Welcome to Amazing Mobile Music Instruction. You’ve finally decided to take guitar lessons. The real question is how long is it going to take to learn? Music instructors always have a hard time giving a good answer. It’s isn’t a terrible question, it’s just a little difficult to answer. To answer the question, we need to know what “learning guitar” really means to you.

Learning to Play Guitar

Some people may want to learn how to simply play a favorite song, or learn certain chord progressions, or play mind-blowing solos. To be good at anything, if it’s playing guitar, learning the yo-yo or something else, takes a lot of practice.

No matter what your guitar playing goals are, it is going to take no less than a few months or perhaps over a year of steady practicing prior to you positively say you “know how to play guitar.”

For people that want to learn how to play just a few chords and transition between them easily, it’s going to take a minimum of three or four months of steady practice, possibly more depending on how persistent you are.

Three Things you Need to Know. Practice, Practice, Practice!

“How long should I practice?” This is a reasonably typical question. Everyone has things to do and also has a life beyond playing guitar, so it can be hard to make time to practice. Try not to practice more tchan an hour in a day. An hour is a bit of time already, and when you are practicing for more than that, your hand might be a little tired, particularly if you are new to guitar. Stay to a steady 30 to 45 minutes of concentrated practice each day. And you don’t feel bad if you have to miss a practice day. Stuff does happen and going into the next time that you practice, be sure you’re dead set and focused on the task at hand.

Many new guitar players are excessively determined and devote too much time practicing. This eventually leads to them getting burned-out, plateauing or injuring their hand. You do not want this to happen to you.

Set Small, Attainable Goals

Learning a new skill is all about breakthroughs. Realistically set your goals correctly with what you can actually accomplish in the amount of time you have. Imagine something you want to achieve on guitar and place a deadline for yourself for when you have conquered that technique or hit that goal.

For instance, perhaps you want to nail a whole song in a week. Well, if the song turns out to be a little too complex, maybe only learn the intro to the song in a week? If it’s too hard to accomplish, maybe scale it down some and only practice playing its chord progressions? Or if you’re not familiar with a chord in the song, maybe focus on playing the new chord that week alternatively?

It may be over your head if you head right into a complete song lesson and you notice yourself getting confused by the chords or scale being used. You’ll want to basically lay things out, so they are just a little easier for you. In doing this, the goals are easier to achieve, and it usually feels a lot better knowing that you are progressing quickly with small goals instead of waiting a long time to finish something entirely, that can be discouraging and kill your motivation.

A Word on Gear

Many guitar players that are new, are obsessed with gear. It isn’t the guitar that plays the guitar, it’s the player that plays the guitar!

Everyone likes bright, nitro-finished guitars with their custom guitar shop pickups, and Indian rosewood fretboards, ultimately, none of that matters if you can’t even play! That brings us to the point of this post: practice.

There is only one way to become a guitar player; practice. Hinging on what you wish to accomplish, it’s going to take at the minimum a couple of months, possibly more, prior to you having enough confidence in yourself to declare that you are indeed, a guitar player.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Bass Guitar?

Honestly, there’s no conclusive answer to this question, it actually depends a lot on the individual. A new player, for example, might begin to get the gist of it within just 6 months; nevertheless, learning the ins and outs of bass guitar along with proficiency and skill of all the advanced methods might take many years, possibly a lifetime. Bass guitar is a lot more than a guitar with only 2 strings

Consequently, they have very different scale lengths, tones, and feel in addition to its role musically. Also, take into account that in many cases it also requires a rather different conceptual and technical methods. It’s possible that a guitarist will have an easier time moving to the bass since they have knowledge and are familiar with how the fretboard works. Having said that, if you’re thinking about moving to bass following guitar, it’s usually the one of the only things these instruments have in common, in addition to maybe using a pick.

Occasionally, just one lesson with a talented bass instructor might point you in the right direction and help you with your learning method. Do your homework and ask around or look up bass guitar instructors. Always remember that when push comes to shove, your ambition and willingness to learn bass guitar (and maybe your inherent musical ability) would be the major factors that affects your overall progression when you’re learning to play bass guitar.

Tips to Learn and Play Bass Guitar

Here are some common tips that you can use when learning to play the bass guitar. Apply these principles to the guitar, and you’ll hear and notice your playing improve significantly. Additionally, they will help you learn the bass faster.

Single-finger Method

Note that a lot of people in fact want to have a bass player that utilizes a pick as their playing method. Having said that, if you’re a fingerstyle bass player and are looking to accomplish a much more consistent playing method, try using only one finger, such as the index (instead of alternating between your index and middle finger) as much as possible.

Use Fifths and Octaves

The fifth and the octave are possibly the most harmoniously pleasant notes you could play. A lot of popular and classic bass guitar lines have been produced using primarily octaves, roots, and fifths as the main foundation.

One of the benefits about using this technique is that it will enable you to create a bass line that is both appealing and melodic. It also locks in nicely with the drums and not harmonically conflict with the basic chords.

Play for the Song

In a lot of cases, refined bass guitar playing requires you to show finesse and exercise control instead of showcasing your cunning skills and moves. Nine times out of ten, it’s a good idea to work primarily with the root notes of the chords while combining properly with the drummer’s bas drum in addition to the snare drums.

Instructional Books

Books are a great resource to learn bass guitar fundamentals, but to be honest, they’re unappreciated at this point. Online tutorials and YouTube have sort of eclipsed this useful way of learning bass.

It’s important to note that there’s a good chance some of your number one bass players learned by reading books.

Online Bass Tutorials

There are a lot of online bass guitar tutorials on various platforms. They may also be arranged very differently. However, they offer a suitable and affordable way to learn bass guitar. It is worth noting that YouTube is an awesome source, and typically the first place for most new players to go as it’s free!

You’ll be happy to know that there are many incredible channels dedicated to bass guitar tutorials and helpful reviews that explain methods and techniques very clearly.

There are popular lesson websites like Jamplay.com that offer structure while following a reasonable order, typically in a convenient course configuration. What this means is you shouldn’t end up in a bass lesson that’s too technical for you. Instead, get started with some beginner bass video tutorials and then progress from there.

In Conclusion

Join us next time. As always if you ever have a question or would like to know more please contact us at bensmethod@gmail.com. Also, don’t forget to like/follow us on Facebook and Instagram @amazingmobilemusic.