How hard is it to play Guitar?

[thecontrolcentre]

And to quote Mick Jagger "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need."

Mick actually said "but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need" ...

[adited for accuracy]

[tapper mike]

I stand corrected.

If you try more you may get more of what you need.

[stoopicus]

As an intermediate level bass player (i.e. competent, but not competing with Charles Berthoud any time soon) who dabbles in guitar, I would say it's a mixed bag. It's harder in some ways and easier in others.

Guitar has all these tiny little strings that hurt like crap to fret in these cramped little frets. Bass has these giant suspension bridge cables that feel glorious to play and frets so large that you can't miss.

Guitar requires more dexterity in that you are playing chords contorting your fingers in ways that take a while to get used to. Bass requires stretches and/or shifting that guitarists can't even imagine.

I can't stress that latter one enough. When I was learning the cowboy chords and read everyone online whining about CMaj being a stretch I was like "this is hard for you guys? Really? I do much worse than this on the regular."

But this part is awesome: playing/practicing either instrument improves you on both. The skills for either directly carry over.

Oh one other thing I have noticed in jamming and bands: you guitar heroes really need to work on your timing and rhythm

[pough]

Switch to ukulele. It's much easier and since nobody will want to listen to you it doesn't matter how good or bad you are.

[Aaron Marshall]

That the first couple of months are the hardest as it physically hurts your hands, but that it does get easier, honest..

Really? Those were the easiest months for me. It's when I was the most delusional. I'm on my 360th month, and so far it seems to be the hardest.

[tapper mike]

Well you are three now. Yes you'll get more doses or reality but the good news is you can temper them with the experience of self discipline.

Last night I learned songs that were "out of my wheelhouse" The within about an hour on each I'd learned them. Rhythm guitar, leads, bass and a few keyboard parts. The strangest part was I was having fun, laughing at myself thinking "How is this this easy"

Record yourself and then... Listen to your recording. Make audio diaries. Somethings you will feel that "This is the best I can be and I'll just have to live with it. But if you go back to playing them consistently you'll notice you are getting better. It's baby steps followed by leaps followed by baby steps followed by leaps.

Most importantly find a real human jamming partner. Other musicians may notice things both good and bad that the walls or your cat wont. Expecting to play in front of someone may be the biggest push you need.

[vurt]

Switch to ukulele. It's much easier and since nobody will want to listen to you it doesn't matter how good or bad you are.

i saw a shop today, called "the uke universe" (culcheth for anyone interested)
i did wonder "how the f**k are they staying in business, when every other music store is closing?"
i guess all the guitarists and drummers etc decided to follow your advice

[Bombadil]

One of my Missus' friends in England used to belong to a uke cabaret.
I, personally, found it too twee.
Felt like doing a John Belushi in Animal House.

[stoopicus]

I have a friend who plays both bass uke and an acoustic bass guitar, and despite being a bass player myself, I realized I have literally nothing in common with him musically

[ghettosynth]

This has probably already been mentioned, but, playing guitar probably seems hard today compared to the other tasks that you need to "accomplish" to make music, e.g., downloading a DAW. It probably seems really hard compared to learning how to DJ without beat-matching. Really, just DJ, that's your solution right there.

[pekbro]

of course in Hawaii, we got guys all over the place playing the ukulele. Ive never owned
one personally as i am not super interested.
I can do all the slack key and Hawaiian music
on the guitar anyway.

As for folks trying to learn, dont forget to
work on your bar chords. Thats what hurts
the most to me.

[machinesworking]

Guitar is my first instrument, and the only one I can claim to be any good at, but I don't think I'm technically that good, I just developed my own sound.

No one has said this adage, and it's worth saying: Guitar is one of the easiest instruments to pick up and play a few chords on, but one of the hardest to master. It's just a journey like all instruments, and far different than "producing" or using a DAW to make music with a few controller keys or a mouse. It will definitely show off how sloppy your playing can be if you don't practice.

[machinesworking]

As for folks trying to learn, dont forget to
work on your bar chords. Thats what hurts
the most to me.

Picking melodies out of chords really kill your fingers, especially not traditional bar chords. Think playing I Want You, by the Beatles etc. That might be the hardest thing for building up calluses.

I'm not much of an acoustic guitar player, but I play one for the workout. Obviously talking steel string.

[pekbro]

The bar chords are about muscle more than about calusses. You gotta build up that kungfu
grip.

[machinesworking]

The bar chords are about muscle more than about calusses. You gotta build up that kungfu
grip.

Yeah I've worked construction for most of my life, bar chords were all I played when I started. Personally fingertip calluses are harder to build, but everyone is built slightly differently.