Hi, i`m 12 years old, and I was wondering if i can actually learn the guitar just by teaching myself with a book on how to learn it. Will it be difficult to play the guitar? How long does it take to learn the guitar?

-Johnny

I would not recommend it. I have a lot of background in music and when I was trying to teach myself I didn`t quite understand everything. It is really hard to get how everything works. A teacher can teach you what you are doing wrong, and help you learn proper technique. If money is a problem, you could always take group classes instead of private lessons.

I taught myself the guitar and, after 4 years, I had 15 lessons with a professional. Thank God I didn`t develop any major bad habits, but he helped me out with my technique tremendously, especially with Classical and sight-reading.

I think that you CAN teach yourself, but your progress will be much slower at first. I`d recommend buying an intruction video because you can see how they are doing it. I learned with "Introduction to rock guitar" by Peter Vogl, but if you`re a beginning beginner I`d recommend "Introduction to acoustic guitar" by... some guy with a fro.
I`d also recommend taking a least one lesson per month or every other month.

Oh, i didn`t see your questions.

Will it be difficult to play the guitar? -Yes, especially at first. Bt you get the hang of it later.
How long does it take to learn the guitar? -You`ll be learning it until you die (or arthritis hits you hard). IMO, if you practice a lot, you`ll be able to play a few songs by about 4 months, show off to your friends after 1 year, show off to other guitar players after 3 years, join a band after 5 years, be the lead guitar after 7 years, and get famous after 10 years
Those are just estimates: I`m lead guitarist and I`ve only been playing for 4 years. But I started late and already played a lil` drums and piano.

yes you can im twelve and have been playin for a year and already in a band

I think the answer to your question is, "if you need to ask, then you`ll find it difficult".

It seems to me that the type of people who do better with self-teaching are the same type of people that just get on with it. Like, they won`t know if it`s possible, so they`ll try teaching themself to find out if it`s possible (and end up having taught themselves, or not, in the process).

If you`re the sort of person that wants to know if it`s possible before you try, you`ll probably be much better off having a teacher for guidance.

Johnny: Learning to play guitar is very difficult when you start out. If you can`t afford lessons, you will be able to find "resources" on the internet. Just search for "tabs" or "chord charts." I was initially self taught, and taught myself some bad habbits... but I`ve been able to fix them with some instruction. Playing guitar is very rewarding, and a lot of fun, but you have to be patient and practice often. Try to get lessons if you can, and, if not, just use the internet to find the resources to teach yourself. Download tablature, or "TAB" for some of the songs that you like to listen to, and play along with the CD. Make sure to get an electronic guitar tuner (around $15) so that you can stay in tune, and then teach yourself how to tune the guitar. You can find a lot of this information online, but if you have any questions, email me at "dzrice@gmail.com" Good luck and have fun. Be patient.

hey im 12 to and i play the violin and i am teachin miself the guitar i can learn it quick since i already have musical expirience but if your try really hard and work on it a lot then you will get good sooner than you think

Yea i think u can though it is slower (it depends how determined you are.)
I`ve been teaching myself since about January.

So what kind of bad habits did you guys pick up? I had one where I hold the guitar too much upwards (towards the ceiling).

you will be able to so far and then you have to get a teacher