The Student Room Group

Could I get really good at the electric guitar in a year?

I've been playing the electric guitar everyday over this Summer holiday. If I continue to practice every day for the rest of the year is it possible that I will become a really good guitarist.

Just to give you an idea of how I have progressed over these 10 weeks of playing the guitar:
I can use all fingers including my pinkie to play the notes.
I can play songs like 'Psycho' by Muse, 'Just Like Heaven' by the Cure and 'TNT' by ACDC.
I can also play 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes and a few Nirvana songs.
I can do pretty much all the chords.

Can I become a really good guitarist? I am pretty good now but I want to become really good so I can play at gigs with a band.
Original post by cookie123456789
I've been playing the electric guitar everyday over this Summer holiday. If I continue to practice every day for the rest of the year is it possible that I will become a really good guitarist.

Just to give you an idea of how I have progressed over these 10 weeks of playing the guitar:
I can use all fingers including my pinkie to play the notes.
I can play songs like 'Psycho' by Muse, 'Just Like Heaven' by the Cure and 'TNT' by ACDC.
I can also play 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes and a few Nirvana songs.
I can do pretty much all the chords.

Can I become a really good guitarist? I am pretty good now but I want to become really good so I can play at gigs with a band.


Hi


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by cookie123456789
I've been playing the electric guitar everyday over this Summer holiday. If I continue to practice every day for the rest of the year is it possible that I will become a really good guitarist.

Just to give you an idea of how I have progressed over these 10 weeks of playing the guitar:
I can use all fingers including my pinkie to play the notes.
I can play songs like 'Psycho' by Muse, 'Just Like Heaven' by the Cure and 'TNT' by ACDC.
I can also play 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes and a few Nirvana songs.
I can do pretty much all the chords.

Can I become a really good guitarist? I am pretty good now but I want to become really good so I can play at gigs with a band.


No. Sorry, but becoming a really good guitarist isn't something that happens in 6 months... But, will you become a lot better than you currently are if you stick at it everyday for the rest of the year, no doubt about it. I understand your frustration at not being able to get straight out there playing and gigging, however if playing in a band is something you're certain you want to do, and you have a genuine passion for the music, it will come. Dont try to rush or force it, that will only lead to disappointment and ultimately failure.

Take it from me, someone who started out on an electric guitar many years ago learning nothing but solos and riffs with a few basic chords maybe, stuck very heavily to the metal/rock genres, and who is now heavily involved in my local music scene, gigs weekly and have a few projects going on with other musicians. The best advice I can possibly give you is this: Get an acoustic guitar!!! I know it doesn't quite have that same 'cool' look or feel of an electric that initially draws most people in, but seriously, the fact of the matter is you will become a far better guitarist, and a lot quicker too, if you get an acoustic and go back to basics. Learn all the chords you can, of which there are many, don't be fooled into thinking that ABCDEFG are it, there are hundreds of variations of them. You can achieve this by learning as many songs as you can from start to finish and not limiting yourself to any one genre. Once you have done that you will get to a point where you find you can play the chords, without any difficulty, for just about any new song you choose to look up. At this stage you will have a very good idea of how different chords interact with each other, you'll be able to recognise scales (if not in strict music theory then certainly by feel) and how each position on that fret board of your guitar works in relation to the rest of what you are doing. At this point, it's time to once again pick up the electric guitar.

Being a good musician isn't something that happens without motivation and dedication, and it's not always easy... But, if you are willing to work for it, then you truly will get back out of it whatever you put in.

Feel free to message me if you have any more questions on the subject :smile:
Original post by cookie123456789
I've been playing the electric guitar everyday over this Summer holiday. If I continue to practice every day for the rest of the year is it possible that I will become a really good guitarist.

Just to give you an idea of how I have progressed over these 10 weeks of playing the guitar:
I can use all fingers including my pinkie to play the notes.
I can play songs like 'Psycho' by Muse, 'Just Like Heaven' by the Cure and 'TNT' by ACDC.
I can also play 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes and a few Nirvana songs.
I can do pretty much all the chords.

Can I become a really good guitarist? I am pretty good now but I want to become really good so I can play at gigs with a band.


No. Sorry, but becoming a really good guitarist isn't something that happens in 6 months... But, will you become a lot better than you currently are if you stick at it everyday for the rest of the year, no doubt about it. I understand your frustration at not being able to get straight out there playing and gigging, however if playing in a band is something you're certain you want to do, and you have a genuine passion for the music, it will come. Dont try to rush or force it, that will only lead to disappointment and ultimately failure.

Take it from me, someone who started out on an electric guitar many years ago learning nothing but solos and riffs with a few basic chords maybe, stuck very heavily to the metal/rock genres, and who is now heavily involved in my local music scene, gigs weekly and have a few projects going on with other musicians. The best advice I can possibly give you is this: Get an acoustic guitar!!! I know it doesn't quite have that same 'cool' look or feel of an electric that initially draws most people in, but seriously, the fact of the matter is you will become a far better guitarist, and a lot quicker too, if you get an acoustic and go back to basics. Learn all the chords you can, of which there are many, don't be fooled into thinking that ABCDEFG are it, there are hundreds of variations of them. You can achieve this by learning as many songs as you can from start to finish and not limiting yourself to any one genre. Once you have done that you will get to a point where you find you can play the chords, without any difficulty, for just about any new song you choose to look up. At this stage you will have a very good idea of how different chords interact with each other, you'll be able to recognise scales (if not in strict music theory then certainly by feel) and how each position on that fret board of your guitar works in relation to the rest of what you are doing. At this point, it's time to once again pick up the electric guitar.

Being a good musician isn't something that happens without motivation and dedication, and it's not always easy... But, if you are willing to work for it, then you truly will get back out of it whatever you put in.

Feel free to message me if you have any more questions on the subject :smile:
Original post by FractalChaos
No. Sorry, but becoming a really good guitarist isn't something that happens in 6 months... But, will you become a lot better than you currently are if you stick at it everyday for the rest of the year, no doubt about it. I understand your frustration at not being able to get straight out there playing and gigging, however if playing in a band is something you're certain you want to do, and you have a genuine passion for the music, it will come. Dont try to rush or force it, that will only lead to disappointment and ultimately failure.

Take it from me, someone who started out on an electric guitar many years ago learning nothing but solos and riffs with a few basic chords maybe, stuck very heavily to the metal/rock genres, and who is now heavily involved in my local music scene, gigs weekly and have a few projects going on with other musicians. The best advice I can possibly give you is this: Get an acoustic guitar!!! I know it doesn't quite have that same 'cool' look or feel of an electric that initially draws most people in, but seriously, the fact of the matter is you will become a far better guitarist, and a lot quicker too, if you get an acoustic and go back to basics. Learn all the chords you can, of which there are many, don't be fooled into thinking that ABCDEFG are it, there are hundreds of variations of them. You can achieve this by learning as many songs as you can from start to finish and not limiting yourself to any one genre. Once you have done that you will get to a point where you find you can play the chords, without any difficulty, for just about any new song you choose to look up. At this stage you will have a very good idea of how different chords interact with each other, you'll be able to recognise scales (if not in strict music theory then certainly by feel) and how each position on that fret board of your guitar works in relation to the rest of what you are doing. At this point, it's time to once again pick up the electric guitar.

Being a good musician isn't something that happens without motivation and dedication, and it's not always easy... But, if you are willing to work for it, then you truly will get back out of it whatever you put in.

Feel free to message me if you have any more questions on the subject :smile:

That's brilliant advice, thank you for such an in depth reply, it's really helpful.

I will definitely let you know if I have any questions :smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile
Depends on what you mean by a "really good guitarist". Some people think that I am a really good guitarist, but I don't particularly agree (although I'm not bad when I'm on form, which I'm not at the moment). Meanwhile some people think that players like Herman Li are the pinnacle of guitar playing (they're not, they're just fast).

For me, a really good guitarist is one who can go into a room with a bunch of musicians they've never met before and jam with whatever style they come up with and have their improvised playing sound great. That's not something you'll be able to pick up within a few months unless you're already competent with another instrument, as it's an ability that comes with experience. I'd say that's a better sign of being a good guitarist than being able to play something fast/impressive from memory.

Quick Reply

Latest