When is it too late to be a musician?

[AwakenTheSkies]

it was much needed. I wasted my greatest years, sadly. Instead of going out and having a good time while living in the heart of Chicago, it was many nights of getting stoned and practicing/making demos that no one will even hear.

I'm 50% scared that I'm doing the same thing, except I've been going at it with the demos since I was 17. But I don't live in an interesting place like Chicago. And whenever I go out honestly I don't have fun. Usually I'm very bored and need to drink and smoke to feel somewhat stimulated. The only fun part for me is cracking jokes with my friends.

And taking practicing and recording seriously is what keeps me sober and gives me purpose. For some reason doing this makes me feel fulfilled. And while I don't expect to get rich or famous, at least I would like to make a product that I can be proud of. I just wish I could turn this activity into something social to meet more people like me in real life, and not in online forums. Hell I'm even thinking of just recycling some stuff into acoustic songs and go out and try to play that by myself in some bar or somewhere...

 

[14drz]

So you're in a band and can't synchronize the countless well paid gigs with your daytime job? I don't see any benefit in studying music that'll translate to big bucks down the road. You can learn the same stuff on your own, but your comment that you're "not a good" musician so far indicates you probably don't have enough discipline to up your game. Hope I didn't hurt your feelings, just my two cents.

well i still study something that is "useless" and it's gonna starve me lol at least music is something in which i'm actually interessed

 

[Marked Man]

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. I’m 24 and in the last couple of years I realised that music is what I really like and what I would have loved to study academically. I’m a self taught guitarist (not a good one though) and I always wonder if it’s too late for me or I can still think of giving myself a chance to try to do this. What do you think?
Is there a moment when it’s too late to think that you can become a good musician?

When would-be groupies call you "sir".

 

[Marked Man]

I'm 50% scared that I'm doing the same thing, except I've been going at it with the demos since I was 17. But I don't live in an interesting place like Chicago. And whenever I go out honestly I don't have fun. Usually I'm very bored and need to drink and smoke to feel somewhat stimulated. The only fun part for me is cracking jokes with my friends.

And taking practicing and recording seriously is what keeps me sober and gives me purpose. For some reason doing this makes me feel fulfilled. And while I don't expect to get rich or famous, at least I would like to make a product that I can be proud of. I just wish I could turn this activity into something social to meet more people like me in real life, and not in online forums. Hell I'm even thinking of just recycling some stuff into acoustic songs and go out and try to play that by myself in some bar or somewhere...

Making music for me has never been about being famous or even necessarily a public performer. It's always been about creation and the magic of playing with a band itself. And I still enjoy that as much as ever.

I've already got enough money at this point that it would take a LOT more (near superstardom) to make any real difference, so that's no motivator. And I hate the concept of being filmed at all times in public, even when trying to walk down the street or eating dinner, so whatever.

I still plan to get into producing however. Again, won't be about the need for money, although I wouldn't be doing it as charity. It would be for the artistic satisfaction of helping bands or my own projects get the best result.

 

[CTID]

Making music for me has never been about being famous or even necessarily a public performer. It's always been about creation and the magic of playing with a band itself. And I still enjoy that as much as ever.

yeah, this is it right here. the video i posted at the beginning of the thread goes over this briefly, but if you genuinely enjoy creating for the sheer sake of creating, you're going to do it no matter how old you are.

what's the dream look like, exactly? as this very thread has gone over, the dream of just writing music and sending it to labels and hitting it big to the point where it's a career has been gone for 10-20-30 years now. just create music if you enjoy doing so, or just play guitar because you think guitar is fun. i've gone through phases of both and went hard on playing in bands in my early 20s, but now that i turn 30 in a few months and have bills to pay, it's much more apparent nowadays that getting your shit taken care of and using your spare time to make music or do whatever the hell else you want with it is the way to go.

 

[Marked Man]

yeah, this is it right here. the video i posted at the beginning of the thread goes over this briefly, but if you genuinely enjoy creating for the sheer sake of creating, you're going to do it no matter how old you are.

what's the dream look like, exactly? as this very thread has gone over, the dream of just writing music and sending it to labels and hitting it big to the point where it's a career has been gone for 10-20-30 years now. just create music if you enjoy doing so, or just play guitar because you think guitar is fun. i've gone through phases of both and went hard on playing in bands in my early 20s, but now that i turn 30 in a few months and have bills to pay, it's much more apparent nowadays that getting your shit taken care of and using your spare time to make music or do whatever the hell else you want with it is the way to go.

If I only played guitar, I might have faded away unless being part of bands over the years. But I got my first 4-track within 2 years of starting to play guitar, and shortly after that my first bass and first drum machine (triggered live by hand) and finally a keyboard. I taught myself how to dissect and reassemble songs and play all of the major rock instruments well enough for serious demos and/or to play in a band on something other than a guitar.

Now have a fully built home studio and an excellent expanded Roland drum set and I can honestly say I enjoy playing drums as much as guitar, although I'm still a few notches higher on guitar for sure. I need to research the latest choice out there as I want to eventually have a near Peart level mega e-drum set in the basement. Playing bass is fun but I don't have passion for it the way I do guitar and drums. I've never become advanced on keys and probably never well, but I know enough about music theory and from listening to music over my lifetime to use them effectively in songs. I love to hear '70s/'80s analog style synth chords in the kind of prog-rock to metal I like to play. So this is what keeps me going. I often have friends contribute to song projects as well, although I can create and play it all if needed, which is what made me start to think more like a songwriter and producer over time than as a guitar player only.

 

[teamSKDM]

Painters do not handicap themselves with an age limit , why should we as artists ?

 

[HoneyNut]

I quit playing guitar during a hectic time of my life.... I did quit entirely, sold my guitars etc... About 2 years later, an ex-bandmate had to remind me that "you're a musician, you shoud buy the guitar" when I was checking out new stuff at a guitar store out of curiosity.

It's a really fun instrument that will give you a lifetime of joy, if not a money making career. Just suggestion, even if subjective, it's much more fun to play with like-minded people on a regular basis. It's really fun to be in a band and have bandmates who care for each other.

 

[TedEH]

10 years behind all my friends who have kids, houses, cars and wives

I dunno man, I have no kids, houses, or wives, and play tons of music - and it's pretty awesome.

To each their own, but there's no need for any of that to be a benchmark. I'd like to own a house, but I won't do it if it puts me in a position of not being able to play music as freely as I can now. Same idea with a wife. If being married restricted my personal interests, then I don't want a wife. The benchmark for me is just being successful enough to afford what I feel like doing, and having the free time to spend doing it. Everything else is gravy.

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

To each their own, but there's no need for any of that to be a benchmark. I'd like to own a house, but I won't do it if it puts me in a position of not being able to play music as freely as I can now. Same idea with a wife. If being married restricted my personal interests, then I don't want a wife. The benchmark for me is just being successful enough to afford what I feel like doing, and having the free time to spend doing it. Everything else is gravy.

Ultimately, people (other people, not folks like us, @TedEH) prioritize assets of their lives differently and/or they blatantly suck at time and energy management and end up investing too much into something (like having a wife, a house, etc.) to the point that they end up with no time or energy to devote towards their personal hobbies like music. It really sucks when a person says that having a wife or having a house robbed them of the ability to continue simply playing the guitar. But that really does say more about their time and energy management skills than anything else.

Like you, I don't have a partner or a house or anything that we've been discussing here. And I flat-out don't want either. (I'd perhaps maybe like to own a house own day in the future should I ever decide to tie myself down to one location, but definitely not in this current economy. And with the way that things are going now, the possibility of millennials and anyone younger ever having the prospect of owning a house is rapidly approaching zero...unless the housing market absolutely collapses on itself again like what we witnessed circa 2008 in the USA.) Like I said in one of my previous responses on the previous page of this thread, not owning a house or having a partner has helped yield the necessary focus required for me to continue making progress on advancing myself. It has made the process of self-improvement and self-betterment much easier to pursue. The fact that I get free time and free energy to blow on playing guitar is just bonus points. It's nice to have a hobby, eh?

 

[jaxadam]

OP, I didn’t even upload my first YouTube video until my late 20’s!

But as I’ve grown, gotten married, have a house, and have kids, I wouldn’t trade that for the world, or for all the time I want sitting around doing whatever I want.

I get a lot more joy seeing the world through my kids eyes and watching them play music and sports at our house with my wife. It’s infinitely more rewarding than just sitting on my ass sweep picking to a keyboard drum machine.

 

[AwakenTheSkies]

I agree with @jaxadam, I have no fucking clue what the right choice is. But I just want to make an album that I feel proud of and then calm down with the music, and do other stuff. I don't want to be a bitter loner when I'm old...

 

[Wildebeest]

At 24 I wasted SO MUCH TIME worrying about if things were too late, not realizing how young I actually was. Now I am 30 and I realize how much time I wasted worrying instead of doing. I beg of you, please stop worrying and spend more time creating and being true to yourself. You have so much potential, and your life is nowhere near over. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[dreamspace]

Best time would probably after you've managed to retire for life from another profession. Because, let's be real, earning enough to make a living is a uphill battle for the vast majority of musicians.

Most pro musicians I know work 5-7 days a week, almost all year round. It's a good mix of gigging, teaching, studio work, and everything between.

 

[14drz]

At 24 I wasted SO MUCH TIME worrying about if things were too late, not realizing how young I actually was. Now I am 30 and I realize how much time I wasted worrying instead of doing. I beg of you, please stop worrying and spend more time creating and being true to yourself. You have so much potential, and your life is nowhere near over. I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you mate I will!

 

[pyramids]

At 24 I wasted SO MUCH TIME worrying about if things were too late, not realizing how young I actually was. Now I am 30 and I realize how much time I wasted worrying instead of doing. I beg of you, please stop worrying and spend more time creating and being true to yourself. You have so much potential, and your life is nowhere near over. I wish you the best of luck.

So much this. I'm 47 and if there's anything I regret so far in life, it's all the worrying I did as a 30 year old. I thought I was too old to become a "serious guitarist", to tour, develop my musical style, etc etc. Today I look at 30 year olds and think "man, those kids have their life in front of them". If I'd have quit worrying and just fucking worked for what I love, I'd have 17 years of that supporting me now. 17 YEARS. That's enough to learn ANYTHING if you just take it seriously, and understand that you if you want something, you will have to give something else up.

In the end I'm happy, actually I don't regret the above like on a daily basis or anything. I had a lot of other life issues holding me back at that time, so I don't beat myself up about it. And I'm doing OK with music, it occupies a major part of my life still and I am gradually working more and more as a teacher. And I'm still learning new things, including on the guitar, with no plans to ever stop.

So yeah @OP, dude go for it. If music is your passion, let nothing hold you back. One thing I'll add if I've missed that someone else said it already, is - if you wish to play live, go to where there are other musicians, a happening scene, and play with people who are good and optimally better than you. Never be afraid of making a fool of yourself. Only be afraid of being too chicken shit to try.

 

[JimboLodisC]

Depends on the definition. At the shortest amount, one might be able to learn enough chords on guitar to play along with a church group for a song. Does that count as being a musician? Then basically anyone with a day and desire to learn how to play can be a musician.

Really you just set a goal for yourself and work towards it. Even if you run out of time, at least you began the journey.

 

[rockridge98]

No you're not too old. At 24 you might have more maturity and focus than if you'd started at 15.

If you start now and it doesn't work out you can at least say you gave it a shot.
Better that then be asking the same question at 30, 40, 50.

 

[ArtDecade]

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. I’m 24 and in the last couple of years I realised that music is what I really like and what I would have loved to study academically. I’m a self taught guitarist (not a good one though) and I always wonder if it’s too late for me or I can still think of giving myself a chance to try to do this. What do you think?
Is there a moment when it’s too late to think that you can become a good musician?

The cut-off is 23.5 years old to be a musician. At this point, you will need to stick to basic crappy stuff - like punk music or Periphery.

 

[ErockRPh]

I wrestle with this from time to time. I'm in my mid 40's with a career and a family. I have way more hobbies than I have time. I haven't been in a band since just after college, and while I write riffs all the time, I've never really made the time to start writing/arranging/recording full songs in literally a couple of decades. Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth the time and energy. I keep saying I'm going to buckle down and get serious, but I look at bands I grew up on that are getting way past their prime, and I wonder if I ever do get around to putting in the work whether I'll be too old to do anything relevant.

But the fact is, I still love playing guitar and I still love writing riffs. Even if I play till I'm 100 and the only one to hear me play is the memo app on my cell phone, it's still worth it. If playing makes you happy, then anything else is just gravy. There's no age limit on that.