September 1, 2023 by Klaus Crow
Sometimes the hardest part of practicing is starting. It’s the “thought” of having to practice that gets in the way, not practicing itself. Feelings of resistance arise and you trying to justify the art of not practicing translates in words like “I am too busy”, “I am too tired”, or “it’s too late” or “it’s too much now” and the list goes on and on.
We say there are more important things that have to be done before we can play guitar, but isn’t that always the case. There is always something more important, something more urgent, but in reality it’s nothing more than an excuse of the mind. There is time, if you want it.
EASY TIME TO PRACTICE
If you really think about it, there is 5 minutes of time to steal in every corner of the day, and 5 minutes of practice add up over time. There are 5 minutes before breakfast, 5 minutes during lunch or 5 minutes after dinner. 5 minutes before you go to school or just 5 minutes after you come back home from work.
You can also cut out the trivial stuff in your life and practice instead. What about 5 minutes less Netflix and 5 minutes less checking your email, Whatsapp or Instagram. You could wake up 5 minutes earlier or shorten the time you need to get the important things done.
You can surely find 5 minutes if you really care about playing guitar. Even if you have only 5 minutes a day, those 5 minutes add up over a week, over a month and over 6 months, especially if you practice with a goal and focus on the task at hand.
The only thing you have to do is stop allowing the thought that gets in the way of picking up your guitar right now. Just grab your guitar and practice.
So now we got that out of the way it’s important to make that practice process as simple and easy as possible, so you won’t have to think about that either.
SHEET OR FILE
All you need is one practice sheet or one file on your phone that is ridiculously fast accessible. This sheet or file includes one simple song or one simple exercise that you want to practice, no complicated stuff that you have to sort out or dive deep into. We need to make things happen now. The complicated stuff comes later. First thing is to get the barrier out of the way, the barrier of starting. Just plug in and play.
MEMORIZE
To make things even more easier for the practice sessions ahead, you want to memorize what you practice. Memorize the chords, the scale, the pattern, the exercise, the chord progression, 2 bars of a song or 2 bars of a solo. Just a tiny fraction of anything is good enough.
JAM / BACKING AND PLAY ALONG TRACKS
Jam / Backing and Play along tracks are gold! Get them in order and ready to go! Create a jam track list on Spotify (name it “Jams” or “Jam Tracks”) to improvise and solo over. Also create a song play along list on Spotify (name it “Play alongs” or “Play along Tracks”) with your favorite songs that you want to play along with. Playing along songs is a really good practice.
I also use the amazing slow downer which is available for iPhone and Android. You can import songs from Spotify or Apple Music or mp3s directly from your phone into the app and slow down, speed up the song without changing the pitch. You can create a loop to practice a specific part of the song. It’s a great practice tool.
Now when your coffee break arrives or any other moment of breathing space you only have to take a tiny small step to make the magic happen. You grab your guitar and phone (which of course are always within reach), put on your Jam / Play along track and you start playing, if only for a few minutes. How long doesn’t matter, you don’t even have to think about it, you just play for the fun of it!
As I just mentioned, it’s important that your guitar is always within reach. Make sure your guitar is in eyesight and place it there where you spend most of your creative / leisure time. You know the saying “Out of sight, out of mind”. The opposite is also true, “In sight, in mind”.
If you have multiple guitars don’t put them all in one room, but have some of them in other rooms and make sure they draw your attention. Don’t leave them behind a chair or a curtain. Make the guitar inviting and the small steps you prepared will take care of the rest. It’s play time!
SMALL INCREMENTAL STEPS
Another thing you can do is print a chord sheet and learn one or two new chords from that sheet (no more). The next day you practice and memorize those two chords again and add 2 new chords (no more, just stick to it). Those one or two chords a day add up big time.
Keep practicing and memorizing those chords and gradually integrate them into the songs you play. Easy and incremental steps.
You can do the same thing with licks, scales and exercises. Keep it as plain and simple as possible, but be consistent and you will be rewarded.
Do the steps now.
Do you have some tips for simplifying your guitar process? Please share them in the comments below. I really appreciate it. Thanks ~ Klaus Crow
Find the hurdles and reduce the hurdles to speed up the process.
Keep it up! ?
Kyle
Hey Klaus,
Thanks for this post. This is a huge help in keeping the pace going.
Best,
Dan
Klaus: I have been receiving your e-mails for a while and really enjoy them. I would like to donate to help the cause…how do I do that?
Hi Kyle,
Absolutely true. It’s all about finding a way to reduce or remove the hurdles, and create space for practice and playing.
Thanks,
Klaus
Hi Dan,
Sure man. Glad I can help.
We all need a little push in the right direction sometimes.
Keep on picking and improving!
Klaus
Hi Al,
Sure man thanks.
You can donate here to Support Guitarhabits.
https://www.guitarhabits.com/donate/
Best,
Klaus
Great post. I just bought an inexpensive High Pressure Laminate guitar, 0- sized, so I can leave it out on a stand and not worry about humidity or lack thereof based on the season. No need for the the time to take it out of the case or polish it before putting it back. It’s a quick pick-up on an impulse. Small size allows me to carry it around the house if I want to without worrying about banging it on doorways, etc. It’s my little cheapo 5 min practice guitar solution, a breakthrough for me. Learning arpeggio on “As Tears Go By” was killing me but now I am getting it five minutes at a time. So, to boost your practice: buy a 5 minute cheapo guitar on eBay or Craigslist, or find a Martin X series or comparable budget model from another top maker.
Again, great post.
Thank you for your tips.
I have used most of these suggestions before.
The only thing that gets to me is that there is
so much interesting material to learn. Not necessarily
individual songs. I have been working on movable
chord forms. I have been trying to fit them into a song
I am working on in place of some of the ones I
have noted.
Margie
Hi David,
That’s a great idea. I also have some cheaper guitars to take around with me wherever I go.
When my kids go to a play ground to go stunting with their bikes I just come along and take my guitar with me.
I can watch them and practice my scales and patterns at the same time.
Keep on picking and improving!
Best,
Klaus Crow
Hi Margie,
You’re working on moveable chord forms, that’s great!
I know the place of feeling overwhelmed. There’s so much you can learn and do,
but just take it one step at a time and focus on that, the other lessons you need to learn
arrive at the right moment when it’s time or when you’re ready for it. You don’t have to think about that now.
Just enjoy the process of practicing the moveable chord forms and implementing them into your songs.
It’s all about creating a fun experience of the practice, and progress will follow.
Best,
Klaus Crow
Hey Klaus,thank you so much for continuing to be active and to give us extra tips for practice. I’d like to recommend an app called”Loopz” for backing tracks. It’s available for Android but I’m not sure if they set it up for Apple devices. Thank you again and again.
With lots of love
Julius
Hi Julius,
Both devices have an app called Loopz and they’re both different apps.
I guess you are refereeing to the Android app. Anyway thanks for mentioning.
It’s great to practice rhythm guitar along with a loop backing track.
It’s an effective way to develop steady and solid rhythm playing.
Thanks for the comment.
Best,
Klaus
Good morning from Quebec Canada,
Since a am retired, I have no time issues to practice. I also have the passion and desire to learn and play. Usually practice 2 or 3 (1 hour sessions ) per day 6 days a week. As per practice methods, working on many different things for 5 minutes each in one session, does not work for me. I need more time working on each thing that I am learning and practicing. So I divide each practice sessions in 3 or 4 blocks of 20 or more minutes. ex: Scales, Chords, Strumming and Rhythm in one session, barre chords, music theory in another session, songs in another session. I keep a session just for finger style since I am just beginning this journey.
I alway reserve 30 minutes or more to learn, practice and play songs every day. I sometimes end up practising 4 hours a day in total. And yes, after 2 years I am still very much a beginner, but I picked up the guitar at the age of 62. I figure by the time I am 65……I should be able to play stairway to heaven…..LOL
Keep it up Klaus