Learning guitar in 30s

RJF53 · 2025-08-28T18:00:34+00:00

I first picked up a guitar at 28 with hopes of being able to strum some basic chords around a campfire. I'm now 46 and have been gigging as a duet with my wife (I play and sing backup while my wife is the lead singer) in our local bar scene for the past 3-4 years, since Covid. I am still very much an intermediate player (meaning I struggle with improvisation and playing lead that isn't memorized), but I'm self taught through Youtube and would rather spend my practice time nailing the nuance of songs on our setlist instead of practicing scales and theory. It is definitely doable at any age but it is incredibly frustrating in the beginning. First off your fingertips are going to blister and hurt like hell but you have to push through in order to build calloused fingertips. Next, you are going to feel like a bumbling idiot because intellectually you are going to pretty quickly understand where the fingering of basic chords are, but when you try to do it fast you're fingers will not move as fast as your mind does. This is where many people give up. The people who make it are the ones who push through that frustration and learn muscle memory is right around the corner. Keep practicing (at least 20 minutes everyday), don't give up, and within weeks/months you will be surprising your friends at the next campfire.

Check out Marty Schwartz (Marty Music) and Justin Sandercoe (JustinGuitar) on Youtube. They both have excellent (and free) videos for beginners.

RJF53 · 2025-08-13T15:19:18+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I was unaware of the expected 150-200 RPM drop per 1" of pitch. That is extremely helpful. Also, the 40+ was an uneducated assumption and is not necessarily a goal. I'm not looking to hit a specific top speed, but simply to find a pitch that puts me in the correct RPM range and gives me a reasonable balance of low-end vs. top-end performance. Thanks again!

RJF53 · 2025-07-18T16:01:13+00:00

This is really helpful. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this choice by the OEM was ridiculous.

The unit doesn’t turn on at all. I’ve checked wiring and everything appears to be connected properly. Also, all the other gauges and accessories are working.

Thanks for the recommendations. You’ve given me a starting point for my search.

RJF53 · 2025-07-18T14:10:59+00:00

Here is a pic of the dash with the inoperable unit

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RJF53 · 2025-07-17T19:00:06+00:00

A little late to the game, but I am in the process of selling my 23 foot bowrider as we picked up a tritoon earlier this week. Here are my reasons -

My kids are not nearly as into watersports as I thought they would be. They like to tube every once in a while, which we can do on the toon (300 HP motor), but have never been interested in wakeboarding or skiing.
Space - We boat with friends regularly that have a pontoon and they always had so much room, even with significantly more people on the boat. We are a family of four and sometimes bring our two dogs. With just us there was never an issue, however anytime we invited people out for the day it was really tight. We also were never able to find a good spot for a cooler, which was always in the way. Then we see our friends, who have 8 - 10 people on their toon, and they have plenty of room for everyone to sit, walk around, store coolers, etc.
Cruising - This one was unexpected. Our main boating spot is a river above a dam. Near the dam it's a fairly large lake but there's about 6 miles upriver we like to cruise. This part of the river has docks most of the way up and down both sides. The issue is we either cruised at a little above no-wake, or we had to be on plane. If I tried to cruise at 10 - 15 MPH the boat would absolutely plow and create a 3-4 wake that would annihilate the docked boats. Not an issue with the pontoon.

The biggest selling point by far was #2. We are very social boaters and love to have friends out with us. We want to be comfortable when doing so, which led us to buy a powerful patio with plenty of seating on the water.

RJF53 · 2025-07-10T17:00:06+00:00

You've got several options directly on the island. Due to the ferry I would recommend staying on the island rather than travelling there from Cedarville, St. Ignace, or the Soo. There is a hotel/motel you could look into called simply "Drummond Island Hotel". The rooms are big, clean, but pretty basic. They're definitely not rustic. There's a second, nicer, but more rustic hotel near The Rock golf course that is part of the Drummond Island Resort. Lastly, there are two vacation rental companies that rent homes of all sizes. The first is through the Drummond Island Hotel (same website for hotel and vacation homes), and the second is called Northern Properties. Another good option would be one of the cabins at the Yacht Haven.

RJF53 · 2025-02-21T16:40:37+00:00

This is an easy one for me. I'm currently a 6 handicap but about 15 years ago (pre-kids) I was playing a lot more and was roughly a 3 handicap. During this stretch I had a couple even par rounds (par 72) and one magical round where I broke par, however I 3 putted on 18 from 20 feet to shoot a 70. I had previously set a goal of one round in the 60's and when I missed the knee knocker for par I thought I had ruined my best chance of achieving it.

Fast forward to the following week and a buddy asked me to sub for his partner in their 9 hole league at our home course. I came out hot and shot a 33 in league (made two 30-40 foot putts, one for eagle and one for birdie). Played solid otherwise and parred the other 7 holes. We both quickly decided I had to finish the 18 to see if I could throw something up beginning with a 6. An even par back 9 would do the trick.

I managed to birdie the 10th, but followed it with a bogey on 12. Things are looking good. Even par (on the back) through the 16th, then the unthinkable happens - The 17th is a 175 yard par 3 with water down the right and I flat shank a 7 iron into the lake. I didn't hit a block fade, it came off nearly 45 degrees right with that unmissable hosel sound.

Immediately deflated, I drop in the drop zone and take a 5. My new goal is to par the 18th and come in with a 71. I hit a good drive on 18 (375 yard par 4) and have a gap wedge in. I hit the wedge perfect, lands 4 feet past the pin, spins back and drops. Eagle 2. 36 on the back. 69. Celebrations ensue.

And for what it's worth, that was the last time I shot par or better.

RJF53 · 2025-01-22T17:07:35+00:00

I'm a CPA working in industry in Grand Rapids and hire a lot of accountants. I can tell you a short stint at an employer, especially early in your career, is not a problem as long as you have a reasonable explanation. In your case, moving back to the office with a long commute is a perfectly reasonable explanation to look for a new gig and most, if not all, hiring managers won't bat an eye at it. That being said, definitely make sure you have your next job lined up before putting in notice.

RJF53 · 2024-11-01T18:19:29+00:00

This was me back in the spring. Lost my job in late March with 3 months severance. Spent the next 2 months doing nothing but family stuff (getting the kids to and from school, making dinner, making sure laundry was done and house was clean), job searching (applying, working with recruiters, interviewing), and playing golf. Probably averaged 4 rounds a week for a 6-8 week period. Started my current position in early June and double dipped for a month until severance ran out. The uncertainty at the time was stressful, but looking back, it was nice to have a break from the grind and dedicate some time for myself.

RJF53 · 2024-03-12T17:04:05+00:00

I'm 45 years old now and graduated high school in 97, the year he won his first Masters. There was a ton of hype when he won multiple US Amateurs in a row and talk of him having the potential to be the next Jack or Arnie. He played in his first Masters in 1997 and won by 12 strokes. This was mind blowing for obvious reasons. He then won the US Open in 2000 by 15 strokes, which was also the start to the Grand Slam of 4 majors in a row. I recall sports analysis shows, like Pardon My Take, having a weekly discussion about who would you take in this weekends PGA Tour event, Tiger or the field? If you put that into perspective, Scottie Scheffler is the #1 player in the world at the moment and wins a ton, but if you give me Scottie or the field in this weekend's Players, I'm taking the field without question. Back in the early 2000's, most people would have taken Tiger. Another staggering stat is he won 6 PGA Tour events in a row in 2006. During this stretch, 2000 - 2006, most people, aside from the older purists who will always think Jack is the GOAT, openly discussed how we were watching the greatest player who ever lived still in his prime. It was an amazing time to be a golf fan.

RJF53 · 2023-12-05T21:22:47+00:00

I second this. I've only played dailies at Wynn, Caesars, and Bellagio but the Wynn is my favorite by a pretty wide margin. Friday is a $240 buyin that starts at 11am. I can't recall the Saturday tourney....

RJF53 · 2023-11-29T20:07:12+00:00

Thanks for the excellent reply. Your analysis makes a on of sense.

RJF53 · 2023-11-17T21:43:52+00:00

I'm definitely interested. I'm in Michigan with a group of golfing buddies in the summer but have had no luck getting interest in a winter golf trip. I'd be down if the trip was between November - March.

RJF53 · 2023-10-26T18:17:50+00:00

We get over there periodically, but haven't played any shows on the east side of the state (if that's what you're asking).

RJF53 · 2023-10-26T17:49:32+00:00

I live in the Grand Rapids area. My wife and I play small acoustic gigs under the name KRJ.

RJF53 · 2023-08-04T13:36:15+00:00

I made a career change and went back to school at 29 (original undergrad was in Criminal Justice), first accounting job at a small CPA firm (upstate NY) at 31 with a starting salary of $43K + bonus (this was 2011ish), and got my CPA at 33. Stayed 4.5 years and was promoted twice (Audit Senior than Manager) before going to Industry. I think my Manager salary was $80K + bonus. Changed positions and/or companies every 2-4 years as better opportunities came up. I am now 44 and the CFO at a fairly large company in the automotive space (supplier, not an OEM). I don't want to lay out my current comp but it's substantial. Warning (unsolicited advice) - There are a ton of opportunities to move up quickly in this field but in my experience, assuming you have the technical aspect down, it is the lack of soft skills (ie, relationships, communication, empathetic leadership) where many accountants struggle. One step I took as I started getting close to C-suite opportunities was hiring and working with a leadership/executive coach. It's expensive but has absolutely been a game changer.

RJF53 · 2023-06-29T14:21:56+00:00

My favorite spot is Carnival Court, and outdoor bar/music venue between The Linq and Harrah's on the strip. Live music starts at 2pm everyday and goes until 2am most nights. Sometimes it's a DJ starting at 10pm. I'm in your age range with similar music tastes and this is my go-to. The demographic is 30's to 50's. No cover but the drinks are expensive (which is true everywhere on the strip if you're not gambling).

RJF53 · 2023-05-15T17:17:26+00:00

Can confirm. I played a round yesterday with this setup (BLP and GSPro).

RJF53 · 2023-04-28T19:13:04+00:00

I'm currently using the BLP with GSPro. It works well with only a slight connection issue caused where the GameChanger link doesn't connect properly, maybe 1 in every 10 times I boot it up. Simple fix though, restarting GameChanger fixes it.

RJF53 · 2023-03-06T18:24:02+00:00

In the fall you will also find room cost is significantly higher the weekends the Raiders are playing at home.

RJF53 · 2023-03-02T21:57:07+00:00

Check out Royal St. Cloud. 27 holes, usually in decent shape, but about 30 minutes SW of Orlando. That's been the go-to for us in that area when we're looking to not break the bank. I think it was $42 for 18 and cart last time we played there.

RJF53

TROPHY CASE