![]() But what about the professional or the person who has more time available? How long should they practice? The amateur who has a job and family may be limited to 30 minutes to an hour or two each day. There seem to be almost as many opinions about this as the number of notes Paco de Lucia can play in 10 seconds. Having their consent makes domestic life flow more smoothly. It is also a good idea to tell your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend and children what you are planning. You must be mentally focused otherwise you will practice bad habits and ingrain mistakes. Don’t practice when you’re tired or exhausted. If it’s written down, it is much easier to stick to than if you keep it in your head. Set specific times, write them all down, and treat those times as sacred. You may need to budget a precise amount of time you can practice for each day. You may decide you can practice only certain days of the week, possibly more on weekends. “Sometime” or “when the spirit moves me” is not a good practice time. But for the busy professional musician or busy amateur with a life outside of guitar (a husband or wife, a job, etc.) it becomes more important to nail down a precise time for practicing. A music student may have a fairly open schedule and have several time slots available in the day to practice. They may claim they are better motivated by “I practice when the spirit moves me.” They may prefer complete freedom unrestrained by boundaries of time or content. For the bohemian “artiste”, the idea of a scheduled practice routine may be abhorrent. When it comes to scheduling practice time, everyone is different. You must be sure to adopt a routine that fits easily into your schedule so you’ll actually do it. One of the things that impede progress the most is the lack of consistent practice. Practicing every day is a nearly universal procedure among accomplished players. If you are into high tech to aid your practice, have your computer and recording program ready to roll (but don’t open email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Have your metronome, pencil with eraser, and nail filing/polishing tools readily available within arm’s reach. Have your music or exercises you are learning on your music stand. Sit in a comfortable straight chair with no arms (not a couch). It is helpful to be away from telephones, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Don’t practice in front of the television or computer. You don’t want people disturbing you, asking you questions, or attempting to engage you in conversation. You want to have a quiet place to practice without distractions. A bad routine will result in slow growth and little improvement. A good practice routine can make your abilities as a guitarist grow very quickly. A practice routine is a habit that determines your progress. For another student the routine would be quite different.īut for this article, I will explain a few universal guidelines I believe it is smart to follow and several options for you to explore. ![]() He proclaimed, “This is the routine Douglas Niedt recommends.” Well, that was the routine Douglas Niedt assigned specifically to that one student, not to anyone else. He found that the practice routine worked very well and told many other people about it. I cringe when I remember when I recommended a specific practice routine for a student, neglecting to tell him this routine was for him only and didn’t apply to others. And again, the routine will vary between a group of intermediate players and a group of advanced players.īottom line, practice routines need to be tailored to each student’s specific needs. Therefore this discussion will not apply to beginners. My website is directed more towards intermediate, advanced, and professional players rather than beginners. When speaking about practice routines it is very important to differentiate between practice routines for beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players. This article is limited to the topic of general practice routines. Let me begin by saying this article is not about how to practice or learn a piece of music. This article may be reprinted, but please be considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt. ![]()
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