Learned the hard way.

In the beginning, decide who you want to sound like. Have an aural goal. If you don't know where you trying to go, you are not going anywhere.

If you are trying to learn to play a particular style, e.g., the traditional music of WV, in the beginning it is more important to listen than to play. Get the sound you want to achieve fixed firmly in your brain. (From Dwight Diller).

Find a teacher who is doing the music you want to do. Do what the teacher says. Everything.