Originally Posted by
iscariot
General Rule:
If you play an hour or two a day for about a year, you will likely be able to play 90% of the top 40 radio stuff fairly well, and even with a bit of emotion. You'll impress the ladys around the campfire with your sensitive, slightly clumsy, playing. They'll figure that a guy who unabashedly plays, mistakes and all, must have something to deeper to offer, because guitar playing obviously ain't it.
If you want to be an average guitar player, start playing asap (because its already too late), and keep playing 2 to 3 hours a day for about 5 or so years. You will likely be able to play most of what you want, and will be proficient at writing and creating music if you choose. You will genuinely impress the ladies around the campfire. If you play coffee-house gigs, and the odd open mic night, you'll have a few groupies who think you're the best and wan't to get with you before you make it famous. But the joke is on them, you're never gonna be famous, let alone get out of the coffee-house.
If you want to be a stellar guitar player. Its already too late. 6 to 8 hours a day from when you are 16 years old, for 6 or 7 years will get you into a position to be a musician who can make a living touring in a band etc... if you're one of the lucky ones. Ladies will come to your gigs, buy you drinks, hit on you shamelessly, and want to sleep with you. At this point, many of them don't even care about the music anymore, and just want to fuck a guy in a semi-popular band. The ladies that do care about the music, will do so because the songs you've written are about them, you've dated them and thought there was a future, but when it all comes apart, like it always does, you'll take consolation in the fact that you will at least get a few good lyrics from the pain and wrenching heartbreak. They love the songs but don't want anything to do with you anymore, because you are a boy chasing a rock dream, and they want a man to settle down with.
Again, general rules (of course there are notable exceptions; however, these should be seen for what they are: anomalies of ridiculously talented people that have put in a lot of hard work and have a little luck on their side) that I've learned from a lifetime of music, several bands, lots of musician friends some of whom made it and a lot that didn't, and about 20 years of playing guitar, singing, and writing music.
YMMV.
