“I’m going to practice an hour a day!” Sound familiar?
If you are early on in your guitar or vocal journey, here are three reasons you shouldn’t try to practice an hour a day.
- Lack of Stamina. Most beginning vocalists or guitarists don’t have the stamina to practice effectively for an hour. You’ve got to build up your muscles (singing muscles and for guitar, hand strength) and that takes a while. Attempting that much practice without a solid physical foundation can result in a strained voice or painful fingers. We equate pain and frustration with practicing so we stop so we stop practicing.
- The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions. Trying to set aside an hour in a busy day is difficult. Life and its challenges are likely going to get in the way. If you don’t meet your self-imposed goal, that often results in negative self-talk which is definitely not beneficial for a budding musician.
- Hey, There’s a Squirrel Phenomenon. Focusing for an hour on a challenging task that is relatively new to you is close to impossible. While estimates vary, humans can play close attention to one thing for only about 20 minutes.
So, how should you practice? Based on our experience delivering the best guitar lessons and best singing lessons in the Capital District, this is what we suggest.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day at least 5 days a week for a singing workout or guitar practice is much better than one or two marathon sessions. We find steady improvement in our students who set aside brief and FOCUSED practice sessions each day. This makes their singing or guitar playing an ongoing part of daily life.
- Stay FOCUSED during the session. If you are a vocalist, you warmup and then work on one or two specific vocal exercises, paying close attention to how your body feels and what you sound like as you practice. The same with guitarists. Warm up for a couple of minutes and then practice one or two things that are the most difficult for you.
- Don’t practice things you are already good at. While it tempting to noodle around on the guitar and play your favorite riff or break out singing your favorite song, use those 10 minutes to focus on something you aren’t good at. Then after that, noodle or sing your heart out!
- Plan out what you will practice for each session and that can become your goals for the week. Write them down. Do that at the beginning of the week, so when you are ready for your 10 minute session, you don’t waste time trying to figure out what to focus on.
- Make sure your guitar or singing tracks are easily accessible. Have your guitar out of its case and your practice materials at hand. For vocalists, know how to quickly access your backing tracks. Avoid technological snafus taking up precious practice time.
- Acknowledge how important incremental progress is – you don’t become a great guitarist or awesome vocalist in a month. If that were true, everyone would sing and play guitar at a high level!
At Peak Music, we want to be your guide on your singing or guitar journey. We serve adults and kids who are passionate about becoming the best musicians they can be. Jeff Moore, Berklee-educated and Master Certified Instructor, delivers content in our voice lessons and guitar lessons that fast-tracks your progress. Our students come from Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Watervliet, Clifton Park, Niskayuna, Menands, Cohoes, Waterford, Rexford, and surrounding communities. If you are looking for ” guitar lessons near me ” or ” singing lessons near me ,” schedule a free guitar or voice consultation today. Don’t wait!
