Guitar Tips Part 5 - Discipline in Practicing

Discipline when you are practicing the guitar is very important.
Learning to play the guitar is one of the most rewarding things
I have ever done in my life but it was also one of the hardest.
The reason that I became proficient with my instrument is simple.
I practiced, and I practiced a lot; every day in my bedroom from
the age of 16. I spent most of my time practicing the fundamentals
--running up and down scales, changing chords and trying to
improve my repertoire of songs.

Sometimes it was easy to make time to practice because I was in
a good mood and I really wanted to play. At those times I could
spend hours just listening to how cool it sounded when I changed
from the chord D to the chord G. But on other days it was my
discipline and desire to play and improve that made me practice
and develop as a player.

There are two main factors when it comes to discipline in practice:
practicing regularly and practicing well. Both of these are important
to address.

Practicing regularly is the most obvious and easy to do. Basically
you should play the guitar every day. These don’t need to be
mammoth, three hour long sessions. 30 minutes will generally be
fine if you are focused during that time. Doing regular, small
amounts of practice is far better than going all out for hours once
a week. I know that in a busy life it can be hard to make the time
to practice but honestly 30 minutes a day is achievable for anyone.
There is no set time that is best to practice but I prefer to do it in
the evening simply because I find playing the guitar is a relaxing
way to wind down after a stressful day.

Practicing badly is a more common and difficult to address problem.
This is something that affects even the most experienced player.
This problem has several causes and solutions.

* Playing the same thing over and over every time you play.
I am a firm believer that you should play something perfectly
before you move on. BUT, once you know how to play something
you need to move on and keep challenging yourself.

* The opposite is also a problem: moving on too quickly.
You should practice so that you play a piece well before you go on
to the next thing. Playing perfectly and accurately is an excellent
habit for any musicians to have.

* Not focusing on developing all parts of your musicianship when
you are practicing. I like to split my playing into parts. For example
I might spend 5 minutes practicing new scales or chords, 10 minutes
working on writing new music for myself and maybe 15 minutes
learning a new song or part of a song.

* Playing things too fast when you first try and learn them.
This can cause you to become disillusioned with your playing when
you are trying to learn a new song. Most guitarists, including myself
try playing a song at a slow speed before trying it a fast pace.

Practicing properly and regularly is the best way to become good at
anything including playing the guitar. This requires discipline.
Not only discipline to practice regularly, but also discipline to stay
focused and on track when you are practicing. If you stay
disciplined with your playing you will develop in to an excellent
player.

Part 6 to follow...

In affiliation with Ben Edwards Of Jamorama

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