You used to play, then came training, work, family – and the instrument stood in the corner. Many people pick it up again just when their own child starts learning. The good news: your hands remember faster than you think. A few things make the restart easier.
The instrument first
- New strings: old strings are often tarnished, sound dull and don’t stay in tune. A fresh set is the cheapest way to a better sound.
- Take a look: cracks in the wood, a bent neck or strings sitting very high above the fretboard? Then it’s worth visiting a repair shop before you start practising.
- Tune: after a long time everything is out of tune. New strings stretch during the first days – retune often.
Then your fingers
The calluses on your fingertips are gone – pressing hurts again at first. In the first week, play ten minutes two or three times a day rather than an hour in one go. After a week or two the skin is back. More in Sore fingertips?.
Start with what you know
First play songs and chords you used to know. That brings quick wins and wakes the movements back up. Then refresh your rhythm: a few minutes with the metronome show where things still catch – see Practising with a metronome.
Set a goal
- Pick one song for the next two weeks – not ten.
- Play with others: with your child, in the family, with friends. It’s easier to keep going together.
- Try something new that used to be too hard. With more patience than you had at 14, it often works surprisingly well.