How long did it take you to become proficient at playing the guitar?

[DreamTheaterRules]

The guitar is an unrelenting tool of unforgiveness...

You will never master it because you will never 100% learn it. You will never even 100% appreciate it. You may only think or believe you are proficient at it but in reality, even after 50 years of playing, you are still beginning.

Let's be real here

But... what if you're really old like Les and I, and you are a pretty smart guy, like Les and I (ok, more Les than myself, but play along) and you have over 60 years of knowledge crammed in a regular sized head, and it's just full, and we are closer to the end than the beginning? Are we still beginning?

I know I don't know everything and estimate that I've lost about 30% of my ability due to arthritis in my hand. Heck if it keeps getting worse, I WILL be back at beginner level.

Now I'm getting depressed. Why did you bring this up? I should just give on on guitar and start playing the kazoo! What will my hot wife think about that? She married a guitar player! Geez, this is a depressing thread. One minute I'm doing pretty well on guitar, the next I'm a washed up kazoo player with no hot wife. I just can't win here!

 

[JasonE]

But... what if you're really old like Les and I, and you are a pretty smart guy, like Les and I (ok, more Les than myself, but play along) and you have over 60 years of knowledge crammed in a regular sized head, and it's just full, and we are closer to the end than the beginning? Are we still beginning?

I know I don't know everything and estimate that I've lost about 30% of my ability due to arthritis in my hand. Heck if it keeps getting worse, I WILL be back at beginner level.

Now I'm getting depressed. Why did you bring this up? I should just give on on guitar and start playing the kazoo! What will my hot wife think about that? She married a guitar player! Geez, this is a depressing thread. One minute I'm doing pretty well on guitar, the next I'm a washed up kazoo player with no hot wife. I just can't win here!

I need to NOT read your posts while on a video call. I am now trying to not let them see me laugh... lesson learned.

 

[SteveGlitch]

But... what if you're really old like Les and I, and you are a pretty smart guy, like Les and I (ok, more Les than myself, but play along) and you have over 60 years of knowledge crammed in a regular sized head, and it's just full, and we are closer to the end than the beginning? Are we still beginning?

I know I don't know everything and estimate that I've lost about 30% of my ability due to arthritis in my hand. Heck if it keeps getting worse, I WILL be back at beginner level.

Now I'm getting depressed. Why did you bring this up? I should just give on on guitar and start playing the kazoo! What will my hot wife think about that? She married a guitar player! Geez, this is a depressing thread. One minute I'm doing pretty well on guitar, the next I'm a washed up kazoo player with no hot wife. I just can't win here!

You just proved me wrong. I can admit when I'm wrong!

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

You just proved me wrong. I can admit when I'm wrong!

Don't you dare try to take away my golden years, Steve! This is all I have left, so don't you dare!

 

[Black Plaid]

After about two years of constant practice I finally stopped hating my playing, and even thought I was proficient. I now know that I was still dreadful.

 

[Rider1260]

Been playing about 50 years , mostly self taught and I think from time to time I can make some present noises on a guitar , proficient Hmmm I think that's a life long goal

 

[alantig]

a pretty smart guy, like Les and I (ok, more Les than myself, but play along)

On average, you and Les are very smart.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

On average, you and Les are very smart.

Thank you for grading on a curve!!

 

[RC Mike]

I've only been playing for half the life of this thread. By the time I hit nine years, I'll half-way to almost approaching proficient--and I set a pretty low bar for my own proficiency.

It's been slow-going at 48. I'm not as regular in my practice as I'd like, but I have fun with it. It's only in the last several months that my muscle memory has decided it really can work with chords. It's progress, relatively speaking. Thankfully, that's not my why.

I mostly play to have a hobby that I'm not necessarily good at. I've spent too much of my life doing things that come naturally to me. Music isn't easy for me. It's good to do hard things. And with a little luck, my three-year old will learn something by watching me enjoy the challenge. Perhaps he'll develop some talent for music while he's young.

 

[Daryl Jones]

Something that my karate sensei told me almost 40 years ago (and I'm sure somebody told it to him):
"If it was easy, everyone would do it."

 

[Ghostdog27]

Je joue depuis environ 5 ans, je pratique au moins 1 heure par jours, j'ai commencé grâce à internet avec les tutos en ligne (pentatonique, mod etc.) les bases indispensables. Maintenant je joue toujours à l'oreille pour une connaissance de mon manche, sur des musiques comme BB King, Eric Clapton, Santana, etc… Sans apprendre leur morceau mais comme si j'étais en deuxième guitare, là je peux vous dire que je m'éclate bien sûr avec des erreurs par ci par là. Je progresse de jour en jour en piquant des effets de jeux à tous ces artistes (je regarde énormément de live en vidéo pour les placements et les effets main droite main gauche). Je ne joue que pour le plaisir, et j'ai encore beaucoup de choses à apprendre.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

No hablo, which is not nearly as bad as no queso.

 

[Black Plaid]

On average, you and Les are very smart.

I see what you did there.

 

[TheCraftsman]

How long is a piece of string…. Nobody will ever master the guitar, or any other instrument, that’s is one of the joys of music, as you and your emotions change when you select an instrument to play, inevitably there’s always something else and new to learn.

From 0 to being able play a gig - about 6 -9 months. From a beginner to enthusiast/ proficient…. I’ll let you know when I get there

 

[watelessness]

i still await the day that "proficient" may be applied to my playing

 

[veinbuster]

I think proficient is a moving target. Each time I think I’m getting close, it moves down the road a bit.

 

[dogrocketp]

I’ve been at it for 62 years. Yes, I read and am a trained seal. Although I took a 25 year family break, I practice as much as possible and always with a program called drumbeats+. I’ve worked extremely hard to become the decidedly mediocre guitarist I am today. And I’ll continue to practice as much as possible.

 

[RossF]

I started typing out my playing history, but it was turning into a novel.

Short version: started playing at 11 took lessons at RCM for two years. Not really much formal tuition and I don't remember much of it. It was more about sight reading than playing something interesting. Self taught from there.

I played in bands for about 15 years until a couple of years after I got married.

I still loved playing and when good VHS instructional videos came out and sequencers became a thing my "proficiency" really started to improve. When you don't have other musicians involved, life is much easier. lol

I still play at least an hour a day (which is nowhere near enough) and I still need a lot of work in some areas, but less in others. The destination is getting closer, but I will never arrive.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I still suck at playing guitar

Yeah, but your photography skills are improving.

Don't you dare try to take away my golden years, Steve! This is all I have left, so don't you dare!

You still have your Speedo.

Something that my karate sensei told me almost 40 years ago (and I'm sure somebody told it to him):
"If it was easy, everyone would do it."

I want to make a joke about polishing your guitar, but it’s such a “dad joke”.

 

[opnoob]

It was awesome reading what the guitar vets here had to say. And enlightening. Perhaps I can give a different perspective. Im 34 years old, I've been playing just over a year and a half and I am nowhere near good enough to even consider myself an amateur "guitarist". I've been decently musically talented my whole life, winning a singing contest when I was in university but guitar for me has been one of the most humbling and difficult hobbies I have ever tried to pursue. I thought I would be really good at it because my motor control is quite good and I play a lot of mechanically challenging video games (left hand WASD or QWER) that I've ranked quite high in over the course of many years. I feel like guitar has been one of those things that while you're doing it, you always feel like you're stuck and not improving, then one day out of the blue you try playing a piece that you tried a long time ago and it comes surprisingly easier. I don't think I'll ever be good enough to be a true "guitarist" but my goal is to atleast be a good "musician".