“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” – Thomas A. Edison

Practice efficiency

Two people in theory could both practice and hour a day for a year and at the end of that year one could be at a grade 3 level where as the other has still not completed level 1. While this is an extreme version it happens all the time and reason is based of practice efficiency. The more focused and efficient your practice the faster you will learn guitar and the best way to improve efficiency is to plan your guitar practice.

Planning your practice

Time is precious so make every minute count. When you plan your practice minute by minute you will be able to achieve a lot more in less time. To plan your practice start with short practice sessions of 20 to 30 minutes and break it down into 10 minute blocks.

Example;
10 minutes picking practice. Leave your left hand out of it (right if you are a lefty).
10 minutes chord practice. Left hand only. Check our PRACTICE site for ideas.
10 minutes Scale. Start slow with a metronome and stick to one scale. Even one string.

Make sure your practice is leading you towards your ultimate goal. Try writing out practice plans when you are sitting on the bus or train or in the waiting room at your guitar school. Show your teacher to ensure the practice you are doing is the best choice.

Reviewing and refining your practice plan

Review your practice plan each week and keep refining your plan by assessing your progress, reviewing your goals and making sure your practice plan makes sense. You won’t necessarily need to make changes every time but reviewing weekly will just ensure you are not straying off in the wrong direction or missing essential skill development necessary to meet your desired goals.