How To Find More Time To Practice Guitar

My strat has been my go-to guitar lately for practicing!

I am the queen of getting distracted and numerous times have set out to practice guitar and wind up looking at Free People instead for a half hour. It’s the worst feeling when I’m constantly thinking back to all the time I’ve “wasted” that I could have spent getting better at guitar! 

However, I have learned a few tricks to make sure I am regularly practicing and improving at guitar, even when I'm having trouble concentrating. For a lot of people, guitar is a hobby, but putting time into it can help stretch your brain, keep you creative, and be the most fun outlet for connecting with people and having fun! So in this blog, I wanted to give you my top tips for how to find more time for playing guitar so you can reap all the benefits of playing and not have to give up your normal life!

1. Find Things that Inspire You

I find for myself, the times I tend to practice the least are when I don’t really know what I want to practice and it feels like it’s going to take a lot of mental energy to figure it out. Instead of trying to figure out something to practice, I keep a list of sources that keep me inspired! The top places I find inspiration are songs that make me curious about how something is played, songs with solos that seem fun, YouTube videos that are short and straightforward (like a “learn this lick” video), and having a gig on the calendar where I know I need to learn the songs or I will embarrass myself. I went through a phase where I thought that to be getting better, I had to always had to weave in lots of theory and hard concepts (even though I am glad to have spent time building that foundation), but now I think that just picking up your guitar and learning a solo you love teaches you so much and is a lot more fun than finger exercises etc. I know I have heard a lot of people say that noodling doesn’t count as practicing but I feel like some days if you want to noodle and it makes you happy, then noodle away! Getting a source of constant inspo will help you feel motivated to practice and you’ll find yourself getting distracted with practice rather than from it!

2. Make Your Setup Accessible 

When I have gear out of sight it’s truly out of mind as well. If I have my worst guitar lying around, I’m way more likely to pick it up and leave one of my favorites sitting neatly away in a case. It’s been really important for my practicing that I have a guitar I love to play easily accessible and in eye shot! The good thing about guitars is they are usually pretty and a lot of people who don’t even play use them in their decor! If you have a guitar (especially one you don’t mind being exposed to the elements on the reg), hanging it up where you pass by every day is truly a game changer! I have one of these natural wood String Swing Guitar Hangers and it’s perfect for this. Another challenge can be if you always have people around and don’t want to annoy anyone with your practicing, in which case I would recommend getting a setup that you can put headphones into. Overall, eliminating that one little step of setting up everything you need to practice can make a huge difference in how much you pick up your guitar! 

I also really love the String Swing Guitar Floor Rack and the String Swing Guitar Case Rack! I have both of them and they are the only stands I have found that are both sturdy and asthetically pleasing!

3. Don’t Get In Your Head

Feeling bummed out about your progress can really demotivate you! I remember a time when I was working on a challenging theory concept and trying to understand how to apply it in a class setting and everyone was so much more advanced than me. Rather than being inspired at how good they were (like a positive person might), I felt just overwhelmed and like I would never get there (why must I have emotions!!). I think a lot of improving on guitar is how you mentally handle not being good at something because that’s part of the learning process. When I focus on having a curious attitude, play because it’s fun, and enjoy hearing better players because it makes me realize what I could do one day is when I find myself most excited to learn and practice. Any time I let my thinking go to “because someone else is good now I can never be good” I tend to feel more defeated about where I am skill-wise. This is especially tricky if you are in the thick of the intermediate phase because it’s hard to see your process (I heard a friend say it’s the same as not being able to see your hair grow, but it is!). Focusing on what you currently like about playing rather than just the result you hope to get out of it is so important for keeping your spirits up!

So I hope one of these tips helps you if you are having a hard time finding the motivation to practice. If you are looking forward to playing and don’t see practice as a chore, you will naturally find the little gaps of time in your day to squeeze in time to play guitar. Thank you tons for reading and let me know if you have any questions or blog suggestions!

3 Tips to Improve Your Guitar Practice Daily

I like to make a playlist on my computer with a bunch of songs with awesome guitar solos. When it comes time for me to practice, I have a ton of options!

In March two years ago, I started teaching guitar lessons and thought the biggest challenge would with out a doubt be making the content challenging enough for each of my students. My top fear was that I would go through my whole lesson and my student would say "oh wow. That's all you had? I already learned all of this when I was five!” and then laugh hysterically like those hyenas in The Lion King (cause like this totally happens to people!). To my surprise that has not yet happened (YAY!) but the biggest challenge has been something different than I ever expected- convincing my students that their learning pace and mistakes are absolutely normal and expected! 

I think that there’s this expectation that if you are going to be good at guitar, you should be able to sound pretty good after three lessons and only practicing a few times a week. I think this expectation has to do with some of the social media #instasuccess we see happening along with people using phrases like “this person blew up overnight.” Shows like The Voice and American Idol and the people we see on social media paint the picture that mastering something can be instantaneous if you are truly talented. Meanwhile the hard work and practice is usually all completely cut out because it's not that entertaining to watch!

Here's the thing though: I deeply believe that if you have an ear for music, playing guitar is mostly about hard work. You can definitely become an awesome guitarist by staying positive about your process and finding a way to make your practicing fun! I have put so much time into practicing since Jr. High and it's never felt like a chore for me. I think the more pressure you put on yourself seeing immediate results, the less fun it will be and more of a chance to be discouraging. If you want to get better at guitar, then you absolutely can and you are never too old, naturally untalented, or behind. You really can do this!

So you can stay on track with your practicing, here are just a few of my tips for embracing where you are and enjoying practicing:

For a deep dive on how to get the most out of your guitar practice time, download my free practice planner!

1) Practice with other people

Here’s me an John (aka my favorite guitar practice buddy) with our Fenders!

This forces you to stay on time, have fun, and move on quickly from your mistakes. If you just invite someone over who plays and have a few songs on hand, I promise this will help you learn! Quick note- if you know players who you consider a lot better that you, take the opportunity to jam with them anyway! I spent way too much of my life avoiding guitar players who intimidated me. The thing is you are going to learn so much from someone who is better at guitar than you and you don’t have to be on their playing level to be able to jam. If you are at the point that you know your chords and can solo just ok, you are ready. Maybe you’ll be a little nervous at first, but these opportunities will grow you more than anything else!

2) Get over the expectation that your playing “should” look a certain way by now

There are so many things I am still working on that I think I should have mastered by now. But I have still improved from where I was. Remember there is no rulebook for how long it should take you to master something! I can be a quick learner but can sometimes be too quick and miss important details that give my playing finesse and a clean sound. My husband (he plays bass!) on the other hand is SUCH a thorough learner but takes a very lots time soaking in each detail before moving on. Both are great and have their perks. Accept your pace and know you are doing a great job if you are practicing at all!

3) Focus

Practicing even 10 minutes a day can be huge if you are staying on track. Try to learn just one have new thing each day and avoid playing the same licks and songs you already know. It’s easy and familiar to your muscles to do something they already know, so try to be conscious of what order you play certain notes in and mix it up! Just like you need muscle confusion during a workout to keep getting in shape, your fingers need muscle confusion to start playing new phrases!

I hope this is helpful to you! Please share any tips you have for maintaining a positive attitude for your playing below!

Resources:

The Metronome App

My fav headphones to practice with (if needed!)

Guitartuna app (for quick tune ups!)

Like I said, I have a ton more in my free guitar practice guide here, so make sure you download it!