Many times you probably have said “I am going to practice ever day from now on.” After an hour or so you feel like you have accomplished something. You might even get two days in. By the third day something came up and for whatever reason you missed your session. What to do?
Suddenly the world of practice is not so exciting. Now it seems like work and drudgery. The mood does not strike you like it did when you made the resolution.
This of course happens in all fields and all walks of life. Diet, exercise, writing, painting and practicing are all acts that take a special kind of initiative unlike that of showing up to work or school. That is if you’re not a professional in these fields and like work you have to do it all day.
There are three ways to keep an interest in practicing guitar.
1. Try to do a small amount without over taxing yourself. Don’t try to take on so many tasks that you become overwhelmed. Stick with one scale or just one page from your music book. You can change it up next session. By the end of the week, you could cover your whole lesson in small pieces.
2. Keep a regular time to put aside. If you miss your time, don’t panic. You might still be able to squeeze in a couple minutes before you go to bed. If you are consistent in keeping your regular time, you can still be somewhat flexible when you miss.
3. Listen to other players; they will inspire you. Keep in mind that listening to other instrumentalists can be just as inspiring.
What you are aiming for is consistency so that practice becomes part of your life. You don’t want practicing to take over your life. You will just make yourself miserable. Just try little bits at a time. Don’t try to be great, just strive to be good and see what happens.
Learn more about guitar practice methods. Stop by Gene Petty’s site where you can find out all about guitar video and what it can do for you.