Struggling with what to learn next? Not sure what you should be learning on guitar? There’s no hard and fast rule on what to practice, when and how long for, as each of us is different. Consider this more of a guideline that you can pick and choose, adapt and change to your own style.
Heeding these tips and adapting them to your playing should help you improve faster and learn better in the long run. If you have concerns or need more guidance on what to practice, the don’t hesitate to drop me a line here!
Practice each guitar part to a tee
If you ever find yourself stumbling over that one section of a solo, you’re not alone. So many of us find that there’s a particular run of notes that give us grief! What’s important here, is not to practice the mistakes you make in this section. Make sure you break it down into manageable chunks and spend time learning each part. Make sure everything sounds and plays spot on before you start to commit to memory and practice the whole piece.
Play what you haven’t mastered
Although jamming with what you can play is a big part of having fun as a guitarist, it’s important to focus on what you currently struggle with too. A lot of us are guilty of avoiding what they find hard to play, so they never really improve as a result. Here’s a good point where you can divide your time devoted to guitar into practice, and playtime. What you find hard, goes into your practice. Save what you find easy for playtime!
Slow it down before speeding up
As with anything in life that’s new, it’s best to take it slowly before rushing in headfirst and trying to do nail it first time. Take your time with any new skill on your guitar, making sure your timing and movements are pinpointed before increasing the BPM on that metronome. This is especially apt for beginner players.
Break practice up
Think about what you’re going to learn or work today and then divvy it all up into timed blocks. It’s hard enough to maintain concentration on one tricky thing for so long, so dedicating short intervals to each part of your practice will be beneficial. Start at 5 minute blocks to begin with. Or don’t, it’s your practice!
One at time
If you’re learning a Stevie Ray Vaughan solo for one particular reason, focus on what that reason is. Could it be a lick contained within? Or how he bends notes? Ensuring you know what you need to focus on with your practice will give you concise direction as you progress.
Play often not long
When it comes to how much you should be playing, I’m a strong advocate for little and often. Forcing yourself to sit down for hours on end may suck the enjoyment out of playing, and you may also find you practice less overall. Look toward a more stable 15-20 minutes a day, 5-7 days a week. You’re much less likely to get fatigued and this kind of short, sharp session can help with muscle memory and overall enjoyment.
Track your progress
In a diary, on a spreadsheet, in your notes, however you do it, it’s great to keep track of what you’ve been playing. This gives a sense of motivation and should also show you how far you’ve come. Maybe set yourself a few goals and map out how you’d like to get there. Add some checkboxes!
Does it sound good?
After a while, you’ll gradually find that your ear trains itself to recognise bum notes and off kilter sounds. As well as paying attention to what you’re doing, make sure that it sounds good as well.
Playing is NOT practicing
If you’re working on something with the intent to make it better or learn something new, you’re practicing. If you’re working on something you already know because you enjoy it, you’re playing. Make sure you can differentiate between the two. Although they are just as important to your development as one another, make sure you dedicate enough time to each so that you don’t lose sight and interest in your playing and development.
Don’t overthink it
Consider this little mantra;
Play until you can’t get it wrong. Not until you get it right
When it comes to really learning and mastering anything as a guitarist, you should be able to play everything without thinking about it. Each chord change, solo run and scale shape should become second nature. Playing everything you’re practicing over and over will help to get it stuck in your system so you won’t even need to think about what happens next. Each part should be instinctive!
All of these tips should be considered a guide, and not gospel. Although hopefully they are a good place to start! Ultimately, the most important think you should be working toward, is having fun with your instrument.
Take care and happy playing!