[jseth]

First of all, there is no "general" period of time to learn a new song, not for me... it takes what it takes and depends largely on the piece in question... if I were working up a fingerstyle arrangement of Ellington and Strayhorn's classic, "Lush Life", I could be at it for a LOOOONG time! Ha! If I'm learning a new Bob Dylan tune, not very long at all.

I haven't given up on a song because I think it's too difficult, but I HAVE given up when I realized that the song just wasn't going to work for my style or voice... I usually play solo, guitar and voice, and I have to able to cop a decent groove/feel with the songs I play, or I won't do them.

Maybe think about "Why" you want to play music, and let the answer to that question guide you. There's nothing wrong with learning a song 70%, if you don't plan on playing it for someone... always nice to "complete" a task, though.

I choose to play songs that I TRULY love and can "get into", so I'm always excited about learning something new that works for me and what I do!