The challenges faced by an adult in learning a new skill are different than in younger years.

After we are born our brains develop neural interconnections at an incredibly fast rate. We are subject to a lot of different influences and learn more within our first four years than we do in the rest of our lives. This developmental stage dies off and when we are teenagers our neural connections are ‘pruned’ by the brain in a way which renders unused connections dormant, making the brain faster doing specific tasks.

In adulthood (after around the age of 20) our brains have been streamlined and this streamlining can make learning new skills more difficult.

When we are children most of us fortunately learn in supporting environments and experience positive reinforcement for our achievements. When balanced with accepting our failures (learning how to lose, so to speak) we develop resilience and fortitude of character. This positive reinforcement tends to fall off in adulthood with an increase in factors that can be negative to our psyche, making us more cautious in our approach to new tasks.

Combining these two factors can leave us with the idea that we are ‘too old to learn’, not to mention the fall off in the rate of cellular regeneration we experience as we get older. But the brain and body are like plastic, adapting to changes in a truly remarkable way. We develop callouses on our hands if we lay bricks to preserve our bodies, as protection. If we lift weights in a gym our muscles grow to cope with the new demands placed on them. We learn new facts every day, make friends, forge connections within the brain and cope with slightly different but unique situations every single day.

Learning a musical instrument does not have an age ceiling. You are never too old to learn.

Beethoven was deaf and couldn’t hear the premiere of his 9th symphony. Stevie Wonder has been blind from shortly after birth and overcame this disability to inspire millions. Django Reinhardt was caught in a fire and could only use two fingers on his fretting hand. He went on to become one of the most important guitarists of the 20th century and remoulded the gypsy jazz genre. Tom Morello started to learn guitar at the age of 17…. Chris Adler was 21. Leonardo DaVinci didn’t paint his first masterpiece (‘The Last Supper’) until he was 49 years old.

Through perseverance, an inspiring teacher and a gradual learning curve, you too can learn the music you love. You can become as proficient as you would like given the time that you have to invest. All it takes is time and practise.

I hope you have found these words helpful. I’m on your side.

Thank you for reading and happy learning. 🙂