What is the best way to practice?
This is a personal question, everybody will learn things differently! We are often told what to practice, but rarely how to practice.
We are what we repeatedly do
So how SHOULD you practice? Well, I don’t know for sure, but here are a few things to try...
We are what we repeatedly do
1. Make a dedicated practice area
Have your guitar on a safe stand (not in its case)
Put your music on a music stand so it is ready to go
Have a comfortable playing chair in your practice space
2. Have a practice plan (See my practice journal below to help you organize)
Plan to warm up the mind and the body
Plan to work on the parts you are not good at
Plan to play and have fun with the parts you are good at
3. Change topics to keep the mind fresh and focused
Choose 3 things that you’d like to work on
Set a stopwatch for 3-5 minutes and every time it goes off, change topics! You may think 3-5 minutes is not a lot of time but if you remain focused you can get a lot done. Also, most songs are only about 3-5 minutes long so you should learn to remain focused for this length of time.
4. Keep a Practice Journal and a checklist of topics.
Be specific with your goals and practice topics (think of something that you can achieve in one sitting)
Use a metronome and write down the tempos you used. This is a great way to monitor progress
Remember to end your practice session with a COOL DOWN. This is where you play songs and have fun! But keep a record of what songs you play so you build your repertoire
5. Record yourself and listen to it!
Even a phone recording will show you how you sound!
We are what we repeatedly do
While these tips are not a how-to guide, they are things that have worked for myself and my students; and may work for you too. It’s important to try different approaches and see what works best for you!
Some awesome tips here Brad!