A question about learning on an instrument...

[The Stonker]

Hey Escapists, I just want to begin this thread by apologizing for how much of an asshole I was, yes, I was a bit drunk but that is no excuse, I apologize for my behaviour.
Now, I want to ask a question, the question is that is there any age where it's "too late" to learn on an instrument?
My grandfather who has been an instrumental teacher for the past 40 years says that if you don't start on the cello when you're about 5-12 then you don't stand a chance.
So now I'm 17 and I really, really want to learn the cello, but they always tell me to forget it and that it's too late.
So Escapist, is there a due date on when you can pick up an instrument?

 

[chuckey]

i don't really think so. I used to play violin for 3 years and stopped playing it sophomore year in high school. I was awful at the instrument and I also hated it. end of sophomore year I picked up the guitar and have been loving it ever since. I've been playing for almost 3 years now and have seen amazing improvement. It all depends on how much effort you will put in trying to learn it and how much you enjoy playing it.

 

[Paksenarrion]

"Show no mercy. Do not hesitate, and soon your transformation into a cello player shall be complete."

 

[Zoroastres]

It is too late.

...if You plan on becoming a genius celloist and making it into a career.

The hardest part would be allocating sufficient time to become skilled. Children can spend multiple hours each day practicing... the older you get, the less time you have to play, and the more activities you have to occupy that time. In terms of acquiring a skill (as a hobby) it's more disadvantageous the older you are.

But that's no reason to be discouraged. If it's something you want to do, do it. The worst thing that could happen is that you don't learn how to play. You already don't know how to play--you have nothing to lose and something very nice to gain.

 

[vxicepickxv]

Don't go buy a brand new top of the line most expensive one though. Get a used one in pretty good shape.

 

[Heart of Darkness]

If you want to make a career out of playing an instrument, your chances of doing so decrease with age. BUT, there is no date that magically tops you from learning an instrument. It might be harder to do so due to lack of time (and, IIRC, younger brains are much more wired for learning, whereas older minds are more wired for thinking).

You're still 17. You should still be able to pick up an instrument with little to no problems. You're not going to be as good as someone who started on the instrument you plan to play at 5, 10, or even 15, but that's to be expected due to them having more years of practice than you (assuming innate skill is equal).

 

[Hero in a half shell]

You are still quite young, at 17 you should still be able to progress to quite a high level, but as others have said you will never make up for the lost time that you might have had. Learning to play will be harder, and you will have less time to practice, but it will depend on if you enjoy playing the instrument.
I was taught the cello from when I was around 7 till about 17, and I hated it, mainly because I was forced to play it for 15 minutes every day and we had crap, really crap, cellos bought cheap by our school board that you had to spend half an hour trying to tune every time you wanted to play, and they would go out of tune while you were playing them
I have quit for several years now and I do miss it, I took up the guitar and enjoy playing it, although that may be just because I never need to tune it!
I would say if you really do want to learn then go for it, it is a great instrument to learn and it sounds great played solo, but learning is hard and for the first few years everything you play will sound like cats.

 

[Jonluw]

It certainly is easier to pick up stuff like that when you're younger; but that's no reason not to try.

The advantage to starting late is that you can understand the basic concepts a lot easier than a child would, and thus get a really strong start.

I started playing the bass and the trombone when I was 16; and after a month or two, I had already exhausted the curriculum that was supposed to be done in a year by someone who had just started.

Spoiler: After a little more than a year on the bass, I am now working on songs like these:

I'm not all that great, but I can at least play some decent stuff with a bit of practice

In other words, you will get to a decent level a lot quicker.
However, the instrument won't as easily become second nature as for someone who has been doing it since they were a child.

Do not give up because someone tells you you're too old. Fight: Make an effort to practice, and break through the notion that you can't learn it. It's never to late to attempt to realize your dreams.

 

[Blue Musician]

Hey Escapists, I just want to begin this thread by apologizing for how much of an asshole I was, yes, I was a bit drunk but that is no excuse, I apologize for my behaviour.
Now, I want to ask a question, the question is that is there any age where it's "too late" to learn on an instrument?
My grandfather who has been an instrumental teacher for the past 40 years says that if you don't start on the cello when you're about 5-12 then you don't stand a chance.
So now I'm 17 and I really, really want to learn the cello, but they always tell me to forget it and that it's too late.
So Escapist, is there a due date on when you can pick up an instrument?

It's still a great time, but it will be harder to learn than if you learned i between 5-12. But it's still very possible indeed. Hell some of my friends started at the age of 21! So yeah.
Oh and a little advice: the sooner you start learning the instrument and the more time you give to the instrument, the merrier you will be. Note that good cello pieces won't really come until, say, one year, but it's possible that you can a little bit sooner. I had to wait 2 years for having a fun piece that I wanted to play for piano.

Hope this helped.

 

[BlueberryMUNCH]

Stonkerrrrrrrrrrrr my son, you good?

I don't think there's a set age, of course not.

I reckon, if you really want to learn, put the hard work and commitment in, you can learn it easy, and be damn good.

At the end of the day, as Muhammed Ali once said:

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."

One of the many things I live my life by:'].