20 things i learned about practicing the guitar

1) it´s good to have a tuner at hand. I like to use the Korg CA chromatic tuner. If I practice for many hours i sometimes get in a state of mind where everything I play sounds out of tune. So I tune my guitar again even if I am still haunted by the feeling everything is out of tune. I trust the tuner and keep on practicing. The next day everything will sound different anyways.

2) I like practicing with a timer. I try to set up my work space in a way that i am not distracted. I don´t want to have to watch a clock or anything. I want to focus on playing the guitar. I let the timer do its work

3) Also I try to keep everything in its place. A place for the picks ( a lot of them) a place for the pen and paper, a place for the headphones and ipad. Sometimes i am so exhausted if i practice for a longer period of time a missing pick can throw me of my routine. Looking for my picks everywhere and not having a spare one does cost me a lot of energy (even so it might sound funny) and i want to avoid that at all costs .)

4) Having a “room of one´s own” for practicing the guitar can be incredibly valuable. Not having to think about the neighbour ( if only on a subconscious level) is great. Having a chance to play as loud as i want to is great. Also having a place that doesn´t have so many distractions (like the daily chores) is great

5) it is much harder to practice on or two times a week than to follow a daily practice routine. If I practice irregularly i feel that my hands are not used to playing- my time is bad and i am often very unsatisfied with everything i practice. Practicing daily helps because it gets natural after a while, the emotional threshold gets lower. I just sit down and practice.

6) a pair of new strings can be a game changer

7) practicing something totally unrelated to the goals i have in mind can be refreshing. Sometimes i play the piano or play something on the Ukulele just to free my mind of all the expectations i have for myself when i play the guitar.

8) While practicing technique i sometimes feel very stiff all od a sudden my back hurts the guitar feels heavy. Then i give myself a very short break open the window stretch my back and then get back to the exercise i have been playing. My finger are relaxed now and it doesn´t feel like a struggle anymore.

9) coffee is so very good for concentration. After my first hours of practice i always get myself some coffee. That´s my delayed gratification. The next hour is full of inspiration (sometimes to much) and i get into the flow.

10 ) Accepting that i am tired and can´t go on practicing anymore is a big issue for me. I am hungry or tired or both but I still want to continue playing. I try to tell myself that tomorrow is another day. It took me many years to accept that i have limits and that it is good to respect them. So i try to NOT practice until i am completely overwhelmed, exhausted or maybe even frustrated with my guitar playing. I know if i stop before i reach that point it will be much easier for me to return to my practice routine the next day.

11) When i go to bed at night I take my journal and my stickers and write down the practice plan for the next morning. Most of the time i write down the exact plan i wrote down the evening before, it just gives me a good feeling to think about everything i am going to practice. And i try to do it in my best handwriting so that it looks nice and clear.

12) Sometimes it feels like I have been down all the roads, all the doors are closed I know everything. I know in my mind that this can´t be true. I have to throw away all the exercises and ideas i have been working on and start with something completely new. Fresh start. Clean slate. Often some of the doors open up again and there are again endless possibilities for improvement, experimenting and learning.

14) i long for the days when a new CD meant that i also would listen to that CD only for a long period of time.

15) A good chair and a good guitar strap is essential.

16) I like to buy expensive note books for writing down my own music. That´s how I make sure that i don´t throw my music away (on a bad day) .

17) Practicing without the amp can be a very good training, but if I never practice with the amp I know that i will run into some trouble if i have a concert or go to a jamsession. So I try to make sure that i practice at least some hours in the week with the amp (sorry neigbours)

18) i love practicing with a looper, sometimes i just record a bass note and try to find different sound and chords that go with it.

19) if i am very frustrated i try to read a book and shut down any digital medias. Most of the time that works very well.

20) i try to drink enough water. Lately i have started taking magnesium and vitamin C. I read it helps the brain to strengthen new neuronal connections.