Answers to Everyday Questions : how fast can i learn to play guitar?

how fast can i learn to play guitar?

5 Responses to “how fast can i learn to play guitar?”

1. Liam said :
   October 20th, 2010 at 3:15 am

   I’m self taught and I’ve been playing for two years now (I’m 13). Don’t worry about not making any progress to begin with. It’ll feel like that until you build up some confidence. To learn, I would suggest getting the basics down (playing notes, changing frets fluently, etc.) by looking at some YouTube videos. Then, try learning some songs you like by searching for tabs at ultimate-guitar.com. After you are proficient in playing tabs, it’s back to YouTube for videos on reading actual notes. Before long, you will be able to read and play most anything. Hope this helps.
2. Paulsky said :
   October 20th, 2010 at 3:19 am

   If you tried teaching yourself last time and didn’t feel like you were making any progress, I would highly recommend getting some lessons.

   If you are still not convinced to take lessons, there are plenty step by step books in the library/book store and a few decent videos on the internet. However, don’t learn solely by learning individual songs by tabs, you’ll never get a full understanding of the instrument and won’t understand guitar anymore then some party trick. Learn the basics such as the notes on the frets and the major, minor, 7, power and full barre chords.
3. Eliza said :
   October 20th, 2010 at 3:31 am

   Learning to play the guitar yourself is definitely doable. You can get books such as learn to play guitar for dummies etc. Or you can check out some websites for free or cheap downloadable lessons, all capable to taking you to the next level and beyond.

   This article might help you in the right direction.

   http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1763691

   All the best
4. Koby said :
   October 20th, 2010 at 4:07 am

   You need to do what I did – Online guitar lessons for beginners.
   I found the great site (below) that gives a lot of info about this.
   I spent $50 and within 3 weeks now i’m playing the guitar, making some nice songs and making a progress any day.
   The best thing is that i do it at my home and at my time without the need to pay a lot to some guitar teacher.
   I really recommend you check this site.
5. Jacob said :
   October 20th, 2010 at 4:56 am

   Being Successful at learning how to play guitar is within the grasp of the majority of people, yet many beginners give up too rapidly. Frequently, quitting beginners will blame their lack of time to practice and that playing hurts their fingers. The cause is that they just don’t practice in an adequate amount of time. This answer can’t give you more time to practice, but it will show you how to successfully become an adequate guitar player :

   1. Study the physical instrument itself, before all else. Memorize the names and functions of the guitar parts, and how they work together to make sounds. A half hour spent on this fundamental understanding will be repaid many times over throughout your learning and playing time.

   2. Teach yourself as many different ways to play a chord as you can. for example, there are 10 different fret hand positions from which to play the C chord. Obviously, go for a ‘perfect’ open C chord first, but the more ways you know to play a chord, the more flexibility you’ll have in moving from one chord to the other. This can also serve a purpose if you decide to try composing new music.

   3. Practice daily (5 out of 7 days minimum) for at least a half hour. If you want to learn quickly, you must force-feed your brain with guitar. This entails learning how to have a good ear for changes in pitch, comfortably positioning your body (including leg, back, shoulder and arm positions), strum-hand coordination and technique, fret hand coordination and technique, and most significantly, fret hand muscle memory.

   4. Carry your guitar every where you go if you’ll be sitting, waiting, watching, etc. Having your guitar with you in those places will promote your playing ability when starting out. It’s also helpful when establishing calluses. Always have your guitar with you so you can practice pressing down the strings using proper fret hand chord formation.
   obtain an electric guitar tuner, you’ll save yourself many packs of strings and be careful when tuning, especially the first string.

   5. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice makes perfect isn’t just some old wives’ tale. When practicing, strive for quality; if you practice chaotically you’ll be making bad habits permanent. A better aphorism in fact might be, “Practice makes permanent.” Also, just as weight-training athletes rotate their exercises, focusing on one part of the body one day, it’s possible to practice passages focusing on different aspects – tone, smoothness, speed, accuracy. By concentrating on different practice facets of the music apart you can hone your skills and improve your overall playing!

   6. Play along with CD versions of songs you enjoy to ‘rewind’ and repeat even very small pieces of a song again and again until you figure out exactly how to do that riff you really like. Just hold down the ‘fast rewind’ button and watch the number counter (the number counts the number of seconds of music). Make a mental note of the seconds-count where the riff begins. Then you will be able to easily backtrack again and again to your start point.

   7. Never put nylon classical strings on a steel string guitar, nor vice versa. They are not exchangeable. However, if you have a steel string acoustic, you can use “silk & steel” strings on the guitar until your fingers are tough strong to use the steel strings, because they are easier on your fingers. Note that the sound will be more subdued and less brilliant.

   The most important part of learning to play guitar is having the right guide to take you through each step professionally and thoroughly. I can recommend a really good program which is reviewed in the following link:
   http://www.squidoo.com/guitar-like-pro

   Have fun!