I'm 41 and have always wanted to learn to play the guitar, but never have. With Christmas fast approaching, I have spotted some deals on guitars and might finally take the plunge. I would use video learning/YouTube and if I practised say for an hour a day how long do you estimate it would take to become reasonably proficient?
I can't read music so would need to cope with that too. I'd appreciate any views - thanks
I don't think you'd ever become proficient if all you did to "learn" was watch videos from You Tube. I guess there is some excellent stuff there but most of what I've seen is absolute rubbish and, if it taught you anything, it would teach you bad habits and things that were incorrect. As a beginner, can YOU tell the difference? Get a beginner's book and/or a GOOD teacher.
If you don't believe me, you have an answer from someone that confuses playing the guitar with a computer game, can't spell tablature, and doesn't know the difference between chords and open strings!
Depending on how fast you pick up the basics is how long it would take. I would suggest learning basic chords lto playike G,C,B,A,E first. Finger placement all depends on the Guitar so that all would go with what type you get. Learn power chords also. There is a video game out now that you actually plug your REAL guitar into the console and it teaches you how to play and tracks your progress. I have seen it and played it and it helps a lot. Patients is the key because there is literally thousands of chords to play on a 6 string.
Not reading music isn't really a major issue because you can search the internet for tabliture and find almost any song you want to play. Tabliture shows you where to place your fingers, the number (usually circled) is what fret you put your finger on. I always listen to the song a few times to get the tempo in my head and to know if (when using tabs) its a single chord strike or multiple.
The chords are E A D G B E (fattest to thinnest). I would by a tuner that you plug your guitar into too to make it easier on you. You can be playing a song exactly correct and with the guitar being out of tune you think it'll be wrong....it can make you nuts.
Good Luck
It's all down to your particular abilito playties and how much time you practise.
I've been messing with a guitar for decades, which I enjoy but I'm still completely rubbish with it...
In contrast, one of the guys I work with has a friend who got one a few weeks ago and is now getting on for brilliant!
Guitar music is commonly written in 'Tab' notation, which is a representation of the guitar strings and the fret number for each note, so you do not have to be able to read music.
When buying a guitar, be careful of the quality - if the neck & fret alignment is not correct, the strings will have to be very high off the fretboard and it will be difficult to play.
To check, hold strings down at the first and last fret, and check the fret heights are even to the string.
There is usually a slight 'relief' away from the strings towards the middle of the neck (up to about half a millimetre max) , but the gaps should be even with no high or low frets.
An old one from a secondhand shop may well be better than a new one for the same money.
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