How Long Does It Take To Play Guitar?

How long does it take to learn how to play guitar? – It’s a great question and the answers you’ll receive will be as varied as the people who give them. This article will help you learn the truth.
You get different answers because there are so many variables to playing the guitar — age, previous experience, instrument, goals, etc. How can there be one right answer?

You’ll Never Stop Learning How to Play Guitar

The ONE answer is…….. You never stop learning to play. You’ll never 100% master everything there is to know and the best guitarist, guitar teachers, and private guitar students understand that. You just play and keep learning because you love it. Isn’t that why people want to play guitar anyway?

Play Guitar Because You Love It

If you want to really enjoy taking guitar lessons, don’t focus on the end; focus on each part of the journey. How you play today will be eclipsed by how you can play tomorrow, so forget wanting to know where you are and enjoy the now! The reason you want to play is because you love music; the sound of the guitar and expressing yourself while you play it. You like being able to play a song and that’s exactly what musicians do, we play music. Welcome to the club.

But I Really Want To Know What I’m In For

Here’s a breakdown of what happens in your first year of playing guitar:

Ages 5-8

How To Play Guitar — Most Children Start On An Acoustic Guitar

Within the first 3 months, the 5-8 beginning will know the names of the strings, where specific notes are, how to read them on a music staff and how to play a few melodies that are recognizable. After they’ve played for about 6 months, those early melodies will become more comfortable and of course the whole time they are slowly but surely adding more to what they play.
Chords come in later for younger guitar students. Into their first year and beyond, they will be playing chords. As they progress, they’ll play chords while someone sings or plays the melody on another instrument. They might be playing more classical melodies too, based on their interest in music and what they learn they like to do in this first year in lessons.

Ages 9-12

Just like early ages, within the first 3 months guitar students who are age 9-12 will learn the names of the strings and notes on the guitar and how to read them on the music staff. They will learn songs and basic chords depending on the size of their hand and how much they practice.
After they’ve played guitar for about 6 months, they’ll be playing a number of songs and more complicated melodies. They’ll be a focus on articulation and details of presenting a song in a way that conveys its meaning. At a year, they should be playing many songs in such a way that they could bring their guitar to an event and show off their skills in a way that makes others say, “Wow, I wish I knew how to play guitar”.

Ages 13-Adults

how long till I can play — Be Patient and have fun learning to play guitar.

We put teenagers to adults in the same category because the way we learn as humans doesn’t change too much after we reach our teenage years. We teach teens more like adults so it’s really all the same. In the first 3 months, you’ll learn strings, basic note reading, chords, and songs. You’ll have to be patient with yourself because you know what to do far better than you can actually do it.
With a smile and a good attitude, you’ll play a few songs and know how to make them better; you’ll just need time. After about 3 months and all the way to a year, you’ll hone in on your skills and you should have a number of songs that you play with a lot of confidence. Once you’ve played for about a year, you’ll laugh at the question, “How long does it take to play the guitar?” and find yourself not thinking in those terms again.

Playing Guitar Takes One to A Lifetime Full Of Days But You Love It So Who Cares

Take the time to learn to play guitar and you’ll be happy you did. Your guitar teacher should be fun and encouraging — they should have a plan on how to teach you and be able to guide you on a smart path that doesn’t leave you with gaps in your playing. Don’t push them on what to teach you next — if you trust your teacher, you’ll be impressed with where you are in no time. Just don’t forget to play everyday!