How Much Time to Invest in Learnng a New Piece?

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by TBman

I've been learning Paul Asbell's Chunky Monkey Gumbo on and off over about 3 months. Somethings just take longer than others. My entertainment is learning the songs. Once I learn something I'll either record it, and then forget it, or just forget it. Sometimes I have to play them slower than the original, sometimes I don't. 10 hours doesn't seem too much to me, but ymmv.

I like that approach because this is something I have long grappled with - how to remember all those tunes I have either figured out by ear or from sheet music. I find that I tend to remember longer, those I work out by ear, and I also seem to learn them faster. For me, "ear" seems more directly connected to music than "eye" for whatever reason. I contend that music is ultimately a hearing art for both listener and performer, so maybe that is the reason (?).

The rest of this is addressing the OP question, rather than anything TBman said...

As for how long it takes, it really depends on the tune. Some are more difficult than others. I don't sing, and have no desire to do so, so I focus on instrumental playing. A decent fingerstyle tune that is not so simple as to quickly become boring for either me or anyone listening, will take a few weeks.

As with the recent discussions about "talent" and that 10,000 hour stuff, you (any of us) really have to enjoy the journey for this to be a worthwhile pursuit.

Tony

[Wrighty]

I tend to work on two pieces at a time and will certainly invest more than 10h to get a piece to a level where I can record it. Maybe 10h to get it under my fingers and then another 10 to get it flowing..

[archerscreek]

I'll add this, I've never regretted learning complex pieces. I always benefitted from doing so and enjoyed playing them. I also found that subsequent songs didn't take as long to get down.

I say put in whatever amount of time is required. You'll be happy you did.