Ukulele And Guitar Lessons FAQ
Can I teach myself guitar or ukulele?
Yes you can, many people do so successfully. The benefit of taking ukulele or guitar lessons with an instructor is that it can save you time as bad habits will be quickly picked up and worked on. Another great benefit of having an instructor is that you’ll get regular feedback on your playing which greatly speeds up your learning process.
Can I learn guitar or ukulele in 2 months?
Yes and no. I remember when I started playing the guitar that I learned very quickly and was able to strum some songs within 2 months. This will not be the case for everyone. What’s important is to focus on the effort and time you put in and enjoy the process of learning. When you do that, playing the guitar will be a by-product and it won’t matter whether it’ll take 2 months, a year, or more.
How long does it usually take to learn ukulele or guitar?
For guitar I would say that usually students see results fairly quickly when they practice regularly and get to that first level in 6 months to a year. Of course it all greatly depends on a number of factors some of those being the time put in by the student, how focused the practice sessions are, etc. For ukulele things usually move a bit quicker compared to guitar and most people learning the ukulele are content with strumming a few chords. Most people who learn to play the guitar dive in a bit deeper.
What is the best age to start ukulele or guitar lessons for kids?
This depends on the child first and foremost. Some kids are super into their instruments at 5-6 years old, others can’t sit with an instrument until they are 8-10 years old. Personally I think that 5-6 years old is great for the super motivated kids and 7-8 years old is a more common age to start music lessons. My son started ukulele at age 6 and that was the same age my daughter started playing the violin. Some start earlier, other are better off waiting a bit longer. The best thing to do is to give your child the opportunities to play music and let them be creative.
Do you need to learn acoustic guitar before electric guitar?
No you don’t need to do that. I would say that for a young child a nylon string acoustic is easier on the fingers which can be good for that first year but I’ve seen young ones start on the electric and do just fine. If you’re and older child or adult and you’re interested for example in rock or metal then it would make much more sense to start with electric guitar right away.
What kind of guitar do I need?
What you need to start with is think about what kind of music you want to learn to play. If it is classical music then a classical guitar should be your instrument of choice. If it is more singer songwriter stuff or acoustic pop, then an acoustic steel string guitar will be great but if you think you have very sensitive fingers you could also start out on a nylon string guitar. An electric is usually for those who want to play more rock, blues, metal, etc. If you’re about to take lessons with me this could also be something we could have a chat about together.
How much should you practice?
If you’re just starting out you can try 10-20m for 4-5 days a week. It is important to be consistent with your practicing. Try to practice after your lessons, and the following 2 days after your lesson. If you’re able to practice longer, that’s great make sure to include breaks so you don’t overload yourself.