Exercising Discipline During Practice
So you think learning the guitar is easy huh? It can be if you’re doing it properly. Learning how to play the guitar did not come after one night, or even in seven nights. The key was dedicated practice. This wasn’t even the sort of practice that meant I would play a few tabs and then leave it for tomorrow again. You can’t call that real practice. Real practice entails application of what you’ve already learned and adding more to it. Each and every day, I would dedicate myself to practicing the fundamentals I have learned.
You are going to enjoy it when you make time for practicing. It’s great for study or work breaks. But when you feel like it just isn’t worth your time to practice the frustrating chords you still can’t play from the other day, that is when determination kicks in. A learned guitarist needs discipline.
Basically you have to keep two things in mind: the amount of time you invest in practicing and the quality of your practice.
Having at least an hour everyday might seem fun in the beginning, but you might start slacking off, so you have to just quicken your pace. If you can’t, even 30 minutes is fine. You’re not required to break your back trying to practice the whole day. This is so you built the habit of playing on a regular basis. It would be ideal to set aside a small portion of your day to practice, nothing strictly formal or anything.
But when it comes to practicing, you have to take note of the way you do it. For example, if you’re learning a song, and you play it on repeat every single time, you don’t have to play it to a T. Challening yourself is important, which is why you should keep moving on. You can go back to perfecting them after you have learned how to do everything else. Be careful of not moving on too fast, though. Take note of what we said about playing a song perfectly, but also take care to learn to play it well.
You should also consider splitting your practice sessions into different segments. Assigning the biggest part of the session to things you haven’t quite figured out yet would be very helpful. Another piece could be reviewing some parts that you think you have mastered. Don’t get too confident when playing, because this might make you start slacking off. Never over estimate your skills before proving that you have something to show for it. Like being able to transition between chords and tabs seamlessly.
Mere repetition is not equivalent to real practice. You have to exercise discipline, challenge yourself, and learn how to review what you have learned. Unless you start learning everything by heart, don’t deviate from what you have scheduled for yourself. Keep doing this until you realize you have no need to check references while playing. This will help you become a truly skilled guitarist.
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