Practice: to work on something repeatedly for the purpose of improvement.  That says a lot. It tells you what to do (work), how (repeatedly), and why (to improve).

Once you understand what "practice" is, you can proceed to learn how to use this new tool to your best advantage.

 1. TUNE UP:  It's important to play music at correct concert pitch.

2. WARM UP:  Play through an easy piece, slowly. The idea here is to loosen up your muscles. Don't play anything that is hard or fast.

3. DIRECTION:  Before you go any further, settle your mind upon what it is you wish to achieve today. At this point it's important to remember two things.

a. You are practicing to improve. this means getting results.

b. You learn the guitar, or grow into music, in the same way you grow into an adult - over a period of time. You may experience fast progress, or experience a slow gradual growth. There may even be times when you don't seem to progress at all.

However, if your practice program is directed towards results (whether they come fast or slow), you'll see them soon enough - providing you keep on working systematically at your study program. Don't be overly concerned about mistakes - if you keep looking for mistakes, you'll succeed in finding mistakes - and very little else.

4. TODAY'S PROBLEMS - YOUR CURRENT LESON:  Here you confront new material that must be learnt. As you progress, this part of your practice schedule will change. That is to say, as you complete one assignment you will move on to the next. (Keep working with the thought in mind that you are practicing to improve).

5. REPEAT:  In learnng the guitar there are three things you're doing.

a. Acquiring and storing information in your memory.

b. Developing muscles.

c. Developing muscular and mental co-ordination.

Usually you will be working on all three at the same time, although from time to time you will encounter information that uses only the first process.  You will make the best progress by repeating any new idea's over and over until it is properly internalized.

6. MAKE NOTES:  Get out a piece of paper and write down your questions, problems, discoveries, things that seem to keep going wrong, things that seem to need extra work etc. If you make notes about the problem areas, you'll find answers to your questions, solve your problems, remember your discoveries, and save a lot of time.

8. WORK SLOW TO FAST:  When learning is new, go slowly. As you improve. you will naturally play the assignment faster. Don't think about playing anything fast until you have properly worked it out.

9. RELAX:  Stay as relaxed as you can. Steps five, seven and eight are especially helpful in doing this. You should also understand that when the material is new, you will naturally be more intense - you may even find your muscles tightening up. As you come to know the material you should be able to relax more, but you must think about it. Feel the muscles - try to make them relax. Remember too, that you can tense up just from an excess of concentration - so that's a good reason for taking regular breaks.

10. WORK ON THE PARTS:  If you're having a problem with something, take it apart. With very few exceptions, you play the guitar with two hands. They both work together to produce one result. This means that the combination of the two moving together could be causing the problem. Work on developing right and left hand synchronization.

11. REVIEW:  At the end of your practice session, go over your lesson and give some extra attention where it's needed. This could also include past assignments that still need additional attention. Use a review as a way to wrap up you day's practice.

About The Author
Mike Hayes is a guitar teacher, author, performing musician and session guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience. Mike's methods are legendary and have earned the praise of top authorities in guitar instruction. He reveals his guitar secrets at http://www.GuitarCoaching.com.

Comments (9)

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Earthb67 said:

... I think there is something there for us all. What's missing, I think is the element of fun. I think that even if you have not completed your practice routine (and we ALL have one... right...;, if it's getting you down, or you can't just get it right, then break into something you are good at for a while just to get your fun factor back. (Don't forget to consult Spongebob for the definition of fun!)

January 29, 2009

trippy said:

... Wooow, i dont have this at all , i just play from song in to song, it haz new chords, wel i learn them, if not, just pratice the new rythym..... i think i most get serius about this

February 05, 2009

Cliff said:

... Trippy, I think whatever you're doing right now is working for you. You've gotten way better since you first joined us here. Your singing AND playing has taken on a fluidity all its own. Maybe you should share some of your secrets with the rest of us, yes?

February 05, 2009

Hottscull said:

... LOL Trippy.... I do the same thing girl. I think the issue is my motivation is selfish. I decided to learn to play the guitar for ME! There is no drive to be on stage nor impress anyone else. So, that leads me to just work on songs I like and only dabble in a structured practice. I know that the structured practice will help me play better. And I do want to play better, but I get board and want to have fun, so I fall back into playing that song I enjoy.... What I've tried doing lately is mixing the two together. Work the scales or finger picking exercizes for a bit then play a song or two. Then go back to the exercises ect.ect. Is it helping????? Hard to say for sure, but I'm still having a good time.

February 05, 2009

trippy said:

... My secret... well there is a great place called sixstringplanet, with a lot of wonderfull people that motivate me so much

February 06, 2009

teegee said:

... I am kinda like Hottscull in that I have a limited attention span for routine. Whenever I get really bored I try to find someone to jam with. This helps me pick up a few new licks and see how my playing jibes with another guitarist. Frankly, I don't even have a personal set list, and fly by the seat of my pants learning songs that I find fun playing. My aspirations are not for the stage. They are more for seeking a personal nirvana through playing... call me an escapist.

February 06, 2009

Ian said:

... I think that the foundation here is that, no matter whether you have a practise routine or you just pick up the guitar and noodle around. The premise here is that you are practising regardless of routine or schedule.I have gotten myself into a routine where every night I plug in my headphones and just play for about 2 hours or so. Then I might go onto You Tube and search for different licks or techniques and or songs when I get bored of what I am doing. This seems to help me a lot when I have something new to try. I have noticed a real change in my playing now that I have disciplined myself somewhat. That too could also be a real plus is just the discipline needed to carry on playing from day to day.

February 27, 2009

Mitch said:

... Actually i think that's the one thing i do have for guitar. I'm not annoyed or bored with repetition. I can play the same song over and over for hours and focus on things each time like its brand new...now that's not to say I don't royal piss other people off and pretty much make them nuts after 2 hours of the same song...heheheheheh

February 27, 2009

tazdevil20 said:

... I've been keeping a log of my practice results. I usually like to dedicate an hour or so to finger exercises and techniques, another hour to scale practice (currently playing the major scale as triplets with overlapping notes), learning a song (ear training) for an hour or so, then if I have time or energy left, spend another hour on jamming and applying new licks/ideas to a backing track or song. The results have been pretty good so far. It takes some patience at times, but hell, it's fun! I think the other thing is to never refrain from believing in ourselves and knowing that we will eventually get there. Plus, the great folks here at SSP! :-)

January 20, 2010