Thank you for visiting. |
GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
Photo by Robin Gentile, NYC
| BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT" It contains many of Doug's Previous Guitar Technique Tips of the Month |
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Effective Strategies for Rewarding Practice:
Set Goals for EVERY Practice Session
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
I just love to practice the guitar. Of course I love playing the guitar too. And there actually is a
difference between the two.
"Playing the guitar" means sitting down and playing songs, playing pieces. Maybe stopping now
and then to clean up something, but mostly just enjoying the sound of the instrument and the
music, the feel of it, and enjoying how it makes you feel.
"Practicing the guitar" involves a lot of that but also involves more intellectual and conscious
thought, lots of stopping and starting, and playing a passage or chunk of music over and over
again to get it right. Or, practicing might mean playing at a slower tempo than it will eventually
be played.
As I said, I have always found practicing enjoyable. But I discovered that even though I was
accomplishing a lot, I wasn't using my time to the best advantage. I was having a wonderful time
playing and practicing for endless hours, but found my practice sessions sometimes
meandered. Because I had a lot of time available to me, my practice sessions didn't always
have sharp daily focus or direction.
For your practice session to be rewarding, whether it's 30 minutes or 10 hours, it must be
sharply focused so that every minute is used wisely to improve your playing. How do you do
that? ESTABLISH VERY SPECIFIC GOALS FOR EVERY PRACTICE SESSION.
EVERY DAY, before you pick up your guitar to practice, say out loud or write down specific
goals you want to accomplish that day for each piece and exercise you are working on. Just
sitting down and saying, “I’m going to work on this song to get it better” is not going to get you
very far.
You must choose specific items to accomplish in that single practice session which will not carry
on to the next day. In other words, saying, “That passage was okay today but I will continue on
it tomorrow” will not work. No, No, No! Choose one aspect of the passage that you will
absolutely positively master that day. Tomorrow you will choose another aspect of the same
passage which you will master on that day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
For example, a passage may consist of several difficult chord changes. Don’t choose as your
goal, “I’m going to master the entire passage” in one practice session. Instead, you say, “Today
I will master the first chord change.” Or the first two chord changes—whatever you can
reasonably master in one practice session. Or, if one chord change is so difficult that it can’t be
mastered in one practice session, you might make it your goal on the first day to accurately
place and lift chord X over and over again. On the second day make it your goal to accurately
place and lift chord Y over and over again. Then, on the third day, master actually making the
change from chord X to chord Y but not necessarily in rhythm, or perhaps with just the left hand
alone. On the fourth day, try it in rhythm but at a very slow tempo. On the fifth day, try a faster
tempo. You take it step by step by step. But as you see, even though the steps may be small,
you are constantly moving forward every day with a clear goal in sight.
Or, if you are trying to master a fast scale passage, instead of making it your goal to learn the
entire scale passage in one day, make it your goal to master the first 4 notes, or the first 8, the
first 12—again, whatever you can actually master in one day.
Or for another example, don’t say, “I will work on memorizing Adelita.” Instead, you say, “Today I
will memorize the first phrase of Adelita.” Or you might choose just the first measure. Again,
choose a goal you can definitely achieve in one practice session.
There are literally hundreds or thousands of things you must do, correct, and improve to
master a piece of music. But you can't do it all in one day. Choose only a few goals that you
can actually accomplish in your allotted practice time. If you have only thirty minutes, one or two
goals might be enough. If you have two hours, you can choose more. But be specific and
realistic.
Don't just play passages over and over. Decide on a particular thing you want to do that day
and do it. Don't meander. Don't practice things you can already do. Focus on achieving specific
improvements in the song for that day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
It's kind of exciting to think, “Today, I am going to do X and improve my guitar playing.” It's
something you can see and hear. You never want to end a practice session thinking, "Well, I'm
really not any better than I was when I sat down." What a waste of time! Even accomplishing
one specific goal that day makes the whole session (whether 30 minutes or 2 hours) worth it! If
you write the goals down, focus on them, and achieve them, you can take pride in saying, "I am
definitely playing that song better today." Then you will think enthusiastically that tomorrow you
are going to accomplish Y or Z. If you keep achieving enough X’s, Y’s, and Z’s, before long you
will be playing the piece really well! And you will have done it by consciously choosing clear
DAILY GOALS.
But what if you set goals and find you are not accomplishing them? First, be sure you are
working with a teacher who can help you set specific weekly or monthly goals that are within
your reach. Make sure your teacher explains specifically how to practice to accomplish those
goals. (If they say "Well you gotta just do it over and over," find another teacher.) Make sure
you listen to what your teacher says, that you understand it, and that you write it down! If you
don't have a teacher, it will be more difficult. If you are having difficulty achieving your daily
goals, try smaller steps towards each goal. Try memorizing fewer measures or phrases at a
time. Try working on perfecting one or two difficult chord changes instead of seven. Try to
increase your metronome speed just 5 beats or 2 beats per minute instead of 20.
By setting specific goals you can accomplish every day, your practicing will cease to be a
seemingly endless journey towards "I'm kind of getting better." Your very specific daily goals will
give your practice focus. Those goals will tell you what you need to work on and how to do it.
They will relieve frustration, disorganization, and disappointment. When you practice, you will
see an end result every day. You will experience success and a feeling of moving forward every
day, taking you closer and closer towards mastery of your piece or exercise.
Don’t make your journey towards mastery a trip on a seemingly endless series of winding
roads, detours, dead ends, and potholes. Instead, every day, choose a clear, direct route on
solid pavement with a clearly marked destination in sight.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Set Goals for EVERY Practice Session
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
I just love to practice the guitar. Of course I love playing the guitar too. And there actually is a
difference between the two.
"Playing the guitar" means sitting down and playing songs, playing pieces. Maybe stopping now
and then to clean up something, but mostly just enjoying the sound of the instrument and the
music, the feel of it, and enjoying how it makes you feel.
"Practicing the guitar" involves a lot of that but also involves more intellectual and conscious
thought, lots of stopping and starting, and playing a passage or chunk of music over and over
again to get it right. Or, practicing might mean playing at a slower tempo than it will eventually
be played.
As I said, I have always found practicing enjoyable. But I discovered that even though I was
accomplishing a lot, I wasn't using my time to the best advantage. I was having a wonderful time
playing and practicing for endless hours, but found my practice sessions sometimes
meandered. Because I had a lot of time available to me, my practice sessions didn't always
have sharp daily focus or direction.
For your practice session to be rewarding, whether it's 30 minutes or 10 hours, it must be
sharply focused so that every minute is used wisely to improve your playing. How do you do
that? ESTABLISH VERY SPECIFIC GOALS FOR EVERY PRACTICE SESSION.
EVERY DAY, before you pick up your guitar to practice, say out loud or write down specific
goals you want to accomplish that day for each piece and exercise you are working on. Just
sitting down and saying, “I’m going to work on this song to get it better” is not going to get you
very far.
You must choose specific items to accomplish in that single practice session which will not carry
on to the next day. In other words, saying, “That passage was okay today but I will continue on
it tomorrow” will not work. No, No, No! Choose one aspect of the passage that you will
absolutely positively master that day. Tomorrow you will choose another aspect of the same
passage which you will master on that day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
For example, a passage may consist of several difficult chord changes. Don’t choose as your
goal, “I’m going to master the entire passage” in one practice session. Instead, you say, “Today
I will master the first chord change.” Or the first two chord changes—whatever you can
reasonably master in one practice session. Or, if one chord change is so difficult that it can’t be
mastered in one practice session, you might make it your goal on the first day to accurately
place and lift chord X over and over again. On the second day make it your goal to accurately
place and lift chord Y over and over again. Then, on the third day, master actually making the
change from chord X to chord Y but not necessarily in rhythm, or perhaps with just the left hand
alone. On the fourth day, try it in rhythm but at a very slow tempo. On the fifth day, try a faster
tempo. You take it step by step by step. But as you see, even though the steps may be small,
you are constantly moving forward every day with a clear goal in sight.
Or, if you are trying to master a fast scale passage, instead of making it your goal to learn the
entire scale passage in one day, make it your goal to master the first 4 notes, or the first 8, the
first 12—again, whatever you can actually master in one day.
Or for another example, don’t say, “I will work on memorizing Adelita.” Instead, you say, “Today I
will memorize the first phrase of Adelita.” Or you might choose just the first measure. Again,
choose a goal you can definitely achieve in one practice session.
There are literally hundreds or thousands of things you must do, correct, and improve to
master a piece of music. But you can't do it all in one day. Choose only a few goals that you
can actually accomplish in your allotted practice time. If you have only thirty minutes, one or two
goals might be enough. If you have two hours, you can choose more. But be specific and
realistic.
Don't just play passages over and over. Decide on a particular thing you want to do that day
and do it. Don't meander. Don't practice things you can already do. Focus on achieving specific
improvements in the song for that day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
It's kind of exciting to think, “Today, I am going to do X and improve my guitar playing.” It's
something you can see and hear. You never want to end a practice session thinking, "Well, I'm
really not any better than I was when I sat down." What a waste of time! Even accomplishing
one specific goal that day makes the whole session (whether 30 minutes or 2 hours) worth it! If
you write the goals down, focus on them, and achieve them, you can take pride in saying, "I am
definitely playing that song better today." Then you will think enthusiastically that tomorrow you
are going to accomplish Y or Z. If you keep achieving enough X’s, Y’s, and Z’s, before long you
will be playing the piece really well! And you will have done it by consciously choosing clear
DAILY GOALS.
But what if you set goals and find you are not accomplishing them? First, be sure you are
working with a teacher who can help you set specific weekly or monthly goals that are within
your reach. Make sure your teacher explains specifically how to practice to accomplish those
goals. (If they say "Well you gotta just do it over and over," find another teacher.) Make sure
you listen to what your teacher says, that you understand it, and that you write it down! If you
don't have a teacher, it will be more difficult. If you are having difficulty achieving your daily
goals, try smaller steps towards each goal. Try memorizing fewer measures or phrases at a
time. Try working on perfecting one or two difficult chord changes instead of seven. Try to
increase your metronome speed just 5 beats or 2 beats per minute instead of 20.
By setting specific goals you can accomplish every day, your practicing will cease to be a
seemingly endless journey towards "I'm kind of getting better." Your very specific daily goals will
give your practice focus. Those goals will tell you what you need to work on and how to do it.
They will relieve frustration, disorganization, and disappointment. When you practice, you will
see an end result every day. You will experience success and a feeling of moving forward every
day, taking you closer and closer towards mastery of your piece or exercise.
Don’t make your journey towards mastery a trip on a seemingly endless series of winding
roads, detours, dead ends, and potholes. Instead, every day, choose a clear, direct route on
solid pavement with a clearly marked destination in sight.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
 | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  |
 | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  |
| These are my very detailed, in-depth articles and high-def videos on how to play the classical guitar. It's like getting your own private guitar lesson every month. Need info on classical guitar right hand technique? Guitar scales? How to play bar chords? Harmonics? Looking for a classical guitar practicing routine? Tips on performing onstage? How to tune a guitar? Looking for easy Christmas guitar arrangements? Chances are, I have covered it, or will soon. The tips are by subscription only. |
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on
the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written
tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and
the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on
the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written
tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and
the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.