It’s never too late to learn. Penny Trauth was in her late 70s when she picked up the cello for the first time. Photo by Phil Houseal

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New Licks for Old Dogs

by Phil Houseal
Jan 25, 2012

Good news. If you are older than 16, it’s not too late to learn to play a musical instrument.

I’ve been thinking about this after several people expressed wonderment that anyone would attempt to learn to play violin in midlife (which I am doing). The prevailing wisdom holds that once the human being passes a critical age, the brain is unable to acquire certain types of learning. Scientists cite the case of a girl who was isolated until age 13, when she was exposed to language for the first time. She eventually learned to speak, but never was able to fully grasp grammar.

Now researchers are looking deeper into the theory of learning. Gary Marcus explored the idea in a new book Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning.

Marcus is in his 40s and a professor of psychology. He wanted to study cognitive development - specifically how adults learn - so he used himself as a guinea pig. After a frustrating encounter with the popular video game Guitar Hero - where you try to mimic instrumentals on real songs - he set about learning how to play guitar. He had no innate musical ability (some dispute whether there is such a thing), and did not know how to play any instrument.

He admitted the perception is that kids learn quicker. But that is because kids are willing to learn incrementally.

“Kids have more patience to do the same thing over and over until they get it right,” Marcus said. “Adults push themselves to get the whole song on the first day.”

Another barrier holding us back is our fear of failure. More specifically, avoiding what we are bad at doing. But attacking that is the key to success. “If I had just done what I was good at, I would still sound terrible,” said Marcus.

As director of an adult learning program, I’ve watched thousands of people attack new skills and hobbies. I believe the fallacy that adults can’t learn is due to two factors: 1) if we as adults spent as many hours a day for as many years practicing as a child did, we would be as good; and 2) kids learn faster because they are not afraid to look silly doing it. I’ve known middle-aged successful executives that get physically ill contemplating trying to speak a foreign language in a group of other adults. They are so frightened of not being in control, they freeze up. (That is why I have a leg up on learning - I have absolutely no problem with looking stupid.)

But the good news is that while it is true our cognitive function degrades as we age, we implement other strategies to compensate.

We are able to recognize patterns, we can draw on a wider experience, and we have multiple ways to solve problems. As an adult, we can understand more music theory - how music works - that a child wouldn’t comprehend.

Other research proves that the act of learning is beneficial in and of itself. Attempting any new skill throughout life actually increases brain function.

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that dancing makes you smarter. And it’s not just dancing, but doing anything new actually forms new connections in the brain. In fact, the more frustrating and difficult the new skill, the better it is for your brain, as it works harder to create new neural pathways.

Bottom line, old dogs can learn new licks. We simply learn them differently.

Mr. Marcus wound up getting to the point where “I don’t quite sound terrible” on his guitar - good enough to form a band at a Rock and Roll music camp.

So there is hope for all of us who are beyond the stage of acne and angst. In my day job, I meet people every day of every age who are learning to speak a language, start a hobby, and yes, to play guitar and ukulele and dulcimer and piano and washtub bass.

So go for it. Oh, by the way. Don’t let your inability to win at Guitar Hero stop you. Reportedly Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmie Page still can’t get through that guitar solo on Stairway To Heaven.