How Long Does It Take ?

Hi,

I started 2 weeks ago as a absolute beginner. I know everybody is different but just to get a sense of the task -

How long should it take to get reasonably good (ie. to not stink) for the Core Lesson #1)?

I have been practicing 30-40 minutes a day 4-5 times a week. I can play Twinkle Twinkle and Mary had a Little Lamp and they are at least recognizable. I can also do the first 3 one finger cords but the A Minor 2 finger cord is making me crazy.

Thanks,

Emily

Hi Emily,

acutally I dont know the core lessons - but from my experience as a guitarteacher it takes 3 -6 months till you are able to play normal chords ( openstring + barréchords ) more or less fluent. Specially the barréchords take the longest time till you get them done. But once you have all these thngs done then you can play and start to follow more indivual favours. :cool:

HP

Emily,

Tough question to answer as "stinking" is a subjective term. I've been at this for 4-5 months...I've completed GF 1 and 2 and have started to Blues section....I can do most of what I've learned reasonably well, although Barre Chords are still very difficult and I expect they will continue to be for a long time. Having said that, there are TONS of songs out there to play, even without the Barre chords (I only play a few as I've spent most of my time on technique and am really just starting to play songs, but IMO that is a choice and one could spend more time on songs).

Most people will tell you alot of your progress depends on the time you put into it....I play almost every day for 30-45 mins, some days more and some days less. Personally, I am trying to just enjoy my practice sessions and trying not to focus too much on how far I progress...anyhow, good luck with it and have fun.

Make sure you have fun when you practice! This is key! It takes a while to get get good at something. Keep practicing what you want to improve and you will improve!

Hi Emily,

I'm a beginner too, and completely understand your frustration about getting your fingers to do what your mind is trying to tell them! :-)

Here's my philosophy about the learning and adapting process:

1) We each learn at different speeds and in different ways - the process will take as long as it takes for you, but each additional minute you practice will improve your guitar abilities, imperceptible as those gains may be at any moment in time/in the short term

2) Frustration in "nailing" a chord shape or a set of notes to make up a tune is to be expected. The more often you attempt to repeat the chord shape or pattern of notes, the better your brain adapts to the pattern, and the better the muscles and tendons adapt to the pattern - much of this is what is called "muscle memory"

3) We learned to walk and speak at least one language through constant practice and repetition - we forget how long it took to become proficient in both of those activities, but we know it took a matter of years

All I can say is "keep the faith" that you will get better, expect to feel that you will have off days where you feel that you are taking two steps back, and dedicated practice and repetition are one of the key contributors to progress.

I'd be very much interested in hearing other peoples' philosophy on how to overcome frustrations about speed/lack of progress in learning various aspects of the guitar playing process (i.e. what mental techniques should we apply to ensure we keep a positive approach to practicing and progressing our guitar skills?)...

Hey Emily,

I'm a guitar teacher.

Don't worry - I think we all went through those more frustrating stages of wanting to be awesome and not exactly knowing how.

One of the main things for beginners is they try to run before they can walk - they try to make their fingers do things that they are not capable of yet. Sooo send your fingers to the gym and make them more capable. Do the finger gym exercise while you are watching TV or something - where you practice on the first four frets of the guitar - all on the first string first - 1st finger, 1st fret, 2nd finger, 2nd fret, 3rd finger, 3rd fret, 4th finger fourth fret. Do this slowly as you watch TV until you can do it really well and easily without thinking about it. Of course you will want to practice the same thing on each string - 1 2 3 4, switch strings, 1 2 3 4, switch strings, etc.

Anyway, I hope that helps.

Also, they say becoming a master in any subject generally takes about 10,000 hours, and you could subdivide that 4 times - you will be feeling pretty good about yourself when you hit the milestone of 2500 hours of playing probably, provided that you are using good technique and playing stuff you like. It will feel good. If 2500 hours still sounds like a lot right now, you can divide that 4 times and you get 625 hours, which is a lot less daunting. There are about 8,760 hours in a year, btw. if you were wondering. So it's totally doable to get to a comfortable level in a year probably, depending on the practice.

Best,
~ Zac Sullivan ~
http://www.fretzeroguitar.com


Oh, and music and a healthy life do go hand in hand:
http://www.lifestylebreak.com/family/music-and-life-a-partnership-for-health/

In addition to what has already be said, don't worry about how long it takes. Learning guitar and music in general is a lifelong activity. Enjoy the journey!

I am a beginner as well,

a hint on those single cords.

hold the g string A note and then just move the first finge between the b and g, then try not looking and lift off the a and switch your first finger to the b string and strum both. till can make that change.

then try going back and doing all 3 like in the lesson thats how I got it.

other useless info about what your next couple weeks will be like.

I play as much as I can till my hand hurts and I cant even open a soda can, switching to bottles only got me a extra half hour.

but here is what I have learned. It sucks I suck, then all sudden BREAKTHROUGH! guess that was easy.

This is my path sometimes I can practice all day and then let my hand heal then do it again. then all sudden it works. dont really know when I learned it but i did

I have almost finished guitar fundementals 1.

I do the lessons like the A d e cords then I try to strum each string through the cords without stopping through those 3 cords without a pause or mistake.

the B cord is eating me alive but hey i got a good solid f d g a df c d ect random roatation. I try strum once or twice or down down up down next cord.

then think the term is arpegiate through the cords.

over and over as I done that it all just seems to become easy.

for example learn the intro to simple man lynard skinner perfect practice for the C cord

Just keep in mind dont give up over and over then at that moment BAM! instance perfect every time Now to move on.

other thing is when it start going smoothly try to look away I am not good at looking away but seems when I can get my eyes off the guitar and play what I am trying it become second nature. now to just convince myself to go blind too it. thats the secret.

eyes wide open still tho.