guitar ukulele image
Sophie
I recently began guitar/ukulele lessons and I'm feeling really discouraged. I know that learning an instrument is difficult and I understood that when I chose to invest in a guitar and a ukulele, but I was just wondering how long it takes before you really get the hang of it and everything really starts to make sense. I can't wait until I get to a point when I can hear a song and be able to play it. I know that is very far off, but I just need some encouragement. Thanks so much! :)
Answer
Okay, well, this all depends on your level of commitment. personally, i LOVE the guitar, i am 16 and have been playing for 10 1/2 years. i play legit classical as well (had to put legit in there because there are a lot of guitarists who throw around that term very loosely. they think anytime they fingerpick, they are playing classical). but, to answer your question and hopefully not come across as an arrogant asshole, it takes some time. but man does the time go fast. if you just practice about 15-30 minutes a day, or heck, 4 times a week, your skills naturally increase. also, what kind of stuff do you play? that matters, personally, aside from being a classical guy, i LOVE metal and guitar shredding. (not that metal that people think of. i like guys like ozzy, ronnie james dio, i like the guitarists they have had as well as a number of other solo guitarists). Control is the most important thing though; making sure your hand is positioned right, etc. The guitar can be very technical. (*Is very technical). for me, once i started studying a lot of music theory and got into shredding did my skills jump up ten fold. i started to understand song structure and how chords were formed, etc. it really helped my playing and i suggest you study your theory as well. as for hearing a song and then being able to play it... wellll thats a little different story. that involves ear training, now again, not to come across as arrogant, i have perfect pitch. i can hear a note and name it instantly. now not all people have it but that doesnt mean you cant train your ear to be better and hear notes correctly. relative pitch is what is a lot of musicians have. just try and really listen to what each chord sounds like and then listen to some songs (start off with some simple songs where the guitar/ukulele is very dominant, also the tempo might be slow, and try and figure it out. thats how i learn a lot of my songs!) now, don't be discouraged!!! sometimes i think to myself, "oh i cant play like that! i really want to but ahhh man, thats really fast/complicated/etc." but then a year later, man do i hear a difference. WOW do i shock myself and i bet you will do the same. you will think back and go "man i can't believe i had trouble with that!" so i know you might have been looking for an answer like "2 years, 1 year, a few months, etc" but to really know the guitar and not just memorize where to put your fingers for chords, learn theory, proper technique, have a good ear (that does take time.... perfect pitch is a genetic thing but you are technically training part of your brain to learn/recognize notes so much like learning a language, it takes time) and if you are going to play electric guitar, learning how to write good leads with various techniques as well as learn those techniques (some are easy... and some are hard, i.e. sweep picking and string skipping) but hey, i bet you are already a great musician and are taking the right steps. you sound committed to the craft and excited for your potential. if you really enjoy it (ik i do) you wont mind getting over some of these big hills and learning. it will be a fun experience and when you accomplish a goal you once had trouble with, the reward will feel great. one thing i recommend though is try to form your own style ( a whole other article on its own, i will let you explore that) because you will learn from that as well. plus, people love it when somebody can play their a song they like so, hey, thats always a reward too;) sorry to take up your time reading this and i hope this helped. keep it up!! you are doing great!
Okay, well, this all depends on your level of commitment. personally, i LOVE the guitar, i am 16 and have been playing for 10 1/2 years. i play legit classical as well (had to put legit in there because there are a lot of guitarists who throw around that term very loosely. they think anytime they fingerpick, they are playing classical). but, to answer your question and hopefully not come across as an arrogant asshole, it takes some time. but man does the time go fast. if you just practice about 15-30 minutes a day, or heck, 4 times a week, your skills naturally increase. also, what kind of stuff do you play? that matters, personally, aside from being a classical guy, i LOVE metal and guitar shredding. (not that metal that people think of. i like guys like ozzy, ronnie james dio, i like the guitarists they have had as well as a number of other solo guitarists). Control is the most important thing though; making sure your hand is positioned right, etc. The guitar can be very technical. (*Is very technical). for me, once i started studying a lot of music theory and got into shredding did my skills jump up ten fold. i started to understand song structure and how chords were formed, etc. it really helped my playing and i suggest you study your theory as well. as for hearing a song and then being able to play it... wellll thats a little different story. that involves ear training, now again, not to come across as arrogant, i have perfect pitch. i can hear a note and name it instantly. now not all people have it but that doesnt mean you cant train your ear to be better and hear notes correctly. relative pitch is what is a lot of musicians have. just try and really listen to what each chord sounds like and then listen to some songs (start off with some simple songs where the guitar/ukulele is very dominant, also the tempo might be slow, and try and figure it out. thats how i learn a lot of my songs!) now, don't be discouraged!!! sometimes i think to myself, "oh i cant play like that! i really want to but ahhh man, thats really fast/complicated/etc." but then a year later, man do i hear a difference. WOW do i shock myself and i bet you will do the same. you will think back and go "man i can't believe i had trouble with that!" so i know you might have been looking for an answer like "2 years, 1 year, a few months, etc" but to really know the guitar and not just memorize where to put your fingers for chords, learn theory, proper technique, have a good ear (that does take time.... perfect pitch is a genetic thing but you are technically training part of your brain to learn/recognize notes so much like learning a language, it takes time) and if you are going to play electric guitar, learning how to write good leads with various techniques as well as learn those techniques (some are easy... and some are hard, i.e. sweep picking and string skipping) but hey, i bet you are already a great musician and are taking the right steps. you sound committed to the craft and excited for your potential. if you really enjoy it (ik i do) you wont mind getting over some of these big hills and learning. it will be a fun experience and when you accomplish a goal you once had trouble with, the reward will feel great. one thing i recommend though is try to form your own style ( a whole other article on its own, i will let you explore that) because you will learn from that as well. plus, people love it when somebody can play their a song they like so, hey, thats always a reward too;) sorry to take up your time reading this and i hope this helped. keep it up!! you are doing great!
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