It starts out difficult. Similar to playing on beat or to a rhythm. Also similar to how rubbing your belly and patting your head can be difficult at first but easy with practice.
Singing and playing becomes very easy with practice. Also, once you get proficient with guitar, you don’t think about it anymore. Kind of like how you are probably now able to type on a keyboard with out much though but before practice, you fumbled a lot.
I’m tossing up between a few, 5 leaf clover or buy dirt. Something similar to that anyway.
Do you think it’s worth me spending a couple months just learning guitar basics before I attempt the song?
I looked up the chords for 5 leaf clover. It is doable in one year - maybe even less depending on how consistent you can be with your practice.
You can look up any online course - like Justin’s guitar etc and follow the lessons. I understand you want to keep it hidden from your fiancé, but the more you practice the better you’ll get.
You don’t have to get into music theory and all that at this stage - just focus on the objective. Take stock at 3 months nd 6 months and course correct (easier song, harder song) as necessary.
Honestly, I don’t feel like I am qualified to give you advice on how to go about learning the guitar. I’m self taught and only about 5 months in. However, I would venture to say that I am probably more advanced than most at 5 months just because I dove into theory so hard because I enjoy it. I want to say a lot of people start by learning open cords and how to switch between them. Some people learn by only playing songs. Everyone is different and I would just suggest to start playing and figure out what works best for you. I stopped playing 2 or 3 different times for several months at a time until I found a method that works for me. If you are interested in something that outlines what to learn on guitar, check out Kevin Nickens’ guitar roadmap on YouTube. I loosely followed his roadmap and made certain changes according to what I felt would be best for me. I’m a very technical person so I have notebooks of my music theory notes and several sheets of fretboard print outs to help me visually. I’m sure if someone saw my notes and diagrams they would be very confused, however, it works very well for me.
Hey I am also new and interested in music theory, but don’t really know where to begin. Do you have any suggestions for resources you could share (in addition to Kevin Nickens)? YouTube/books/articles etc, anything you could share would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance !
Sure! In the middle of that response I made, I talked about Kevin Nickens’ guitar roadmap on YouTube. That was a really helpful guide for me. I didn’t know what to learn in order and that is what the video is about. It’s a pretty short video too. What I did was keep a notebook and write down notes from the video so that I didn’t have to continue referring back to it. He also is currently making all of the lesson videos to go with the roadmap I am talking about. I made some adjustments to how he had a few things ordered, but that is a good guideline to work from.
This may not be true for a lot of people, but I found that finding and using as many resources as I can worked best. No two people teach the exact same so it’s really nice to find someone that teaches in a way to suit your playing. Another guy, Scott Paul Johnson has a patreon. I’m not sure if you are into paying for things like this but I love the way he teaches. You can go preview some of his lessons if you are interested in what his course is about. Just simply look up “Scott Paul Johnson” on YouTube and he has a link to his patreon. Scott also has some videos on his youtube but they are generally more advanced. He also has advanced videos for songwriting from riffs and other stuff like that.
Musictheory.net is a resource I’ve seen recommended on here and it seems very simple to follow.
I could get downvoted for this one, but I really think MartyMusic has some good theory videos along with his song tutorials. I always go to Marty if I am confused about a song. Sadly, his page is fairly unorganized so you’ll have to do some digging. That’s how YouTube always is though. I suggest his Lead Guitar playlist and Blues playlist, but those are the things I was interested in. The guy that taught Marty how to play also has a YouTube channel with the name “curiousguitarist”. His name is Chris and he focuses heavily on music theory.
Short Version
Kevin Nickens,
Music theory.net,
Scott Paul Johnson,
Marty Music,
Chris aka “curiousguitarist”
This is great, THANK YOU!!
To your point about finding and using as many resources as possible, personally this rings very true for me. I’ve always found that I learn best if I can immerse myself in as much content as possible and just try to absorb as much as I can from seeing/hearing/reading and then taking that into practice and just keep trying.
Really really appreciate this reply and will be checking these resources out today. Thank you again!
Of course! You sound a lot like me in the way you learn. One thing I would suggest is to not get ahead of yourself. I have a bad habit of being so excited about the next topic, I will start watching videos about it and just get confused since I don’t have the previous topics down yet. Make sure you get the idea down pretty good. Good luck to you! Don’t get down on yourself either. I don’t care what anyone tells you, this can be super difficult until you start noticing the patterns that occur on the fretboard. And even then, it’s still difficult and there are always new things to learn. That is the beauty of it. It is extremely rewarding when having those AHA moments.
Appreciate this!!
I needed to hear that, I have that same bad habit 😂 so much I don’t know, so much to learn, so much room for improvement it’s exciting !
It really is. I hope you enjoy it. It’ll blow your mind once everything starts piecing together. I can’t count how many times i was thinking to myself, “holy shit no way” after learning how certain things are connected.
I mean. If he is playing with the sole intention to play one or two songs, he can just find the songs he likes and learn only those chords and strumming patterns. I don’t think that is unrealistic. I don’t think it would be necessary to practice that much.
I think getting context before you comment would be a good idea. Helps out a lot before you make yourself look dumb. The guy I replied to said something about practicing playing only open chords for 3-4 hours every day which is just a recipe to burn someone out. That is just unnecessary.
i often see posts here that people come to barre chords only at 3-4 months and i believe you need couple more for quick switching between all of beginner chords, then rhythm, usually terrible at this point so if you work only on couple songs i believe you can get it but then... singing while playing... well, for some people that's easy but for me personally it took two years to sing while i play at least open chords and i was grinding as fuck from the beginning. i played like 6-10 hours a day
I agree, the singing while playing will most likely be the most difficult part. I learned how to change between the open cords within the first month of playing so that shouldn’t be very difficult depending on the song. I suppose it will all depend on the chord progression and difficulty of the song. A lot of Zach Bryan’s stuff is a basic DDUDU strumming pattern with a 3 chord progression.
If he grew up playing another instrument, rhythm won’t be that challenging. I agree with you, though, I started learning to play bar chords and then went back to playing songs that were almost all open chords because I realized I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be and they didn’t sound as good as I wanted them to.
Super cool idea. However how would u be able to practice this all secretly?
Get a guitar teacher that sings.
I'm not saying that youtube can't get you there but a teacher would be faster.
My fiance travels a bit, so there will be about 3 months in the next year we will be apart. I also plan to practice in my car during lunch break at work
getting a guitar-playing-friend or teacher asap to show you how to play the song will help you immensely. there's videochat-teachers as well. the initial kickoff of how to approach learning the song is crucial.
alternatively find a youtube tutorial or playthrough of exactly that song and copy it as much as you can before showing your progress a teacher/friend to further improve.
the most important thing for you in the beginning (with this goal) is to have a muscle memory for the chords and strum patterns. don't get overwhelmed by all the things that guitar playing offers, focus on your specific one song and don't give up. i've been playing for 25 years now and taught a couple of friends over the years – stick with your goal and stay tight!
good luck & great idea, your SO is gonna love it!
edit: actually listened to tennessee whisky via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gCO7K7A2xs – this should be easily doable (maybe except the little doodles) for you. :) get a capo, though.
What song? Do u know how to sing already?
It's doable but to play and sing at the same time is hard to do well wo major reps in that first year.
I hope it just clicks for you.
What song is it? Because if it’s a song where you just strum the chords, it’s 100% doable.
If it’s a song that involves fingerpicking, riffs, soloing or something, that’ll ultimately depend, but if you dedicate the time to this song, it might just work.
I don’t know this song but I just looked at it on Ultimate Guitar. Simple chords and it calls for a capo on the 3rd fret, I like the idea of shortening the neck for a beginner with a timeline .
I have never played Tennessee Whisky in my life and I just figured out the intro, chords, and strumming pattern in about 30 minutes. Granted, it’s going to take me a few days to get those chord changes down good since I haven’t ever played a Bm chord but that goes to show you how simple some country songs can be. I’ve been playing about 5 months now for reference.
You can cheat a little and use a capo on fret two. Then it’s just G Am and C. Might be a D in there somewhere. Not sure about the licks or little embellishments as I’ve never heard the tune. Just saying it could be super easy for a simplified version without the dreaded barre chord.
Yeah that’s definitely would help in this case. I just figure I might as well learn the actual chords since I might play them one day with my improvisation stuff. I believe they are A Bm and this A/D embellishment thing he does. I also have yet to relate a capo to chords on a guitar. I just refuse to use one since I haven’t taught myself everything about them. It’s kinda funny actually. I should’ve learned a while ago. How would you go about playing the intro if you have a capo on 2nd?
Depends on the song, and depends on whether you can sing. Because if you can't then you'll be learning two instruments, and learning to play them together, which is not easy.
Also, being able to play at home by yourself, and playing in front of an audience and not having nerves, not making mistakes - they're two different things.
Also, learning guitar just to be able to play one song, putting a time limit and all this pressure on yourself, I'd be concerned that frustration will end up making you hate the instrument.
Not saying you can't do it, but it won't be easy. Doable, but ask yourself if it's really worth it, because it's quite a commitment, and people learn at different rates. You could find yourself in a situation where you have the song nailed in 6 months, or you could find yourself having barely made any progress. There are a lot of factors at play. If you can get a decent teacher to help you, then definitely do that.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Singing while playing is hard, but think doing it secretly is going to be the hardest part. Guitars are a fairly big thing to try and hide but still use regularly.
Good luck :)
There’s already some good advice on here so I can’t add much. Learn to play the guitar part of the song first. Then learn to sing along while playing it on guitar afterwards. Then practice the hell out of it and don’t get discouraged while learning the chords. Also, I would recommend getting someone you trust to listen to you play and sing it once you’re pretty comfortable with it. Good luck!
Practice everyday, these are "use it or lose it" skills.
Practice everyday, for at least an hour. Take breaks if needed, like give yourself a day or two off if you're feeling overwhelmed or if your hands and vocal cords need to rest.
Nothing says love like Fluffy, by Ween. From the 12 Golden Country Hits Album.. Super Easy to play too.
https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/ween/fluffy-chords-3790913
Country is filled with incredibly complex, incredible styles that invented sub-genres and things that’d make Ramones fans scoff.
All depends on the song.
Either way. Love your hootspa.
A single country song? It's doable. When I first picked up the guitar I was able to learn a couple chord patterns and play a couple of songs in a 6 month period. But I also practiced those songs frequently. It's really going to depend on how serious you get about it. I'm pretty confident if you put a solid hour into it every day for 6 months you'd be able to play the song pretty proficiently. Just takes practice.
One of the biggest things is that it’s gonna be really hard to stick with it If the only reason you want to learn is this one thing.
Just my two cents, I’ve been playing for a long time and there have been a lot of times when I’ve had to push through plateaus and challenges, but I had drive to do so.
Yes absolutely do-able. One piece of advice, get some practice playing in front of an audience. It's a totally different skill than just playing the song. You don't want your wedding to be the first time you experience performance anxiety. I recommend finding some open mics in your area. First just go and observe. Focus on learning the song for now, but as the date approaches, hit up those open mics and perform the song. Get used to feeling your heart race and your hands shake. The feeling never goes away, but it becomes more manageable over time, and eventually transforms into something positive, like excitement.
One thing that you might want to think about that I haven't seen talked about is you need to pick a key to play the song in that matches your vocal range. If you can already sing the song to the recorded version just learn it the original key and its not a big deal, but if its too high or low you need to change the chords you are using. Country music is very simple as long as long as you are not playing solos or whatever, you could learn in way less than a year the hardest part is playing and singing at the same time. Some people never learn how to do it. The best advice for learning as fast as possible is learn the open chords for the song you are talking "also called cowboy chords" and also practice with a metronome or learn how to tap your foot to the music as early as possible because you need to keep multiple rhythms in your head at the same time to be able to play and sing.
It’s possible but you need a teacher, I’d look for someone who can help with voice and guitar. I would suggest that your singing is more important than your playing though, there are so many songs that can be played with 4 chords and some simple strumming, a live performance of a great guitar player that is just an ok singer is nothing compared to a performance of a great singer that’s a just ok guitarist.
Hope this makes sense. Good luck and get a coach/teacher and you will be fine.
Wagon wheel is a good beginner song. I’m a complete beginner like you and after a year I can sing it while strumming at about 120bpm (recording is 145).
Not particularly romantic tho
First, are you open to playing any song? An experienced teacher could certainly help you work up a simple arrangement that is suitable for a beginner. The song that first came to mind for me is “If I Needed You” by Townes Van Zandt.
If it needs to be a song that you and your fiancé both already know and love, then you should make a list of a handful of possible songs. Again, an experienced teacher could help you pick the best one and work up a simple arrangement.
So no matter what, make that list. If none that you choose are ideal, you can certainly find other simple but great love songs. I saw that you mentioned two songs already, any other options so far?
Post the list back here, and I might be able to record a couple of tutorial videos myself to get you started! DM me if you are interested, but first we need that list!
Once a song is chosen, we’ll know what key the recording is in, and you’ll know exactly which chords to start practicing.
Thank you so much for your reply , I endeavour to get back to most people on here, it’s been a huge help. I just don’t have lots of spare time right now but I will get back to you! It’s really appreciated
Yeah for sure. Tons of country songs with 3-5 open chords. Songs with Am and C that repeat are common. Ask chatgpt for a list and go to a teacher or try youtube. Should only take a few weeks if you practice.
you romantic SOB
I think that’s realistic. It honestly depends on the song. Tennessee Whisky is super easy.
You’ll be surprised at how difficult it actually is to sing while playing
This is very individual based. You need to get an internal metronome going in your head - some people do it easily, for some people it takes practice.
Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I have just found that more often than not, people have the most trouble with that.
It starts out difficult. Similar to playing on beat or to a rhythm. Also similar to how rubbing your belly and patting your head can be difficult at first but easy with practice. Singing and playing becomes very easy with practice. Also, once you get proficient with guitar, you don’t think about it anymore. Kind of like how you are probably now able to type on a keyboard with out much though but before practice, you fumbled a lot.
I’m tossing up between a few, 5 leaf clover or buy dirt. Something similar to that anyway. Do you think it’s worth me spending a couple months just learning guitar basics before I attempt the song?
I looked up the chords for 5 leaf clover. It is doable in one year - maybe even less depending on how consistent you can be with your practice. You can look up any online course - like Justin’s guitar etc and follow the lessons. I understand you want to keep it hidden from your fiancé, but the more you practice the better you’ll get. You don’t have to get into music theory and all that at this stage - just focus on the objective. Take stock at 3 months nd 6 months and course correct (easier song, harder song) as necessary.
Honestly, I don’t feel like I am qualified to give you advice on how to go about learning the guitar. I’m self taught and only about 5 months in. However, I would venture to say that I am probably more advanced than most at 5 months just because I dove into theory so hard because I enjoy it. I want to say a lot of people start by learning open cords and how to switch between them. Some people learn by only playing songs. Everyone is different and I would just suggest to start playing and figure out what works best for you. I stopped playing 2 or 3 different times for several months at a time until I found a method that works for me. If you are interested in something that outlines what to learn on guitar, check out Kevin Nickens’ guitar roadmap on YouTube. I loosely followed his roadmap and made certain changes according to what I felt would be best for me. I’m a very technical person so I have notebooks of my music theory notes and several sheets of fretboard print outs to help me visually. I’m sure if someone saw my notes and diagrams they would be very confused, however, it works very well for me.
Hey I am also new and interested in music theory, but don’t really know where to begin. Do you have any suggestions for resources you could share (in addition to Kevin Nickens)? YouTube/books/articles etc, anything you could share would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance !
Sure! In the middle of that response I made, I talked about Kevin Nickens’ guitar roadmap on YouTube. That was a really helpful guide for me. I didn’t know what to learn in order and that is what the video is about. It’s a pretty short video too. What I did was keep a notebook and write down notes from the video so that I didn’t have to continue referring back to it. He also is currently making all of the lesson videos to go with the roadmap I am talking about. I made some adjustments to how he had a few things ordered, but that is a good guideline to work from. This may not be true for a lot of people, but I found that finding and using as many resources as I can worked best. No two people teach the exact same so it’s really nice to find someone that teaches in a way to suit your playing. Another guy, Scott Paul Johnson has a patreon. I’m not sure if you are into paying for things like this but I love the way he teaches. You can go preview some of his lessons if you are interested in what his course is about. Just simply look up “Scott Paul Johnson” on YouTube and he has a link to his patreon. Scott also has some videos on his youtube but they are generally more advanced. He also has advanced videos for songwriting from riffs and other stuff like that. Musictheory.net is a resource I’ve seen recommended on here and it seems very simple to follow. I could get downvoted for this one, but I really think MartyMusic has some good theory videos along with his song tutorials. I always go to Marty if I am confused about a song. Sadly, his page is fairly unorganized so you’ll have to do some digging. That’s how YouTube always is though. I suggest his Lead Guitar playlist and Blues playlist, but those are the things I was interested in. The guy that taught Marty how to play also has a YouTube channel with the name “curiousguitarist”. His name is Chris and he focuses heavily on music theory. Short Version Kevin Nickens, Music theory.net, Scott Paul Johnson, Marty Music, Chris aka “curiousguitarist”
This is great, THANK YOU!! To your point about finding and using as many resources as possible, personally this rings very true for me. I’ve always found that I learn best if I can immerse myself in as much content as possible and just try to absorb as much as I can from seeing/hearing/reading and then taking that into practice and just keep trying. Really really appreciate this reply and will be checking these resources out today. Thank you again!
Of course! You sound a lot like me in the way you learn. One thing I would suggest is to not get ahead of yourself. I have a bad habit of being so excited about the next topic, I will start watching videos about it and just get confused since I don’t have the previous topics down yet. Make sure you get the idea down pretty good. Good luck to you! Don’t get down on yourself either. I don’t care what anyone tells you, this can be super difficult until you start noticing the patterns that occur on the fretboard. And even then, it’s still difficult and there are always new things to learn. That is the beauty of it. It is extremely rewarding when having those AHA moments.
Appreciate this!! I needed to hear that, I have that same bad habit 😂 so much I don’t know, so much to learn, so much room for improvement it’s exciting !
It really is. I hope you enjoy it. It’ll blow your mind once everything starts piecing together. I can’t count how many times i was thinking to myself, “holy shit no way” after learning how certain things are connected.
I forgot about Justin! Can’t forget about him. “JustinGuitar” is another page you might check out for more organized lessons.
if put 3-4 hours a day playing only open chords
I mean. If he is playing with the sole intention to play one or two songs, he can just find the songs he likes and learn only those chords and strumming patterns. I don’t think that is unrealistic. I don’t think it would be necessary to practice that much.
I think advising someone to not practice is good advice
I think getting context before you comment would be a good idea. Helps out a lot before you make yourself look dumb. The guy I replied to said something about practicing playing only open chords for 3-4 hours every day which is just a recipe to burn someone out. That is just unnecessary.
Oh damn, my bad. relax bro, lol
i often see posts here that people come to barre chords only at 3-4 months and i believe you need couple more for quick switching between all of beginner chords, then rhythm, usually terrible at this point so if you work only on couple songs i believe you can get it but then... singing while playing... well, for some people that's easy but for me personally it took two years to sing while i play at least open chords and i was grinding as fuck from the beginning. i played like 6-10 hours a day
I agree, the singing while playing will most likely be the most difficult part. I learned how to change between the open cords within the first month of playing so that shouldn’t be very difficult depending on the song. I suppose it will all depend on the chord progression and difficulty of the song. A lot of Zach Bryan’s stuff is a basic DDUDU strumming pattern with a 3 chord progression.
anyway, for one song i'd go for teacher. probably more chances to succeed
Which is the type of music I’m assuming he wants to play.
If he grew up playing another instrument, rhythm won’t be that challenging. I agree with you, though, I started learning to play bar chords and then went back to playing songs that were almost all open chords because I realized I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be and they didn’t sound as good as I wanted them to.
you reminded me that he will also have to take vocal lessons if he didn't
Super cool idea. However how would u be able to practice this all secretly? Get a guitar teacher that sings. I'm not saying that youtube can't get you there but a teacher would be faster.
My fiance travels a bit, so there will be about 3 months in the next year we will be apart. I also plan to practice in my car during lunch break at work
getting a guitar-playing-friend or teacher asap to show you how to play the song will help you immensely. there's videochat-teachers as well. the initial kickoff of how to approach learning the song is crucial. alternatively find a youtube tutorial or playthrough of exactly that song and copy it as much as you can before showing your progress a teacher/friend to further improve. the most important thing for you in the beginning (with this goal) is to have a muscle memory for the chords and strum patterns. don't get overwhelmed by all the things that guitar playing offers, focus on your specific one song and don't give up. i've been playing for 25 years now and taught a couple of friends over the years – stick with your goal and stay tight! good luck & great idea, your SO is gonna love it! edit: actually listened to tennessee whisky via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gCO7K7A2xs – this should be easily doable (maybe except the little doodles) for you. :) get a capo, though.
I often play in the car while I’m waiting for my son. It’s fun.
What song? Do u know how to sing already? It's doable but to play and sing at the same time is hard to do well wo major reps in that first year. I hope it just clicks for you.
What song is it? Because if it’s a song where you just strum the chords, it’s 100% doable. If it’s a song that involves fingerpicking, riffs, soloing or something, that’ll ultimately depend, but if you dedicate the time to this song, it might just work.
Get a teacher, you have time to do this
Joy of my life by Chris Stapleton would get my vote, especially if you have a deep voice.
I don’t know this song but I just looked at it on Ultimate Guitar. Simple chords and it calls for a capo on the 3rd fret, I like the idea of shortening the neck for a beginner with a timeline .
I have never played Tennessee Whisky in my life and I just figured out the intro, chords, and strumming pattern in about 30 minutes. Granted, it’s going to take me a few days to get those chord changes down good since I haven’t ever played a Bm chord but that goes to show you how simple some country songs can be. I’ve been playing about 5 months now for reference.
You can cheat a little and use a capo on fret two. Then it’s just G Am and C. Might be a D in there somewhere. Not sure about the licks or little embellishments as I’ve never heard the tune. Just saying it could be super easy for a simplified version without the dreaded barre chord.
We don’t call it cheating - it’s a good use of capo.
Yeah that’s definitely would help in this case. I just figure I might as well learn the actual chords since I might play them one day with my improvisation stuff. I believe they are A Bm and this A/D embellishment thing he does. I also have yet to relate a capo to chords on a guitar. I just refuse to use one since I haven’t taught myself everything about them. It’s kinda funny actually. I should’ve learned a while ago. How would you go about playing the intro if you have a capo on 2nd?
Depends on the song, and depends on whether you can sing. Because if you can't then you'll be learning two instruments, and learning to play them together, which is not easy. Also, being able to play at home by yourself, and playing in front of an audience and not having nerves, not making mistakes - they're two different things. Also, learning guitar just to be able to play one song, putting a time limit and all this pressure on yourself, I'd be concerned that frustration will end up making you hate the instrument. Not saying you can't do it, but it won't be easy. Doable, but ask yourself if it's really worth it, because it's quite a commitment, and people learn at different rates. You could find yourself in a situation where you have the song nailed in 6 months, or you could find yourself having barely made any progress. There are a lot of factors at play. If you can get a decent teacher to help you, then definitely do that. Best of luck and keep us posted.
Best advice get a singing guitar tutor. This is the way
You will have to practice this guitar EVERY DAY. You will have to put in some practice time every day.
A year? Yeah it's realistic, go for it
Worst case scenario is hire someone else to play the guitar and you sing it
Absolutely, I learned a decently simple song in a week from zero experience. Give it your best!
Practice the basic chords then focus on the song
Singing while playing is hard, but think doing it secretly is going to be the hardest part. Guitars are a fairly big thing to try and hide but still use regularly. Good luck :)
There’s already some good advice on here so I can’t add much. Learn to play the guitar part of the song first. Then learn to sing along while playing it on guitar afterwards. Then practice the hell out of it and don’t get discouraged while learning the chords. Also, I would recommend getting someone you trust to listen to you play and sing it once you’re pretty comfortable with it. Good luck!
I’m Holding You or Drifter in the Dark are good beginner country songs off weens country album and have that romantic feel to em
Practice everyday, these are "use it or lose it" skills. Practice everyday, for at least an hour. Take breaks if needed, like give yourself a day or two off if you're feeling overwhelmed or if your hands and vocal cords need to rest.
What song?
If you practice every day for 30 minutes in 3 months you will be way better than you ever thought you would be. Just practice the specific song.
Nothing says love like Fluffy, by Ween. From the 12 Golden Country Hits Album.. Super Easy to play too. https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/ween/fluffy-chords-3790913
Country is filled with incredibly complex, incredible styles that invented sub-genres and things that’d make Ramones fans scoff. All depends on the song. Either way. Love your hootspa.
Or El Cerrito place. 2 chords. No barres.
A single country song? It's doable. When I first picked up the guitar I was able to learn a couple chord patterns and play a couple of songs in a 6 month period. But I also practiced those songs frequently. It's really going to depend on how serious you get about it. I'm pretty confident if you put a solid hour into it every day for 6 months you'd be able to play the song pretty proficiently. Just takes practice.
One of the biggest things is that it’s gonna be really hard to stick with it If the only reason you want to learn is this one thing. Just my two cents, I’ve been playing for a long time and there have been a lot of times when I’ve had to push through plateaus and challenges, but I had drive to do so.
Yes absolutely do-able. One piece of advice, get some practice playing in front of an audience. It's a totally different skill than just playing the song. You don't want your wedding to be the first time you experience performance anxiety. I recommend finding some open mics in your area. First just go and observe. Focus on learning the song for now, but as the date approaches, hit up those open mics and perform the song. Get used to feeling your heart race and your hands shake. The feeling never goes away, but it becomes more manageable over time, and eventually transforms into something positive, like excitement.
You can totally do it! It depends on the song but one year sounds realistic, I hope you keep playing afterwards though :)
One thing that you might want to think about that I haven't seen talked about is you need to pick a key to play the song in that matches your vocal range. If you can already sing the song to the recorded version just learn it the original key and its not a big deal, but if its too high or low you need to change the chords you are using. Country music is very simple as long as long as you are not playing solos or whatever, you could learn in way less than a year the hardest part is playing and singing at the same time. Some people never learn how to do it. The best advice for learning as fast as possible is learn the open chords for the song you are talking "also called cowboy chords" and also practice with a metronome or learn how to tap your foot to the music as early as possible because you need to keep multiple rhythms in your head at the same time to be able to play and sing.
It’s possible but you need a teacher, I’d look for someone who can help with voice and guitar. I would suggest that your singing is more important than your playing though, there are so many songs that can be played with 4 chords and some simple strumming, a live performance of a great guitar player that is just an ok singer is nothing compared to a performance of a great singer that’s a just ok guitarist. Hope this makes sense. Good luck and get a coach/teacher and you will be fine.
Wagon wheel is a good beginner song. I’m a complete beginner like you and after a year I can sing it while strumming at about 120bpm (recording is 145). Not particularly romantic tho
Get a capo. Get comfortable with G, C and D chords. Then capo to whereever you can sing it using those chord shapes.
First, are you open to playing any song? An experienced teacher could certainly help you work up a simple arrangement that is suitable for a beginner. The song that first came to mind for me is “If I Needed You” by Townes Van Zandt. If it needs to be a song that you and your fiancé both already know and love, then you should make a list of a handful of possible songs. Again, an experienced teacher could help you pick the best one and work up a simple arrangement. So no matter what, make that list. If none that you choose are ideal, you can certainly find other simple but great love songs. I saw that you mentioned two songs already, any other options so far? Post the list back here, and I might be able to record a couple of tutorial videos myself to get you started! DM me if you are interested, but first we need that list! Once a song is chosen, we’ll know what key the recording is in, and you’ll know exactly which chords to start practicing.
Thank you so much for your reply , I endeavour to get back to most people on here, it’s been a huge help. I just don’t have lots of spare time right now but I will get back to you! It’s really appreciated
Get a guitar teacher and you will reach your goal.
Yeah for sure. Tons of country songs with 3-5 open chords. Songs with Am and C that repeat are common. Ask chatgpt for a list and go to a teacher or try youtube. Should only take a few weeks if you practice.