Note: This is a guest post by Ian, from GuitarLessonsReviewed.com.

The question that is on a lot of beginners minds is “How long will it be before I’m a good guitar player”. Now I know the term good is different for each individual but for most beginners it’s how long before I can play the songs I hear on the radio, jam with friends and maybe play for others at a party or camp fire.

Before we can answer this question I think we first need to take a look at the benefits of self study or private lessons and the variety of different products available to teach yourself to play guitar. So let’s get started.

Private Lessons Vs. Self Study Programs

There isn’t too much question that the potential to become a great guitar player learning directly from someone else who is a great player is very high. Of course how much you practice and progress has a lot to do with it but you’re setup for success when taking private lessons.

The biggest downside to taking private lessons is that often you learn new techniques at a very slow pace which can cause you to lose interest. Contrast this with learning guitar from a guitar lesson dvd course like Learn and Master guitar and you’re in complete control of how quickly or slowly you learn.

If you choose to learn on your own be sure you spend the money on a good self study program like Learn and Master Guitar or a similar video program. This will ensure you learn all the basics and build a good foundation for future learning.

What About Learn Guitar Fast Programs?

There are some ebooks and digital guitar courses that suggest you can learn guitar in one week or even one weekend. Personally, as someone who’s played guitar for several years I cannot see how you could “master” an instrument in one weekend, but I do suppose it’s possible to learn a chord or two and some basic strumming patterns.

My personal opinion is that programs like these offer a big promise they cannot deliver on. If you’re really interested in becoming a great guitar player then don’t waste your time on a product that claims you can learn in one weekend. Spend your money and time wisely on a serious beginner guitar lessons product.

So How Long Until You’re Good?

So back to our original question. I believe it will take a complete beginner 6 months of steady practicing to become comfortable with basic chord shapes and barre chords. You’ll also begin to learn basic scales in that time.

After about 1 year you should have mastered all the major and minor chords, know your most common scales and each of their shapes and positions on the neck and have settled into a particular playing style. At this point you could call yourself a good guitar player.

Of course you’ll be playing songs you enjoy well before that 1 year mark, but don’t make the mistake of stopping your learning at that point. Keep pushing through to learn new skills and techniques so you can become a great guitar player!