My late mother, who was musically talented, wanted to give her children the opportunity to learn to play an instrument. Although I took piano lessons from age 9 to 13, My skill level was less than marginal. I was not disciplined in my daily practice, and my dexterity was ill-suited to the piano. My mother recognized my lack of interest and progress and allowed me to discontinue the piano lessons after 4 years, but despite my mediocre ability, I did learn to read musical notation.
I regretted quitting piano lessons as an adult, especially when I would hear other people play so well. During my late teens through my early forties, I would randomly practice on any available piano or keyboard, but I typed the keys instead of playing them. I eventually closed the door on piano playing altogether and resigned myself to the fact that playing music was not for me.
The person I married is an extraordinary guitarist and cellist. I wished that I could share my husband's love of music, but I adamantly believed that I had no musical hope. One Valentine's Day when I was 46 years old I was surprised at my husband's Valentine's Day gift which was a harmonica. I told my husband, "I will never learn to play a harmonica. " My husband nevertheless bought me a beginner's harmonica playing book. I familiarized myself with harmonica notes, and my husband told me to stop using the books. He believed that the book served its purpose, and wanted me to be able to play the harmonica by ear. For the next four years I committed myself to practicing my harmonica 10 minutes a day. I would play my harmonica while walking my cat around my apartment complex. My harmonica noise eventually began to sound like songs. I could have not been more surprised that I was able to play musical tunes. After my 50th birthday my husband asked me to accompany him with my harmonica before the church services. He would play the guitar or cello and I would play the harmonica. After 3 years I began to join my husband and the church pianist in playing during our midweek church services. My husband was invited to join a traditional country music band by a church member in 2021. During my 58th birthday, I was invited by the band leader to play my harmonica in the background during the band performance. I am almost 60 years old, and I currently play my harmonica at church and in the traditional country music band.
My husband did not allow me to give up on myself, and I acquired a most satisfying hobby. I did not progress with the piano, but I was able to use my note reading skills in playing the harmonica. When I am feeling anxious by life's circumstances, harmonica playing is most therapeutic for me. This musical journey taught me it is never too late to learn to play a musical instrument.
Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument as an Older Person
Science has shown that learning an instrument can have great benefits for older adults
- better memory and focus
- increased ability to adapt and form new connections in the brain which helps with mental agility
- improved problem-solving, planning, and multitasking skills
- reduced stress and anxiety
- may reduce the risk of dementia
Tips
Be Kind to Yourself
Learning an instrument is hard. If it weren't the line to play Carnegie Hall, it would be longer than the line for tickets to Carnegie Hall. Don't compare yourself to others. Don't expect to be a virtuoso any time soon. Instead, celebrate every small step forward. When you learn your first song, play it as loud, as long and as many times as you want. That is a huge accomplishment!
Don't Overdo it
Sure, practising four hours a day seems like the right path, but it can also lead to burn out and boredom. Instead, make room in your routine to practice 10-30 minutes per day. That last part is important. You will make much more progress working a little bit every day rather than for big block of time once a week.
Invest in a quality instrument
There is a wide range of instruments in terms of quality and price. Generally speaking, the lower the cost, the lower the quality. What you are looking for is playability. Some cheap instruments, because of poorly made hardware and sloppy construction, are much harder to play than more expensive ones, and that makes learning--and more importantly--enjoying learning much less likely. You want an instrument that is not going to fight you every step of the way. That said, do not splurge on a brand new, top-of-the-line instrument right out of the gate. Used, mid-range instruments are perfectly fine. Most musical instrument shops have used instruments available that are much cheaper than new and perfect for your purposes. Visit a shop, explain what you're looking for, and share your price range. Most staff will be more than happy to guide you to something within your budget and suited to your needs. If they try to talk you into buying a Stradivarius or Steinway Grand, leave.
Play the Music You Love
If you've never been a fan of classical music, then spending all your practice time learning "Für Elise" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" is not going to make you want to keep coming back. Nowadays, you can find beginner-level lessons and arrangements of nearly any genre of music free online. So if you love rock, bluegrass, or Broadway show tunes, steer your learning journey in those directions as soon as you have the basics down.
Leverage Technology
Have no idea how to tune your guitar? There's an app for that. Can't keep time? Get a free metronome app on your phone. Don't know which end of the saxophone to blow into or why there are both white keys and black keys on a piano? There are thousands and thousands of beginner-level and beyond lessons on YouTube and HCPL's free LinkedIn Learning service.
Find a Teacher You Like
You can learn a lot from books like the ones below, and from the internet, but you may want to find a teacher at some point. Make sure they have experience teaching adults.
I hope that my story is inspiring and the Harris County Public Library carries a wide variety of adult nonfiction books on learning to play different musical instruments.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Percussion
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