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Learning how to play guitar is a dream for many people. While you may think that learning guitar will be difficult for you because you’re an adult, this is simply not true. Anyone can learn how to play guitar, no matter how old they are.
Luckily, whether you want to be a great lead guitar player or you want to play jazz guitar, there are some ways to learn how to play when you’re older. If you want to learn guitar as an adult it’s important that you stay focused and stick to a routine. When taking adult guitar lessons and practicing the instrument, always keep your goals in mind.
Below are some of the top tips for learning to play guitar. These tips can help you meet your guitar-playing goals if you’re trying to learn the instrument as an adult.
1. Set Positive Goals
Adults often set the goal of learning how to play guitar. This goal is not much of a commitment though. Set a more specific goal to help you really learn how to play guitar. Set a goal more like: I will practice playing guitar for at least five minutes every single day for 100 days.
This goal means you have a time thought out and you have an end goal of 100 days to achieve as much as you can by practicing playing guitar every day. Once those 100 days are up, you can set a new specific goal.
2. Be Consistent With Lessons
Being consistent is one of the best ways to learn guitar. Practice really does make perfect. Once you decide what kind of lesson structure you want to go through and you create a practice schedule, stick with it. Look around and decide what will work best for you. There are many different ways to learn an instrument.
You may want to look into beginner adult guitar lessons locally to help you get started. There are also virtual Skype teachers who can help you learn to play as well. available as well through sites such as Take Lessons.
If you would rather teach yourself, that’s also a possibility. You may also want to take a look at our list of the best guitar lesson books to get started. There are also some great guitar lesson DVDs you can buy and Youtube videos out there that are perfect for adult guitar lessons.
3. Set Aside Time Every Day
Setting aside a significant amount of time each day to dedicate to practicing and playing your guitar is yet another of the best ways to learn guitar. When you have a busy work schedule and other factors in your life, it can make it especially difficult to handle setting aside time every day.
Choose to practice for just a little while after work, after dinner, or before you go to bed. This should allow you to always work it into your schedule.
4. Practice, Play, and Don’t Confuse the Two
Practice and playing guitar are two different things. Practicing means you are working on new concepts until you can master them. Playing means you are playing something you are already adept at. Practicing involves committing to learning and mastering new chords, picking patterns, guitar scales, or other skills that are a part of playing guitar.
Know the difference between the two and make sure you make time for each. If you want to get better at guitar you need to have a guitar practice routine. Set aside some dedicated practice time. On the other hand, don’t let yourself get too serious about it and forget to have fun every now and then.
5. Don’t Give in to Failure
The only way you won’t learn how to play guitar is to not try and to give in to failure. If you are frustrated with practice and lessons are seemingly not going anywhere and you give up, that means that you will not learn how to play guitar.
Giving up is not an option if you want to learn how to play, so don’t let frustration get you down. Everyone gets frustrated when they first start to learn something new.
Making the Decision to Take Adult Guitar Lessons
These 5 helpful adult guitar tips are essential if you want to learn how to play guitar. The right habits can assist you in learning how to play guitar more than you may realize. Remember, that anyone can learn how to play guitar. It’s only a matter of dedication and practice.
Ready to teach yourself to play guitar? Click here to see our list of the best guitar lesson books for beginners.

Hi, I’m Harrison! I created this website to help musicians navigate the ins and outs of their craft and to help them choose new instruments and gear to add to their collection. I have 15 years of experience as a guitarist and singer and have also played many other instruments throughout the years including the bass guitar, piano, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica.