How Long Does it Take to Learn Guitar

When I remember it right, you have German roots? Typical way to think for lots of us. Do it right, do it a 100%+ correct, or leave it, is part of our mindset. But trying out things just for the simple act of having joy, without having to achieve a certain level, can be so much fun or satisfaction. I tend to be a perfectionist tooā€¦not one of my best qualities :roll_eyes: and exhausting :joy:!

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Indeed. I was apparently conceived in Germany although I have no recollection of that presumably delightful event. And I was born in the USA 12 days after my family migrated. They called me the family volkswagen given I was made in Germany and shipped to America.

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I think thereā€™s a couple answers here - in guitar as in other things, I think the more you learn, the more you realize you donā€™t know, youā€™re better able to see/appreciate the higher levels and the complexity of them. I also think part of it could be people trying to be humble/not come off as smug, or somebody insecure that is fishing for compliments/reassurance to feel better about themselves.

Can you precisely define what ā€˜goodā€™ means for you? WHY do you want to be ā€˜good,ā€™ what makes it a meaningful goal for you? Can you turn that into a set of SMART goals? If your goal is vague, it will be hard to realize if you ever achieve it, or get closer to it, or even to map out how to get there.

I think you need to give yourself more credit - anytime you (or anyone else) covers a song, youā€™re sort of making it your own by definition (and it doesnā€™t have to be anything earthshattering). If you were learning to paint, perhaps you would spend some time doing copies/imitations of the work of masters, but ultimately even those copies are your interpretation of a work, and your attempt to develop those techniques. Unless youā€™re an art forger, thereā€™s no need for it to resemble the original exactly. I donā€™t think thereā€™s necessarily anything sacred about ā€˜the way a song was writtenā€™ - even the original artist, when playing it live, will modify, or things organically will sound different at each show, and live versions can sound quite different from album versions - neither is better or worse, theyā€™re just different. Art is a living, breathing thing, and I think thereā€™s a beauty in that.

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Interesting topic. I am actually more concerned not with the ā€œhow longā€ question, but rather how good can I reasonably expect myself to be if I play just for 2ā€“3 hours a week for like 20 years. Obviously, that depends a lot on the quality of practice. But I still think that if I see a range of examples I could better plan my personal guitar journey.

From Thursday Jan 26, 2023 to Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
you practiced 253 hours 22 mins

I looked those stats up yesterday since I am using the Practice Assistant. I read the article; itā€™s not bothering me that I have no chance of becoming a deity or demon. :laughing: Iā€™d say Iā€™m firmly in their basic box if I need to be boxed. I am trying to practice at least an hour every day, though that might be easier in winter for me than summer when Iā€™ve got gardens to tend to. It helps that Iā€™ve abandoned my other hobbies despite the money Iā€™ve invested in them. I am finding learning guitar much more satisfying than crocheting a sweater or making a quilt.

I understand that math, astrophysics and music are sort of a thing? Hopefully the fact that I never liked math beyond geometry and algebra wonā€™t deter me in my guitar journey. My distaste for math is why Iā€™m an engineer not an astrophysicist! :rofl:

Referring to the articleā€™s chart Iā€™d say Iā€™m aiming to be a fairly adequate rhythm guitarist, maybe even a bit beyond in the next 5 years. Being in the middle of Grade 2 Iā€™m finally beginning to focus more on what interests me beyond mere chord strumming and so far, itā€™s fingerstyle and hopefully blues, as Iā€™m hearing my husband pluck away with 12 bar blues on his Bass guitar and enjoying the sound.

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Itā€™s depend your learning skills. How fast you learn guitar. Itā€™s totally depends your efficiency.