Learn how to play guitar in 17 easy steps - National Guitar Academy (2023)

FAQs

Is 1 month enough for guitar? ›

For someone who practices around 30 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week, with medium intensity, it'll take roughly 1-2 months to play beginner guitar songs, and approximately 3-6 months to confidently play intermediate and slightly more advanced songs with technical elements.

The good news is, you can absolutely teach yourself guitar! It may have been hard to learn on your own time 20 years ago, but now great information is everywhere. The power of the internet has created an awesome database of resources for those who really want to learn.

Yes. It's way too late to learn to play, not only acoustic guitar, but any other instrument. On average it would take about 3 - 4 months to be able to learn basic songs and chords on an acoustic guitar. About a year to get decent - to strum along and play songs and impress people at bonfires.

You are never too old to learn guitar. You can start learning guitar at any age. While younger people tend to learn faster, you are still capable of learning guitar as a beginner whether you are 30, 40, 60, or even 70.

So to answer the question, how long does it take to learn the guitar – you can learn a simple song in 30 minutes, but it can take you 2 -3 years to get to a decent intermediate level, 5 years to get really good with what you have learned and 10 years to jump to a more pro level.

Learning to play the guitar is so difficult because it requires muscle memory and knowledge that cannot be obtained in a short period of time. It requires repeated, disciplined practice that can feel discouraging and overwhelming to the person attempting to learn how to play.

Short Answer

For most people, 30–90 minutes per day seems to be a good goal. Total beginners may see good results in just 15 minutes per day.

While it's true that learning new things and new concepts gets harder as you get older, it's almost always possible to learn guitar, even into your 60s and 70s. For seniors, the biggest issue will likely be having the physical mobility in their hands necessary to play, primarily as it relates to your flexor tendons.

Which guitarists taught themselves? ›

Going back to school is a major undertaking. As a mid-career professional, you might be wondering if it's too late to earn your degree. Don't worry, you're never too old to earn your degree. It's becoming increasingly common for individuals 40 and over to go back to school.

Yes, anyone can learn to play the guitar, at any age, period.

You can learn the basics of guitar in 3 months as long as the length, quality, and consistency of your practice is good. You also need to be highly motivated and have the ability to take constructive criticism in a positive way.

How often does a guitar need a setup? It is a common practice to get a guitar setup twice annually. Once in the fall, and again in late spring, due to the change in temperature and humidity. It is essential to have a guitar setup at least once a year to maintain optimal performance.

In 3 months time, you can pick up many of the fundamentals of the guitar but you are unlikely to master them for many more months, even years. You will be able to strum several songs you recognize and be able to pluck out some scales, as well as learning the fundamental chord shapes, and other basic guitar skills.

Although many feel it takes longer to master, the piano is a bit easier to actually play. If we look at the technical differences, the theory that goes into mastering both is quite different. The structure of a piano is quite logical, as is the sheet music.

Electric guitars are easier to play. The strings are lighter and far more comfortable than acoustic guitars. One key aspect which makes electric guitars so appealing is that they are a lot smaller than acoustic guitars, so it does make learning more comfortable.

A beginner guitar player should try to practice for at least 30 minutes every weekday. If you are aspiring to make it as a studio musician or professional guitar player, you should try to practice for at least 90 minutes each day. Most professional guitar players practice 180 minutes — 240 minutes each day.

Consistency is key – try to practice guitar for at least 15 minutes per day, five days a week, but also follow these tips: Avoid long and unbroken sessions. Don't practice for more than an hour at a time. Set short breaks if you plan on practicing for more than 20 minutes.

What should I practice on guitar everyday? ›

1.5 HOUR GUITAR PRACTICE SCHEDULE LAYOUT: 5 Minutes – Warm Up/Stretching. 10 Minutes – Practice the chromatic scale ascending and descending (start tempo: 80bpm) 15 Minutes – Chord Study – Practice whatever chords you are having difficulty with currently using arpeggios to seek out muted or bad notes and adjust.

1. Barre chords. We promise we're not winding you up when we say that barre chords are the hardest guitar technique. The reason most guitarists can do them is because they're essential, not because they're easy.

One of the most challenging things about learning guitar chords is remembering where your fingers are going. It is because, in order to do what your brain tells you, your hand has to make the right moves. It is also why many new players give up on the instrument.

Practice in the Morning

For those committed to improving, this is one of the best choices available. Practicing in the morning ensures that you will always spend some of your budgeted time on guitar. At any other time of the day, you may already have spent (or committed to spend) your time and energy.

That is all very important, but most people want to be able to play the guitar in front of others. So it is essential to have at least 10-15 songs memorized. The songs you choose will all depend on the level you are at and how much practice you have been doing.

Simply soak a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol 3-4 times a day, and rub it over your fingertips. Another liquid mixture that some guitar players use to harden their skin is salt water. The key with salt water solution is adding the right amount of salt.

The best beginner guitar is a steel-stringed acoustic guitar (because it's the easiest guitar to learn with). The body shape of your ideal guitar is due to your personal preference.

Solidbody Guitars are the Easiest to Play

Electric guitars are considered by most experts in the guitar community to be the easiest type of guitars to play compared to all the others that exist today. There are three types of electric guitars—hollow body, semi-hollow body, and solid body.

G, C and D are some of the most commonly used chords in popular music and are used in literally thousands of songs (we'll list some of the most well-known later).

What are the first 3 chords to learn on guitar? ›

The Three Essential Guitar Chords

According to my bud, Andy B, the three most common guitar chords every man should know are G Major, C Major and D Major.

The first chords to learn on guitar are Em, C, G, and D. Let's get started in “first position” or “open chords.” These chords are played close to the nut and utilize a number of open strings.

"I had two uncles who played — Uncle Bill, who helped me get into the business, and Uncle Lewis, who was also a great guitar player. He had this little Martin guitar that I loved, so when he saw how serious I was about my music, he gave me his little Martin guitar. It was my treasure."

Guitar Players Use More of Their Creative, Unconscious Brain

They found that experienced guitar players were found to deactivate the conscious part of their brain extremely easily meaning they were able to activate the unconscious, creative and less practical way of thinking more efficiently.

Eric Clapton learned to play the guitar on his own. He acquired no official instruction and did not take any courses. Instead, he would imitate the riffs of his favorite blues performers, record them, and playback each phrase.

It's strongly believed that once we hit 25, the brain's plasticity solidifies. This makes it harder to create neural pathways. In turn, this can mean it's tougher to learn new skills.

Despite the changes in cognition that may come with age, older adults can still do many of the things they have enjoyed their whole lives. Research shows that older adults can still: Learn new skills. Form new memories.

People are ripe for learning at any age, experts in these fields say, even though conventional knowledge suggests we learn better as children. It may take adults a little longer, but if they are willing to put in the time, they can learn many skills we often assume must be acquired before adulthood, or else not at all.

The Piano

One of the simplest musical instruments that seniors can easily learn is the classical piano. An instrument that requires practice as well as hand-eye co-ordination is the ideal choice for individuals above the age of 50.

1. Violin. The violin is a wooden stringed instrument that's part of a larger family of similar instruments. It's the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in its family and normally has four strings, although some violins can have five.

What is the hardest basic instrument to learn? ›

So, yes, you can successfully learn guitar by yourself. However, it will go faster for you and save you some trouble if you use good resources. And some things about learning guitar will go smoother with a skilled teacher. But it is entirely achievable to learn guitar on your own!

The good news is, you can absolutely teach yourself guitar! It may have been hard to learn on your own time 20 years ago, but now great information is everywhere. The power of the internet has created an awesome database of resources for those who really want to learn.

You are never too old to learn guitar. You can start learning guitar at any age. While younger people tend to learn faster, you are still capable of learning guitar as a beginner whether you are 30, 40, 60, or even 70.

If playing guitar is your hobby, then 20-30 minutes of practice is enough for you. On the other side, if you want to be on a bit higher level, and maybe if you need one hour of practice per day. If you want to play in a professional sense or be in a band, then one to two hours a day is enough.

With a lot of work, following these steps, and help from good tools, you can learn guitar in 2 short weeks. Note: Succeeding in 2 weeks is also dependent on how much time you put in. But practicing at least one hour every day should get you to the point where you can play easy pop songs on guitar.

At Martin, it can take between three and six weeks to build each instrument; more complex guitars can take up to six months.

You can learn the basics of guitar in 3 months as long as the length, quality, and consistency of your practice is good. You also need to be highly motivated and have the ability to take constructive criticism in a positive way.

Aim to practice guitar for at least 15 minutes per day. Try to avoid long and unbroken practice sessions of longer than one hour at a time. If you want to practice for longer than 20 minutes, set short breaks to split up your practice sessions for the best results possible.

Short Answer

For most people, 30–90 minutes per day seems to be a good goal. Total beginners may see good results in just 15 minutes per day.

How long does it take to learn chords? ›

After six months, you should start to feel comfortable and know your way around a guitar. You might not be busting out amazing solos quite yet, but you've mastered the basic chords and you feel comfortable playing.

The 12 main chords on the guitar are C Major, D Minor, D Minor 7, E Minor, F Major, F Major 7, G Major, G7, A Minor, B Minor, Bm7b5, and B Diminished. These are the most important because of their importance in Western music theory and popularity in pop culture.

You can learn the basics of playing guitar within three months. While you shouldn't expect to be a great guitarist in a few months, if you practice regularly, you can learn some basic skills.

So, what is the average lifespan of a guitar? The roughest estimation would be around 10 years for a cheap acoustic\classical guitar. On the other hand, even cheap electric guitars will be able to last a lot longer, 20-30 years.

A rule of thumb

You can benefit from the same weekly lesson time that you are willing to put in as your daily practice time. If you can practice 30 minutes or less per day, a weekly 30 minute lesson is perfect. If you practice 60 minutes per day or more, 60 minutes might be ideal.

Developing calluses on your fingertips can relieve a lot of the initial pain of learning to play guitar. On average, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for calluses to fully form. But callus formation differs from person to person depending on: how often you practice or play.

A beginner guitar player should try to practice for at least 30 minutes every weekday. If you are aspiring to make it as a studio musician or professional guitar player, you should try to practice for at least 90 minutes each day. Most professional guitar players practice 180 minutes — 240 minutes each day.