How long does it take to learn guitar? There are a lot of people who have the desire to learn how to play the guitar. During the initial stages of this desire, people often wonder how long it will take for them to learn guitar.
It is quite natural to have this question and finding the right answer will go a long way in making sure that you are motivated enough to take the first step while also being completely aware of the commitment required. So, without further ado, let’s answer this question by breaking down the entire process into different stages.
How Long Does It Take To Play Your First Song
While the first few lessons will involve learning the basics of chords and strumming; and the different nuances of playing the guitar such as the names of the strings, the correct way to hold the pick, and playing one note at a time. You will eventually get to a point where you should be able to play a very simple song like ‘twinkle twinkle little star,’ or ‘Oh When The Saints’, or something similar. Getting to this point isn’t all that difficult. In fact, most people can play their first song in a couple of weeks.
Being able to play your first song on the guitar is very important as it gives you the confidence and self-belief that it is possible for you to learn the guitar and thus giving you the impetus needed to keep at it. However, it is also worth remembering that this is just the beginning and that you still have a long way to go.
How Long Does It Take To Master The Guitar
Learning to play a simple song and mastering the guitar are two very different things. In the former, you are just memorizing the order and location of the different notes and playing them back. You have no idea why those specific notes are being played and more importantly, you will be unable to create something of your own.
Watching someone like Steve Vai or Slash noodle away on a guitar might give the impression that these incredible guitar-gods know everything there is to about the guitar but even they will freely admit that they are still learning. The guitar like any creative endeavor involves a never-ending learning process. Having said that, you can get reasonably well-versed and become competent enough to play in a band or cover popular songs in a year or two provided you are very regular with your practice sessions.
There are various stages of proficiency in playing guitar and each of these stages will take a different amount of time. It all boils down to the time and effort you put in, the regularity with which you do so, and above all, the type of lessons you use to learn guitar.
How Can I Learn The Guitar Faster
While you can take multiple approaches to learn the guitar, some are more efficient than others. It can be quite easy to end up choosing a method such as free lessons on YouTube which will entail spending hours just searching for the right lessons. This leads to lesser time being devoted to the actual practice and learning and the whole process can get so drawn out that you could lose all interest in the guitar. To avoid that, you need something that is very effective in helping you make steady progress while also being easy on the pockets and online guitar lessons are exactly all of that.
Online guitar lessons such as those offered by Guitar Tricks or Fender Play will help you make quick progress and become an accomplished guitarist as quickly as possible. Here are some of the reasons why this mode of learning to play the guitar is so effective.
- Highly structured lessons that give you a sense of direction thus keeping your motivation level intact
- Lessons are divided into stages and groups. This helps you have smaller attainable goals which make the entire process achievable<
- Lot of additional resources like chord charts, song notations, and helpful guides are available that will help you grow even more as a guitarist
- A helpful support structure in the forms of forums and interactions with the instructors to help you get out of a tricky spot
- A wide variety of lessons are available which means that you can always try something different if you hit a plateau and find yourself in a rut
- The fact that you have to pay for these lessons also acts as a motivation. However, the prices are quite reasonable which puts these lessons within the reach of everyone