I started playing electric bass in college, around 1984. I too used the record and lifting the needle technique. The only reason I'm commenting is that early on I learned a LOT of Police songs. Why? Because

(1) the songs were already in my head,

(2) Sting would have two or three cool hooks per song, and this is the important part,

(3) the hooks would played over and over during the song. That meant I could play the song all the way through and get to practice each riff 10 times or more with just a single needle lift.

A prime example: Demolition Man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7To6vdg7A)

> Probably almost any method is effective at learning guitar, as long as it includes the key factor - time spent practicing.

There are a few pedagogical points here to keep in mind:

first, there are local maxima in terms of learning something like guitar where you get bad habits and the only way to progress is to undo them.

Also, different ways of learning have different values in terms of what goals you're aiming towards and very importantly what kind of practice will keep you motivated in a sustainable way. Sometimes, taking shortcuts in some ways means you might slow down your growth rate but you'll have better overall growth because you'll keep at it for longer

[dead]

100% true, but method still matters

Add some distance and sensitivity. I used blunt / brute force repetitions and somehow wasted years. Music is very subtle, and keeping a focus on small details is worth thousands of hours.

My music teacher said that practice does not produce perfection, only perfect practice produces perfection.

If you mess up, redo the part you messed up correctly 5 times in a row.

And, don't just practice the easy stuff. You have to challenge yourself to grow.

That's called ear training and it's crucial. I don't think all ways one can play and call it "practice" are equal