What should be your daily routine to practice your guitar?
Make it simple, but be consistent.
Every student I've had over the past 27+ years has been unique in the way that they’ve learned their guitar. Some learned quickly and kept at it while others struggled and simply gave up. In my experience, there is no magic formula that applies to every student. The only thing I will say is that I tell every one of my students that they need to practice as much as possible, and do it without excuses. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. I think what happens for some students is that they inadvertently overwhelm themselves with unrealistic expectations about how or what they should be practicing on their guitar. There has to be a steady plan, a practice plan that the student can genuinely stick to. The problem I see all too often is that people get distracted and find it difficult to stay focused on their weekly lessons. I'm all about breaking outside of the norm and looking for new things to discover. In fact, I insist on it. Do this, but at the same time, commit yourself to a schedule - something that you can do everyday that won't get in the way of your daily routine. So, what are some of these focused commitments? Let's take a look.
1) Q: Ask yourself "How long is my weekly or bi-weekly lesson? Is it 45-minutes? Is it a full hour?
A: Whichever one it is, that is the amount of time you need to schedule and set aside each day, so that you can practice at a regular time that you can expect to look forward to everyday.
2) Q: When should you practice?
A: I've known many students who purposely get up a half-hour early in the morning, just so they have a little time to at least pick up their guitar and go through some of their lessons before they start their day. They go to work or school, come home and do their daily routine, eat dinner, watch a little TV and grab their guitar and play for another half hour before they go to bed. Imagine if you did this every day. That's seven hours a week, 30 hours a month. Imagine how much better you will become on your guitar, if you honestly put in that kind of time.
3) Q: What if you don't have the time to practice an hour every day?
A: Well, now see - we're getting into the "making excuses" area of reasons not to practice. That's easy. Imagine how many excuses I've heard from students as to why they didn't practice enough since their previous lesson. Let's be honest here - If you don't feel like practicing, you'll figure out a way to make it happen. Maybe binge-watching Netflix is more important to you. Maybe life has you busy and you just never got a chance to pick up your guitar. Yup, I've heard them all...and you know what I say? I say, "Practice, don't practice. It's not my valuable investment being wasted on guitar lessons I'm not prepared for. You see, I don't have a dog in this race - you do. If you want to become a good practicing guitarist, you cannot make excuses. You must make the time and be unconditional about it.
4) Q: So, what should you be practicing? What should be your daily routine?
A: Whatever lesson you've been given, trust your instructor by following his/her lead. If you are supposed to be working on trouble chords that you struggle with, (Like the "F" chord), then play that chord as much as you can in as many songs as you can. Work on building your chord vocabulary. Be proactive by re-writing chord charts so you memorize the names and shapes. Record yourself on your smartphone. Play it back and listen to how you play, where you excel and where you need to work a little more on something. If you're working on a few songs, practice them as if you were getting ready to do a paid gig this Friday night at the local bar. Build a set list of songs that you think your friends would want to hear you play if they were to come out and listen to you do a professional show at a venue. In order to play like a musician, you have to think like one.
5) Q: What if I'm working on something that I just can’t get better at doing?
A: This is why you hired me. Make notes of your trouble spots and be prepared to show your instructor where you need help. This is what we do. Our job, my job is to help you learn how to work at something so that you get better at it. Most of it is going to be difficult for a while. Help me help you.
6) Q: I have so many things to practice. What should I do with all of this information?
A: Make it simple, but be consistent. You also must be organized. Study and review everything your instructor gives to you to work on, even if it means going back to page #1 and practicing some basics from your first few lessons. Think of your lessons book as your own personal guide to becoming a better guitarist. Keep your own notes, organize your thoughts on things you've discovered about your playing and share them with your instructor. We need to know what makes sense to you so you can prove it.
I hope this helps you in your endeavors to become a better practicing guitarist. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below.