I have a pretty firm belief that *most* physically-able people can learn to play guitar, with some degree of skill. I even know some physically disabled people who can play guitar. Django Reinhardt only had two fingers and a thumb - on his fretting hand, and he's on my list of guitarists better than Hendrix - and close to the top. The big difference seems to be the rate at which people will learn. The hoodlum has a distinct advantage, and it shows. When she has a question, she's pretty much attached to my hip - and bursts forth with her question. Where I might give her three or formal lessons per week, she gets 500 mini lessons per week, 'cause she's attached to my hip and full of questions. Her brain is also more plastic, meaning she's able to learn skills like music, at this age, more rapidly than people older will acquire those skills. I am literally changing the physiology of her brain. There's a couple of bumps on the left side of the brain, it's to the rear, and those who study music at a young age will have a larger amount of brain tissue in that area. If you play, you can watch that fucker light up like a Christmas tree on an fMRI. The earlier you start, the more rapidly you'll acquire information. This doesn't mean older people can't do it. It means it will take them more effort to reach the same levels. There's a lot to learn, even for basic proficiency. The rewards are worth it, in my opinion.