I have written a new article on the Tempo Music Cards website explaining the times when you shouldn’t practice guitar.
Many people feel that the most practice they can get the faster they will improve. Unfortunately it isn’t that easy. There are some times when you shouldn’t practice guitar and if you do you can create bad habits. Read through the article to avoid these common pitfalls.
You can access the article here.
A new lesson has been posted over at Tempo Music Cards explaining the basics of practicing with a metronome.
If you haven’t played with a metronome before or don’t feel confident with out, be sure to check the lesson out as it is a crucial skill every guitarist needs to develop.
You can access the lesson here.
Even if you don’t have a metronome, there is a section on the website with metronome backing tracks you can use.
Hi everyone,
I have written a new article for Tempo Music Cards on five areas you should focus on when practicing.
This is important for every guitarist to know so check it out and make sure that you are working on each area of playing. Neglecting one area will cause another area of your playing to suffer to try to have a balance between all five.
You can access the article here.
INTRODUCTION
Practicing is the key to improvement in your guitar playing. Not surprisingly, people who do not practice will not improve and give up the guitar. Because practicing is so important, I have written this article explaining how to get the best out of your practice sessions. Practicing the wrong things or with the wrong attitude can negatively affect the rate you improve. Practicing the right way can significantly improve your learning. Read through this article and write down on a piece of paper how you are going to plan your practice sessions to get the best value from them.
REGULARITY OF PRACTICE SESSIONS
I always emphasise the need to practice every day. Why? You have 365 days in a year and 365 opportunities to improve your playing. If you improve (even a tiny bit) every day, that is 365 days that you made improvements. If you only practice every second day, after a year you will only have had 182 days where you improved. It can make a big difference over time.
Tip: Even 10 minutes of practice a day adds up to 61 hours of quality practice a year. Practice every day.
LENGTH OF PRACTICE SESSIONS
Many people think that if you practice for a longer time, you will learn more. This may or not be true depending on how you use your time. I read a study years ago that had a statistic saying 80% of the benefit from practicing happens in 20% of the session. So if you sit down to practice for 1 and a half hours, 80% of the benefits you get from that session will happen in 20 minutes. Whether this is true or not I don’t know but it stresses the importance for managing your time.
If you plan to practice for an hour every day, I recommend splitting that hour up into short 20 minute sessions with breaks in between. If you try to practice for an hour in one session, your brain will get tired and not take in everything. It is very likely that the last 20 minutes of your practice will be completely useless because your brain may have had enough. People with short attention spans should split up practice sessions into very small sessions with breaks in between. By having a short 15 minute practice then a 5-10 minute break, your brain can refresh and you can relax before you go back to practice.
As I explained above, having regular practice session is very important. However, many people feel that instead of practicing for 20 minutes every day, they will practice for 140 minutes one day a week. Although the time spent practicing is exactly the same in both situations, the person practicing 140 minutes in one day will find that they have trouble improving every week. Having short sessions every day will be of much more benefit to you compared to excessively long practice sessions one day a week. The difference between the two? The 20 minute sessions will be more efficient and effective than the 140 minute session.
Tip: When it comes to practice sessions: QUALITY over QUANTITY.
WHAT TO PRACTICE
When you sit down to practice, you need to have a clear idea of what you are going to practice. This seems obvious, but many people don’t even consider it. If you sit down with a certain goal in mind, you are more likely to achieve something. If on the other hand you sit down without any thought of what you want to achieve, you will most likely waste your time.
The following list is of certain aspects of playing that you may include in your practice session. What you actually include depends on your current skill level and your desires. This is just a brief list, keep in mind that there are so many different things you could practice.
ITEMS TO PRACTICE:
Finger exercises: Dexterity and stretching
Basic chord memorisation
Rhythm and strumming
Picking: Alternate, up, down, economy
Techniques (eg: Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, bends and vibrato)
Ear training (eg: recognising scales, chords, intervals)
WHAT NOT TO PRACTICE
While there are certain things you should practice, there are things that you shouldn’t practice. The number one thing you should not practice? Mistakes. Practicing mistakes is a sure way to develop bad habits. I emphasise ‘practicing’ mistakes because there is a difference between ‘practicing a’ mistake and ‘playing a’ mistake. It is okay to play mistakes, it is how we learn. It is NOT okay to repeatedly play the same mistake over and over, that is how bad habits develop. You need to focus every time you play and look out for any mistakes. If you notice you have played a mistake, go back and play the piece again and make sure you don’t play the SAME mistake. It can be hard for beginners to notice their own mistakes, so you need to focus. (This is why I have video demonstrations for my lessons, so you can hear what a piece should sound like).
Tip: Don’t practice mistakes. Practicing mistakes develop bad habits.
PLANNING YOUR PRACTICE SESSIONS
You now need to organise what you want to practice. Write a list of the aspects that you want to practice. Now rank these aspects from most important to least important. Next, write down how long you will spend in total practicing. From there you need to split up that time for each aspect. More important aspects should be given more time.
An example of a practice plan:
If I had 30 minutes set aside to practice, I would split the time up as follows:
1. First 5 minutes: Finger exercises and stretches (to warm my hands up)
2. Next 10 minutes: Practice material I learned last time (to perfect it before moving on to new stuff)
3. Next 10 minutes: Practice a new technique I have recently looked at (serious focus on perfecting new technique)
4. Last 5 minutes: Play around with the new technique (have fun with what I am learning)
You will notice that I only focus on one technique in the session. Focusing practice sessions on a few items will be much more valuable to you compared to trying to practice as many things as possible. If I sat down again for another 30 minute session, I would focus on other aspects (such as ear training or improvising).
Write down your own plan outlining the time spent on each item and why you are practicing it. If there are any aspects of playing that you haven’t covered this time, make a note so you practice it next time.
Tip: Planning your practice sessions will help you learn faster and easier.
WHEN SHOULD YOU PRACTICE
You should practice only when you will get good value of your session.
When should you practice?
1. When you are full of energy
2. When you are eager to practice
3. When you are in a good mood
4. When you won’t be interrupted
If you satisfy all four points, you will get great value out of your sessions because your brain will be focused and you will enjoy what you are doing. As you can see, it all depends on YOU.
WHEN SHOULD YOU NOT PRACTICE
Just like there are times when you should practice, there are times when you shouldn’t.
You shouldn’t practice when:
1. You are tired
2. You are in a bad mood
3. You don’t feel like practicing
4. The guitar is out of tune (and you don’t know how to tune it)
5. You are likely to be interrupted.
If you practice when you are in a bad mood or any of the other points, you will do more harm than good. Some people who give up the guitar and end up hating it normally don’t realise the real reason is because they practiced it at the wrong times (or are forced to practice by parents).
SUMMARY
Your practice sessions are incredibly important to your improvement as a player. So you need to take them seriously and put in the effort to plan them out. A well prepared plan for a practice session can make the difference between an expert guitarist and a mediocre one. Take the points I’ve made here seriously and always think of how you can improve your practice sessions to get the best benefit from them.
INTRODUCTION
Staying motivated while learning guitar is crucial for your development. A lack of motivation and dedication is the leading cause of people giving up the guitar. Read this article to understand the reasons why people give up guitar and how to avoid that situation. Understand that everybody starts off as beginners and those who choose to dedicate enough effort to learn will end up great guitarists. Those who don’t dedicate enough effort end up saying excuses such as ‘it was too hard’.
WHY PEOPLE GIVE UP THE GUITAR
I have had (a minor percentage of) students over the years call me to cancel lessons. When I ask them why, the response I get is either: they found it too hard or they did not think they are improving. Those answers are not reasons; they are excuses for lack of dedication. Like everything, guitar is hard when starting off. But it isn’t ‘too hard’ for anyone. The reason I firmly believe this is because all of the people I know who gave up guitar because it was too hard were adults. That is why I realised that the problem wasn’t that guitar was too hard for them, it was because they didn’t put in the effort needed. Why do I say this? I teach children as young as 8 years old and none of them have gave up guitar because it was too hard. They all find it very hard when starting off, but after a while they all improve and can see their improvement. So when adults call me up and say “I just found it too hard”, I feel like saying “An 8 year old I teach didn’t find it too hard”, but of course I never say anything to offend them.
So why is it that I find adults are more likely to give up guitar then children? I believe it is because adults are more likely to think that ‘I don’t have a talent for music’ or ‘It’s too late for me to learn it’ or ‘I don’t have enough time to practice’. Many adults are more likely to make up excuses and some adults really believe that they don’t have ‘what it takes’ to learn guitar. The main point they are missing is the classic saying ‘what you put in is what you get out’. If you don’t practice and expect to improve, you will find guitar impossible to learn. If you go to great effort to make improvements every day, you will find guitar easy. Remember, if children can learn to play guitar, anybody can learn it.
Tip: If you are having a hard time with guitar, seek encouragement and help. Don’t make excuses.
WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN LEARNING GUITAR
One student I had stood out like no other. This student came in for her first lesson ever and had never played a guitar before. After one lesson she went home and I told her to take it slow at first and practice every day. She sent me this email four days later:
Hi Aaron,
Thanks for the first lesson on Wednesday. I am finding that I am really struggling with the whole thing. I am not enjoying it as much as I had hoped. I am really disappointed that it didn’t work out, but am much appreciative of your time. Probably best not to continue lessons. I hope you understand.
Thanks
XXXX
I was very disappointed with this email. Not because I lost a student, but because of how quickly she gave up. She gave up after four days and only one introductory lesson! She didn’t enjoy it as much as she hoped? I’m not quite sure what she expected to be able to do after four days. I thought about sending an encouraging email back but realised that somebody who gives up so quickly won’t put in the effort after she already convinced herself that it ‘didn’t work out’. An attitude like this will destroy your ability to progress. Staying positive will help you improve.
The reason I have written about this person is not to insult her, but to show you that whatever stage you are at right now, you are doing better than other people. It’s okay to have wild dreams of the amazing things you will be able to do on guitar, just realise that it will take time to develop the skills needed. Steve Vai practiced over 10 hours a day to get to where he is now. I’m sure that even he had trouble playing ‘Mary had a little lamb’ after only four days.
Tip: Don’t expect anything worthwhile can be learned easily. Don’t expect to learn everything straight away – it takes time. Stay positive.
THE HARDEST STAGE IN LEARNING GUITAR
The hardest stage of learning guitar is of course: the very start. The first couple of weeks will most likely be a huge strain on your hands and nothing will sound right. It is the hardest stage physically because your hands are not used to the awkward positions. It is mentally hard because you are trying something completely new (unless you have played other instruments) and the urge to give up is easy. As the student I mentioned above has demonstrated, there is no easier time to give up guitar than the very beginning. Your mind thinks ‘I gave it a go and it’s just too hard so I’ll try something else instead’. If your mind thinks that at any stage, correct yourself by saying ‘everything is hard at the start, but it will only get easier if I continue’.
Tip: Remember that guitar will only get easier with time. Stick in there.
EVERYBODY STARTS OUT THE SAME
Everybody starts out with the exact same skills on guitar: none. Jimi Hendrix, Steve Vai, Angus Young, Paco De Lucia, Carlos Santana, etc… all started off with no guitar skills. Why did they turn out so good? Because they dedicated a lot of effort to perfecting their skills. They pushed through when they faced hard techniques. If you ever see a video of a guitarist playing something that sounds impossibly hard, don’t get discouraged. Just realise that the person has spent a lot of time to get that good and that person once was at the same level you are at. Excellent guitarists make impossibly hard pieces look easy to play. But even the best had to struggle through the absolute basics.
Some people will say that those people have ‘talent’ for guitar and they will never get to be that good. While those guitarists may have ‘talent’, that doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve great things too. It may be hard work now, but it pays off later on.
Tip: If you ever feel down because you feel you aren’t improving; remember that even the best guitarists in the world started like you.
HOW MUCH DEDICATION IS NEEDED
As I mentioned above, even the best guitarists start off with no skills. The difference is that everybody learns at a different rate. Some people learn slowly and some learn incredibly fast. If you are somebody who learns everything at a lightning pace, be happy because many people wish they could learn everything fast and easy. If you are somebody who learns at a snail’s pace, don’t worry because there is nothing stopping you from becoming a fantastic player. Some people will be able to learn will minimal effort and some people will need to apply a great deal of focus and effort.
To figure out how much dedication is needed to learn guitar, you need to ask yourself a few questions. What do you want to be able to play? How quickly to you want to play it? How far do you want to take your skills? Do you already have an understanding of another musical instrument? Do you understand music theory? etc…
The answers for these questions will give you an idea of how much dedication is needed to achieve what you want. Do you want to play blistering fast guitar solos like Yngwie Malmsteen? If so then you will need to dedicate a lot of time to certain techniques. Do you want to get a soothing percussive sound like Jack Johnson? If so then you need to focus on other techniques. The person wanting to play blistering fast solos may take years to develop the skills needed where the person wanting a soothing percussive sound may be able to achieve it in months. Have a think about what you want to be able to play to gauge how much effort you need to put in.
Many students start off learning guitar unsure of where they are heading or what they want to be able to play. This is okay and don’t worry. You may find your answers to these questions later on. For now, try to set enough time and effort to learn the basics of all techniques and styles. From there you may find one style you like and can figure out your path later on.
Tip: The more dedication you place on learning guitar, the easier and quicker you will learn.
HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL YOU’RE IMPROVING
Many students of mine say in lessons that they don’t feel like they have improved. I know they have improved because I can see the difference but they may not notice the difference or they may feel it’s an insignificant change. When this happens I normally ask them to play one of the pieces we looked at earlier. I then explain that the first time they played it, it took them the whole lesson just to be able to play the right notes in order and now they can play the piece without stopping. If you feel you aren’t improving, have a go playing something you looked at earlier and see if you find it easier.
SET GOALS
If you don’t feel like your improving, setting goals is a great way to check if you actually are or not. As I explained above, it can be hard to see the improvements you make. By setting goals, you can check if you are improving. Start off by setting very small, achievable goals. A simple goal can be something like ‘be able to play Ode to Joy without a single mistake’ or ‘without stopping half way’ or ‘with my eyes closed’. Make sure it is something you cannot do right now. Even small improvements like ‘play the song without stopping half way’ are more important than you may think. Not only will setting small goals and achieving them keep you motivated but it will help you learn more effectively and efficiently. Goals make you analyse your playing and look forward to where you want to be. It’s a great way to focus on your playing.
Tip: Write a list of goals you plan to achieve. When you can say to yourself that you have achieved a goal, cross it off the list. It will feel good because you have written evidence that you accomplished something.
WHAT TO DO IF THINGS GO WRONG
If you feel like you aren’t improving, that guitar is way too hard for you and you get frustrated every time you practice, you need to seek out assistance. Learning guitar on your own can be a difficult task. If things get too much for you then try to find any friends or relatives you have that play guitar to give you some tips. You can post video responses to my YouTube videos and I will be happy to offer you advice and tips. If you try both of those and it doesn’t seem to help you, don’t give up. You may want to consider finding a teacher (not online) to help you out. Even just for a couple of lessons, they will hopefully put you back on track.
Tip: Learning on your own is a challenge. If things get too much for you, it’s okay to ask others for help.
SUMMARY
No matter how hard guitar seems to be or how much you doubt your abilities, never give up. If you give up, you will never know what great things you could have learned. Stay motivated and dedicated to improving and you will find the hardest stage of guitar a lot easier. Don’t get frustrated if you see people half your age playing better than you, just remember that they must have put in the effort. The most important way to stay motivated: have fun!
I have written this article because I have seen similar articles all over the internet and with every one I read, I felt like the writer completely missed the point. While other people may disagree with the points I make, I feel that these steps are absolutely crucial to developing as a guitarist and ultimately as a musician. You should write down the step headings and stick them up somewhere for you to see every day. Highlight steps 4, 5 and 6 because those steps will always apply to you no matter what stage you are in. Steps 1, 2 and 3 are a starting point for you to understand what you should focus on at the start. Once you have followed the first three steps you can tick them off.
1. Find a good source to learn from
This is the most important step because it will directly impact the rate you will learn. Learning from a good source is like setting a strong foundation for a house. If you learn from somebody who doesn’t know how to play or how to properly teach, you won’t get far. If you learn from somebody who can play and knows how to teach, you will have a strong foundation for your learning. There are many sources you can learn guitar from. The main ones are: teacher, online, books.
Teacher: I have written a detailed article here on choosing between private tutors and music school teachers. Have a read of it and consider the many issues between them.
Online: There is an abundance of resources on the internet to learn guitar. I have one tip if you choose this option: Don’t pay for anything! There are many people (like me) who are happy to provide free lessons because it is what we enjoy doing. Free sources can have just as high quality lessons as sources that charge you (such as the famous Jamorama). There is no need to pay for something that you can find for free elsewhere. If you are going to pay for anything, pay a real life teacher.
Books: Before the internet, there were books. New books are continuously being published on learning guitar but these books are the same as the online sources that charge you – their number one aim is to make money. Again my advice is to go with free sources. Borrow books from your local library if you want but I assure you that you will find the same material on the internet. In fact, the internet resources are superior to books because they may contain video lessons – something a book cannot do.
You can choose more than one source to learn from and it may help you out. Having two different sources teaching you the same thing is a great way to see something from a different view point.
2. Finding the right guitar for you
I have written a very detailed article about this step here so I will just explain why it is important. Playing the wrong guitar will frustrate you and restrain your development. If your goal is to learn to play heavy metal, buying a nylon string acoustic would be a bad choice because you cannot achieve your goal with it.
Finding the right guitar on the other hand will make sure you stay motivated and focused. If you cherish your guitar you will learn at a greater pace.
3. Learn to read music
There are two options for guitarists when it comes to written music: Tablature and Standard Notation. I recommend over time that you learn to read both. You can start off on tablature (also called tabs) because it is simple. Later on have a look at Standard Notation because it will show you things tablature cannot. Many people will choose not to learn standard notation and I can understand why. But if down the track you are constantly getting frustrated with tabs not sounding right, standard notation may be able to help you out. You don’t have to become a pro at it, but having a general understanding will speed up the learning process.
4. Set goals and practice everyday
If you only remember one step here it should be this one. No matter what stage you are in your development, setting goals and practicing everyday will make you a better player. A goal can be a simple ones like ‘learn the song ……’ or ‘be able to play … without making a single mistake’ or they can be long term goals such as ‘be able to improvise in any key’ or ‘perfect the technique of …’. Not setting goals will slow you down and many people without goals don’t improve at all. Take out a piece of paper now and write a list of what you want to be able to play. Then have a think of how you can reach those goals. Work out which items you need to do first and get started on it.
Practicing everyday is a must, even if you only play for a few minutes. Aim to improve your playing every day. Many people practice only a couple of days a week and wonder why they have trouble remembering anything. If you don’t play guitar in one day, you won’t improve in that day – it’s as simple as that. To practice efficiently you should have short sessions regularly rather than long sessions once in a while. Don’t practice for more than 40 minutes at once. After 40 minutes, get up and have a short break then come back to guitar later if you want to keep going.
5. Aim to perfect what you are doing now before moving on to something new
Many people are so excited about the thought of playing their favorite songs that they rush the first stages so they can try and learn what they want to play. Often these same people give up the guitar because it is too hard or they take ages to improve. Perfect the basics before you move on to anything harder. If you don’t perfect what you are doing now, it won’t be possible to perfect harder techniques and songs. You must learn to crawl before you learn to walk. My guitar lessons on my blog start off at the absolute basics for this reason. The first song I have listed to learn is ‘Mary had a little lamb’. Many people will skip those lessons on my site to get to more interesting songs but those who perfect those nursery rhymes are at a great advantage.
6. Keeping a balance between theory and creativity
If you know nothing about music theory, your creativity will suffer. If you know absolutely everything about music theory, your creativity will suffer again. These two extremes should be avoided and a balance between theory and creativity can be achieved. Many people with advanced theory understanding will say theory enhances creativity and for many people it does. Many people who know absolutely nothing about theory will say theory limits your creativity, and again that is true for many people. But for most of us, having at least a basic understanding of music theory will enhance our creativity. As you learn and progress in your playing always consider whether learning more theory will enhance your playing. I have met two people with certificates all over their walls (literally) for their outstanding music theory understanding who had no idea what to do when I asked them to improvise. As the saying goes ‘you can have too much of a good thing’. My advice in this step is to learn music theory, but don’t think of it as a set of rules that your playing must follow. Try to think ‘outside the box’.
7. Always remember step four
I am repeating this step because people may not understand how important setting goals and practicing every day is for your improvement. If you haven’t already done so, grab a piece of paper and put two headings on it – GOALS and PRACTICE SCHEDULE. List goals you think will improve your playing and under ‘Practice schedule’ set out how you will achieve those goals while practicing. I will write up an article soon on how to get the most out of your practice sessions so check back soon.
SUMMARY
If you follow my advice, I honestly believe you will learn guitar so much easier and faster. Not only that, you will become a better player. If you have a teacher, ask them what goals you should work towards and how to do it. If you are learning on your own with online lessons, send messages to the writers asking for advice. I am quite happy to help out anybody who needs help learning guitar so if you need some more advice, feel free to ask me. One great way to get feedback on your playing is to check out my video lessons and post a video response playing the same songs and I will give you tips to improve your playing.
This lesson is intended for complete beginners first starting to learn guitar.
The purpose of this lesson is to give you practice playing more very simple songs. Getting comfortable playing these songs will improve your learning rate.
This lesson is a direct follow on from the last lesson on simple guitar songs. You need to understand all the concepts in that lesson before learning the songs here. The songs in this lesson are very similar to the other lesson. I won’t explain the songs in too much detail because I have already explained how to play the songs in the other lesson. Practice these songs along with the other songs before moving on to new techniques because it is very important to feel comfortable with the most basic playing. This lesson is mainly for practicing more songs.
This song needs around the same skill as the songs in the other lesson so if you are comfortable with the other songs this will be simple. Have a think of which fingers you need to use in this one. If you forget, go back to the other lesson to refresh your memory. If you still can’t work it out, watch the video demonstration. Play this song slowly and make sure everything sounds perfect.
You will notice in the second-last measure that the highest note is on the fifth fret. In the other lesson I only explained finger positions for the first four frets. Have a think about which finger you should use to play that note. Try playing that measure and figure out the best way to play it. Once you have in mind the best way to play it, have a look how I recommend you play it in the video demonstration. Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong, so don’t worry if I play it different to how you played it. Although there is no right or wrong, there is easier and harder. The best way to play any piece is normally the one where your hand makes the least amount of movements or shifts. You will learn more about this later.
This song sounds great when played fast but don’t rush yourself. Don’t try to play it fast straight away because it will just sound rushed and you will more than likely play a lot of mistakes. You need to gradually build up the speed (over days and weeks). Eventually you will be able to play it fast and accurately. Practice this song every day and try to play it slightly faster every time.
This song is different to all the others because the whole piece is played on only one string and it uses some pretty high frets. Before reading further, have a think of which fingers you should use. Try playing the piece using different fingers and after you try a few different ways, read on to my explanation.
To understand why you should find out how to play a song the most efficient way, try playing the entire song using only your first finger (index). You will notice that your hand jumps around all over the place and it probably won’t sound too flash. Not only may it not sound good, you will notice that it will sound even worse if you try and play it faster. You have four fingers on your hand so make the most of every one. If you have trouble playing with your pinky, use it even more so you can build up its’ strength. As I explain in the video demonstration, use your pinky to play the highest fret in the section so it is easier to reach the lower frets. You wouldn’t play the 10th fret with your index finger because you would need to move your whole hand after that note. Think about this with every piece you learn.
Because the entire song is played on only one string, you can choose which string you play it on. Have a go playing the song on each string just to get practice playing each string.
After you can easily play all of these songs, try to sing the words out while you are playing them. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a good singer. It will show you how well you know the songs. If you find you have a lot of trouble singing and playing at the same time, it may mean you don’t know the songs well enough.
My experience with simple songs:
I learned many songs like these when I first started guitar and it was great practice for later on. Knowing how the song should sound before I even tried the first note make everything a lot easier.
If you would like some feedback on your playing, feel free to upload a video response to this video on YouTube. I will be more than happy to take a look at your playing and give you tips and advice to improve.
These songs along with the songs in the other lesson are the simplest songs you can learn on guitar. From here the songs will get more complicated but if you have practiced these songs enough, you will progress rapidly. Practice these songs until you can play them perfectly with your eyes closed.
If you feel confident with these songs and want to start learning some real songs, check out this lesson for a step-by-step method you can use to learn any song. It’s the method I used as a beginner and still use today.
