my cousin just gave me his electric guitar and i wanted to learn how to play it but there is no place around where i live to get lessons…some people in school can play the guitar but they are all boys and im too afraid to ask them to give me some lessons so i would like to know how long it usually takes to teach yourself how to play electric guitar?

Here’s a breakdown of the stages of guitar learning and the approximate time it might take you to get there.

- Playing Basic Chords - This is usually the first benchmark most new players reach: The ability to strum and switch between the basic guitar chords. At this point you don’t necessarily have the chords memorized and aren’t able to play many songs, but you’re managing to fret and strum them. This level can be reached within one week.

- Playing easy songs - You’ve mastered more guitar chords and have been practicing them enough that you’ve got most of them memorized and are able to strum and switch between them without too much hassle, and without looking at the fretboard when you do. This means you can play songs! This level can be reached in two to three weeks of daily practice, though for many it might be longer.

- Playing Barre and Power Chords - We’re moving right along and you’re advancing to a level where most self-taught guitarists never go. Barre Chords are much more difficult than open chords and learning these takes extra practice and a whole new set of strength in your fretting hand. It’s possible to play most barre chords in two months, quicker for some who practice a lot.

- Fingerpicking - The ability to pluck individual strings and play simple riffs (short solo pieces on individual strings) is a new skill your strumming hand needs to learn. This can usually be achieved in two to three months if you start to learn and play easy guitar tabs.

- Lead Guitar - A Lead guitarist is the guy or girl who’s got the audience at his/her beckoning. Playing solo’s and using techniques like slurring, vibrato and palm muting is a whole new set of rules and I’d give it three to four months. This might be way off depending on what kind of music we’re talking about - playing acoustic solo’s might take less time, but playing rock or metal solo’s will probably take longer.

- The improviser - A guitarist that can improvise riffs and solos on the spot (and in the middle of a song), have moved from the realm of amateurship to being a pro or semi-pro. Depending on how much talent you have and what you’re musical background is, this might take anything from six months to a year.

Please note that these time lengths are given as a very broad estimate and aimed at people with little musical experience. If it takes you longer than a week to learn the basic chords, don’t get upset. These times are not set in stone and you have to learn and develop at a pace that’s natural and comfortable for you!

http://www.pluckandplayguitar.com/how-long-to-learn-guitar.html

I’ve looked everywhere on the internet and its just too confusing. and doesn’t sound right when i play it. And i don’t have one of those things that goes around the fret of your guitar.

There are several ways to play it that don’t require a capo. The most common way is to play a basic A chord with your last 3 fingers and move it up a whole step and use the index finger to play the 1st string at the second fret.
—2—index
—4—pinky
—4—ring
—4—middle
—x—don’t play
—x—don’t play
This shape is like an A chord moved up 2 frets. Another common variation is the B7 chord. It is played like this:
—2—pinky
—0—open
—2—ring
—1—index
—2—middle
—x—don’t play
This is a very common chord and it works very well with E and A. Another common variation is to play the F chord at the 7th fret (When you move the F chord up to the 7th fret it becomes a B chord)
I might suggest getting a good chord chart at your local music store and maybe a capo too, they are both inexpensive

I don’t even play guitar, I’m just using it because I’m making a song into an orchestra piece and I somehow made the play button, stop button, etc. disappear and this program is too big and confusing to be able to figure out on my own.
Wow what a waste, I just figured out how to make the toolbar re-appear DX

there goes your 5 points hahahahahahaha

How much would you have to practice? 2/3 hours a day?

Yup give it up. Your too old to learn anything at this point.

Put on your 7Eleven apron and face the rest of your life!

I want to learn how to play electric guitar. I studied piano for 5 years so I can read music. I have done some research online and downloaded some books for beginners but they all seem to teach tab reading which is confusing to me.

If I were you, I’d practice reading tab, because it’s pretty much the way guitar is taught. Heres a basic idea of how it works: Each number represents the fret that is being held down, and the letter to the left of the lines is what string the note is on. Once you get the hang of it, it’ll be easier to use than reading music.