How Long Does It Take to Learn Guitar?
The answer to the question "How long does it take to learn guitar?" can vary a lot. Learning to play guitar is like learning a language - you'll never be 'done', but will continue to improve and become more fluent the more you practise and the more you play.
Because of this, it's impossible to put a precise number on how long to learn guitar. The good news is, this means learning can be surprisingly flexible. Whether you practise for seven hours once a week, or one hour every day, you'll still make good progress over time.
With that being said, let's try to put some terms in place to help us understand how long it takes to get good at guitar. First and foremost, let's determine what we actually mean when we say 'good', and why it's not the same thing for all guitarists.
Depends on Goals
What do you want to be able to play? If you're just starting out, you might want to learn one simple tune by heart. You might not even care about playing a song - you might want to learn how to hold and strum the guitar, and how to play chords.
Beginner
"How much time does it take to learn guitar?" is a question often asked by beginners, for obvious reasons. Everyone is different and at first, it's good to focus on gains rather than goals. Stick with it and keep practising, and you'll gain more of an instinct for how to hold the guitar, where to place your fingers on the fretboard, and so on.
Intermediate
At intermediate level, you're more likely to have specific goals in mind. You'll probably want to learn to play along with your favourite pop and rock songs, rather than picking out individual notes to play nursery rhymes. But you probably won't be improvising or composing your own tracks just yet.
Advanced
Once you reach advanced level, you'll probably be creating your own music, either through songwriting or improvised guitar solos (or both). You'll continue to improve though, as your fingers become increasingly nimble - so how long will it take to learn guitar? Anywhere from a few hours a week, to all the spare time you've got.
Depends on Practice
It stands to reason that the more practice, and the better practice, the better you'll get. It's about gaining that muscle memory, so that playing becomes second nature. For electric guitar, you'll also need to learn how to set up your equipment and how to use EQ and effects pedals, which is why "How long does it take to learn electric guitar?" is a bigger question, compared with learning acoustic guitar.
Quantity of Practice
Practising for longer is not always best. Especially when you're first learning, excessive practice can feel uncomfortable and leave you with sore wrists and fingers - not good for keeping to a daily routine. I look in detail at this in my blog How Long To Practise Guitar?
Quality of Practice
Guitar practice is one area where quality is as important as quantity. I believe that practising guitar should be a very natural, instinctual process. You don't want to know 'how' to play a guitar, you want to be able to play it yourself. That's why my methods learn from the masters, but also don't get too bogged down in the technical aspects of playing electric guitar.
Learning Methods
Solo practice is one way to learn acoustic or electric guitar, and plenty of famous guitarists claim to be self-taught. But if you're concerned about how long to learn guitar, it's good to get some external help.
Learning Online
There are pros and cons to learning guitar online. You'll find plenty of guitar lessons on my YouTube channel, and these can help you to practise different skills. They also make a great refresher if you want to remind yourself of key techniques in between your in-person guitar lessons.
Lessons with a Teacher
I provide in-person guitar lessons in Leeds where we can focus on exactly what you need, identify areas for improvement, and create a practice plan to keep your progression moving forward. How long does it take to learn guitar? With a professional teacher helping you, not as long as trying to do it alone or purely from pre-recorded online lessons.
Tailor the Above Factors to Suit Your Needs
All of the above involves a lot of personal preference, and a good guitar teacher will work with you to create a schedule that fits around your life commitments, while still acknowledging how long it will take to learn guitar to a good standard. You will get there in the end, but if you expect to become Eric Clapton overnight, you need to set more realistic expectations.
Every Learner is Unique
Remember, there is no single answer to the question "How much time does it take to learn guitar?" In fact, you might find you pick up one part of guitar-playing very quickly, whereas another aspect could take you longer to master. Effective practice reinforces those parts where you're already doing well, while helping you to close the gap in the areas where you still need to improve.
Take Your Time
Ask yourself why you want to learn guitar. If you're on a deadline - for example, you want to learn to play a particular song for a wedding or birthday - you're probably not going to be fully fluent, but you can probably pick up the basic chords with a bit of practice. If you're learning as part of a longer-term commitment, take your time. The process itself should be enjoyable, so don't stress too much about the end result.
FAQs
How many hours a day should you practise guitar?
A lot of people ask "How long does it take to learn electric guitar?" when what they really want to know is how long to practise. As I mentioned above, I've covered this in an earlier blog. But the key point is, you should practise for a comfortable amount of time that fits around your lifestyle. Unless you're aiming to be a professional recording artist, the balance of benefits falls firmly on fitting your practice around your lifestyle, rather than trying to commit to practising guitar as though it were a full-time job.
Can I learn guitar in a month?
Honestly, probably not. But it depends on your end goal. Do you have any musical experience, especially with other stringed instruments? If so, you might find you can pick up acoustic or electric guitar very quickly. For the rest of us, learning guitar - like any instrument - involves a time commitment. While learning guitar is not hard, to get good you need to develop the muscle memory and crucially, give those skills chance to move from your short-term memory into your long-term memory.
How to learn guitar
As this article has mentioned, there are many different ways how to learn guitar. I compare some of these in my blog Learning Guitar By Yourself vs Having a Private Tutor. My own method is based on taking inspiration from the masters, developing musicality and not just technical skill, and ultimately on enjoying the process of learning to play electric guitar to a good level.
Am I too old to learn guitar?
Never! In terms of how long does it take to get good at guitar, learning at an older age can be more challenging, as your fingers may be less nimble and the brain is a little slower to learn. But plenty of adults (and even some famous guitarists) learn later in life. With regular practice and a healthy level of commitment, you'll gain the required skills over time.
Read more blogs about guitars, music, and learning.
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