photo by [KristenWall]
Hi Everyone,
I have been having some thoughts on guitar practicing routines, and how to the get most out of one. I remember once reading something that fingerpicking guitarist Pat Donahue said, something to effect of, “Once you learn to enjoy the daily mundane aspects of practicing its only a matter of time before you get good.” I think this is very true. If you want to reach a certain level of musicianship you have to put in the hard, lonely work that is not necessarily fun. I would rather rip through some easy guitar songs and my cool licks, than sit and practice right hand technique and tone production. But in reality i will get more out of working on my technique and tone than playing through songs and riffs that i already know and can play well. A certain amount of practice needs to be a bit challenging and difficult enough so you work on it and reach that next level of playing ability. That might be learning a new chord or two each practice session, working up some variations for bluegrass fiddle tune, or learning to strum and sing that new song.
I do think that music making should be fun, sitting there and playing your guitar should not feel difficult and laborious. But i feel that some of the fun and satisfaction comes from a job well done, and the feeling that you worked through a new aspect of technique or a new piece till you got it right.
I definitely make time in my music practice for purely fun stuff, like playing a bunch of tunes i know well. But lately i have been making sure that i put in adequate time improving my right hand technique, both fingerstyle and with a flatpick. I am hoping it will pay off later on down the line.
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