I am going to be starting to learn to play the cello in a couple of weeks. I'm anxious but a little nervous that I might have a harder time as an adult that I would have had as a child. For those that started to learn as an adult, did you find it harder?

Thanks.

I am an adult and I started about six weeks ago. I have found that a good ear for the musical notes and patients helps. I most times feel like I am learning to coordinate my body as a child which could be frustrating, but I take comfort that just playing a few notes well is an achievement so I build on that.

Hello, I'm a new member of 8notes and also an adult beginner. I am 62 years young. I have found learning the cello is taking me longer than if I was 6, but I do have longer attention span. lol. ~

I love my lessons (3 mos. now) and my practice at home. I do have trouble pacing myself; I sometimes practice too long and then my wrists hurt. Ice packs work wonders.

I don't mark my cello for finger positions, because I want to learn ear training and muscle memory. I also want to learn the name of the notes without the help of the letters above each note, so I mark the letters out; another reason it takes me longer.

8notes is a wonderful site and I love my cello.

I look forward to getting to know you and other adults.

I am 36 and begun playing the cello in the spring, after putting it on the bucket list I created when I was 14. I've never played an instrument, and I am finding it more challenging than I imagined, just because there are multiple things to learn: how to read music, how to finger with my left hand, how to bow with my right. It's as if I can actually feel my brain working double or triple time to make it all work together.

That being said, I love it! I feel like things are finally starting to click, and I am making music instead of just sawing away trying to hit the notes.

One thing I noticed just last night: I have small hands, and when I started, it was a struggle to stretch my hand far enough down the fingerboard to get my pinkie to reach G or D. My instructor actually made the suggestion that I was built more for violin than cello, but I quickly dismissed that. I realized last night that this is no longer a struggle, and it hasn't been for some time. My hand muscles have learned to stretch, and it has happened without me realizing.

I still have so much more to learn, and I wish I had started sooner. Still, I am glad I've begun and am sticking with it.