How much time does it take to get really good on guitar?

Have you ever wanted to know how much time it will take you to get really good on guitar?

Well, I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that I can't give you a direct answer to this question. The good news is that I CAN tell you what you can do to GREATLY reduce the amount of time it takes for you to reach your goals. Let me explain...

There are three main reasons why I cannot answer the question directly. First, everyone defines "really good" in different ways. Second, the rate at which you progress is different than the rate at which other people progress. This is because the level of concentration you put into your practicing as well as the amount of time you spend practicing is all unique to you.

Finally, instead of thinking about "how much time does it take", you should be asking yourself "What STEPS will I need to go through to reach my goals?" This gets your mind to focus on what must be done before the goals are reached, rather than on passively waiting for a fixed amount of time to pass before you become a great guitarist.

So, you need to do these things:

1. Define and write down the goals you want to achieve on the guitar. (this is the "really good" part of the question "How much time does it take to get really good on guitar?") This is a CRITICAL step!! If you want to actually get results from your practicing, please take some time to think about what it is that you want to achieve on the guitar in the long term! Do not skip this step! 

2. Next, ask yourself: "How can I increase the rate of my progress to enable me to achieve these goals in the shortest period of time?"

Now, for the explanation of the good news. Although I honestly cannot tell you "how much time" it will take you to reach your goal, I can tell you that you are in DIRECT control of the variables that affect the rate of your progress. You can learn to become more efficient and more effective with your practice habits, and you can learn to make more practice time in your day. I have covered the topics of practice efficiency and effectiveness in much detail in several of my articles. I encourage you to study them to learn more about this topic.

It will take you even less time to reach all of your musical goals if you work with a great teacher who has a proven track record of producing exceptional guitar students

A good teacher has already walked many times on the road you want to travel. He or she can show you how to not get slowed down by the obstacles in your path and how you can make your practicing more efficient and effective. Also, by having only "one" primary source of knowledge, you avoid becoming distracted by multiple sources of information that may lead you away from your goals. 

I have been asked this same question ("How long does it take to get good at playing guitar?") many times by new students. Each time I hear this question, the first thing I do (after explaining everything I just explained to you) is ask the student to share their goals with me. After I know what they are aspiring to achieve, I map out the shortest route that will lead them from where they are to where they want to go. Once that happens, and the student knows what will be needed to reach their goal, they become excited! They become even more excited when they follow the strategy that I have created for them and begin to play better and better! If you want to share your goals with me and allow me to guide you down the shortest path to your musical fulfillment, watch this guitar lesson video to begin this process.