how many hours should you practice the guitar every day?

By Spardha Learnings | August 23, 2024

2. Some more tips to consider regarding effective practice

If a person wants to play guitar for a living, the intensity and the seriousness of the discipline increases in many folds hence practicing the craft becomes a ritual.

The same may not be true when someone is picking up a guitar just for a hobby, the practice sessions get more flexible and less frequent. The intensity and the frequency of practice also vary with age, people of different age groups see the instrument differently and hence the practice schedule may vary.

However subjective the question is, one of the most common questions everyone comes across is how long it takes to learn to play the guitar.

And the simple answer is that it depends on practice and consistency.

1. How much practice is required?

The amount of practice mostly varies with the student and the lessons but it is important to understand a few important aspects to make the most out of practice sessions.

The first thing that we have to understand is, that practice does not include just the time spent with the instrument. An effective practice includes:

● Mental Practice

Mental practice includes setting up the mindset for the module someone is working on. Mostly mental practice includes forming the plan for the practice and setting up the key elements of the practice.

● Analytical Study

Suppose a person is practicing to play a song on guitar, the first step is to listen and understand the song properly. Proper listening means understanding the beats and rhythm of the song. Sometimes it is also important to read about the history of the song and the artist to understand the methodology correctly.

● Setting up Practice

Forming a proper time block for the practice and setting up goals and outcomes are included in this part. Making resources like the metronome, the instrument, and the music sheets available is also a part of this plan.

● Actual Practice

This is when you sit with your guitar, warm up, and then start practicing what you are learning in parts. Start with an easy part for revision. And then attempt a part that you find difficult by breaking it down into multiple parts.

2. Tips to Consider for Effective Practice:

Always choose the shape and size of the instrument wisely, find the size that suits you the best so that handling the instrument gets easier.
Practicing in a quiet and distraction-free learning environment is always recommended.
Always warm up before practice: Some basic chromatic exercises or scale exercises to warm up the fingers are very important.
It is advisable to break a long practice session into smaller bits so that the result is more prominent. However, for group practice sessions, a longer hour of practice makes more sense.
Being consistent with the instrument is often more fruitful. Sitting with the instrument every day even for very small intervals is more effective than sitting once a week for a longer period.
Always use a metronome while practicing to master the technique of rhythm and timing.
It is recommended to keep track of practice so that effective time spent in practice can be tracked.
Always start slow, and never focus on the speed rather the focus should be on perfection. If you can play something perfectly slowly, you can also play it faster.
Playing is not practicing. Practicing means working towards improvement, learning something, or brushing up. Playing a song you already know or just improvising without proper practice outcome shall not be considered to be practice.
It is always important to note that the ultimate goal is to be happy, satisfied, and have fun, so stick to that.