How Long to Learn
Guitar
Beginning guitar players often ask, “How long to learn the guitar”? The answer is
the same whether you wish to learn the electric or acoustic guitar, or for any style of music you
wish to play. From the blues to heavy metal you are working with same instrument, and developing
the same fundamental skills. How long to learn guitar varies between individuals but with regular
dedicated practice, and a good methodology, you should be able to master the basics of the guitar
in a few months.
These first few months are essential to your study and play a large role in how
long to learn guitar. Beginning guitar lessons will teach you how to hold the guitar, its basic
parts, and how to tune it. You’ll also learn the basics of music notation such as guitar tabs and
chord diagrams. Both are simple and intuitive graphical representations of the guitar neck - they
show you where to place your fingers. If you wish to thoroughly master the guitar, you should
seriously consider learning traditional music notation as well. This may take a little bit of
concentrated effort and will lengthen your journey in how long to learn the guitar, but the payoff
is worth it.
You will learn how to play some basic single line melodies and riffs. Rock
guitarists often begin to learn different riffs from their favorite songs almost immediately. In
classic rock it is these short, repetitive ideas played by the guitarist that define a
song.
Chords are also an important part of your beginning guitar lessons and play a part
in how long to learn guitar. In the first few months of practice, you’ll learn about ten to fifteen
open position chords. Rock players will also learn power chords. Along the way you will study some
standard chord progressions. Pay attention to these chord progressions as they will come up time
and time again as your range of songs expands.
How long to learn guitar basics will depend on you and your practice habits. You
don’t need to spend an inordinate amount of time on these early lessons to learn the fundamentals
of the guitar. What you do need however, is a regular practice schedule.
Shoot for three or four fifteen-minute practice sessions per week in addition to
any time you spend taking guitar lessons. This adds up to about one hour per week of focused
practice - not bad for skills that will last you a lifetime! It’s important to spend that hour of
practice each week fine tuning your technical skills. If you have more time, go for it as it will
reduce the time in how long to learn guitar. Use that extra time to explore the
instrument, and really play with it. Exploring through playing, listening and reading will help you
enjoy the learning process, which is a key component to keeping you
playing.
Another factor in how long to learn guitar is the quality of your guitar lessons
or method books. Today students have so many study paths to choose from. Online guitar lessons
offer a great option for self-motivated guitar enthusiasts. To help you find a good guitar course
online for yourself, sign up for a couple of the free introductory guitar lessons offered by the
major online guitar programs. This will give you an opportunity to get a feel for the instructors
and their teaching styles and help you find a program that matches your guitar playing
goals.
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