I learned by playing along to the radio. This was in the late 70s and early 80s, and I still remember a lot of the "classic rock" repertoire for this reason. It

I learned by playing along to the radio. This was in the late 70s and early 80s, and I still remember a lot of the "classic rock" repertoire for this reason. It can help to have a teacher give you a head start on easy songs before diving in head-first, and also, learning your way around your instrument independently from ear training. You develop a reflexive connection between your ears and your hands, so the signals flow through your spinal cord and reptilian brain, while you're thinking consciously about the higher levels of musical structure and what's going on around you.