h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am hoping to take up the clarinet soon (when I get back from holiday) and am thinking of either a Buffet Bb12 or a Hanson student model, of which I hear good things.
My question is, am I too old? I am just turned 60, and have never played an instrument (my big regret, hence my desire to).
I also do not read music, but I believe the I can learn to read music as I learn to play.
Any comments from music/clarinet tutors, experienced players, or those who have been through this?

If you have a good strong pair of front teeth, then you're not too old!

Good luck in your playing. I learned from a book, but after a few years I got myself a teacher and it made an enormous difference.

When you do buy a clarinet, you'll probably want to rush at it and put it together to play your first note. Please read these instructions before you do.

1. Identify the upper joint and the lower joint. The upper joint is the long tube with three finger holes on the front and one hole on the back. The lower joint is the long tube with three holes on the front and no holes on the back.

2. There are rings around some of the holes on the front of the upper joint. Make sure that these rings are pressed down when you are putting the two parts together.

3. There are also rings around the holes on the lower joint. Make sure these rings are _not_ pressed down when you are putting the two parts together.

This ensures that the little metal linkage between the two joints doesn't get damaged when you are putting the two pieces together.

I would like to take up either the clarinet or the cello (an odd combination?) before I turn 60 - which leaves me a little over 2 years. Having never learnt any musical instrument other than the three-chord guitar that was almost compulsory in the 60's, and not reading music, I wonder whether I am being over-ambitious. So, wilton-cox (or, ineed, anyone else), do you have any words of encouragement?

To play the cello, you need a good sense of pitch. Can you sing in tune? Do other people agree with you?

To play the clarinet, you need a reasonably good pair of upper front teeth. How are yours?

You'll find the clarinet is hard to get a note out of at the start, but once you can do that, it is reasonably easy to play tunes on. The cello, on the other hand, is a challenge to play in tune all the time.

Whichever route you go, I recommend that you get tuition.