Newbies - How long does it take to learn....


William MG
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William MG
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07/30/2020 2:17 pm

This is one of the most common questions that comes up on the forum.

Well, it can take me an extraordinarly long time to learn and to play in tempo. Keep practicing, it will come together with persistant effort.

How long will it take


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 1
Guitar Tricks Admin
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Guitar Tricks Admin
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07/30/2020 9:05 pm

Hi William MG

This is good advice! Thanks for sharing!

-Billy


If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us.
# 2
theMolster
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theMolster
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07/31/2020 12:14 pm

Always good advice from Bill :)


# 3
mjgodin
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mjgodin
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07/31/2020 4:49 pm

I nominate Bill to be our "Motivational Leader"

Seriously though, I watched the clip and it got me thinking of my own journey. Learning an instrument is different than anything else. It's not like taking a physics class and then proving to the rest of the world you know physics by passing a test and getting a degree.

I've reached a point where I don't know if I've really learned something, be it a song or a melody. I've learned how to play a lot of songs, but I can't honestly say I've learned how to PLAY a lot of songs. Know what I mean?

Dust in the wind is a perfect example. I know all the chords, start to end including the solo with the violin, but putting it all together to any near original tempo without flubbing a lot of notes is next to impossible. Many of Lisa's fingerpicking songs I can play on my own, but as soon as I try to play along with her I am lost even if I slow it down. And like you, some days it's all there and others it's like I'm trying to play it for the first time. I know practice and repetition is what it's all about with this, but how much practice and repetition can one do? Especially at our age with work and other committments that get in the way.

It's been talked about in previous threads you can't bogg yourself down trying to master a certain song or technique. You need to change it up a bit, go in different directions and try some other stuff, but then that just leaves you with a lot of sporadic playing ability at various degrees to various songs in our repertoires.

It's left me to believe that there is no having "Learned" how to play the guitar, but instead the constant evolution of "Learning" to play the guitar that we are all in. There is no test waiting for us to take, nor a diploma waiting to be nailed on the wall. It's just constant practice, persistance and hoping someday we'll be able to make some noise out of these things when someone hears it and says " Hey how long did it take for you to "Learn" how to play the guitar.

We can then laugh and say "Learn", heck I'm still Learning. It's never ending so enjoy the journey everyone.

My 2 cents. Great Topic Bill.

Moe


# 4
moosehockey18
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moosehockey18
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08/01/2020 1:07 am

Good video Bill ! Everything that you and Moe said is spot on. I think we all work out our own regimens but repetition and persistence is the key. I always keep my guitar on it`s stand so it`s always available when I have some time. I`ve also found it helpful to set goals for each practice session, no matter how modest they may be . In the end, there`s no such thing as a wasted practice session, no matter how bad it might go. Every hour you spend playing gets you just a bit closer to your goals.

Rock on.


# 5
William MG
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08/01/2020 12:53 pm

Thanks guys.

Moe, I think I know what you are saying.

I am probably going to make another post that will (I hope) make all us older learners feel a lot better. Just have to figure out what to say and how to say it.

Edit:

For us old guys

the song


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 6
mjgodin
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mjgodin
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08/01/2020 1:25 pm

Hey Bill,

I must have caught your other reply with your finished song before you put this one in cause it seems to be gone now.

Thanks for your advice. Don't read too much into what I was trying to say. I get a little long winded sometimes. I was just trying to enforce the notion you had of the inconsistency of our learning development. Some days it sounds great and other days we can't put our fingers where we want them too even though we've done it previously a hundred times.

I understand at our age I'll probably never play as smoothly as a professional. I can accept that cause I'm still having a lot of fun just doing the stuff I do. I just want to make sure I'm not cutting corners thats all. My understanding of theory and layout of the fretboard is coming slowly, but that's because I don't have much interest in those areas. When things don't interest me I don't learn them well. I have come a long way in my playing and I have Guitar Tricks to thank for that.

Anyway hope that makes a little more sense. I listened to the finished product of your song and it sounds great. I think you really got something there.

Good Luck with it,

Moe


# 7
William MG
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08/01/2020 2:34 pm

Yes I took it down Moe because I thought it would be simpler to just talk. [br][br]

Got you now on what you were saying. [br][br]

And thanks for the song. Having those resources available makes it a whole lot easier.


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 8
danielgeorge868
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danielgeorge868
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08/06/2020 10:45 pm

Yes, I agree, this is one of the most basic questions that people ask. The main thing is to stay focused on your learning and keep practicing.


# 9
DavesGuitarJourney
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DavesGuitarJourney
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08/06/2020 11:37 pm

Fantastic discussion here, and one of your better video posts, Bill.

The short answer to "how long does it take to learn..." is: it takes as long as it takes. I'm not being flippant or cute with that answer, that's really the answer.

You guys have seen me go through several spells of frustration because I'm not learning as fast as I want to. It is definitely harder than I expected it to be. I think I have finally gotten to the point where I accept the "as long as it takes" answer and I'm at peace with it.

I don't have the time, the energy, or the discipline to practice as regularly or with the degree of dedication that it would take for me to really accelerate my learning, so I'm not advancing rapidly. BUT, I still love the feel of the instrument in my hands, and the sounds that I can make with it. Little by little I AM getting better, and even if it is slow, it feels good.

I may not be learning guitar mastery quickly, but I am learning to enjoy the challenge and the journey. I was having a hard time with that at first. I may never be a really good guitar player, but I think I will probably enjoy playing at my own level every day, and that's a reward in itself.

So to the rest of you newbies, setting goals is very useful, but don't forget the most important goal of all - find some joy in the journey.


It takes as long as it takes unless you quit - then it takes forever and you will never get there.

# 10
mjgodin
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mjgodin
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08/06/2020 11:47 pm

Couldn't have said it better Dave. That's exactly right. For each one of us it takes as long as it takes because everyone has a different practice, devotion, and reason for learning guitar. I'm reminded of an old saying. You get out what you put in. Like everything in life right? We just have to keep enjoying the journey and don't fret over how long something takes. [br][br]

damn good discussion, I hope it resonates with the ones who have recently signed on.


# 11
William MG
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08/06/2020 11:58 pm

What Moe said.

[br]Very well put indeed Dave. As an older player (practicer), I accept the fact that I never will be that good. But I do love picking up a guitar and making noise!


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 12
robin79noordh
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robin79noordh
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08/07/2020 8:05 pm

Learning something mentaly, physicaly and emotionelly at the same time and making your

fingers conect and feel it is for sure no easy task... but, what is easily learned is easily forgotten so the time we put in will stay with us.

I try to make time to practise rhythm with a metronome for every lick or whatever else thing Im learning and it's paying of for me.

I started out learning from books but after watching Christopher Schlegels lessons on theory I have had so many AHA moments on how things fit together and It has helpt me make a plan to get to were I want to be, witch is improvicing and at the same time sounding like a mix between Wes Montgomery and Mississippi John Hurt.. one can dream.


# 13
William MG
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08/21/2020 11:13 am

Thought I would post an update on Aug 21, finally after 20 plus days I have the basic structure down...

So for any new guitar player who is struggling, it takes a lot of work and persistent effort and we all learn at our own speed.

Good luck and keep practicing

https://youtu.be/Xb8FNYn5u8w


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 14
DavesGuitarJourney
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08/22/2020 1:12 am

Nice one, BIll. One thing I take away from your video is that you are probably much more disciplined and consistent with your practice than many of us are, and you've been at this for a bit longer than a year and a half, but it still has taken you about three weeks of focused effort to get this far on the Peter Green song. It is really hard for most of us to stick with it day after day for weeks at a time, and I don't think you are exempt from that either.

So, even with real dedication and consistency, how long will it take to learn...? Yep - it will take as long as it takes. :-)

Dave...

PS. I had the same experience as you of discovering the original Fleetwood Mac blues era. I had heard of the band before, but really didn't discover them until Rumours. Hard to think of another band that really had two such absolutely different styles in different eras.


It takes as long as it takes unless you quit - then it takes forever and you will never get there.

# 15
William MG
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08/22/2020 11:09 am

Its kind of a funny thing Dave in that I actually don't find it hard to stick to it and that is important, because I have always been an on/off sort. When I am into something it's all the way and when I am not, you couldn't drag me into it for love nor money. So I am fortunate right now in that I can't wait to start my lessons and pickup on what I was working on the day before. So it is this that is realing pulling me along, and because of this I don't really need discipline if that makes sense.

The other aspect to this whole thing is that it ties into my line of work. It requires a mind that needs structure and order and the only people that can make a life long career out of it are those who naturally think that way. So once we have patterns we tend to stick to them.


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 16
mjgodin
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08/22/2020 3:49 pm

Nice piece Bill. Congrats to you for taking on a Peter Green Lick after only a year of playing. It really does speak to your dedication to learning. Keeping with the Fleetwood Mac theme here as it's apparent where all in the same age range. I have been tackling "Landslide" recently. I can pretty much muddy through most of it, except for that bridge solo Lindsey Buckingham does or any of his fancy embellishments, but I got it down enough where if I played it people would recognize it.

Like you, I also tend to dive in to my hobbies full throttle when starting them, however I agree with Dave. Practice regimes are different for everybody. It's not so much about having a set schedule but having the practice be productive. A lot of it has to do with fatigue. Some days I'm beat dead tired from driving a truck 10 hrs. a day I'll go to pick up the instrument, but my energy level is so low my fingers, mind and emotional levels just aren't there and it shows in my playing and 10 minutes into it I'm putting it away. Sadly some days I don't even play. I'm not using that as an excuse, it just is what it is. However when the weekend comes and I've had some good rest man I feel alive and it too shows in my playing. I figure as long as I keep having those types of sessions I can accept the downtimes.

Moe

P.S. There is a FM tribute band called "Rumours of Fleetwood Mac" on Youtube. They are so fantastic you would swear they sound like the real band. Some of the members even look a little like them. Even Mick Fleetwood gave them a ringing endorsement and stated that on some of their songs sound even better than FM does. Most of the music is from the era that we are most familiar with in the 70's, but their recent tour which is starting in Newcastle this month will include an actual set tribute to the Peter Green era. I can't wait to see more videos on YT once this is done. Check them out when you get a chance. It's a great show.


# 17
William MG
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08/22/2020 4:21 pm

Thanks Moe

Yup I agree that everyone will have their own schedule and time to practice.

Good luck with Landslide Moe, it's a nice song.

PS: hopefully nobody takes this as what I think others should be doing. I'm just illustrating that even with consistent effort the guitar is a difficult instrument.


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 18
DavesGuitarJourney
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08/23/2020 3:06 am

I think I am a lot like Moe lately. My work has been incredibly stressful lately - easily the most stressful 9 months out of 24 years in my career. It just leaves me physically, mentally, and emotionally spent and it really does impact my practice. I still relish and look forward to spending some time with fingers on strings most days, but I don't have the energy to get as much out of it as I could.

The project that has been causing this misery is wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, and I will be changing roles and moving into an entirely different line of business at my company. It will be a new set of problems, of course, but a welcome change and I have talked to a number of people who have been on my new team for a few years and the stress level is much lower. My mental and physical health will benefit, and I think my guitar time will become more productive again.

Meanwhile I am treading water. Playing enough to prevent regressing but not enough to really advance. That bothered me intensely for awhile and you guys saw me talking about how stuck I was and how frustrated I was about the lack of advancement. I'd love to be advancing rapidly but have accepted that things are what they are right now and honestly I have been just battling to get through days sometimes so guitar has had to be more of a comforting habit than a serious endeavor. Hearing me play does not bring comfort or solace to anyone else in the house, but just feeling the strings, smelling the wood, etc. for 15 - 30 minutes a day really helps me.

I believe as I transition into a less stressful role at work I will recover some of my energy and enthusiasm.

So, we're talking about how long it takes to learn and the point here for me is that for many of us "real life" can make the journey more challenging. In my younger years, I know that I would have just put the guitar away and forgotten about it. At this point in my life I think I have learned to be more patient and more committed to achieving the personal satisfaction of learning to play music. So, how long will it take before I can play guitar? You guys know my answer. It takes as long as it takes.


It takes as long as it takes unless you quit - then it takes forever and you will never get there.

# 19
DavesGuitarJourney
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08/23/2020 3:10 am

I'll be checking out the FM tribute band later this weekend, looking forward to it. Is it my imagination or is there a bit of a Peter Green cult coming out of the woodwork lately? I know his death brought a bit of a spotlight with several documentaries ("rockumentaries" anyone?) and retrospectives, but I feel like this rising awareness started a year or two before his death?


It takes as long as it takes unless you quit - then it takes forever and you will never get there.

# 20

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