The Truth Behind Guitar Practice -
Practice Does Make Perfect

While we have all had the term “Practice makes perfect” engrained in our heads since we were little kids, there may be times that our busy schedules make us so utterly exhausted that the last thing we want to do is guitar practice. Although we all know that consistent practice will help us become the professional guitar player that we all dream of being, life tends to always have a way of getting in the way of our dreams.

Whether it’s a job or family life that leaves you with little room for your personal pursuits, you may find yourself with all good intentions of guitar practice, but somehow the day seems to get away from you and it’s time for bed long before you even had a chance to sit down and relax. Even our children have a hard time creating a guitar practice routine due simply to extra long school days packed with extra-curricular activities and a pile of homework once they finally get home. While you may be thinking that you have no possible chance of creating a guitar practice routine simply because you can never find the time, you will find the time if you truly want it bad enough. If you want to succeed in learning how to play the guitar you need to make it a priority in your life, and don’t let any other plans take the place of the time you have set aside for your guitar practice.

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While this may seem like an impossible task given your overly packed schedule, it can be done if you make your goals and dreams a priority in your life. That means you need to put your goal, whether it be a guitar practice schedule, or any other task you want to accomplish, ahead of any other task that may come along to distract you from your goal. If you have a goal in mind, you have a better chance of sticking with your guitar practice routine that will help you achieve the success you have always dreamed of. 

Although you may have your own definition of what practice really means, the Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary defines the word "Practice" as:

·        To teach by frequent repetition; drill

·        To work or pursue as a profession

·        To perform a task often in order to learn 

While guitar practice may not be high on your list of things to do, in order to make it a priority you will want to look at it like it was a task at your job, or work you needed to complete for school. This does not mean that you should look at it as a task that you hate to do, but something that needs to be done in order to achieve some level of success. If you have ever had a difficult task at work, you probably felt relieved and possibly a sense of accomplishment once you completed that task. You should take the same approach to your guitar practice. Make sure to create a guitar practice schedule and stick with it. Mark it on your calendar or block out the time in your appointment book and do not allow any other tasks to impede on that scheduled time. In time you may notice that your guitar playing may actually get better as you practice on a more regular basis.

As you practice you may find that there may be days where you seem to have made a drastic improvement in your playing ability, and others that may seem like nothing has changed, but you have to remember that consistent practice will continuously help you hone your skills s try your best not to get discouraged.   The guitar can be one of the most difficult instruments to become truly proficient on, so don’t expect you will become a skilled professional player after only a few months of practice. Keep your goal in mind and you will achieve it, no matter how long and hard the road may be to get there. Here are some key tips to keep in mind, especially on those days when your determination may be waning and you would rather quit that struggle on. They are:

1.      Take the time to make your guitar practice a priority

2.      Make sure you schedule a specific time each and every day to practice

3.      Make a commitment to yourself that you will practice regularly

4.      Create both short and long term goals so you have a sense of accomplishment

5.      Make sure to persevere no matter how difficult things may get

6.      Always be determined to succeed

While these tips can help you succeed in finding the time for guitar practice, you still need to remember to have fun. Whether you are in it just to learn something new or it’s a skill you would like to use to make money in the future, just remember that playing the guitar should remain fun and something you will want to do. Keep that in mind and you will always be able to find the time to enjoy the tasks that truly make you happy.

Find out how you can go about practicing guitar with the Winner of 2008 Acoustic Guitar Player's Choice Awarded course Learn and Master the Guitar.

by Liam Gibson