How long will it take to learn guitar?

I am an accomplished pianist (playing and taking lessons for 12 years). I’ve taught myself cello but haven’t gotten over the beginner level for the last six years. I sing a lot, especially while I play piano. I know my notes and piano chords and advanced music theory.

Could you learn to play and sing one song in 4 months? Possibly. Depends on the difficulty of the song and on your own musical aptitude, manual dexterity, and willingness to work at it.

You say you’ve taught yourself cello, but “haven’t gotten over the beginner level for the last six years”, that doesn’t bode well for your ability to teach yourself guitar quickly, however, especially if you don’t have a lot of time to practice.

Can you start on a half-size toy guitar? If that’s all you’ve got, I guess you can. It will undoubtedly sound like crap and probably be impossible to get or keep in tune, but if you don’t care about that I guess you can manage. I know guys with big beefy hands who play mandolin and fiddle beautifully — if they can get around on those itty-bitty little fingerboards with speed and accuracy with their thick fingers, you should be able to manage the fretboard on a half-size guitar.

How to Read Music Notes on the Guitar

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