How Long Does it Take to Become a Really Good Guitar Player?

So you want to learn how to play guitar, and you want to be good at it. How long does it take to become a good guitar player? Can you actually learn to play a song in just one weekend as some products suggest? What’s the best method of learning to play the guitar? This article will look at these three questions because I believe the first question in a beginners mind is how long will it take until I’m good? So let’s get started.

How long does it take to become a good guitar player?

This is really going to depend on how you learn to play. Self taught players sometimes take longer to become good guitar players because they don’t learn the more difficult/boring concepts of keys, modes and scales up front. This isn’t to say they can’t go back and learn it later but an individual who takes private lessons will have a better foundation to build on as they progress.

Choosing a good program to follow as a self taught guitar player will help ensure you learn the right skills at the right time. I’d suggest a guitar lessons dvd program similar to Learn and Master guitar which covers all the basics, theory, advanced chords and different musical styles.

On the average I think a beginner guitar player can expect to be piecing songs together using basic chords in 6-8 months and be a well rounded guitar player after about 2 years assuming they continue to learn and progress their understanding of guitar.

Can you learn to Play Guitar In a Weekend?

There are some digital products on the Internet that suggest you can learn to play guitar in just one weekend. Since I know how to play guitar I have never been able to test one of these programs. Of course, since I know how to play guitar I know how long it takes to learn. I can assure you that what I’ve learned over the last 10 years could not have been learned in one weekend.

I do believe it’s possible to teach someone to play some basic chords and strumming techniques if the individual is committed and practices diligently. How ever they wouldn’t be considered a “good” guitar player in my books.

I think these programs and products are best left alone and you should look to another alternative to teach yourself. Anything worth doing well is worth taking the time to learn it correctly.

What is the Best Method to Learn Guitar?

I doubt few would argue that taking one-on-one individual private guitar lessons is the best method of learning to play guitar. You get the most attention and interaction from your instructor, and they can tailor their lessons to your likes and dislikes. How ever, in saying that, there are some great self study guitar lessons for beginners available.

DVD lesson products, like Learn and Master Guitar, come with supplemental lesson books, online support and jam cd’s for practicing can now rival a private instructors lesson quality. Combine this with the fact you’re free to learn when you want and practice when you want to since no lesson schedule and I believe more people will start to learn from DVD self study courses in the coming years.

So to answer that question that was asked at the beginning of this article. How long does it take to be a good guitar player. After 1-2 years you will have a solid understanding of guitar basics, scales, keys, advanced chords and different musical styles. At this point, pending you keep up your practicing and continue learning, you could consider yourself a good guitar player