How do you learn?

[Jake♫]

There are many ways to learn how to play an instrument, or even just how to play a certain song: Receiving formal lessons, having a group of friends teach you, teaching yourself, learning/reading sheet music, looking up chords, tablature, learning from ear, etc. With any instrument you know how to play, how did/do you learn to play it in general, or how did/do you learn to play individual songs?

I personally play acoustic guitar. I attempted to teach myself in the past, but honestly without any sort of feedback I really didn't have the motivation to keep trying. However, my two friends taught me this year the second half of our freshman year at college. With their feedback, critique, support, and teachings, it made it a lot easier to learn how to play the guitar. From their teachings, I've gone on to just look up chords to figure out a song, taught myself how to read tablature (Not that hard xD) to learn new songs (Especially anything that involves finger picking), and just in general have a lot more fun and motivation to continue playing.

 

[Lashh]

I remember I used to learn under a guitar teacher back in my first year of playing guitar, but then I stopped going when I went on a break from it. I've been self-taught since I got back into it, and I teach myself through tabs at the oh so wonderful ultimate-guitar site, whether it's a scale I want to learn or a song. But pretty soon I'm going back to playing under a guitar teacher, for I want to learn music theory so I can truly push myself forward and rise to the top of my game.

 

[Oryx]

I like to play but honestly I don't feel like I get any better without having someone to teach me. I remember taking a guitar class in school, and a bunch of kids took it because they taught themselves guitar and figured it would be an easy A. Turns out, because they taught themselves, they only learned what was absolutely necessary to be able to play, and none of the foundation that makes it easier once you know it. So the class didn't end up easy for them, and they slacked off because "I can already play, I don't need to know how to read actual notes, I'm in a band!" I'm afraid I'll teach myself like that, learn everything all wrong, and get an actual lesson one day and have to start over from the basics.