How Often Should I Practice

One question I get all the time is “how often should I practice?”  My recommendation is at least 20 minutes three times per week. For brand new students, sometimes it is better to stop earlier if your fingers get sore…especially for the younger kids.

The key is not to get overwhelmed by how much practice time you must put in. By shooting for 20 minutes, you are more likely to pull out your instrument. Just pulling out the guitar can be the beginning of an hour-long practice session without even realizing it. Getting the instrument into your hands can be so much fun that you may not want to stop.

Practice the Day of Lessons

One important recommendation is to practice after you get home from a guitar lesson. By doing this, everything will be fresh in your mind and you can then reinforce the skills or songs right away. In addition, if you do have a question, it is easier to text or call your teacher then so he can address it and either send additional information or help you through it.

Keep Your Instrument Visible

Another helpful hint is to keep your instrument in a stand. This way, your guitar will stare you down. Just having to open the case will sometimes stop a student from practicing.

Another idea is to put your instrument next to the couch. If you have an electric guitar, it is a lot of fun to noodle around while watching tv. It is amazing how fast you can become just by doing a few finger exercises or simple riffs while watching your favorite show.

Dedicate a Specific Time

Having a practice time helps tremendously as well. Making it a part of a routine is a great way to remember to pull out your instrument. Right after school can be a perfect time to schedule a practice session.

As a parent, it can be a bit more difficult to find the time and/or energy to practice. Having lessons on a regular basis can help with this. A parent can then get in some consistent practice time that works the best with their schedule. For those very busy parents, it may be a great idea to consider a full hour lesson each week. You can literally achieve your goal twice as fast and help make up for the lack of available practice time.

Final Motivator: Build Your Brain Cells While You Sleep

Some final thoughts…The interesting thing about practice is that your brain will processes the information from the previous day while you sleep. You will then be much better at that skill the next day.  That is why we are sometimes able to play riffs and chords better the next day than while we were practicing.

Hope you found these suggestions helpful. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.