A friend of the family gave my son a guitar years ago, he didn’t take it seriously until few months ago —- our friend tried to get him to play Sugar Mountain by Neil Young which is simple but difficult. He struggled until he discovered grunge and bar chords and he plays what he likes like David Bowie and Prince and just went to PortalBurn and had people singing along when he played When Doves Cry.

The thing is he plays guitar a few hours a night. He is now collecting guitars, has a bass, has electric and a few acoustics and he mashed up a Ukulele with a Guitar. It’s the motivation more than anything.

What do you count as best?

In my opinion, the best way is though in-person instruction, with online personal instruction being the next best. But you can also learn yourself. There are lots of resources available to help you out. Pick an instruction plan and do it.

Also, play recreationally, not just as part of more formal instruction and even if you don't know how to play. It can be as simple as playing along with recorded music or even just noodling around aimlessly. Nobody has to hear you, so embrace the suck.

In the end, no matter what approach you take, the real key is as the old joke goes: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. Also, my opinion is that it's better to have shorter practice sessions more frequently than longer ones less frequently. I try to keep mine under 30 minutes.