DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY PRACTICE

As the old joke goes “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? … practice, practice, practice.” While I won’t deny that it is hard to improve without practice, I find that many casual players get intimidated by the process. Most students, young and old, understand the benefits of good practicing but often find it hard to do on a regular basis. One key element to developing better practice habits is to remember that you are playing the guitar for FUN! It sounds simple, but often people start to look at the act of playing and practicing as two different things. Try to think of it as all part of the same thing. Remember that simply “playing music” is practicing. The more you sit down with the guitar and play, the more you will improve and enjoy it. Practice doesn’t need to be rigorously planned out and include only “exercises.” When you sit down to play, start with something enjoyable and then “work in” some exercises for short durations as you go along. Don’t feel the “technical work” on the guitar is the sole reason for practicing. The other important thing to remember is that ANY amount of time spent playing is good. Don’t feel like you need to spend some arbitrary amount of time “practicing” for it to be useful. Keep your guitar accessible and pick it up whenever you have a few minutes. Your will be pleasantly surprised at the results.