How to practice guitar like a pro
Most of
us, at some point have considered practicing boring at some point in our
time as a guitarist. Well, it turns out if you think practicing is
boring, you're not doing it the right way. Correct practice, is fun and
directed towards a particular goal of achieving or improving a certain
skill. You must focus entirely on your practicing. Here are a few tips
and guidelines towards fulfilling and useful practice sessions. Make
sure that you follow all of them simultaneously.
#1 Know your current skill level
Practicing
correctly involves proper knowledge of your current playing skill and
what you hope to achieve with a certain exercise or practice session.
You cannot play exercises designed for advanced players in a beginner
stage or if you're an advanced player, playing an exercise made for a
beginner might be a waste of time. Selecting exercises best suited to
your playing skills is very important, and so is setting a realistic
goal on what you hope to accomplish from a particular exercise.
#2 Set Realistic Goals
Set
a proper goal on what you hope to achieve from a certain exercise. I
mean, you can't become a guitar god by playing an exercise you find
effortless at a slow tempo. You ought to know how much improvement there
will be from a certain exercise or practice session. This will prevent
disappointment caused by setting unimaginable goals.
#3 Practice with full Focus
The
most common reason for finding guitar practice boring or ineffective is
when you practice without focus and concentration. If you practice
while watching TV, then change your ways immediately. Guitar practice is
something that is to be done seriously, with one's full attention and
concentration. Otherwise, you'll just be another weak guitarist who
dreams of becoming a better player but does nothing to do so. Just make
sure that whenever you practice, you do it with full vigour. So next
time, don't slack off.
#4 Challenge Yourself
If
you can play a particular exercise too easily and without much effort
at a certain tempo, then you're not doing yourself any good. An exercise
will only be useful, if it requires a certain degree of effort to play
properly. Of course you don't have to play an exercise that is too
difficult for your level, but you also can't play something that's too
easy for you. Whenever you can perform an exercise at a reasonable level
of ease, just increase the difficulty. Progressing as a guitarist is
only possible if you constantly raise your level.
#5 Don't Rush Into Things
Don't
rush into playing at higher BPMs or playing difficult exercises before
mastering an easy one first. I've made this particular mistake and if
you do the same, you'll just sound sloppy and will be disappointed by
your playing. Ensure that you sound fluid and clean before moving on to
faster tempos and tougher exercises. Patience is the key here. Moreover,
don't compare yourself to other guitarists. Everyone learns at
different speeds. In order to get the best from practice, ensure that
you are comfortable by your learning pace.
#6 Always Practice With a Metronome
Make
sure that you always practice with a metronome. It helps to establish a
proper sense of rhythm and timing. Plus it's important to maintain the
right tempo when playing a difficult exercise. Your playing must be
consistent; otherwise, you'll just end up sounding sloppy. And yes,
exercises do seem boring when played without a metronome.
#7 Playing Songs is Not Practicing
You'll
have to understand this one properly. Playing songs is not practicing.
Practicing does not include covering or playing songs. Playing songs
when you are meant to be practice will only waste your time. You ought
to have different time periods for practicing and playing the guitar.
Understanding this difference will only do good.
#8 Spend more time playing exercises rather than searching for them
The
internet offers a vast resource of exercises which can be easily looked
up. But the problem is that many people follow an incorrect method of
practicing and then, they blame the exercises. As a result, instead of
improving their method and practicing, they look for more exercises,
which ironically, they won't use properly either. So, focus more on
practicing and playing exercises, rather than searching and searching
for the so- called perfect exercise. You'll never find the perfect
exercise, you'll just have to step up your game accordingly.
#9 Practice Daily
Always
practice the guitar daily, even if someday you're busy and can only
play for a short time. Practicing 10 or 15 minutes every day is better
than practicing 60 minutes once a week. Try to follow a proper
practicing schedule, and don't break that schedule.
Finally, I'd
like to say, don't give up practicing just because you don't get the
desired results. You just have to correct your method of practicing.
Happy Practicing.
See also : 10 Quick Tips About Piano Practice
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