How to Practice the Guitar (part 1)

Learning how to play the guitar well can be lots of fun and very gratifying

, but it can also be at times very daunting and frustrating especially without the proper guidance and structure along the way. There are plenty of books out there with a detailed explanation of what to practice, but unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be as much information on how to practice. Through out the years I have found that many of the students that I have taught and teach today, have the desire and indeed the ability to learn how to play the guitar, but don't necessarily know how to go from beginner guitarist to advanced player. Most guitarists that come to me for lessons that are at the beginner and intermediate stage, haven't yet been given the proper tools or even shown how to use these tools, in order to develop the skills needed to move past their current level. Through no fault of their own, they don't quite know how to structure their practice sessions in order to meet the goals that they've set out for themselves to accomplish, so they often find themselves frustrated and going in circles or recycling what they already know, allowing their playing to become stagnant and their overall progress to come to a screeching halt. The job of a good teacher is to make sure that his or her students not only have the information that they need in order to move forward, but that the student know how to practice and apply that information so that they can see real results.

Having said this, a good example of a pro-active practice session should always begin with a game plan and a list of goals that the student would like to accomplish, as well as what sort of strategy the student plans to use in order to accomplish these goals. For example I have my students write down what I like to call short-term and long-term goals that they would like to reach. Short-term goals are those goals that may take only a few short weeks to a month to accomplish such as, learning a few new chords or scales or maybe a short tune or favorite musical phrase. Whereas a long-term goal might consist of mastering a more challenging technique or a lengthier piece that might take a bit longer to master. In either case, it is important that the student set up realistic short and long-term goals along the way, that are enough of a challenge so that the studentcan reach beyond his or her current level and yet not too far beyond the student's present ability, so as not to discourage him or her from accomplishing these goal(s). The student must also set up a realistic time frame in which to accomplish these goals and then make sure that he or she works hard to reach them within the time allotted. The student can always add more time if need be, while making sure never to waver from the objective.

Once the student has outlined specific goals that he or she would like to accomplish, it is important to then make sure that his or her practice environment reflects a clear and focused mind, ready to put into play a solid plan of action. In order to help accomplish this, the student should practice in an area that is sufficiently lit, well ventilated and distraction free. The student should also have all of his or her practice aids at the ready for each session. Such as: guitar, guitar picks, books, music stand, staff paper, pencil, metronome, tape recorder, CD player or anything else that the student will be using during a session, so as not to spend quality practice time unnecessarily searching for each item during the time that the student should be practicing.

Once a practice session has ended for the day, it's time to reassemble each item in its place, in order to prepare for the next day's practice. In part 2 of How to Practice the Guitar, I'll discuss and outline in detail, the secret to getting real results quickly from your daily practice routine.

How to Practice the Guitar (part 1)

By: August

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