Is 38 too old to learn the piano/keyboard?

Do it.

definitely not too late.

Is a keyboard good enough, or do I need a real piano?

Either. Different feels to the keys and keyboards are sometimes limited in size but reading music, hand positions, chords, etc., are the same.

forget it.
You are so far over the hill, y ou should not even be getting sunshine down there.

It's too old to expect to become a virtuoso, but not too old to get competent.

I agree with The Girl . . . do it.

i have perfected the art of playing cd's even at my age - so you shouldn't have any probs with the pianner , i'd think .
what's it going to be : classical , jazz ... ?
hbg

The piano is a wonderful instrument to play. And NOOOOOOOOO! Not too old ever to learn to play a musical instrument.

Playing music, especially a "Joanna" is the best.... real good for the soul. Keyboard is good too, but nothing like a piano IMO.

Flute is also good - great instrument.



(oh - sorry, got a bit carried away there - love to play my pianner)

You already play the guitar don't you?

Learning new things is supposed to help us keep senility at bay. Hurry, learn something new!

I learned a few chords, but I wouldn't really say I play.

The girls are getting to an age where I could practice while they play; I'm thinking that piano lends itself more to the type of music I enjoy. (Jazz, syncopation, etc.)

A friend of mine started piano lessons at 60 (having never played any instrument before) and she was playing Fur Elise in a little over a year.
That's advancing pretty quickly - unless you're a child prodigy. It'd take most people with average ability starting as children more like two years to progress to that point.
So in some ways being an adult learner is a big plus.

But I heard someone who tried the piano as an adult say that they found it hard because they were so dominantly right handed, that they couldn't get their left hand to work as competently as their right and so they had a problem with timing and synchronization when they got to the point of playing with both hands.
I guess that if you start as a child it's easier to train yourself and develop dexterity with either hand or both hands together.
But you might be someone who is naturally ambidexterous - so that may not even be an issue for you. It wasn't for my other friend.

I'd buy or borrow a keyboard first and try it out.

Why wouldn't you?

I'd pick up a keyboard first, they're portable, and you can get a used one cheap. Then if you get into it, you can start looking at nicer instruments.

This is precisely the reason I'm considering it.... Keeps one's brain flexible.

Time, mostly....

Craven had a thread about keyboards some time ago, though not that I remember about the age question.

I suspect taking it up would be good for the mind, the dexterity, and sheer pleasure. So, another DO IT vote.

Plus I would think it would help with your guitar playing too...

Hey, Drew, as a present recently I received a cheapo keyboard.

Go get one!

The idea was that if I kept my interest in it, boy-o will buy me a REAL GROWN UP keyboard. Woot!

I love it. My musical background is "play for fun" and like you, just a bit of guitar and such.

It's fun, and there if you go with a cheap keyboard and love it like me, you can always upgrade to a piano or start falling in love with the keyboard as I have...and want a big 'un.

a friend of mine started piano lessons with her older son when he was 8 (or maybe 9). She continued with her younger son. The younger fella's now off to university to study music and computer science, and she's still enjoying her piano (and has come to love a much wider range of music than she was willing to listen to 30 years ago when we first met).