Making Most Of The Practice Time

Practice makes a man perfect and needless to say, the same follows when you are in the process of learning guitar. Learning guitar is good and playing it is great but let me in on a simple fact- without smart practice and dedication along with sincere commitment, you might not be able to make any real progress which would be one of the biggest hurdles in your learning process. Time is of the essence which is why you just can’t afford to lose any of it. Make use of every single moment that you have got as even I understand that you do not have the whole day to practice Guitar. To help you out, I had some pretty good practice tips tried and tested which are helpful for beginners and mid way learners alike. So, here are some easy ways in which you can guarantee yourself getting the most out of your practice time.

The Secret Tips for Practice

The tips that I am about to mention here are very useful and have been the guiding pivot for world famous guitarists. So guys, these tips are much like the Practice Bible for you, to be followed and remembered no matter what.

1. Play what you know, practice what you don’t know and create the perfect balance. Don’t practice what you already know, play it once to get it right and move on to the parts which you find the most difficult. Nice and easy!
2. Do not, under any circumstance practice with a mistake. If you make one, stop and get the part right first. Keep trying until you get it right twice in a row. Continuing with a mistake can mess the whole lesson or progression up.
3. Start slow and gradually increase the speed. For the parts that you require speed and clarity, start slow and practice every note in the sequence slowly. While playing in consecutive runs, increase the speed. You will not get it right in the first attempt. Slow and steady here, gets the part right there!
4. Concentrate on one part at a time. Instead of focusing on the whole lesson or solo or song, concentrate on one part at a time. This will increase your focus towards every detail and with thorough practice; you will get the whole thing right.
5. Use a timer if possible. Using a timer helps, you are on a short leash and can get the things done properly in time without wasting any moment.
6. Try to practice piece by piece, everyday. Too much of everything is bad and thus, you should prefer to practice piece by piece everyday instead of practicing the whole thing all together. Practice everyday to get the best results.
7. Don’t think, just do it. Thinking is like stinking and if you stop to think, you will definitely not get it right. You know which part to practice and thus, give every effort towards it.
8. Keep track of all your practice. Practice according to a schedule and you can get the best out of your practice.
9. Understand the difference between practice, playing and performing. Playing is for fun, performance for showcasing. Practice is work- the more serious you are, the better results you get for every effort that you make.
10. Take small breaks in your practice regime to avoid getting your fingers flattened. A short break can really help as you would be taking a shot at the complete lesson once again.

There are seriously, a lot of things that guitarists should know when they practice. Without knowing such things, practice attempts often go in vain. So let me tell you the three important rules of practice now-

1. Quantity is not quality. Practicing for hours and still not getting the part right can never be preferred over a few minutes of quality practice that gets the lesson right. Slow and steady dear fiend, quality matters!
2. Practice is working out. Yes, it is boring, it is hard and is going to be painful at a time but just like a workout, it is going to benefit you a lot without a doubt. All you need is motivation and practice will do the rest for you.
3. It is never enough. There is no limit to learning or perfecting oneself. If you think that you did a good job as it sounded great, goo but you can’t stop there. Go for it again and again so that you wouldn’t have to put that amount of effort ever again.

So, here is how I practice which I recommend you all to follow-

1. Warm up 15 minutes. This is the time where you make the hands remember what they have to play while you get your mindset ready for practice.
2. Technique- I focus on what I have not been able to do and practice that.
3. Etude1, 2- 30 minutes
4. Piece 1,2 – 40 minutes
5. Go slow and take a break- 10 minutes

For the best practice results, I would recommend you to start practicing just like you’d start working out. Find a quiet place to start with and practice there every day. Time yourself. If you lack the motivation, remind yourself why you started learning. If that doesn’t work, find a practice buddy to practice with you and motivate you when you are tired and are about to skip.

Always try to keep a bit of fun in practice- working out is great but the will and motivation needs to come from within. The more you like it, the more you would do it and the better you will learn playing guitar.