26/3/2015

GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

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TheIdealPracticeRoutine
WhatYouShouldKnow

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHaves

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

Mynewerstudentsoftenaskmehowtheycangetreallygood,reallyfast.
Practiceroutine,Itellthem.Ifyoureallywanttolearnandprogressasa
guitarplayer,youshouldhaveastructuredpracticeroutine.Thispostwill
showyouhowtopracticeguitarregardlessofyourskilllevel.
Note:Thislesson'saimistohelpyoubuildaveryeffectivepractice
routine,notteachtheexercises.Seetheadditionallinksthroughoutthe
lessonforthat.Theyareloadedwithexercisesforyoutoimplementwith
theseroutines.

Ifyouwanttodevelopintoagreatguitarplayer,youwillneedtoadd
structuretoyourroutine.Apracticeroutineshouldbealmostlikeadaily
schedule:brokenintoblocks,withprescribedtimesforeachsection.The
amountoftimeyougiveeachsectionlargelydependsonyourskilllevel
andgoals.
Forexample,anewguitarplayershouldbespendingmuchlesstimeon
hiswarmupthananexperiencedplayer.However,thebeginnershould
spendsignificantlymoretimeonskillstrainingthananexperienced
guitarist.
Everythingisrelativeandifyouhaveanyconfusiononthis,pleaseletme
knowandaskinthecommentssectionsattheendofthislesson.Alright,
let'sgetintoit!

Theidealguitarpracticeroutineincludes:
WarmUp
EarTraining
MusicTheory
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

Skills/Technique
HavingSomeDamnFun!!!

Let'sBegin!

1.WarmUp

Whatisawarmup,really?Whatshouldaneffectivewarmup
accomplish?Thinkaboutthosequestionsforamoment.
Imagine:You'relearningasong,you'replayingalongwithit,everything
isgoingwellthensuddenlythetempopicksup.Youknowwhat'scoming
nextbutyourfingersjustcan'tseemtomakethenexttransitionquicklyor
cleanlyenough.Youalmostnailit,butyou'rejustafractionofasecond
offfromperfection.
Thisannoyinglittleproblemiseasilyfixedwithaproperwarmup.While
theamountoftimevariesbyskill,everyguitarplayershouldhavethe
followingincludedintheirwarmuproutineregardlessofexperience:

A.Chords&Transitioning
Asabeginneryoulearntheopen,"cowboy"chords.Transitioningwithin
thesechordsiscriticaltoyourdevelopmentasaplayer.Don'tneglect
these,getthemdown!Forallyouveteransmuttering"Bah!I'vebeen
playingchordsfor20years,Idon'tneedtopracticethem."
Wrong!HowsmoothlycanyoutransitionfromanopenCtoG,7th
positionthenbackdowntoA2ndpositionwhilekeepingintime?Find
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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

somenewchords,practicethem.Keepbuildingyourarsenal,cuzyou're
nevertoogoodformorechords.Trustme....Andyes,Ipulledthat
progressionoutmy@ss,couldyatell?
BasicGuitarChordsBeginnersNeedtoPractice
ChordProgressionGenerator
GuitarChordFinder
HowtoEasilyTransitionBetweenChords

B.DexterityExercises
Thisisthe"bigsecret"tofixingthatannoyingproblemImentioned
before.RememberwhenItoldyoutothinkaboutthosequestions?Come
upwithareasonableanswer?
Aneffectivewarmupshouldreallyaccomplishonlytwothings:getthe
bloodflowinginyourhands,andloosenupyourfingers.Youwillbe
activatingwhatevermusclememoryyouhavebuiltupduringthistime,as
well.Makingiteasierforyoutoplaywithoutstaringatyourhandswhen
therealpracticingbegins.Dexterityexercisesbuildstrengthand
coordinationinyourfingersmakingiteasiertoplaylongerandfaster.
SeeMyLessonOn:BuildingDexterityInYourWarmUpsforTABs,
techniquesandmore

C.RightHand/LeftHandSynchronizingExercises
Theseexerciseswillgetyoufromplaying"AlltheSmallThings"to
playing"Eruption"fasterthananything.Byaddingsynchronization
exercisestoyourguitarpracticeroutineyouwillbeimprovingyour
overallaccuracyandspeedeveryday.Withinjustacoupleweeksyouwill
eliminatethatannoying"Pickbeforeyoufret"problem,causingallthose
uglydeadnotesinyoursongs.Addtheseexercisesnow,andthankme
later.

CheckOutThisLessononHandSynchronization!

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

LikeWhatYouSaw?Get25%OffJamPlayLessonsHere!

2.Don'tLetYourEarGotoWaste
Thebestguitarpracticeroutinesalways..always,always,alwaysinclude
eartraining.DidIdrivethatpointhomewellenough?Someofusare
luckyenoughtohaveaninherentlygoodearformusic.MyfriendSteve
neverpracticestheoryoreartrainingandhasjustbeenluckyenoughto
havetheblessingofagoodear.Hecanhearasongandjustfigureitoutin
amatterofhours.
Doyouseehowheisstillheldback,though?Ifyoutrainyoureardaily,
youwillquicklygettothepointwhereyoucanhearandlearnasonginan
hour.Additionally,bydevelopingyourear,youwillplaywithother
musiciansmuchbetter.Nomoreaskingwhatkeyorlisteningtothesong,
lookingconstipated.Justtrainyoureardailyandyouwon'tregretit.
CompanieslikeJamPlayandEarMasterbothofferpaidsolutionstoear
training.Ihaverecommendedbothproductstomanyofmystudents.The
earisaterriblethingtokeepcrappy.Trustme.
Moreoneartraining:
GuitarWorldSteveVaiInterview(Motivational)
About.comEarTraining/TranscribingLesson
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

JamPlayEarTrainingTools(Paid)
EarMasterEarTrainingSoftware(Paid)

3.UnderstandingandBreakingMusicTheory
Theoryisanothercomponentthatsimplymakesyouamuchbetter
musician.Byunderstandinghowthemusicyoucreateactuallyworks,you
empoweryourselftocreatecrazyamountsofcreativeworks.
Verydifferentfromourcountrieslaws,onceyoulearnthelawsofmusic
theoryyouarefreetobreakanyofthem!Itiscalledtheoryforareason.
You'remeanttobuildanunderstandingandthenexplorewhatyou've
learned.Pushtheboundaries,trysomethingthatseemscrazy.Learnthe
notesonthefretboard.Practicewithametronome.Learnchordformulas,
scaleformulas,whatahalfstepvswholestepis,etc..Allofitis
invaluableforanymusician.

CheckOutThisHelpfulLessononMusicTheoryandGuitar!

LikeWhatYouSaw?Get25%OffJamPlayLessonsHere!
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

Moreonmusictheoryandapplyingittoguitar:
Circleof5ths
MemorizeFretboardNotesin1Week!
EarMasterEarTrainingSoftware(Paid)
Intervals,MusicalAlphabetandScales

4.HoneYourSkills

Thisisthesectionmostguitaristsfallunder
whentheyclaimto"practice2hoursaday".WhatIoftenfindmystudents
aredoingwhentheytellmethisisjustworkingonparticularskillssuchas
trills,hammerons,twohandtapping,sweeppicking,etc.forhourson
end.
Thisisnotpracticing,asIhopeyoucanseebynow.Ifnot,gobackand
startreadingthisarticleoveragainfromthebeginning.Cuzyou've
clearlymissedsomethings.
However,skillsareanimportantpartofanypracticeroutine.Irecommend
youpracticeandhoneyourskillsfor2050%ofyourpracticetime,
dependingonskilllevel.AndfortheloveofGod,useametronome.

5.HaveFun!

http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

Yes,that'smeonthebottom
right.Enjoyinganicedayouton
thelake
Finally,thebestpart!YoumaybesurprisedtolearnthisbutthispartI
actuallybelievetobethemostimportantpartofanypracticeroutine.
Afterall,youarelearningguitarbecauseonedayyouheardoneandsaid
"Hey,that'scool."Guitarisahobbybecauseitisfun.Rememberthat.
Yes,excellencealwaysrequireshardworkbutwithoutfunyouwillnever
reallyachieveexcellence.99%ofthepeoplewhojustsitlikedronesand
practiceexerciseafterexercise,neverreallygetthefullexperience.They
alsoquitmoreoftenthannot.
Youneedtobeenjoyingyourselfguitarisnotachore.Keepsongsand
learningthemattoppriorityforallpracticesessions,butalwaysdoitlast.
WhatdoImeanbythis?Ifyou'veonlygot20minutesorsotopractice
justwarmupandworkonasong.However,ifyou'vegot45minutes,
warmuprealquick,spend15minutesoneartraining,skills,whatever,
andspendyourlast20orsominutesonlearningasong.

WrappingThingsUp
Ifyou'retakingnotesorsomethingandneedareminder,the5thingsyour
guitarpracticeroutineneedsare:
WarmUp
EarTraining
MusicTheory
Skills/Technique
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

HavingSomeDamnFun!!!

TimeSpentBySkillLevel

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced
WarmUp10%
EarTraining10%
MusicTheory10%
Skills45%
Fun25%
WarmUp10%
EarTraining15%
MusicTheory15%
Skills35%
Fun25%
WarmUp10%
EarTraining20%
MusicTheory10%
Skills35%
Fun25%
1HourTotal
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

6MinutesWarmUp
6MinutesEarTraining
6MinutesMusicTheory
27MinutesSkillsTraining
15MinutesFun
1HourTotal
6MinutesWarmUp
9MinutesEarTraining
9MinutesMusicTheory
21MinutesSkillsTraining
15MinutesFun
1HourTotal
6MinutesWarmUp
12MinutesEarTraining
6MinutesMusicTheory
21MinutesSkillsTraining
15MinutesFun

Ihopethislessonhashelpedyoudevelopasolidpracticeroutine.
Remember,astructuredpracticeroutineisthekeytobecomingagreat
guitarplayerquickly.
Asaspecialtreatforstickingitoutthislong,here'saspecialtreatforyou.
AsonglessonfromtheboysoveratJamPlay.IhopeyouliketheGooGoo
Dolls!

LearnHowtoPlayIrisbytheGooGooDolls!

http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

IfyouhaveanyquestionsorifIskippedoversomethingpleaseletme
knowinthecommentsboxbelow.I'llgetbacktoyouwithin24hours,
usuallymuchquicker.
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Jointhediscussion
AstrophelTDeath. 4monthsago

YouhavethebestPracticeSchedulelessonthatIhaveseenso
far.Ihavebeenplayingforalongtime,i'mselftaughtInever
reallygotintopracticeroutineIusedtojustdoit.Ihavefallenout
alittlebitwithmyimprovementsoIamsohappywiththis,itis
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

alittlebitwithmyimprovementsoIamsohappywiththis,itis
givingmeinspirationagain.Thanks.
2

Reply Share

Dev

Mod >AstrophelTDeath.

4monthsago

Thankyouverymuchforthegreatcomment!I'mglad
youfoundthisguidehelpful.I'mgladyoufoundinspiration
inthisbecauseyourstoryhappenstothebestofus,
myselfincluded.Oneoftheeasiestwaystogetcaughtin
arutistojustfiddlearoundaimlesslyontheguitar.I'm
notsayingit'sabadthingtodothat.Howeverplaying
withoutapurposeoragoalevencangetaguitarplayer
verydiscouragedveryfast.Goodluckwithyourplaying
andfeelfreetodropbyifyouneedanyhelporjustwant
toshareprogress!

Reply Share

AstrophelTDeath.>Dev 4monthsago

Iactuallydohaveaquestionifyouhaveanytime.
Inthisguideyousayforintermediatetodevote6
minutestowarmup,andyoulistthreethingsto
focusoninthatwarmuptime,Ilookedatthe
Dexteritylesson,andi'mwonderingofallthose
thingsintheDexteritylessonshouldIonlyfocus
oneaspectperpracticesessionortrytodothem
all.Anexampleitsaystopracticeeachpicking
patternshouldIonlyfocusononepickingpattern
persessionorallofthem.ThisismyproblemI
havewithpracticingisthatIalwaystrytodo
everythingandIendupjustdoingsomethingelse
becauseitconfusesme.Iwanttomakesurei'm
gettingthemostoutofeachpracticesession.If
youcanhelpmeletmeknow.Thanks.
1

Reply Share

Dev Mod >AstrophelTDeath.

4monthsago

HeyAstrophel,
Thankyouforreachingout.Itreally
dependsonhowwellyoucanexecutethe
pickingpatterns.Haveyouwatchedthe
videolessonatthebeginningofthepost?
Thereareexceptionstoeveryruleandin
thiscaseyoucouldstudythatvideoasan
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

thiscaseyoucouldstudythatvideoasan
entirepracticesessionifneeded.Whileit
isimportanttogetthemostoutofevery
practicesession,you'llfindsome
techniquesorsongsmuchharderto
masterthanothersandwillneedtodevote
moretimetothose.Whenyouarefirst
beginningtolearnguitarit'sperfectly
alrighttospendawholedayonone
technique.It'sjustimportanttorecognize
whenyoutrulyhaveitdowntomoveon
seemore

Reply Share

AstrophelTDeath.>Dev 4monthsago

Iagreethankyouverymuch.Idecidedtoadopt
thispracticeroutinetoday.Thispracticeroutine
wasverywellexplainedandeasytocomprehend,
Iwillcomebackandaskforhelpifi'mconfused.I
appreciatetheinvitation,andIcan'twaittotry
thisout.Thanks.
1

Reply Share

Angus 7monthsago

Thankyoufirstofallfortheexcellentguidance.
Question:Part4.Honingyourskillsisn'tcleartome.Whatare
youactuallyrecommendingwepracticeinthatsectionofour
practiceschedule?
Forexample...asarelativelynewbeginnner...?
1

Reply Share

Dev

Mod >Angus

7monthsago

HiAngus,thankyouverymuchforthecomment!
Honingyourskillsiswhereyoupracticethetechnical
stuff.Soyou'vewarmedup,practicedyourtheory/ear
trainingthenyouworkonwhatevertechniquesyou've
beenlearningorpracticing.Forexamplehammerons&
pulloffs,bends,trills,etc.Doesthatmakesense?
Thanksagainforthecomment.Greatquestion!

Reply Share

Jehoyakim 7monthsago
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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26/3/2015

Jehoyakim 7monthsago

GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

Oneofthebestwebsitesonhowtoscheduleyourguitar
practiceroutine.Thanksforthevideostoo.

Reply Share

Dev

Mod >Jehoyakim

7monthsago

I'mgladyoufoundmyguidehelpful,thankyouforthe
positivefeedback!

Reply Share

TiffanyOlson ayearago

YouhaveabeautifulsiteDeven!Guitarisactuallyoneofthose
thingsthatI'vealwayslongedtolearn,buthavenotputthetime
oreffortintoit.Ihaveaguitarthatmyfriendsboughtmeformy
25thbirthdayknowingthatIwantedtolearntoplay.I'malmost
34nowandhavenotlearnedtoplay!:(IfIeverfindthedriveand
timeI'llmostdefinitelybevisitingyoursitefirst!!Thanks!:)
1

Reply Share

Dev

Mod >TiffanyOlson

ayearago

HiTiffany!Thankyousomuchforthekindwords.The
giftofaguitarisanamazinggesture,inmyopinion.My
firstguitarwasahandmedowngiftfrommystepfather.
AnoldLesPaulknockoff..ManIwishIkeptthatthing..
Anyway,Ihopesomedayyou'llgettodustheroffand
seewhatyoubothcando!

Reply Share

LawrenceGregory ayearago

HeyDev,Justtoletyouknowthati'vebeenfollowingthis
structuredguitarroutineanditsworkingwondersformyguitar
practice:)

Reply Share

Dev

Mod >LawrenceGregory

ayearago

HeyLawrence,thanksforcommenting!I'mhappytohear
structuringyourpracticeroutinehashelpedyouout!Feel
freetoletmeknowifyouhaveanyquestionsdownthe
road.

Reply Share

JamesWD ayearago

greatinfohere.Mysonhasbeenexpressinginterestinlearning
howtoplayandIhavepassedyoursitealongtohimnowthathe
http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

isactuallyworkingonit.Thisisalsoanitemonmybucketlist
andwithinfolikethisIjustmightactuallygetaroundtoit.

Reply Share

Dev

Mod >JamesWD

ayearago

HiJames,thanksforthecommentandthekindwords.
I'mgladyoulikedthelessonandIhopeyoursonfindsit
helpful.Lethimknowifhehasanyquestionshecanpost
ithereorusethecontactpagetoreachmedirectly.
Bestoflucktobothofyou!(AndIdohopeyouget
aroundtolearningaswell:D)

Reply Share

RegisterMeNow ayearago

HeyDev,
Thatisquiteacomprehensivepracticeregiment.Iloveit.Ihave
beenplayingguitarforsometimenowandIdon'tthinkI'veever
seensomethingascompleteasthis.Ialsolikehowyou
specifiedaboutwhatisandisn'tpractice.Nicejob!
BestRegards,
Jim

Reply Share

Dev

Mod >RegisterMeNow

ayearago

HeyJim!IappreciateyourfeedbackandI'mgladyou
likedthelesson.IamalsoVERYhappytoseethatyou
pickeduponthat.OneofthemainpointsIwantedto
drivehomewiththislessonisthedifferencebetween
practicingandsomethingthatshouldbeaPARTofa
practiceroutine.Itisveryrewardingformetoseethat
thislessonaccomplishedthat.Thanksagainforyour
feedbackandgoodluck!

Reply Share

RegisterMeNow>Dev ayearago

HeyDev,
Iusedtoteachbothpianoandguitar.Iwould
alwaysencouragemystudents(especiallynewer
ones)topracticejustfifteenminutesadaybutdo
itconsistentlyratherthantrytocrankouttwo
hoursoneortwodaysandgettiredandfrustrated

http://thebestguitarlessons.com/guitarpracticeroutine/

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GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

hoursoneortwodaysandgettiredandfrustrated
tryingtokeepupwiththatschedule.ButIwould
alsotrytomakethosefifteenminutesworthwhile
asfaraswhattheypracticedwithinthatfifteen
minutetimespan.Andinmanywaysthatiswhat
youbringtothetablewiththispost.
Butyoualsopointedouttohavefuninthattime
too.AndbynomeansdoIwanttoimplythatI'm
againstthatbecauseifyouarenothavingfun
whileplayingmusic,what'sthepoint?Butit'sa
delicatebalanceinthataspeoplestarttoget
betterattheirmusiccraft,theytendtokeep
repeatingthenewtechniquesthattheyjustbroke
throughonlearning.Musicisoftenaseriesof
plateauswhereyoucanstuckonthat
achievementforwaytoolongthantheywanted
to.
BestRegards,
Jim

Reply Share

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