HOW TO PRACTICE GUITAR TO LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR FAST
I'm gonna teach you how to really practice the guitar.
Let's get started.
PRACTICE TIPS
Here's some tried and tried ideas on practicing that have worked for me and for my students.
There are no particular orders.
THE SAME PLACE Try setting up a specific place to practice.
Have your guitar or your other tools like your metronome, picks and stuff ready to go
in that place and set things up so it's comfortable and it's easy as possible to get started.
Perhaps you can put some inspirational photos in the area.
Okay guys, I am thinking musicians not pin up girls.
Now, not only will this eliminate the need to decide where to practice but when you sit
down to practice you'll find that it becomes easier and easier to just let go what you
were doing and get into that mental space.
Most writers know this trick.
When they sit at the writing desk and they go to the writing corner, they're mind shifts
into writing mode.
THE SAME TIME Another good habit, perhaps a little more
difficult but quite effective -- it's to practice at the same time each day.
You're invoking the power of habit.
Do you ever spend a while of time thinking about whether or not you should brush your
teeth in the morning?
NO, because you are used to it, you could use it every morning.
You could do it half a sleep.
For many years, you've done that same thing over and over and it just becomes a habit.
Your mind goes to default mode in the morning and you don't have to think about it.
I know, I've been guilty of more than once driving while thinking something else and
next think I know I realized several turn offs later that I'm going the wrong way.
I went on the turn off but I usually go to just out of the habit.
If I'm going somewhere I usually go it works out fine otherwise I have to backtrack.
You can use this tendency to your advantage.
Schedule a time to practice each day and stick to it.
Try to do this in 21 days and you'll find how long it takes to create a habit.
You'll find you'll just begin to naturally shift in the practice mode when you go sit
down in that particular space and that time of day.
As long as you can keep it up 3, 4, 5 times a week it will work for you.
30-MINUTE PRACTICE SESSIONS.
I recommend that beginners at least go for 30 minutes daily then play more for fun if
you like.
Here's what's going on if you decide to practice for 45 minutes or an hour and you have a hard
time keeping your commitment, It'll erode your confidence in yourself and add guilt
to the process.
Of course, if you really can keep up 45 minute practice session schedule, no problem -- go
for it.
Most people are better off starting with 30 minutes and expanding after they've experienced
success for a month or more.
Less than 30 minutes and you won't really get warmed up.
You won't get the most of your practice time, 250 minute sessions are not quite the same
as the 30 minute session because of that warm up factor.
Also remember you're developing your concentrations, focus and attention span most as well.
My practice sessions are usually 45 to 50 minutes and then I'll take a short break.
I walk, stretch, do some breathing exercise and then I'll start up again.
I found that when I practice that way, I can concentrate better.
I practice for long and my concentrations do wanes and I don't get as much as value
out of the session.
48 HOUR RULE For the first six months, I prefer don't let
48 hour go without practicing.
Your mind is creating new pathways.
They're intense seedlings, when you don't water them with repetition within 48 hours
it tends to wither and die.
You'll find yourself going forward and backwards a lot if you regularly let go more than two
days go by without practicing.
Once your ceilings have developed in the strong saddling's then this particular role doesn't
really apply.
I know I can go for a week without practicing and when I come back, I am as good or even
better but I've been doing this for 40 years, Oooopsss give away my age.
DON'T LOOK BACK When you missed a day or two of practice or
three, don't look back just get back on that horse and go forward.
Don't get in the habit of justifying the missed day by promising yourself of your practice
twice the next day.
It just doesn't work out that way but if you can practice twice in a day, go for it.
Guilt and self-criticism won't help you.
In fact, it'll probably make it more difficult to get going again.
Everyone misses some practice time.
This is not a straight shot.
Success in the long run is more about how quickly you can recover.
HAVE A PLAN Know what you gonna practice.
There's no absolute one way to do this but I'd like to divide my practice sessions in
to a warm up, some exercises, maybe some new material then something I can play fairly
well at the end to feel I end up with a positive note.
So an example might be if you're doing a 30-minute session, spend 5 minute on maybe a chord change
exercise something you've been working on then you can be okay.
Then 15 minute on something new that you really have to focus on.
Five minutes maybe on a familiar song and then end on a successful note maybe with something
like 5 minute exercise speed developer or something you've been doing for a while, that's
about 30 minutes.
Now, that's just an example.
There's many different ways that you can organize that even when you change up if necessary,
even in the middle of the practice session.
Having a plan will help you get going and a week plan is actually better than no plan
at all.
PLAY FOR FUN After 30 minute session, play something for
fun.
Remember, you got in to this to have a good time.
You won't move forward if you don't do your scheduled practice but if you're always doing
something you're working for, it's gotta be drag after a while.
Try making something up, that's how I started as a composer, try something from YouTube
video.
Play some song you already know.
There's no pressure.
You did your practice.
Keep improving and moving forward.
With no progress, you would eventually get bored and quit but if you stick only to your
lesson material, you're always working at the level of incompetence that's what it means
when you're learning something new, you're not there yet.
You see the idea of lessons is that as soon as you get something down, your teachers (6:15)
to move your forward and teach you something else so by reserving sometime to play just
for fun, you'll remember why you want to play in the first place.
Thanks for joining me in this video.
You know, I created an extended version of this video and I've included two sample practice
sessions with details on how I organize it and why.
If you'd like to get the whole of that and I also want to give you six other lesson video
absolutely free, go and click in this button right here.
Click this button right here and I'll get you over there right away.
Thanks for joining me and I look forward to seeing you on another video.
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