Learning an instrument later in life?

[CurlsandCurves]

Ok, humour me, midlife crisis or something going on.

I’ve got it into my head that I want to learn to play guitar. I even went as far as buying one about 25 years ago but the teenage me apparently couldn’t be arsed to have lessons. But I have a real hankering to do this now.

I did play the clarinet and recorder at school so I’m hoping that my ability to read music may still be buried somewhere in the depths of my brain.

Is the guitar hard to learn? Oh, and do I have to keep my nails v v short? Obviously the last question is not a make or break thing, purely vanity.

It's a good one to pick up. Very forgiving. Use YouTube vids to help.

Almost anything can be played with A D and E chords!

I'm trying to learn harp...

Picklemepopcorn - me too!

You will need to keep LH nails shortish, and to begin with the strings may hurt your fingers until they get tougher.
Start on nylon strings not steel if you have a choice and practice little and often to toughen the skin.
Guitar is one of the easier instruments to learn, which i did as an adult.
I'd kept up playing violin so was still doing music and had flexible fingers used to strings but I don't know if that makes any difference.

DS taught me when we were on holiday this year. I seem to be genetically programmed to be unable to read music but can have a decent stab at tab.
The only thing I would say is that (as with literally everything else!) it is so much harder as an adult than as a teenager