How do you learn fast?

Any tips on how to learn as many songs as possible in the least amount of time?

Or does it just come down to grinding hour after hour.

any input on this is appreciated.

I've been working for a couple months on the solo to Smoke on the water. Then I want to learn, living after midnight, breaking the law, ace of spades, you've got another thing coming, crimson and clover and carry on wayward song.

At the rate I'm going, this will take me two years. Or does it speed up as you get better?

I don't know. For now, the only solution I can see, is to grind hour after hour. But if that's not a recipe for 'boring' what is?

What makes great guitarists?

Is that what Jimmy Hendricks, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen did. "Grind away." I somehow don't think so. But maybe I'm wrong.

Any other ideas on how to shorten the road to guitar mastery?

- McLarry

Read my recent post, I sort of dive into this subject a little:

http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32299

Here is another link to Van Halens wiki page. It says he would literally lock himself in his room and play for hours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Van_Halen

When you practice, your gains are exponentially. Meaning if you keep on it, and practice a few hours a day, you can learn all those songs in a lot less time than 2 years. Although probably not have the solos perfected. Or maybe you can if you practice enough!

So I would say yes, it pretty much is grinding down the hours. For the famous musicians that do pull out the 8-10 hours a day, I bet its something they love doing. I bet some cant help but to play and practice for that long. They need to play guitar just as much as they need to sleep.

I think on John Mayers wiki page, I read that his parents actually took him to a psychiatrist on two occasions because they thought something was wrong with him for playing the guitar so much.

Also keep in mind, what you practice specifically makes a big difference in how quickly you will progress. I would say thats what this website is for, to help you build a solid foundation with no cracks in it. My overall guitar foundation definitely has cracks in it still, and I have been playing for 8-9 years...

I have been working hard 6 months. I still dont have the skills for many songs. I work alot with the 12 bar blues, alot of the jams on this site use 12 bar, as I go along I keep finding more, today I am working on boogie fill 12/8 fill lesson one, with the solo fill and I got the chord progression from the root notes so in between I am working on bare chord's. Also I picked up a scale book and spent alot of recent time pounding A- scale into my head w/metronome.

I think it all adds up over time, but I still would like to get better faster. If you find the key, other than practice and more and more, post it so I can get it.

Originally Posted by: McLarryAny tips on how to learn as many songs as possible in the least amount of time?

By picking songs that only require the level of skill you already have.

Any song that has a technique or skill you can't yet do will by definition require more time. You have to learn that specific skill in addition to the song parts.

If, and only if, you practice a lot, you can gradually climb the learning curve a little faster. As you gain more skills to put in your toolbox you will find a gradually wider set of songs you can play.

And as Jarsew points out, grinding it out hour after hour, day after day, is something great guitarists enjoy. It's not a chore, it's a pleasure they don't want to stop. :)

Having said that, you can practice smarter. And that can help you get ahead a little faster. Smarter practicing involves making a list of goals you want to accomplish, then a list of techniques & skills that will help get you there. Then focusing on these goals & skills to the exclusion of any and all distractions.

Not easy, but worth it. :) Best of success.

In terms of memorizing songs, find the "pattern" in the song. Once you look you may see that it is easier than you think. Instead of trying to get from point A (start of song) to point B (end of song), look at how it is structured. You'll be surprised at how many songs break down into simple chorus/verses that just repeat a certain number of times. So you only have to memorize sections, then just know when to play them.

As far as solos, break those down to. Take a couple measures and practice them slow until you can nail them down, then just add on a few more measures. Don't try to blast all the way through because by the time you get to the end you'll realize that you either forgot the beginning, or you never really learned it at all in the first place.

For me learning to play guitar comes down to two things . How much time am I willing to devote to practice and also how much fun I get into it .

I usually practice for no more then 2 hours a day and I practice usually 3-4 days a week , i feel that If I put put anymore into my guitar sessions then it no longer is fun .

Overall everyone has their own pace and finding a pace that works for you is crucial I think . I joined Guitar Tricks in May although and I'm still in Guitar Fundamentals 1 . My progress may be slower then others But I'm content .

I sure could go faster but I find if I go beyond my pace then I'll be frustrated .

Currently I'm learning C G F chords and I know a lot of would be guitarists actually quit because of lack of patience and frustrations .

But with Christopher Schlegel's Guidance I've learned to be patient and not frustrate myself cause learning any chord won't happen over night but as long as I continue to practice that I will nail those chords eventually .

I want to thank everyone for your feedback and support.

Yes, I understand the magic is basically, to enjoy what your learning, don't learn something that's way too hard yet, the more you put in, the more you get out of it, and thank you guitar tricks for giving us the stepping stones to make it as far as we want, in small bites that we can comprehend. (I didn't mean for this to sound like a plug for GT)

McLarry

practice makes perfect.

Everytime you try out a song makes the next one go easier....

I said to myself I would play guitar within one year and with 6 months to go I can say I can already play a lot due to all the effort I have put in.

Just set a goal and then: Don't have a dream....Live it

Consistent focused practice

Yes, the major thing is to keep yourself motivated. I recommend, NLP, personal development courses - they really help. I know this may not seem directly related but it is all crucial. You need to set your goals and enjoy the process of learning.

I can't remember the name of this book, but it's a popular one that came out a couple of years ago. Maybe Blink or Tipping Point or that type if you know what I mean. Anyway, it talked about the study of greatness or "brilliance" in some people, whether musicians, athletes, or even computer programmers like Bill Gates. The simple conclusion was that none had a real short cut but excelled after achieving about 10,000 hours of diligent practice. Sure some people have a little more physical or other natural skill that can help them some, but there's no escaping the time commitment.

I'm probably somewhere less than 1000 hours now after about 18 months, averaging probably a bit over an hour a day. I feel I've come a long way, but am still just "crawling" in many respects. The above perspective helps me keep from getting frustrated when I feel like I'm not progressing as fast as I'd like at times. I also like the thought that I've still got a long way to go because I love learning it.

Originally Posted by: Bruce JI can't remember the name of this book, but it's a popular one that came out a couple of years ago. Maybe Blink or Tipping Point or that type if you know what I mean. Anyway, it talked about the study of greatness or "brilliance" in some people, whether musicians, athletes, or even computer programmers like Bill Gates. The simple conclusion was that none had a real short cut but excelled after achieving about 10,000 hours of diligent practice. Sure some people have a little more physical or other natural skill that can help them some, but there's no escaping the time commitment.

There is a book called "This is your brain on music", and it dives into that 10,000 hours (roughly of course) to achieve "mastery". He said that with all of his research (he's a PHD-neuroscientist by the way), that magical 10,000 hours number kept popping up everywhere in studies concerning everything from sports, music, chess, to even people in business and so on. Interesting stuff for sure.