How long does it take to get good?

In my work as a full time guitar teacher this question is the one question I get asked the most; How long will it take for me to get good at guitar? The problem with asking this question is the fact that there are so many factors that come into play that it becomes almost impossible to answer. This article strives to give you an overview of the most important factors you should consider, when thinking about the time investment you will have to put in, if you wanna learn and maybe even master the guitar.

What does “good at guitar” mean to you.

If you don’t consider this question first you will never be able to answer the question of your time investment. Learning to play a Metallica solo flawless will require a totally different skillset and mastering it a totally different level, than playing a couple of campfire songs will. This does not mean that one thing is more right that other things, but it does mean that one of the options means more to you and it will take two different levels of commitment to reach the separate goals. Ones your know what getting good means to you, an experienced teacher will be able to help you come up with a realistic estimate of the time investment required to reach that goal.

The biggest time waster when learning guitar

And this brings me to my next point. What actually takes up the most time in the learning process? The number one time consumer is “bad guitar habits”. Learning things the wrong way is the number one cause of slow progress and in some cases it is the reason why people stop playing guitar. In my experience unlearning bad habits takes about 4 times longer than learning the correct habit the first time around. On top of that, learning bad habits will make the guitar playing progress filled with unnecessary frustrations. The process of learning the guitar can actually be relatively easy if your seek the help of a professional instructor who knows what they are doing.

What is your time worth to you?

I know what you are thinking at the point. I’m simply trying to convince you to take lessons. While it is true ask yourself this. In 20 yours you could still be struggling trying to reach your guitar playing dreams. Or you could spend 5 years with an experienced instructor and enjoying 15 years of awesome guitar playing afterwards. Time is the only asset we can’t renew. We only have so much time available, so why spend it being frustrated with your guitar playing? Search out professional help and you will enjoy the process of learning the guitar much more. If you don’t you can always go back to doing what you were doing before. In other words, you have nothing to loose, but a future of guitar playing excellence to gain.

About the author: Janus Buch is a professional guitar instructor based close to Hedensted in Denmark. He has been teaching professionally since 2016 helping people from all walks of life and with all types of different skillsets reach their guitar playing goals. If you are looking to improve your skills on guitar he is offerring Guitar undervisning Hedensted for the best value for money. Don’t let your dream of playing guitar remain only a dream, make it a reality now!