Ideally, we would all start learning to play our preferred musical instrument starting as a very small child, and continue to practice until we had achieved effortless mastery. However, except a very select few, this doesn’t happen to most of us. Maybe our parents didn’t have any interest in getting involved in music, or maybe we played instrument we later gave up due to lack of interest. Whatever the reason, there are many out there who have reached adulthood without mastering a musical instrument.

Many of us who didn’t learn to play their preferred instrument are faced with the decision about starting to learn to play as an adult. Learning an instrument as an adult is often considered futile attempt by many. Since children’s minds are developing as they learn the instrument, the ability to play becomes deeply ingrained into them as they grow up. Adults brains have settled, so they never learn as well as a young child will. This is the same principle that applies to foreign languages.

However, there are those of us who choose to ignore this issue, and pursue our dream to play an instrument as an adult. I have always wanted to play the cello, but my parents were never able to afford it when I was a child. We had a piano, so I learned to play the piano, which I do not regret at all. However, I still had this strong urge to learn to play the cello. About a year ago, I decided that there’s no better time to start than today, I went over to the local music store, rented a cello, and started up lessons.

At first, the going was a little rough. As I quickly discovered, starting out on a new instrument is not easy. My playing was super scratchy, out of tune, and just plain non musical. However, I kept practicing, and noticed some improvement after every lesson. I was making progress, and that, to me, seemed like a good sign.

Now, a year and a few months later, I’ve improved greatly. I can play in tune most of the time, in several positions, and create sounds which actually resemble music. I’ve got a long way to go, sure, but I can certainly see my gaining a fair level of competency after a few more years of practice. Though I may never be as good as I would if I had started as a child, I’m really enjoying the learning process, and I will certainly be a competent player in a few years. So, if you’re considering starting an instrument at an older age, don’t listen to the naysayers, go ahead and for it. You might just be surprised with your progress.