Time and time again, we’ve all heard that one popular saying that goes “practice makes perfect”; unfortunately, it’s extremely hard to perfect anything. Still, this does not mean that practice is useless. In fact, constant practice leads to permanence–which means that the skill you keep practicing will eventually become automatic. This principle applies to arithmetic skills, sports, and when it comes to playing an instrument such as the guitar.

Hence, guitar masters have always reiterated that practicing should never be sacrificed; that practicing at least 10 minutes per day would be much better than just spending an hour or two per week. However, there are aspiring guitarists who follow an unhealthy practice routine that might just ruin their chances of playing the instrument. That being said, this article will tackle about the right way of practicing guitar.

The Right Routine

• Be comfortable.

Don’t underestimate the way you sit when you start practicing. Make it to a point that you are seated comfortably and that your body won’t be struggling when you play the instrument. Otherwise, you might suffer a sore back, neck, or arms. Be conscious of your positioning. Your head must sit over your shoulders but it should not lean too forward and your wrists should not bend in extreme positions.

• Don’t press too hard.

Exerting effort beyond what you need when pressing against the strings will only take away your energy. Know if you’re pressing too hard by experimenting the strings first by playing lightly; a little increase in pressing should follow along the way.

• Practice to a beat.

A metronome is great to practice with. It will help you with timing since generally, you’ll be playing to a beat anyway and so, you might as well practice to a beat.

• Have a break.

Non-stop practicing is not recommended; instead of sharpening your skills, too much practice might just cause you hand injury. Hence, always have enough breaks during practice. Perhaps you can practice for 2 sets of 15 minutes in an hour.

• Know when to stop.

Listen to your body. If your arms, hands, and the rest of your body screams for wrap-up then wrap it up. Don’t ignore the soreness you feel. In other words, know when you need to stop. Don’t push yourself too hard.

• Ease into a new guitar.

When trying out new guitar playing styles or new guitars, you have to ease into it. Don’t jump to another instrument so suddenly. Introduce your muscles gently, at first, to, let’s say, an electric guitar. With that, you can slowly start learning it with the help of an amplifier (check out the practice amps we love). Make sure you ease into your new adventure slowly but surely.

The Bottom Line

At the end of day, it all boils down to two things: Practice constantly but don’t overdo. Eventually, you’ll be good to go in showing off your skills during family parties or parties with friends. Still, as mentioned above, you may even opt to practice for 5-10 minutes a day but do not spend 24 hours on your guitar or your fingers might just bleed and before you know it, injuries might even prevent you from playing further.