How Much Time Should Be Spent Learning Songs vs Learning New Techniques and Theory on the Guitar for Beginners?

As a beginner and for the first 3–6 months, every song will have a new technique. Don’t let other seasoned players, teachers, etc, fool you into needing to learn scales, sightreading, and anything else academic. You will learn this in time. PLAY GUITAR FIRST. Then learn it.

As a beginner and for the first 3–6 months, every song will have a new technique.

Don’t let other seasoned players, teachers, etc, fool you into needing to learn scales, sightreading, and anything else academic.

You will learn this in time.

PLAY GUITAR FIRST. Then learn it.

And Play What YOU Love!

Beginner songs will have plenty of technique to keep you engaged for the first 3–6 months depending on how much you practice daily.

Let’s zoom out a bit…

For example, you are trying to learn a song with the G chord.

That G chord is your “new technique”

Now Imagine, that G Chord is at the center of a growing Venn Diagram

You need at least 3 songs with a G chord to say, “Okay I know what a G chord is.”

You need at least 5–7 songs with that G chord to say, “I am good at playing songs with G chords.”

You need at least 12 songs with that G chord to say, “ I have MASTERED the G chord!”

Now this is an over generalization, but it is very true.

Intermediates will start to look at a song with a G chord and think, oh I already know, that and move on.

This is arrogant thinking.

Because when you go through that process of 3, 5–7, and 12 songs.

Now you have encountered multiple variations SURROUNDING the G chord. Here is a brief list of those variations.

• Tempo of the Song

• Strumming Rhythm

• Length of the Song (you could get tired if it’s over a 6 minute song)

• The chord before and after your G chord (have you seen those chords before?)

• Time Signature

• Dynamics of the song (Do you need to play quietly?)

• There’s more, but you get the point…

Now that you are seeing new patterns with your G Chord.

Swap out your Venn Diagram

Instead of a G Chord, you want to master soloing with a pentatonic scale (common blues and rock scale)

NOW, go through the 3, 5–7, 12 song system again!

It works over and over.

Most things you learn on guitar or in life is just taking something you know or understand and changing variables around it too make it different, but with enough repetition and variety you will MASTER the Pattern.

That’s how you see Expert musicians look at something once and play it to near perfection on the first try!

I will say it again,

PLAY GUITAR FIRST. Then learn it.

No one comes to the instrument wanting to learn a C Lydian Mode, they want to learn AC/DC.

Keep it fun in the beginning, and you will be naturally pulled into the Journey that is Music Theory and MORE down the Never-Ending Music Iceberg!

Keep Playing,

AJ 💪🏽🎸