Learning the blues can be the most fulfilling genre of music to learn on guitar. This is because of the immense amount of feeling and passion that blues music offers. So how long does it take to learn blues guitar?
To learn blues guitar, it will take 200-900 hours of playing to get to a beginner level of blues guitar which can be achieved in less than a year. Blues as a genre can be played with a simple 1-4-5 chord progression which can be learned in 3-4 months of playing guitar 1 hour a day.
Continue reading to find out if blues is hard to learn, how long it will take, best blues songs for beginners, the best way to learn, and how long it will take to become a MASTER BLUESMAN.
Is it Hard to Learn Blues Guitar?
Blues guitar is easy to play and hard to master. In other words, a month to play and a lifetime to master. Factors to weigh in when determining how hard it is to learn blues guitar are type of guitar you are using and what you as a listener define as sufficient blues guitar. For a simple 1-4-5 chord progression, blues guitar is easy. For more complicated licks and acquiring feel, blues guitar is hard to learn.
Let’s look at each.
The type of guitar you are using can affect how hard it is to learn blues guitar. Are you using an electric guitar or an acoustic? Acoustic guitars are great to learn on although they are proven to be more difficult to play. A variety of blues techniques can be more difficult on an acoustic guitar like bending the note up or hammer-ons. Furthermore, acoustic guitars have higher actions, causing your fingers to have to do more work to achieve the chord / note. This can make learning blues guitar more difficult than if you have a lower actioned electric guitar to practice with.
Learning blues guitar can be as simple as a 1-4-5 chord progression with bar chords or open chords. If that is what the guitarist wants to primarily achieve, then learning blues guitar is easy.
If a guitarist is after more feel, intricate blues progressions, and licks, then learning blues guitar becomes more difficult. In that sense, blues guitar can be hard to learn. Since a lot of the blues is based on feel and ear, it can take a decent amount of practice and time spent listening to achieve a feel that you are satisfied with.
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Personally, my guitar hero is Stevie Ray Vaughan who had some of the best feel and improvisational skills of all time. To play like Stevie is extremely difficult and takes decades of practice to even come close. Does this discourage me from trying to learn his songs, no. I understand that learning his blues songs is very hard, but it is extremely fun and rewarding once you nail one of them.
Let’s summarize, is it hard to learn blues guitar? No, learning blues guitar is not hard if the guitarist is learning simple blues progressions and rhythmic patterns. This is enough to be designated as blues. Blues guitar becomes harder to learn the more a guitarist progresses as they start listening to more blues musicians and incorporating their work into their own playing. Learning blues songs from Albert King, B.B. King, Hendrix are difficult but extremely rewarding endeavors and will leave you grasping for more licks to bring into your arsenal.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Blues Guitar?
For the majority of first time guitarists, learning blues guitar will take between 200-900 hours of practice to reach a playable status. 900-2,500 hours to become an intermediate blues guitarist. Finally, 5,000-10,000 hours to reach an expert level as a blues guitarist.
To learn basic blues guitar, it will take between 1-200 hours of practice. This quantity of hours is extremely achievable within the first year of playing guitar. It is at this stage that fundamentals are learned including open chords, bar chords, strumming technique, and simple chord progressions. At this stage, simple blues songs can also be learned. Suggested songs to learn during this stage are listed below.
The next stage of learning blues guitar is the beginner stage. The beginner stage takes between 200-900 hours of practice and playing to reach. Right after the basics stage, the beginner stage is when you are learning more songs and feeling comfortable with them. Comfortability is the word of the beginner stage. During the basics stage, a guitarist will not be comfortable. The beginner stage is when that comfortability starts to set in.
Intermediate is the next stage of learning blues guitar which is achieved around 900-2,500 hours of playing. During the intermediate stage of blues guitar, rhythm is being established and music theory is starting to be incorporated. A guitarist at this stage will watch videos of their favorite blues guitarists to understand why they are hitting that note or why that chord in relation to simple music theory. Do not think that you need to know everything about music theory to hit this mark.
The advanced level of blues guitar will take between 2,500-5,000 hours to achieve. At this level, you are comfortable playing in front of other people and even with other people. You can nail some Stevie Ray Vaughan songs note for note and do so with confidence. You have an arsenal of song covers under your belt and soloing is performed with confidence without losing yourself on the neck as often.
The expert level of blues guitar will take between 5,000-10,000 hours to achieve. At this level, you are likely playing live with little errors. Confidence at this level is at an all-time high and the guitar may feel like another appendage. Improvising over blues backing tracks is done with ease and with intense feel without constant thinking of making sure you are in the right pentatonic box. At this stage, a guitarist will have a long working knowledge of blues greats and licks they have trademarked. Licks that you bring out on your own solos. The expert level is where most professional blues guitarists are.
The final stage is mastery. This stage is discussed more in-depth below.
Finally, it is important to remember that everyone learns at a different pace. If you are learning guitar simultaneous with a friend, try to not get discouraged if they start progressing faster than you. Learning blues guitar is a marathon, not a sprint. Sprinting with your progress can lead to improper technique that can plague your playing in the future as you progress. Learn and have fun.
How Long Does It Take to MASTER Blues Guitar?
To master the blues guitar, it will take 10,000 hours. If you practice 1.5 hours a day, it will take 6,666 days or 18.26 years.
Mastery status is a coveted level that is achieved by few. To be considered a master blues guitarist, you will need to put in the extensive practice and time. Master blues guitarist often have their own original work that is critically acclaimed by fellow blues musicians. This does not mean that they necessarily make a living from their original work, it mostly means that master guitarists have the skills and facilities to create original and great blues music.
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This distinction is what truly separates an expert guitarist from a master guitarist. Expert guitarists can play covers of Hendrix and Vaughan although they may not have the skill yet to create similar works but with their own flare and influence.
Guitar Progress Timeline
To summarize, the below chart outlines a new guitarists progress timeline:
| Level | Hours of Practice / Playing |
|---|---|
| Basic Blues Guitar | 1-200 Hours |
| Beginner | 200-900 Hours |
| Intermediate | 900-2,500 Hours |
| Advanced | 2,500-5,000 Hours |
| Expert | 5,000-10,000 Hours |
| Master of Blues Guitar | 10,000+ Hours |
Best Blues Songs to Learn For Beginners
The best blues songs to learn for beginners are Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker, Wild Thing, Sunshine of Your Love by Cream, and Crosscut Saw by Albert King.
It can be tempting to hear a Stevie Ray Vaughan song and think, well maybe I could try to learn this. You may not have the expectation to completely learn the song, but you have the inclination that it can’t hurt to try. I urge you to fight this feeling. Diving into a difficult song too fast can destroy your motivation once you find out how much you do not know. When I first started playing guitar, I dove right into learning Voo-Doo Child. I was immediately discouraged and did not pick the guitar back up for a few months.
Instead, focus on songs that are within your grasp and play them along with the songs. Doing this you will learn timing without having to use a metronome every practice session.
Best Way to Learn Blues Guitar
The best way to learn blues guitar is by taking an online guitar course from a guitarist that you admire and are comfortable listening to for hours. An online course is preferred over in-person lessons because you can play in the comfort of your own home without worry that anyone is listening. Online courses are also cheaper than in-person lessons.
You will not learn guitar from a blog post or from an eBook offered by a guitar blogger. It is best to learn from someone who you have actually heard play and whose style you enjoy.
For a beginner guitarist, I recommend Paul Davids Guitar. Paul is the best guitar teacher on YouTube. He provides detailed explanations accompanied by unmatched video editing to keep the viewer engaged and interested to keep learning guitar. He makes learning guitar fun and achievable. Most importantly, he does not tell you to just practice your scales with a metronome. Instead, Paul makes learning guitar interactive and fun. Unfortunately, Paul was not online teaching when I was first learning but I did buy his course to scope it out and see how it was. It is worth it.
For an intermediate guitarist, I recommend Sean Mann. Sean is easily the most impressive guitarist I have ever seen on YouTube. He covers SRV, John Mayer, and Jimi Hendrix songs with extreme accuracy with perfect tones. Sean has a few courses, mostly covering the three guitarists mentioned above. I took his Stevie Ray Vaughan course and was extremely satisfied with the progress I made following his course. He also provides backing tracks to play along to.
Marty Schwartz is likely a name you recognize as his lessons are all over YouTube. Although, I discourage practicing guitarists to only watch Marty because he often teaches only licks of songs and not songs in their entirety. He is a great teacher for those licks, but it is much better to learn songs in their entirety. Practicing only licks promotes noodling which is to be avoided in excess.
Once you become comfortable with the guitar and different scales, playing along to backing tracks is a great way to learn timing and can be very fulfilling.
Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Learning guitar can feel frustrating at times but you must remember that you are playing. Playing is supposed to be fun and the more you practice, the more fun it gets.
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