the world and people will see me as the guy that never left their hometown. I just feel pity for those guys but I feel like if I just remember guitar as the thing that I love then I’ll not be the guy that left their hometown and instead just a cool guy that plays guitar in his spare time. Thing is I don’t want that I want to tour the world. Damn guitar is just sad. Even if you’re good you have a very low chance of even being able to sustain yourself off of just dedicating your life to guitar as a guitarist in a band. Most people just end up becoming a guitar teacher or having to work a part time job and on the side play gigs that will never take them anywhere. Welp now I’m having an existential crisis might as well listen to Pink Floyd for a while

_I still recall my last day with my childhood best friend._ _He pointed a cocked and loaded gun at my face and laughed._ _I never went back to his house after that._

Hey Mike, I’m a former student of yours (05ish-07). Don’t really have time to play anymore because of family, work, etc but guitar really got me through some tough times in middle & high school. I always looked forward to our lessons and I really appreciate the time you invested in me. Hope all is well man!

Wow this one hit close to home. I started guitar lessons at 9 yo, played bass in a band as a hobby until my mid teens… then i “grew up”… 3 decades went by i haven’t touched my guitar. Now in my 40s i started picking it up again and wondered why i ever stopped playing. Im hooked now than ever before. And yeah my wife gives me the look when I get another guitar in the mail.😂.

The title alone almost brought me to tears Sometimes I have to remember to stop working and trying so hard when it comes to playing instruments. A week off, for me, can do wonders. I forget what I was trying to do, and just get back to the wonder and fun of it. I definitely have my _Stand By Me_ crew, that I love and miss, and respect, even when it's hard, especially when losing one for good. It gets more difficult to express yourself freely; no-holds-barred, unadulterated joy, and even pain. Loved this. You're a cool dude.

I've been a guitarist going on 40 years. I think most of us guitarists are outcasts, misfits, wallflowers etc. Rock on my dude! 🙏♥🎸🤘😝🤘

Having an 11 yr old and 8 year old that are starting to get interested in music has kept me playing and I look forward to the day that we can all jam together.

Can't imagine giving up playing, it's been a hobby and a passion of mine for 29 years!

Guitar saved me lmao. Ain‘t gonna give it up ever. If there are going to be any bad things around the corner, which they will, I better be with the guitar.

After I had a band formed from high school days, and we did a bunch of local stuff, small gigs- we all chipped on for recording studio time and had 4 songs each, for 3 bands to be cut into CD'S. So I was writing original material and it was coming out pretty good, I think. But as a band, we didn't have a strong enough lead man. You need someome with charisma first, and singing in key second! We had the opposite. Anyway...I discovered drugs and alcohol. Discovering that magic powder that not only quashed the stage fright....it turned you into superman! And, unlike alcohol...what you gained in confidence, you DIDN'T lose in motor skills! Anyway, typical story...I went down hill hard. I was still holding a job somehow...and after one particular powder binge. I was coming down on a Sunday with nothing to take the edge off. A bottle of bourbon would have turned my frown upside down. Someone suggested a pawnshop...just till payday. Well, you can see where this is going...! My beloved piano Black US Telecaster I had bought new only 2 years prior, maybe... My first "good guitar". The pawnbroker was beaming to see me, like some predatory hyenna. He tried to offer me more and more money....but I wasn't having it! I figured acouple of hundred would be plenty for grog and smokes..and maybe weed.. And I wanted to get it straight back out in three days when my pay dropped. Sure enough, that booze on a Sunday pushed me into the work week, still speeding (comedown, but tripping nonetheless). That, with the booze and weed on top.... I was a freaking mess. Serving patients boiling tea in their private hospital beds - off my dial. Yup! I got fired! Not only fired, but because I had been renting a room in the Nurse's Residents , I was effectively evicted Aswell. So that bender pushed on through the rest of that week until the next weekend I found myself couch surfed all the back to my hometown, 2.5 hours away, and staying in a spare bed at an old school mate I had once house shared with. He was back at his folks' place.....and little did I know, tho I was about to find out - his step father was a recovering alcoholic of some 20 years sober. I wish I could say I stayed sober from then...it has been a very long, winding road. But I did get sober enough just in time to get a friend to get my Tele out....but it had to be a deal, he wasn't doing it for nothing. I said you've got the opportunity to get a $2K (AUD) Fender for $475 (or thereabouts). Now....I had 3 months to pay him back with a small but of interest...but if I fail to pay by the agreed date, I would forfeit the guitar good, and he would score. Kinda like pawning it all over again, but between friends. You can't lose, I said. Of course he agreed....and my baby got a stay of execution. Meanwhile, I got about rebuilding my life with a place to stay, a job and Lotsa AA meetings. D-Day came around again...and I was nowhere near flush. Technically I could get it back, but that's all the money I had - $500....and I sorely needed a car. I couldn't sustain employment without one. So I finally met fate head on. I caught a train and a bus to Ben's (a full day errand, this.), and handed over my last dollar. I went home broke, but I had the guitar. I sold it for $1000, and bought a cheap car. I felt so butt hurt over losing it (I forgot to say I lost my Marshall JCM800 full stack, and Roland GP8 FX foot pedal board Aswell around that time). that I just stopped playing. It helped that I got half decent money for it, rather than losing it for just a few hundred poxy bucks! But it still hurt. And I didn't play again for nearly 20 years. After a series of lapses that the snakes and ladders of continually having to start again from scratch..just ate away 20 years of my youth before I knew it. About 5 years ago , I was in early sobriety again...and working in a factory. Someone told me about Zippay. And they also told me the difference between US Fenders and Mexican Fenders. I had had no idea. When I first bought the black Tele, I walked in , saw it right away on display, and said how much - and I just paid $2K. I didn't know! I had no knowledge on gear in those days. Anyway....so after nearly 20 years, I bought a lake placid Blue Strat MIM. Couldn't bare to replace the Tele with anything less than an equal one. (US). I have bought 7 guitars since then - and the MIM Strat was by far the cheapest. I have quite deliberately channeled my addictive nature into guitar acquisition aswell as playing. And it's powerful addiction, enough to counter the call to alcohol and drugs - coupled with willpower. I even quit smoking 18 months ago by putting my cigarette money into a guitar fund, instead of going up in smoke. And after 3 months without a single puff, I got a PRS SE. 🤷 Pretty sweet reward! Sorry I didn't mean to ramble so long. I do want to say that I have improved a heap in the last few years. I never used to have such a glut of information at my fingertips. I really used to have to go to a lot of lengths just to learn basic riffs etc.. I now know the whole fretboard in scales that before I only knew bits n pieces of. Of course I wish I'd have never stopped playing. I would have my own utube channel now! But I am just glad to have a nice guitar and amp (I ended upmore Team Gibson this time around), and am privileged to have a few more than one. And I'm pleased with my playing standard. I'll never give it up again!

I had played for many many years. Formed a couple of bands. Recorded some demos. Played some gigs. All throughout, I had this one particular girl in my life that was part of it all. Let's just say, great friends with benefits. As we came to spend our lives together, she became the center of my universe. Ultimately my wife. To be clear, we were independent enough, but also needed to be together. I eventually found that I didn't ever feel the need to play. I was very content and never really felt the urge. Fast forward to now. She passed away 2 years ago in July. It still feels like yesterday. Somewhere around a year and a half ago I realized that I needed something that was my own. We shared almost everything, but guitar was me. I started playing again. Now I am writing again. It saved me. It doesn't fix what's broken, but it gives me some inner piece. Your video really hit home. Thank you.

oh man, how much i feel you regarding that analogy of the old man still going to the rock club, and i'm 25 right now 😅 where i also see a lot of people quitting is because of these weird competitive mindset: they think they're not good enough to compete with others so they quit although they really enjoy playing, because they never realized or learned that you can play guitar just for your own enjoyment, regardless of your level of playing...

Good vid, and probably something that goes through every players mind. You’re right when when playing just feels good, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I’ve never been in a band and I’m older now, but would be completely happy being in a “dad band” type scenario playing covers. Guitar is a great hobby

I’m 48 and just started playing again for the first time in over 20 years - literally today! So it’s perfect timing that I just stumbled across this video. (It must be the universe trying to tell me something…) My guitar arrived this afternoon and I spent much of the day noodling on it. I had really forgotten how much fun it is. At first only about 10% of the muscle memory was there but it’s already coming back. I’m going to re-learn along with my eight year old son as he learns for the first time. Wish us luck! I’m trying to keep this brief so won’t go into detail but the things you say in this video were very poignant for me. The circumstances around which I gave up all those years ago were complex and confusing. It’s hard to explain but this was powerful and emotional video to watch for me. Thank you!

I started playing guitar when I was 12 in 1972. I was in several bands through the 80’s. Been married twice, owned houses and worked full time jobs my entire adult life. One thing I always made time for was playing guitar. Guitars and motorcycles are the two constants in my life. They’re my “happy places” and keep me sane. I may not have made a career out of playing but it has definitely enriched my life! 😎👍

I'm a youngster and ive been playing since i was 7 years old. for a couple of years I just wasn't feeling it - and i quit. Then i started again - then i quit again. This all led to about 2 years ago. I got a new guitar teacher who really pushed me to get better, and now i am the best in my school and im not even in the oldest grade. My band won the first battle of the bands my school has ever had (played for whom the bell tolls), and main the reason I have been getting better has to be the fact that I exposed myself to new music with actual guitar in it. When i quit, i was listening to weird electro dubstep crap, then after I started listening to metal - metallica. i wanted to learn so many cool riffs and during the lockdown for covid i would play during the zoom meetings, before and after school and and lunch and recess and I got so much better. (the one thing being that since there are no other good guitar players at my ALL BOYS school, i have to play in every band - jazz, big band, musicals, and plays) Mike. Your vids are really cool and I especially like when you pick apart tricky metallica riffs with weird timing. lars is really somethin eh? Also ur band Sanctum was awesome! Have a great rest of your day, or night, or evening. Rock on dude!

I'm 47. I started out playing in the percussion section in Jr High. Then around 16 years old I started playing bass. Got into a hair band at 18, played all around town for a few years and I quit. A few years ago I started playing guitar but the commitment comes and goes. I'll do my online lessons everyday for months on end then I'll just stop. It could be for a few days or sometimes a month. Even if I'm not playing I really love having my guitars etc around me. Love looking at them. I just wish my commitment was better. Playing/practicing or not, my love for music will never go away. Our lead guitarist/singer who was a bit older than us, he's in his 60's now. He's still out there doing his thing in front of 30 people a night at dive bars lol but I think that's awesome!

PREACH!!! Great perspective!! Loved the Ninja and the break-dancer:-) I'm the guy who was self-taught and thought he knew something and then started watching RU-vid videos and realized he knew practically nothing thanks to guys like you. LOL! Seriously I learn a lot from all of you guys so thank you! You all provide something unique and valuable. Keep doing what you do!!!

This is a really beautiful sentiment my man, I really appreciate your words and the positivity, especially the very last part brought a tear to my eye when you really reminded me of why I used to play. Thank you again

I got back into guitar big time over the last year. I'm so much happier now, it brings back a lot of the feeling I had when I was a kid learning how to play.

There's a saying in our parts : "We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." On another note: the ninja story totally got me lol. I played guitar for a long time, since the 90s. Then, some years ago, I totally quit. My life had changed dramatically, I'd had huge disapointments with my band and the drive wasn't there anymore. It's funny that I stumble on this video now, because I'm actually in a big crisis in my life, nothing made sense to me anymore. And on a whim (after being pissed by a shitty band on tv, go figure) I picked my guitar back up recently... man what a blast, I didn't realize that was what I missed so much, it makes me feel alive, there's nothing I want to do more than that. Thank you for you videos, they're often very inspirational and relatable.

I just STARTED playing guitar at 40 - after playing drums/percussion for 25+ years of my life. I was always enamored at the guitar players in my bands and always wanted to play. When I hit 40, I determined it was now or never. After having stopped playing drums for a few years - I needed music back in my life. Learning at instrument at 40 is much different than learning at 9. But I knew what it took to be good and I started taking lessons. I'm now 50, and while I'm not a great player, I'm an OK player. I don't need to be EVH or Petrucci - and I know at my age I could never be. But for me, I need music in my life - I don't need to perform. The joy I get from finishing up work and knowing I have my guitar to look forward to, and learning a new song, and practicing that new riff for an hour or 2 every day makes it all worthwhile. I play because I enjoy making music and it makes me happy, and I don't see that ever changing. Music has always been, and will forever be a major part of my life. Thanks for the video !

I'm 50 and have played off and on since I was 16. Once my kids came along, the guitar took a back seat. But thanks to Rocksmith and GuitarZoom, I'm having fun with it again. Don't have a lot of dedicated practice time but playing along to my favorite songs is so enjoyable.

Hi my name is Dor I am from Israel, I am 30 years old married plus two children I have been playing guitar for over 12 years, and the lesson you taught touched me so much !!! I'm a law student and I want to be a lawyer so I can support my family with dignity, but I'm not leaving the guitar even for one day. Sometimes life and circumstances do not play in your favor, and as you said "you understand you will not be the rock star you dreamed of being", but, also as you said "the guitar can always be grasped and excited" And ... I know that one day I will play a lot more Thank you so much for the lesson

It hapaened to me. Life took over and I didnt play for 20 yrs, I picked it back up 6 yrs ago and I an the lead guitar player in my band. My kids are grown.I have grandkids now. But I am the coolest papaw in the land.lol. Its never to late.I wish I would have never stopped. I would be a whole lot better. Its my passion. my first love, I was a fool to put it down. I feel like I have found myself and I will never let that go. what your saying is 100% true, Thanks for sharing.

I played Acoustic guitar back in Elementary school. Havent played since.. I'm planning to buy an electric guitar in a few months. 🎸

❤️ Great story! I feel you bro. I rocked hard till 32. Got divorced and met a huge B that basically didn’t let me play but was a great lay. Three years later I was miserable, had no friends and no music to get me through the break up. When I was starting over again it was so hard to get back into music. It was difficult to remember a lot of stuff, I lost all my chops and confidence and tried yo get back into a band only yo find out no one plays anymore. Especially now that I’m older and all rock on the radio like Pearl Jam is on the classic rock stations. On the positive note, I’m 40 and can afford all the toys I didn’t have before. My pedal board has 19 pedals I finally got a jcm900 stack and 4 American fenders and 4 PRS’s, Taylor 814…. I wish I was 14 again 😔. Support your kids dreams is all I can say. A lot of people never reach their potential because their parents push them to “grow up”. It’s damaging

Started learning guitar at age 12, thought I would be a great musician when I got older. There was no backup plan. My friends told me I wasn't any good. Dropped out of school, got drunk and high way too often, worked a series of dead-end jobs. Finally sobered up 9 years ago. Now I have a bunch of guitars and amps in my closet and haven't played with them in years but I still refuse to let them go.

I just recently picked up guitar again. For some reason I got the itch again, and that inner desire to Master Something and write an actual song to release and pursue my own professional musical ambitions just came along with it. I know I've got a lot to learn, but thankfully there's resources like you! So thank you for all of your insights and wisdom.

Definitely needed to hear this man. My hands are eaten up with arthritis so I can't play at the levels I could even 5 years ago. I still play though, I just modified my style to compensate. Great video man keep up the great work.

Using "growing up" as an excuse to give up your dreams or just playing for fun seems odd to me, getting a 'real job' and getting married doesn't necessarily imply maturity, plenty of immature people over 30. Playing an instrument or wanting to be a musician is in no way immature (which saying you grew up and stopped playing implies, my parents still dissuade me from pursuing a career in music because of that), if anything if you are truly dedicated to either, i'd say you're more likely to be a mature person.

Even if you have crippling arthritis, you can find a healthy, exciting outlet for your emotions and feelings.

I'm 57 and have lost the " Rock Star dream " But I have never set the guitar down....Ever! It relaxes me , I always learn something.

Started playing in 1974, Jr year of high school. Was very serious and played every day until 1985 the year my first child was born. Still played every day until about 1990. Moderate success in the local music scene until then. 1990 on had 5 more children and guitar playing took a back seat. Still played but not as much. Fast forward to 2016. 1 child left at home I got serious again. 64 years old this year and I’m a legend in my own mind lol. Still going to be that rock star. Music is a part of me so thus will only die when I do. 🤘🏼🎸👍👍👀

I wont ever give up guitar I'm 20 and still jamming and I wont stop for nothing God Bless and I will succeed in music thank you Mike Rock and Roll!!!!!!!👩‍🎤🎸💖🤘😀🙂🙏

Been playing for 35 years. Took a year off here and there for various reasons but guitar has always been there. I’m 52 and still jam weekly with the rhythm section of my first original gigging band. Now, we mostly improv but also play our old tunes. Never made any real money playing music but wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. Just getting together once a week has been great for our mental health. When you play music, you quit thinking about life and just live in the musical moment. No worries when you’re jamming.

Sometimes life just happens. I still have the same guitar I bought in 1995. I rarely play it anymore and I have had it stripped down to repaint for about 3 months. It is my favorite guitar. I have mostly played acoustic. Mainly for such a long period of time I lived in apartments so was unable to play loud. I can now play loud, but I have gotten so used to not being able to, it just became habit. Most the people I knew who were musicians just disappeared. But I did find my voice literally. I love to sing. But it has started bringing me back to guitar and playing and signing is such a great exercise of the mind.

I got my first guitar around age 12. Lessons were added to it. The music shop closed a year later! I've gone by ear for most of the times I play. It was stop playing for quite a while then play til my fingers hurt. With recent things going on, I've been practicing 3-4 days a week and watching guitar videos online.

I had to stop playing for 5 years when I was 45 and had two kids. I never recovered. I did get lucky a few years ago, getting into a Saturday morning coffee shop band. Then covid hit and the band members disappeared. I now focus on solo playing in my room on a nylon string guitar made of Brazilian rosewood. I’m 79 now and currently relatively healthy. My kids rejected musical instruments and were more into writing painting soccer and martial arts, but the put up with me. I’ve written some jazz oriented music that I hope to record on my web site for posterity in this age of pandemic!

Great talk Mike. This hits home for a lot of people

I have gone from serious to casual in the last 5 years but finding this channel has made me play a lot more recently

I've been playing since I was 16 (now 44) so guitar has been in my life longer than it hasn't. I told myself a couple of years ago that, as a married father of two, I should probably 'grow up' and stop wasting my time. But then someone told me that being able to compose and play music is a gift that not everybody gets to experience, and that it's part of who I am! Basically, Don't. Ever. Stop. Over the last 2 years the ability to sit in the garden with the acoustic has been a source of tremendous release/distraction/realignment for which I've been grateful. The kids are amazed that I can hear something on the radio and then be able to play it. I've tried to quit music a couple of times over the years, but in the end music won't quit ME!

I never quit guitar (or bass) but it gradually slid further into the background as I got older, got married, had kids - but the last year of my life has been an amazing musical journey. I released a four-song metal EP in 2020 on all platforms and am halfway to a full LP in 2021. I’d actually probably be further ahead if I wasn’t always watching your livestreams and heckling you, but as a fellow old dude its too much fun as I catch all the jokes that go over all those young whippersnapper’s heads lol. Rock on Mike!🤘

I was gonna be a rock star in the late 80s early 90s. Started learning guitar and took it very serious for a couple of years, but couldn't quite grasp it. It went under my bed for 15 years while I became a responsible adult. Finally, I sold it to a player friend of mine to give it a good home. Last summer, I took up the acoustic that I did keep, just in case, and started learning. But this time was for me, not for some lofty goal. And I'm loving that freedom of expression!

I started at 12 and at 60 still playing now . Probably the only constant in my life and it's served me well.

This is a great video. I liked your discussion a lot. I have had an interesting story when it comes to guitar. I started playing guitar one year before high school and the reason I started playing was because at that time I started getting into music and the first music I listened to was classic rock like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, etc. I remember also the movie School of Rock came out and that made me more interested in actually learning guitar. I actually played piano starting at an early age but I never liked it and never practiced much. My father always had an old Martin acoustic guitar that just sat in a stand and he played it only occasionally but usually it was just always there and I was always curious about it. Then I decided I wanted to quit with piano and switch to guitar. I didn’t have an electric guitar, just that old acoustic, but my father was really excited about me playing guitar so he bought me an electric. At that time I also played saxophone in the school jazz band and the kid who played guitar quit because he couldn’t play the jazz chords so I changed to guitar in the jazz band and I needed to start learning jazz chords (including bar chords), scales and improvisation really quick all in the first year of playing so that I could actually play in the band. Then when I went to high school I just took off with guitar and practiced several hours a day and got into more music. My guitar teacher introduced me to dream theater and that made me want to practice more and get better. By senior year of high school I was improving a lot and I was playing covers of Dream Theater songs and even playing John Petrucci solos. Everyone at the time thought that for sure I was going to go to Berklee for college and become a musician. Then one day my father talked to me and he just said that music is a great thing to be good at and to do in life, but it cannot be a stable career and most musicians really struggle to survive and really it all comes down to luck whether or not you can make a living from it. I was also really good at math and science in school and he basically said that I shouldn’t let that go to waste and that music will always be there as a hobby. So then I went to college and I did engineering and in college I got really into my classes and everything and I completely stopped playing guitar. I just totally forgot about it because I was just focused on my career. But then many years later I started watching all the guitar youtubers and suddenly I felt the urge to go back to playing guitar again. Since then I started playing again and it took a while at first to get back to the level I was at before but starting over a second time now has helped me to fix a lot of bad habits and problems with technique that I had before. Now I practice every day and I plan to continue playing and write and record my own music in my own time. Sometimes I think about what would have happened if I had stuck with music as a career, but really I am glad that i took my father’s advice. Probably many young guitarists don’t like to hear it, but having a career only in playing music is just not stable and you will always need different sources of income which will just make life very difficult. Having a stable career and job allows you to be able to pursue music and guitar playing as a passion without having to worry about making enough money to survive, and another perk is that you will actually be able to afford to buy a lot of nice gear without having to worry about money. I think many people make the mistake of assuming that your job and career has to be your passion, but it is possible to have multiple different passions and interests and it is best to just have a stable job that will meet your needs for income and allow you to fund your other interests. There are even many professional musicians that have other jobs and other things they do such as running businesses and really this allows them to focus on writing and recording their own music without pressure to have to make money off of it. That is just my story. I appreciate this video a lot and it made me think a lot and write this long comment.

This is far too relatable. I am 24 years old. I've been playing since I was 10 years old and used to take playing guitar very seriously all throughout highschool and into uni. In the past year, I moved out of home, got into a serious relationship and started a new full-time job. I did play in a number of bands over the past 2 years which never really panned out in taking me to the lofty heights that my inner 12 year old would've hoped to have reached. After leaving my last band, I put the guitar down for about four months to focus on my work and other responsibilities. However, I picked it back up over the past couple of weeks and feel so much better for it. For the first time in years, I feel the same joy that I felt when my Dad taught me how to play the main riff to 'Breaking The Law' by Judas Priest back when I was 10. I don't think I will ever give it up, no matter how old or what else happens in my life. It is just too important.

I agree with this 100% I picked up the guitar again and got on Rocksmith and gave it a good go! Felt super happy to be playing again.

I started playing guitar in January of 2021 at the age of 18. I am currently a college student. I bought an expensive cool looking Ibanez (which is my very first guitar at that) and also bought an awesome Yamaha modeling guitar amp. Not only that I bought a bunch of silver reflective stickers and stuck them on my guitar and the amp. I recently started creating my own guitar riffs and I am having so much fun playing and creating them. Also it makes me feel a little less lonely and bored and also I feel inspired. I have plans to keep up my guitar journey 🎸🤘🏻

First off, thank you so much for producing such wholesome and valuable content. Your videos have been a great help. To answer your question: I'm 37 and I picked up the guitar again 6 months ago. I realized that if I ever wanted to really experience the feeling of playing a beautiful song that time was running out. I've played every day since. I was so determined this time that I made sure to develop a habit. My house is filled with guitars now so I can always just pick it up and play. While I still regret missing out on so much of that potential and time, I honestly believe that is what is driving me now. It is the one thing for me now that fulfills me. It allows me to grow and it's something I have total control over. So I practice many hours a day now. You and your channel are very much appreciated for me and the many people like me. God bless. 🙏

I used to be quite serious about guitar in high school till I went to university. Then I became more a serious hobbyist and slowly into casual once I started my job. I thankfully never quit but I wasn't playing as much. But few years ago when the youtube channels started becoming a thing it actually made me miss the guitar so much that I bought a new axe and started seriously jamming again. This inspired me to perform a song for my wife about 18 months ago when we got married. I guess for me I had a strong start, took a bit of downtime in between, to being back as a serious hobbyist. I def think if it wasn't for the guitar I wouldn't be where I am today. And now I'm planning to record my own songs in the future thanks to technology making it much easier.

A real artist never stop playing.

I loved your story of getting started. I related to that so much. I got my 1st guitar and amp when I was 12(in 1993). I also originally had a group of 6. 3 guitarists, 2 bassists, & a drummer. We all played different riffs(Metallica, Alice In Chains, Megadeth, etc) at the same time. we didn't even know you should tune the instruments together. The Drummer would just play some random beat. It was great fun. We recorded embarrassing tapes too. I'm 40 now and am still obsessed with the electric guitar. Probably more than I've ever been. Seriously though, great video.

I started learning guitar because I thought it would be cool haha but later I got diagnosed with neurological disease called Multiple sclerosis and now practicing guitar everyday keeps my neurons in check ✔️ 🤘🏼

this video has me nailed. hit a wall skill wise many years ago and just dropped it. didn't have youtube to further my knowledge got a job and a wife. now years later, after watching a few videos I'm realizing how much I missed it.

I can relate to this just musically in general. Once I got married and had a kid I pretty much gave up completely on music. That was in 2012, and now in the past 3 years I've finally gotten back into it and even started picking up new instruments here and there and teaching myself how to play. I got my first guitar in 2002 and now I'm up to a guitar, a bass, a keytar, 3 synthesizers, and an electronic drum kit. It's become an addiction and I love it lol Great videos, just found your channel yesterday. Keep it up :)

I am 63 and I can’t get enuf. Hard to train old fingers but I am working on it. All the best.

Turning 50, playing since 16. Have a couple friends who stuck with it also. It's our guitar friendship bond for sure. Btw, 80's ninja movies ruled

I never became the rock star I dreamed. After a few years I came back to it. At the end of the day some playing and jamming in our fun little band is a fun escape from reality.

I started playing again this year after giving up on it when I was like 9, I don't think I'd ever give up on it for good, but my life outside of guitar is definitely my focus, so I'm just jamming on the side when I'm bored. It's not really something I want to get amazing at, just something I can have fun with from time to time

When I was young I played got into guitar for a a year or 2 with my Squire mini and gave it up around 13. Then years later (19 in college) I wanted to start a new hobby and decided to buy my first full sized guitar and start jamming again. Very glad I did too

Well I started to play guitar at the age of 9, and there were no resources available back in the day but I still managed to transcribe a few Sex Pistols songs here and there. And started taking up classical guitar lessons. But I have to stop for a while because of college, but when I began to work coping up with deadlines I've still managed to find time to play guitar. Since that I've looked back especially with the advent of modern technology where you can slow down a song or simply download a guitar pro version of your favorite song, that kept the fire burning in me to play guitar. Right now I've learned 5 Judas Priest songs and learned 2 Dio albums. Still I kept going especially during this pandemic where you have nothing to do and I get to work from home. Its all about guitar now boy and I just kept going! Just like the Energizer bunny.

This was really cool! I started playing in jr high and playing throughout high school. After I graduate i knew i couldn’t do a regular job so I kept connecting with the right players and kept getting better. I was signed in the 90’s and it was really cool. At 35 i had children with my wife and put live music on hold. I played at home and at age 40 connected with some old high school mates. 11 years later i still play almost every weekend. I started at 11 and I’m 53. Im a lifer. Great video! Have fun! Be a kid always with a guitar or instrument or whatever you love!

That was deep Bro. Playing together for the last time and didn't realize it... wow.

bro why you gotta make me sad all the time. I started crying because i didnt think anyone felt the same way, ive been wondering for a few years why all my buddies quit music and it always gives me that sad feeling,like the child in us is gone. I cant even remember the last time i spoke to my friends. i miss the old days

This inspired me to rediscover my guitar mojo. Can't thank you enough

I almost faded away from guitar a month after learning Eruption and growing somewhat of a following online from playing. But thank goodness I came back. I was an unusual rest for 6-7 years of playing.

When I was about 24 y/o I put my guitar down. And like you said about the last time playing with your friends, I didn't know when I put it down that was the last time I was gonna play it.That guitar stayed sitting in a corner for 14 years. It's weird because it wasn't a decision that I made to stop playing, it just kinda happened. Then one day when I was 38 y/o I picked it up and fell in love again. And it's so much better now with all the great technology like amp sims and DAW's and IR's that make it so much more fun! I feel like I've learned more in the last four years than I did in the first ten! I do wish I had those 14 years back though.

even though so many people quit guitar I firmly believe it's still worth trying. When I was starting out I was sooo unsure if I really want to try playing guitar and if I were going to stick to it, but now, after 2 years, I can't imagine a day without jamming my favourite songs, creating something my own or learning something new It's an adventure that sure, might end someday, but that's not happening anytime soon and I'm glad I took this path

Well said. It's quite sad to see students who had talent and promise in music "leave it behind', but I suppose we have to accept that people's priorities and even passions can change as they get older.

There was a period of almost 10 years, right after I got married, where I didn't play much at all (I was busy building arcade cabinets). I'm 44 and have been playing since I was 12. I've been back at it more than ever thanks to channels like yours, Ben Eller's, and Rick Beato's. Recently, I've had my Ibanez SV-470 set up professionally, bought my first acoustic (Orangewood Rey M), bought my first bass (Toby by Tobias), and my first recording equipment (Tascam DP-06). I've even started looking into electronic drums, considering I started with drums before I ever touched a guitar. Thanks for all that you do! (PS, I'm still not a ninja either)

Im 28 and gave up guitar when i was 14, then picked it up again last year after watching the dirt! now im really inspired and practice almost everyday using your website! 🤘

This is so true. I started when I was 15, played in a high school band, took it more or less seriously. Then I went to College and progressively dropped. Not enough time, other things to focus on etc. The less I played, the less I dared take the guitar and play again, as I was losing the ability to play. I quit playing for 15 years, with mixed emotions of frustration of not playing anymore, humiliation of not being able to even strum basic chords, and fear of it never coming back. Then, in my 30s, I went through a tough period, not knowing what to do with my life and career. That's when I decided to give guitar another try. I took my old Fender, butchered whatever I tried to play for weeks, and then things started to come back. I have been playing almost every day ever since, and I am a much better player now than I used to be back then. My approach to music, playing and tone evolved as I grew older. I don't see myself quitting, ever, until the day I am permanently unable to play. I am probably in the 20% Serious Hobbyist category you describe. I still miss playing in a band though. Combining that with family life, a busy career and an active social life is hard when you want to do it seriously. And it's difficult to find the right people, who in my case need to invest enough time in what they do, have a good enough level but not too good neither etc. Anyway, I'm happy that I resumed playing; it's one of the best things I ever did. And the developments of RU-vid - including your channel - made it easier for sure, even if I have never had a lesson in my life. Such wonderful resources did not exist in the 90s. Cheers

I started guitar at a later age, around 25. I haven’t stopped since! It’s been a life saver for me and it also sparked my interest in collecting guitars and recording music. I played my first gig ever a few years ago at age 43. I will continue to play guitar, practice and record probably till the end of my life. It’s just one of those things that, when it hooks you in, it hooks you in for life.

I started playing drums when I was 6. That was 12-13ish years ago. I don't think I could ever give up drums, as I am fully addicted lol.

I started out on bass when I was 14yo along with a school friend. I continued to play and joined band after band. Now we’re in a covers band together where I play guitar (I still play bass in other bands too) and we’re 53yo now. “Getting older is mandatory, growing up is optional”

Yes I started playing listening to metal and hair metal in the late 80's but probably Nirvana got me into guitar because I felt like it was something I could actually do. I took lessons until I went to college and although I took my guitar to college and even tried to start a band it just didn't fly. Engineering took up too much of my time plus the few people I played with seemed so much better than me and my social anxiety didn't help. I guess I felt like I just wasn't good enough and it would be a waste anyway. I played a little on and off through my 20's and 30's pretty aimlessly but am back at it at 45. I figure I've learned a thing or two about digging in and working at things plus listening to the music I grew up with brings a spark to my heart and makes me smile. Also doesn't hurt that in the near future I might have a lot more free time to play so I figure go for it and have some fun, learn as much as I can, write some songs and get a chance to play when I can!

I'm 58 , and when I grow up .......... Sorry it's not going to happen , I'm a father and a grandfather , played since I was six years old . Just spent the day in my home studio playing guitar , making impulse responses, doing vocals on a song that I wrote with my best friend of 42 years . Who says you have to grow up . Playing guitar is an addiction I've never been able to kick . Luckily my wife of 34 years is the same . Love the channel Mike , great content .

As an avid guitar player during my teenage years, jamming with others who were in awesome bands, or with close friends who were close to my skill level, I laid my guitar down during college and didn't pick it back up until my 30s... when I first got back into it, my fingers had to regain the muscle memory, but ironically, my playing was BETTER than in my teens. I can't explain it. Maybe my ear became more refined over time with regard to tone, or my expanded taste in music gave me a better understanding of music in general. I don't know. But I'm a living example that guitar is like riding a bike. You never forget the fundamentals.

I miss playing outside with my friends. Thinking back I can't quite pinpoint where that stopped but definitely would've been in my early teens. With guitar I never had the opportunity to even attempt to learn when I was a young kid/ teeneager (my family just didn't have the means to support an interest like that), I'd never expressed/ spoke out with an interest in learning an instrument but had I been offered the chance I might well have taken it. So when my younger sister was given the chance to learn the recorder and violin I'll admit I got pretty jealous, I got even more annoyed when she just gave up. Something I still have a little trouble letting go of today, I try not to dwell on it. I only started learning guitar a couple years ago (I'm still a self confessed newb haha) with a lot of things in my life it's been very easy to get so obsessed about a particular interest that it will be all I care about and eventually due to the intensity of my interest I'll burn out, give up and never go back to it. I'm determined not to let that happen with guitar. I'm loving learning and also discovering and learning about new music along the way.

This resonates with me. I started playing around 16, was playing in local bands in my early 20's. Then I got married and had kids and haven't really played seriously for 20 years.Every time I pick up my guitar (maybe once a month at the moment), my skills have atrophied to the point where every practice is just an exercise in frustration as I can't play (or remember the songs) like I used to. I want to get back into playing again, but I'm not sure how to break the cycle.

Take responsibility, but never grow up!

Last time I gigged was 04 in college. Life took over, got married, became a father, got a mortgage (two actually 😂) but I still play guitar almost everyday, even if just 5 minutes. It relaxes me, it's part of who I am. I'd love to play with people again one day but not there yet.

Essential stuff Mike. Great topic. Inspiring. Well done.

I kind of fell into guitar by accident. My brother picked it up in high school, and after a while, I wanted to learn too. My mom convinced me to learn keys instead so that I could complement him. But soon after I began, he left for college and we've never lived together since. In the meantime, I picked up bass first, and then guitar because I didn't have an amp and unplugged basses are inaudible 😂 Now I have been playing for a little over a decade. I've played in a bunch of bands but of late, I'm finding my greatest joy in making RU-vid videos. I may never make a buck out of my music making, but I'll never give it up either.

Yup. Some of us "older" folk are not just trying to pick up a pleasant hobby, we're trying to correct a major life wrong by playing guitar. From as early in life as I can remember, I was a music fanatic and was going to be a musician. I wrote and recorded songs on blank cassettes, had a notebook full of lyrics, etc., long before hitting my teen years. As an early teenager, I started playing guitar, continued writing and recording my own stuff, and then ... adulthood. Marriage, college, kids, graduate school. I didn't touch my guitar for years, but I was haunted by the fact that it was going to be my life's biggest regret if music wasn't a huge part of it. So, I'm back at it, trying to make up for lost time and trying not to get too depressed about how much time I wasted.

Mike, I have never been what I would consider a good guitarist, but since I was sixteen, I have always had a guitar, and never dropped it, no matter how badly I played. It wasn't until I was in my forties that I had the opportunity to play fairly regularly with co-workers and begin to try some ham-handed leads. Now that I am in my seventies, I am beginning to make some progress, even though there are still distractions that limit my playing to only a few hours a week. I don't know whether I will be a competent lead guitarist before I die, but it really doesn't matter -- just playing is the whole point.