Practice Schedules

Keeping a written practice schedule can help you focus on the different practice elements for an appropriate amount of time. Treat such a schedule as a guideline only and not a rigid regimen, but do try to maintain some regularity in your routine. -the following is a suggested 30-60 minute practice schedule for beginners: 1) 5 minutes warm up: -stretch the hands, neck and back. -prepare to play with a good posture. -Perform a finger stretching exercise. -Play a few chords, listen for good tone -perform a simple piece of music you already know (if you are ready for this). 2) 10-20 minutes chord studies -practice the chords as suggested in the section on chords. -play as many of the exercises as your time and ability allows, go only as fast as you can change chords efficiently. -Listen for good tone and watch for a good angle between fingers and the neck. 3) 5-10 minutes rhythm studies -begin with exercises that are away from the instrument such as clapping and singing. -Play rhythms at three ore more speeds, including very slow and very fast. -use a metronome or drum machine to enhance your rhythmic accuracy 4) 5-10 minutes scale studies -play scales slowly at first, listening for clear sound and smooth transition between notes. -As you develop skill, play the scales in many different speeds and rhythms -as for chords, a metronome helps. -improvise a little on each scale if you wish. 5) 5-15 minutes reading or playing tunes -play new material and some you know. -when reading new music start very slow. -do not be afraid to memorize, whatever gets the music to flow is a good thing. -though reading will be difficult at first, if you persevere it will open vast realms of melody and harmony unknown to many guitarists -keep the tunes you have played together in a binder- this is your repertoire!

AFTER YOU HAVE DONE ALL THIS, JUST PLAY!