General Music Chat

Never too late bud, especially for a band, if this is what you want from your life, go for it!

Great topic!

"I would imagine...that each time an individual entertains the thought of being too old to dream, a new one emerges...I would imagine".
-DGuitarWriter-

That about says it all, In so few words DGuitarWriter. Happy Easter Everyone.

I agree with Irminsul that we create these boundaries for ourselves and that shouldn't be. We need to forget about them and just do what we love and have passion for. Someone else said something about having an audience, too. I also agree with that. I went to a Prince concert in 2004, and what a change in his attitude. He made a point of letting everyone know how much he appreciated his audience. You knew he was greatful for the life in music he has now! Whatever your audience, enjoy it and never, never, never, never, never, never, did I say never, think you are too old!

You are never too old. Slayer still tours.
The nice thing about being older and in bands is I can now afford really good gear !!!

Of course being in a thrash metal band at the age of 38 I am always the oldest guy in the club.

Take one look (and listen) at Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders - she's 55 and still rocking! I'm 41 now and saw her a couple of years ago and she totally inspired me. I'd been in bands in my late 20's/early 30's and thought I was too old, too. But it's much better when you're older - odds are you have money, a real job and experience that you didn't have in your 20's and 30's. I say get your butt out there - and good luck!!!

Never too old. I'm about to celebrate my 43rd year of living as well as 32 years playing. Live your dreams.

Hey guys, thanks for the vote of confidence and encouragement. I am going for it, going to go as far as I can. The main reason I asked the question awhile back was because, I felt that with me being 43 now and just starting out, that it would be tougher to get anywhere as apposed to me starting out in my 20's and still wanting to do it at my age.

But I see by all the responses on here that that's not true and it's really helped me put that notion aside.

I'll be re-recording some new sound files soon to post on here. I'll keep you posted.


Tracy

Tracy,

Go for it - there's nothing better than doing what you love.

I'm 57 - I've been in music since 1964. I had to drop gigging from the age of 32 until I was 46 because I was raising my daughter on my own. I started a band at 46, because I wanted to do it again. We were gigging after 2 months. Once you get that music thing in your blood, the only cure is to do it.

Unless you can actually write music notation to get your original songs down, you might consider getting a little hand-held recorder with a built in mic. Then, when a melody comes to your mind, you can just sing it into the recorder, so you don't forget the melody. You can always write the lyrics down, but I find that if you just write down the lyrics, it's easy to forget the exact melody, unless you make an audio recording of it. (The quality on those is pretty poor, but it's good enough to capture the tune.)

All the best to you.

That bit about the recorder is Extremely important.
Over the last 25 years or so, I've pulled at least 25 original songs off of my tape recordings.
I record for anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes per recordong.
I can find or put together an original song from every 15 minutes of my recordings I listen to. I'm talking complete chords, melody, bass . . . complete songs . . .
.
I now have enough material for years to come; I have about 10 hours of unheard material.
I've been listening to these recordings bit by bit - and it rouses my subconsciousness with new ideas.
You wouldn't believe the amount of material hidden in your subconsciousness . . . .
It's like an avalanch; sometimes I'll listen for 5 minutes, and record for ten minutes.
CC is right; try it - you'll see.

HeY girl! I am 26 from ohio

Wow, that is one early mid-life crisis.


...to comment on the thread, don't let society's idea of "maturity" keep you from doing something you like. Just because music is marketed to a particular demographic doesn't mean that you have to be 17 to make music... or bake bread, for that matter. Music is for everybody.

Here here!!

Music is a gift. Whether you believe in God, Budda, Allah, Shiva or Elvis,(;P) it is something given to you. Not to share that gift with others is a waste of that gift. Don't let your notion of age, or for that matter not being technically proficient, hold you back.

Some examples;

Sammy Hagar, still packing houses at 60.
B. B. KIng , Master of blues, 76
Luciano Pavoratti 72
Paul McCartney, 65

True, they may have "made it" at a younger age, however they continue to inspire and create great music.

.
The nice thing about being older and in bands is I can now afford really good gear !!!

AMEN!!!!!!

You know, the more I look back at this chat, you gotta realize that age is just not an issue any more when it comes to playing music, than it is for any other dream you may have in life. Some people go into acting late in life, some people start businesses late in life. Whatever the dream, if it's a dream, only you can make it real. Age should not be an issue, just as it is never an issue with a dream other than music. With the technology today, you don't need the record company or the managers etc.. I wish the internet was as big back when I was younger, but you know what? It's big now and I'm still kicking! I'm 53, in a band called THE FOSSILS, and I also play out solo. Check out www.myspace.com/jerseyfossils and www.myspace.com/tessafan It's never too late if you're still breathing!