How long does it take to learn guitar? My attempt to answer this question takes as much context

and concrete time lengths into consideration as possible.

ARTICLE URL: https://www.guitarchalk.com/how-long-learn-guitar/

This question is difficult to answer, as it requires a ton of context and

variables be taken into consideration. Getting a uniform answer requires

examining your own situation and filling in some of those variables.

At the same time, as someone who has gone through the process of

learning guitar from a typical starting age (I was 10 years old when I

started playing), I can give you some conventional answers

and estimated lengths of time.

Simple Answer: How long does it take to learn guitar?

Though it's broad, you can put aspiring guitarists into two camps: Casual

and intentional, both with different goals, practice frequencies and

established skills after a set period of time.

• Casual guitarist

• Intentional guitarist

The easy answer to how long it takes to learn guitar, for either

scenario, is about six months. This of course will vary depending on the

frequency and length of practice sessions. However, it also assumes that

you're talking about the length of time it takes to learn the most common

and basic contextual guitar topics. Application of those topics in different

styles and creative expression takes longer.

• First six months: Topical learning and memorization

• Second six months (six to 12 months): Application and use of those topics

You might say that the first six months is where you learn guitar while

the second six months is where you learn how to apply what you've

learned and actually play the guitar.

Let's look at two possible scenarios for those first six months of topical

learning:

The amount of time it takes to learn guitar is a matter of months and

years, not so much days and weeks. (View Larger Image)

SCENARIO #1 : THE CASUAL LEARNER

• Goals: Playing for self, friends or simple scenarios

• Practice Frequency: 2-3 times per week

• Skill level after six months: Familiar with chords, basic progressions, chord

changes and rhythm. Able to play easy songs and simple melodies

SCENARIO #2: THE INTENTIONAL LEARNER

• Goals: Proficiency & specialty. Playing as a serious hobby or semi

professional

• Practice Frequency: 6-7 times per week

• Skill level after six months: Comfortable with learning and playing songs,

faster tempos and a mild level of complexity in technique, chords,

melody and theory.

Topics for the First Six Months

Here are some of the specific topics that you should be focusing on and

should expect to pick up steam in the first six months:

• Chords (general)

• Chord Progressions and Basic Chord Changes

• Open, barre and power chords

• Simple melody

• Scales

• Intervals

• Basic music theory

Now, this does not mean that you'll be an expert in all these areas.

However, it does mean that topically you should understand and have

experience with them within a six-month time frame. By that time, you'll

at least be able to start using them and applying them in a more practical

way, which is where you'll really start to cement your knowledge.

What if you want to reduce the amount of time you spend learning guitar

and get more quickly to that application stage where you can

start playing?

Here are a couple things you can do.

How to Reduce the Amount of Time it Takes

Not everybody processes information at the same speed and there will

certainly be variance in the time it takes each person to learn guitar,

simply due to learning style alone.

However, there things that you can do (regardless of your situation) to

shorten the amount of time you need to spend on topical memorization

and get you to playing songs and applying musical knowledge sooner.

Use an Online Guitar Lesson Program

I'm a big fan of learning guitar from online video courses and have

several that I consistently recommend and use myself. The following four

are all Guitar Chalk partners and I've personally gone through their

programs myself and can verify their quality.

ONLINE GUITAR LESSON PROGRAMS I RECOMMEND

Website Ideal for: Buy

Beginners

Try Guitar Tricks

Free

Style-specific study Try JamPlay Free

Specialty or technique

study

Try TrueFire Free

Theory study Try Guitargate Free

Having access to lessons on-demand like this can significantly decrease

the amount of time you spend sorting things out on your own. Even if

you already have an in-person teacher, I'd highly recommend pairing it

with one of these programs.

It's one of the quickest available ways to start playing songs and applying

what you're learning as a guitar student.

These programs are also able to do this without sacrificing important

details about theory and knowing the guitar. In other words, it gets you

playing without taking shortcuts or cheating you out of important steps.

TWEAK THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU SPEND PRACTICING AND THE WAY YOU PRACTICE

It should be obvious that the amount of time you spend practicing,

especially in the earlier months, will profoundly impact how long it takes

to get a place where you can actually play. During those earlier months

where you're laying a foundation of topical knowledge and doing a lot of

memorization, it's important to practice longer and more frequently, if

you're able.

You should also make sure you're intentionally back-tracking and

reinforcing previously-covered topics.

That type of learning path might look like this:

1. Learn topic #1

2. Learn child topic of topic #1

3. Review topic #1 and child topic before moving on

4. Learn topic #2

As you practice this way, you'll build up a body of knowledge that

includes chords, scales, melodies and basic music theory that

you're constantly reviewing.

If you can frequently practice this way, the physical strength will come

and you should be able to develop a familiarity and connectivity with the

fretboard by the time the first six months of learning is behind you.

Results by Month and Time Practicing

To get really specific, we can make some educated guesses or "sign

posts" for what you should know, have experience with and be able to do

after certain amounts of time have passed. Again, this is typical but not

necessarily a reliable rule or carved in stone.

It assumes an average commitment to practice and the assistance of an

online program or in-person teacher. Needless to say, results may vary.

• 1 - 2 months: Single notes, simple chords, guitar anatomy and basic guitar/music theory-related vocabulary

• 3 - 6 months: Intervals, triadic chords, open chords, barre chords, basic scales and comfort with some songs and chord progressions

• 1 year: Scale-related theory, moderately-complex melodies, rhythm and strumming patterns, broad technique (bends, vibrato, etc.) and full power chord progressions

• 2 years: Style-specific technique, comfort with moderate speeds and tempos, ability to track songs, playing or improvising by ear, understanding of intervalic tones, chord progression theory and guitar-related music theory

• 5 years: Comfort with faster tempos and speed playing, able to follow songs or improvise on the fly, narrowly-focused on particular styles and creative interests, advanced knowledge of applicable music theory

How much time should I spend practicing guitar?

As a general rule and to meet these time markers, I recommend to guitar

students that they practice between 30 and 90 minutes at least five

times per week. If you can do more, by all means do more. But that 30

to 90-minute marker is a good "par" to aim for and go above if you can.

The more time you spend with the guitar, in any capacity, the better off

you'll be.

How long does it take to be able to play songs?

As I mentioned earlier, it's common to be able to tackle basic songs

within the first three to six months of playing guitar. While there are

some programs that are setup to get you playing songs faster (for

example, Fender Play's program markets itself on this assumption) I

don't advise moving into songs too quickly because you end up short-

changing foundational skills in favor of cold memorization.

You might learn songs, but you won't really know how or why those

songs make sense. You'll learn to memorize patterns, but you won't

understand structure.

Generally speaking, three to six months gives you another time to

develop some foundational skill while also getting into introductory

guitar songs.

When it is " okay" to start or join a band?

While it can always be helpful to collaborate or learn in a group with

other musicians, I wouldn't advise seriously pursuing music as a

profession until you're at least two years into your study of the guitar.

This gives you enough time to get comfortable with speed (meaning

tempo and timing) and to develop your own playing style and genres of

interest.

Brad Paisley explains it a lot better than I do.

How old is " too old" to start?

A lot of people I see writing about this topic and trying to answer this

question blow a lot of smoke about "never being too old" to start playing

guitar. I agree, but I would also say that's an overly-simplistic and

incomplete answer.

Regardless of what the topic is, learning and developing news skills

are scientifically proven to get more difficult with age and that learning

is most effectively accomplished before adolescence.

This is why it's important to note that if you're trying to pick up a new

skill in adulthood, the longer you wait the more difficult it will be.

IMPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING GUITAR WHEN YOU'RE OLDER

However, this absolutely does not mean that you can't do it. Instead, you

just have to be ready for some of the implications, particularly if you're

just starting to learn guitar in your 40s or 50s.

Primarily, you'll want to change the way you practice:

• Spend more time with the basics (7-8 months)

• Take the time to learn theory and structure

• Make sure you're taking time to improve and perfect the physical aspects of

what you're learning (chord finger choice, stretching, guitar exercises, etc.)

Even if you're older, learning guitar can (and in many cases does) still

work. It'll just be a more intentional and perhaps longer investment of

time.

Conclusion

It takes a long time to learn guitar. There's no way around that fact.

You can shorten the time with more frequent or longer practice sessions,

but even then, the general trajectory will be similar to the month-by-

month list I showed you earlier. That's a very typical timeline, especially

for those who are just starting out and have never touched a guitar

before.

It's possible to be ahead of that curve, but I wouldn't advise moving too

quickly. Take the time to enjoy and really solidify the topics you're

working on as they come.

Build a foundation during those first six months, then apply what you've

learned.

If you have questions about the learning process or how long it takes to

learn guitar, feel free to leave those in the comments section below and

I'll do my best to answer there.

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