Can you improve your sense of rhythm as an adult?

[trickybily]

I ran into someone who said that Zoltán Kodály once told that you can improve your sense of rhythm until you are 6 - and make minor improvements from 6- 9 y.o., after that you are hopeless.
I don't know if the quote is legit or not. Can you as an adult improve your sense of rhythm?

[brogers70]

I didn't learn to play polyrhthyms until I was in my 40's, so I think it is possible to improve your sense of rhythm as an adult. I might have learned them quicker if someone had taught me when I was a kid, but I was able to learn them later anyway.

[timothy42b]

There is some research that says rhythm and timing fade as we age, and that is the reason that older athletes can no longer perform at high levels at sports like golf where timing is more important that strength. 

IIRC it shows that the fading can be resisted with regular practice, which suggests some ability to learn as adults, but also some difficulty with it. 

By weird coincidence I was playing with a metronome yesterday for a half hour, quarter notes at 60 trying to land exactly on the beat, and really struggling with something that used to be easy. 

[ranjit]

It's hard to answer, because it's tricky to talk about what getting better at rhythm means. Of course, you can learn new polyrhythms etc., but I think what's being talked about here is developing some kind of base recognition of rhythm, which makes it super hard to argue for or against. Sure, my newer videos demonstrate better rhythm (I can do 4:3 fluently and keep a beat better), but did I just realize a capacity I had all along, or was there a legitimate improvement in baseline potential of some kind?

[anacrusis]

ranjit is spot on. I generally keep a steadier pulse when I play now than I did 10 years ago (I'm an adult as far as I can tell). But is that because my sense of rhythm has been improved, or merely my technical control? Unsteady rhythm can have it's source in physical tension, which inhibits listening and fine control over timing.

[danisageek]

I ran into someone who said that Zoltán Kodály once told that you can improve your sense of rhythm until you are 6 - and make minor improvements from 6- 9 y.o., after that you are hopeless.
I don't know if the quote is legit or not. Can you as an adult improve your sense of rhythm?

What is it that you want to improve? What are you or the person on question struggling with?