Later in life learners - how did you do it?

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Hey friends! As you know, many people think it’s ‘too late’ to start learning an instrument…

But as you ALSO know from being part of this forum, that’s baloney and plenty of people get good starting in their 30s, 40s, 50s, all the way into their 80s.

So I wanna make a video about this to encourage people to just PLAY no matter what age excuse, and I need your help!

If you could tell me…

  • How old are you? / when did you start playing bass? (just decade if fine if you’re dainty about this sort of thing :stuck_out_tongue: )
  • Did you have any challenges with learning bass related to your age? (i.e. less time than when you were younger, or stiffer fingers, or whatever)
  • How did you get through those challenges?
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I was 50, my youngest son had been playing guitar for a few years. I started so that we would have an active to do together.

I would say that time was the biggest problem. We solved the problem by setting a schedule of two nights a week.

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Hi Josh!
I am 71 years young and I decided I wanted to play bass 25 years ago. I tried to teach myself using a series of self-teaching books available at the time. Given my work/travel schedule then and now, it was hard to learn with some consistency. I learned some songs and that was the extent of it. Fast forward to 2019 and I found your videos and the B2B course. I realized this would help with my learning since I can learn at my own pace while on the road. Combine this with all the great people on the forum and it was/is a winning combination.
Challenges for me, of course, is finger flexibility and memorization of the piece I’m trying to play.
I get over the challenge of flexibility by studying the teachings of that great philosopher Dirty Harry: “A man’s got to know his limitations.” I don’t try to play anything too difficult that I can’t play well enough to get by. As far as memorization, well, I still working on that one. :laughing:
Anyway, it has been an extremely fun ride and I encourage everyone of all ages learn.
PS: I’m currently on my second pass in B2B (Module 12) and learning more.

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56, now 58. My challenge was fretting arm position. I ruptured a bicep tendon that was repaired which now limits my forearm rotation. I make it work, it’s not what is considered proper technique but it works. Initially I tried electric guitar and I just couldn’t make it work. Too bad because I’d love to take the new guitar course.

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Great topic Josh!

The biggest challenge is of course having less time to practise. This is not only about actual time available, but also about time where your head isn’t full.

What helps me here are practise routines (when the kids watch their daily show, I practise) and purposeful practising/knowing what to practise. Your course helps me there a lot in situations where life is too much and I can’t be bothered to think of anything meaningful to practise, I know your curriculum has got me covered.

Another challenge for me is finding an appropriate space to apply what I‘m learning outside my own room. Most people my age (40 btw) have either made music since they were teens (=probably don’t want a beginner to play with) or they don’t play anymore or only alone. I am playing in a band at my school with teenage students (I‘m a teacher and they needed someone on Bass so I decided to help them and also give myself this opportunity)

The school band has been a blessing, but I would also like to find other spaces, where I get the chance to apply and expand my skills, and I wouldn’t know where to look. All those young people playing in bands, with hopes for the future-even if they don’t reach their goals, at least they have learned musical skills. And Even if they don’t pursue a career in music, they end up generally being able to improvise, Jam, write Songs etc. I somehow have the nagging feeling, that if you miss out on that phase in a musician‘s life, that’s something you can’t make up for later, because the environment that fosters this type of development doesn’t exist beyond that phase in life. Or at least it’s harder to find…

On the plus side: You usually have more financial resources and you know much more about yourself and your learning process and so you my be able to avoid some dead ends.

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  1. Late 50s. Also late 50s.
  2. Age related: I have to be a lot more fussy about my posture. The effect of poor posture (hunching in concentration) hits hard and quickly now, within minutes. When I was young I could practice slouched like a shrimp longer before my back and shoulders got sore.
  3. Careful attention to how I set up my practice space. Frequent posture resets and deliberately stretching/reversing out of my forward-head-and-forward-shoulders slump.
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I’m 83, started 3 months ago. My son-in -law, on impulse, bought a bass and your course, decided he was too busy, and gave them to me. We already have a guitar player and drummer in the family, so a bass was needed. A lifelong educator, I loved your teaching style and started working my way through the course. His bass was big and heavy, so I got myself a short scale bass. Your course was the perfect distraction from my husband’s progressing Parkinson’s journey. I learn more slowly than when I was younger, but no longer have to go to work every day, so I have time. I play violin (started at 73) so understand theory. I expected, because the bass has the same strings, to learn the fretboard easily, but my brain hasn’t made the switch, and it’s taking me 9 weeks rather than 9 minutes to memorize the fretboard. I type out easy songs using Musescore, which is helping me learn to read bass clef. I type the notes and later add tabs in pencil where I need them. Then I play the song very slowly with someone on Youtube. I “finished” your course in about two months. I need to keep my fingers and shoulders supple for violin playing so do daily warmup exercises before picking up any instrument and am not bothered by arthritis or stiffness. My family is happier with my beginner bass sounds than they were with the beginner violin.

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I’m 51. At 50 I realized that music has always been important to me, that I’m creative and like making things, and it was silly I’d never learned an instrument. So I bought myself a bass and this course.

In full honesty, the biggest challenges are mental, and your style and pedagogy are fantastic antidotes. I’m too old to learn? Never! It’s been a long time since I learned something new? Great time to start! Growth is uncomfortable. Period. Anyone who’s lived a few decades should know that by now, but it bears reminding, and it certainly doesn’t have to be scary. Is it a waste of money? Only if you give up, and even then you can give it to grandkid or sell it at a garage sale next year and be glad you tried something. That equals an investment in yourself.

Buzz lessons have the information a learner needs when it comes up. There’s emPHAsis on the importance of keeping things light and in bite-sized chunks–applicable to a concept or skill–but also to the time needed for lessons and practice. I got a boost when I started picking up my bass for 10 minutes or less just because it was nearby. 5 min before heading back to work, or before making dinner. It wasn’t lessons, but practicing a riff or a drill several times in the day adds up!

The supportive forum is a huge asset, too.

It’s worth noting that learning new things, and especially languages or musical skills, are closely linked to maintaining cognition while aging. Plus it’s a hobby that builds new connections and community.

Fortunately, I don’t have many of the physical challenges, although I sometimes squint at tabs. :laughing:

Probably assurances about alternative postures, straps, lighter instruments, short scale options for less finger stretching (it’s not why I have and love one, but Mike Watt said part of his Wattplower design is making it small and light for his oldening body)… there are many accommodations available.

Lastly, a revisit of the gear needed to start would be appropriate. A one-stop guide to options. Illustrations of methods One through Two Thousand. I’ve sketched the concepts out (bass>headphone amp / bass> combo amp / bass> / etc.) several times for confused friends. “Didn’t you just buy an amp? That huge speaker?” “Well, that still needs at least one more box to make it go boom…” And some things are interrelated. e.g. Find more practice time with a couch rig.

There’s a lot to learn, and some of it is tech heavy. I’ve grown up with computers, but others may have less familiarity. And the world of gear options make the endeavor both potentially cheaper, and potentially more computer-y. As far as the course goes, I find the Bass Buzz Web site and lessons structure to be quite user friendly and intuitive. But some UX testing with the agéd couldn’t hurt.

If I’m in some retirement villa in 30 years, I want to shake the pictures off my neighbors’ walls. Not really. But kinda. It’s one venue where half the crowd will be asking to turn it up!

Thanks for making a great resource and continuing to make it better, Josh. Your experience, thoughtfulness, charisma, and approach make it easy and fun.

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I’m 60 and started learning at 52 with your B2B course. I don’t recall any issues while learning other than convincing myself that it was okay to move on from Billy Jean without mastering the fast workout. :grin: I feel like I had a huge advantage because I started playing every week at my church just a month into the course. Playing live with other people really helped solidify what I was learning through the lessons.

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I’m in my mid 40s (which I know puts me at the young end of this discussion, so I likely have an easier time than many), and while I technically started playing bass in my teens, I took a 20+ year break in the middle so it’s probably best to say I started playing in 2025.

Other folks will be along to talk about their joints and various aches and pains, and don’t get me wrong I have them too. Minding my history of tendonitis in my plucking wrist was a big concern of mine, though my body has handled it well.

And of course, there’s the matter of finding time. The key to that one is to realize that as long as you’re being deliberate about your practice, meaning you’re actually focusing on areas of improvement not just noodling, you really can make progress 15 minutes at a time. Or when motivation is an issue, forcing yourself to do just 15 minutes of practice can very quickly get you feeling motivated to go on for 30 or 60.

But mostly I’d like to flip the script on this whole question. They say that solving puzzles and learning new skills are all important for brain health as we age, and I think learning to play an instrument counts as both. Plus as someone with a desk job, playing bass is a great excuse to get off my butt and on my feet for a little bit. It can also be a bit meditative to just play along with songs you love, and it’s nice to have an “offline” activity where the apps and notifications and doomscrolling can be left in another room for a while while you shut it all out.

There can definitely be age-related challenges with learning, but I think there are a lot of benefits as well and reaping those rewards as I get older is a big part of what motivates me.

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@JoshFossgreen

Hi Josh.

All challenging. That’s the point.:grin:

I decided to try learning since the music I enjoy (70s to current eclectic rock) has a strong bass. Got thru all lessons in a year. Most difficult: alt plucking.

How I solved it: don’t worry about it.

I just do the best I can.

I’m light on theory and reading music. I’m spending more time playing to tunes I can follow reasonably well. “Billie Jean” sort of. “Bad” much easier.

I just picked up some Joe Bonamossa tunes. I think I can do some.

“Wouldn’t it be Good”, “High and Dry”, “Need You Now”, “Loosing My Religjon”, “Too Sweet”, “Way Down We Go”, “Torn”, “Thunderstruck” are all songs that are on the doable list and motivate me. They all have tricky parts but I can enjoy at least a few bars which is very satisfying and FUN.
Thanks for the great bassbuzz lessons that have launched me on this late-in-life journey.

PS your latest challenge is challenging. I WILL get it. Chunking, slowing down.

Also I WILL create a video. I WILL.

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@drew.gagne

You give me hope.

Thanks.

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First, thanks for asking about this topic, @JoshFossgreen – and for the wonderful course you’ve developed.

I am 73 now, I started the BassBuzz course at 67 (in the depths of the pandemic). I had been interested in playing bass most of my life, but finding the time and the drive/dedication to do it (including finding a teacher IRL) seemed too much to tackle. It just didn’t seem realistic.

At 67, I felt like I had more time for daily practice than I would have mid-career with kids at home; but the truth is that you make time for what you want and/or need to do. And once I got started, I definitely wanted/needed to play bass.

My fretting fingers may be a bit less nimble than when I was younger, but I agree with @Ardea that posture is the real limiting issue. If I’m not careful about posture, and curl myself around the fretboard, then my back and shoulders will be killing me before long. That is particularly a problem if I sit in a chair or a chair-height stool, but standing creates its own (different) stress. So one thing that has helped is a high stool with saddle seat and a back against my lower back. It puts my legs in a position close to standing, and the back of the seat helps keep my posture upright.

But to be honest, when I’m playing, I’m not thinking of back pain or finger stiffness – it’s just fun. If anything, playing bass makes me feel young. And I know I would not have stuck with it, and would not have advanced so far so quickly, without @JoshFossgreen and the terrific Beginner to Badass course. It’s given me confidence to jam with people even before I was finished with the course, and to play in our church band.

Thank you, @JoshFossgreen

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Hi Josh!

I’m a 64 years young boy with a halfway semi-decent music education. I started bass learning last april, straight ahead with your course. Why? No, seriuosly, why not?

Challenges? Actually and until now, less than learning saxophone. In other words: business as usual - even learning the Irish whistle is challenging. But bass is an amazing instrument and your course (and your jokes) is perfectly designed.

How I get through? With patience, knowing that learning takes time and enjoying the bless to not expect to become the next Marcus Miller (call it a “nonchalant attitude”, sounds good).

Related to age: cons - work leaves less time available for practicing; pros - not to be extremely worried about money while deciding to buy a 350 EUR bass; luck- not yet having physical issues.

Thanx!!

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  • Almost 62 / December 2024
  • Not unique to playing Bass, but just being mindful of posture, breaks, and pushing pause to rest and recover. The latter takes a lot longer than it did years ago.
  • The other challenges: choosing from what’s important and enjoying the process of figuring it all out along the way. The overwhelming amount of advice and information online required a lot of sifting to make decisions on which gear to buy, how much gear to worry about at the start, and learning path. Your YouTube channel prior to committing to BtBA was a huge help with that process.

Most importantly, my Wife and fellow music nut is my biggest supporter. She gave me my first Bass and amp and sits next to me in our music room while I play. It’s really the most fun learning songs that she likes.

Thanks @JoshFossgreen for this post and your incredible learning resources.

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I’m 53 I started bass in May with the B2B course. I worked on the course every day I wasn’t working. I work in the medical field and work the typical 3 day 12 hour shift hospital schedule. That leaves me with 4 days give or take that i devote to Bass study. I completed the course and now I am learning songs. Honestly I spend about 8 -12 hours a day 4 days a week on the bass. Its a mixture of scales and songs and playing to tracks with no bass and coming up with my own thing. I decided I was going to completely immerse myself in learning the bass guitar and I’m not stopping. For me its the only way I want to move forward because I want to end up being pretty good to great. I refuse to let my age stop me so I combat lost time with immersion. It’s really all I do besides normal family duties.

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I’m 57, started at the end of June (right around my 57th birthday). I have tried guitar over the years at various points, and have always given up and convinced myself that I just can’t play a string instrument. A friend has been playing drums and asked if I wanted to come over and jam. I told them I didn’t play anything, and they were basically like “well, pick something and learn!”. We had a bass at our house. I picked it up, went into Songsterr and saw tabs, and learned my first song in the first day (Breeders Cannonball). That completely took me out of my headspace of “I can’t” and put me into “Why didn’t I try bass earlier?!?!” My biggest challenge was telling myself I can’t. Now when I come across a song that is challenging, I say “I can’t YET.”

I threw myself into the deep end, having jam sessions with my friend on drums and my husband on guitar and kinda’ jumped right into the fire, learning song on the fly. I thought that I should get some foundations down to break bad habits before they start, so I am taking one class a week and doing these classes, and I am LOVING it.

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Josh, I’m 75, bought a used bass in spring 2026, and started by watching various bass teacher videos on YouTube. Eventually picked the BassBuzz Beginner to Badass course in June, first lesson mid-June.
The one aspect of my age that has been a challenge is my left thumb with arthritis, that is a bit of pain when I forget and press too hard gripping the neck. However, in an early lesson Josh specifically addressed working with a relaxed, loose thumb, avoiding a heavy grip when fretting. That has helped, and now, first of September, I am on Module 13!

A little extra background from my June 22 Introduce Yourself post:

Hey, all, I’m Craig, ooold retired guy (75). Played Mel Bay-level folk guitar chords in the 60’s (HS & college) and on into the 80s with no real lessons or improvement. Always loved the bass lines in old R&R, like the intro to We Gotta Get Outta This Place. Found a used Squier PJ bass under $200 at Guitar Center and dove in. After following several You Tube bass channels, I tried Josh’s 7 Day Free Lessons video, then committed to B2B. Just getting into it and half way through Lesson 3. (12 notes, sharps & flats!)

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55 here, just started a month ago and completed Module 13 today.

The only age-related challenge for me is my back and getting comfortable in practice position for long enough. The solution for me was a better stool and a good footrest.

Also GAS seems to be much more potent for most of at this age.

To echo @mat-O-matic - B2B is the antidote to almost every challenge you could find with learning bass at any age.

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I started when I was 48, just turned 50 a couple weeks ago.

I played other instruments growing up, so I had a head start on bass.

Biggest issue for me due to starting later is impatience. Time is fleeting, and it’s hard for me to put in the slow work to get to the point I want to be at. My impatience just wants to play things at full speed, even if I’m not actually there yet.

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