Guitar Practice – Best Practice Tips
Sure, playing guitar is fun, relaxing, satisfying, and a great way to spend a night with friends. But the truth of the matter is that to be good at guitar, like anything else, you have to spend some time practicing.
For some, the term “practice” conjures up visions of drudgery and self-imposed imprisonment. And it is that mentality that leads many new guitar students to failure. But simply by adjusting their perspective on practice to a more positive slant, most students can turn practice from a dull, numbing chore into an exciting world of new discoveries.
One way to accomplish this is to break practice time into segments. Dedicate a little time to each segment of the practice to compensate for boredom and/or exhaustion. A guitar student might divide practice time into three different segments. One for learning new material, one for reviewing old material, and one for “scribble” time.
new material
As an aspiring guitarist, you should always be hungry to learn new things on the guitar. It can be a new scale, chord progression, riff, or song. The input of new material on the guitar keeps things “fresh” and creates a level of anticipation every time you take it. However, there is such a thing as “too much new information.” Take the new material in sips, not gulps. Give the smaller pieces time to digest before you try to cram too much in there. You’ll make much more progress on the guitar if you let small bits of new information slowly sink into your playing style, rather than trying to take it all in at once.
Review previous material
When you learn a new piece or concept on the guitar, it is often very clear in your mind when you first learn it. You can sit there and play it over and over again without any problem. But then you come back the next day and can’t remember a thing about it! It happens to everyone. That’s why spending a segment of your practice time reviewing past lessons or songs will be one of the most productive uses of your time possible.
“Doodle Time”
It can be amazing what happens when you just sit down and “scribble” on the guitar. Doodle time involves throwing out all the rules, turning off the internal “editor,” and just “playing” with whatever comes out of your fingertips.
Call this “recess” for the guitar. Nothing is right or wrong no matter what you play. Just let your mind run free and don’t “overthink” anything. Some of the best songs and pieces of music have been written as a result of the composer allowing himself to “free float” on his instrument without worrying about where to land.
Whether you have 3 hours to devote to practice, or just 15 minutes, try dividing your allotted amount of time into these three segments and see how much more you improve on the guitar…and how much more fun you have!
Dedicated practice space
It would be great if we all had a separate room in the house that could be considered our “music” room. A place we could go and block out the world while getting lost in the fretboard. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case and you may not get along with the rest of the family. One solution is to try to agree on a dedicated space, somewhere in the house, where you can go to practice.
It can be a corner of an office or bedroom, an extra room, a utility room, a garage or a closet! Anywhere where you can periodically take a few minutes and be alone without distractions.
“Do not bother”
Try to come to an agreement with your family members that when you close the door to your practice area you will not be disturbed for anything other than an emergency. Turn off your cell phone, email, and television. Create a quiet environment where you can fully focus on playing the guitar.
Practice “Tools”
In addition to your guitar, it’s also a good idea to have a few other items nearby that you might need during practice. If you’re taking lessons online, you obviously want to be close to your computer. Make sure your guitar tuner is nearby, as well as a metronome and some picks. It’s a good idea to start a notebook to write down the highlights of the lesson and always have it at your fingertips. Try to keep all of these things close to your guitar “workstation” so you don’t have to interrupt your practice time by chasing them.
It is also important to be comfortable while practicing. Try to sit in an armless or “low-profile” chair that doesn’t impede guitar playing. Wear the most relaxing clothing possible. You can accomplish more in practice time in sweatpants and a T-shirt, or in your flannel pajamas, than in a stiff three-piece suit. I know what I do!
The key to a good and productive practice is to dedicate your time to a variety of practice elements, dedicate a space to practice without interruptions, and dedicate your mind to focused practice time. By doing this, you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish on the guitar, even with a limited amount of practice time.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions!