Minimize your practice efforts, maximize your results.
by Larry P. Schrof, Copyright 2003

Does the following happen to you? You sit down intending to practice
your guitar.  You know - good, solid practice - scales, some sight
reading, some new chord voicings.  After a little while, instead of
working on what you intended, you find yourself spacing out. Maybe you
start jamming a song you know, ripping some scales, or coming up with a
new lick or progression. You've switched gears, and didn't really mean
to.  Worst of all, you don't really have the motivation to practice
anymore.

This is a common problem for all musicians, but unfortunately, it's a
fairly severe one as well. I want to share some thoughts that may help
break you out of this rut.  These are some tips and techniques that I
came up with that improved my playing ten-fold.  Try them out for 2-3
weeks, and see if you don't notice some serious overall improvement.
Any instrumentalist can apply these, but we guitarists seem to need the
most help. :)

Tip #1: WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU ARE GOING TO WORK ON IN A PRACTICE SESSION.

This one is very important, so I'm going to spend some time on it.
Right before each practice session, write up a list of the items you're
going to practice. Keep it short; 3 to 4 items max. You probably have a
lot on your plate. If so, split your long list up into multiple sessions
with short breaks in between.

Each scale pattern, chord voicing, and song you want to learn should be
its own item.  For example, "Learn 2 patterns each for Dorian, Phrygian,
and Lydian" should not be one item. It should be six separate list
entries.

Most importantly, be SPECIFIC with your items. "Work on Lydian Dominant
scales" is far too vague. You won't have a solid idea of how to approach
your work, and your practice will start to drift after 10-15
minutes. Instead, include details such as tempo, positions, keys,
voicings, number of repetitions, etc.  Include the maximum number of
minutes you'll spend on each item to keep things moving. Usually set no
more than 30 minutes, but definitely no more than 60. You may not get
something down as much as you'd like, but that's OK. Make a note, and
come back to it later.

The above practice entry would now look something like this: "Memorize 3
patterns of the Lydian Dominant scale, 2 octaves each. Transpose to all
keys. Play 16ths at 144 bpm.  40 minutes max." Now you're much more
likely to actually get it done!

The benefits of writing down practice goals is unbelievable. You'll be
more focused.  You won't fall into 'jam' or 'noodle' mode nearly as
often. You'll be accomplishing a lot more, and in less time. You'll have
a great practice log to chart your progress. Most importantly, you get
into a goal-based mentality, instead of a time-based mentality. You
won't feel bad for only getting, say, 2 hours of practice in on a busy
day.  Instead, you'll look at your list and feel accomplished
at how much you got done.

Tip #2: TAKE BREAKS INSTEAD OF NOODLING.

A lot of times we hit brain-fry, and start to noodle. It can happen
fairly early on in the session, and sometimes we aren't even aware of
it. Then, we burn out, get tired, and go do something else. This is a
long-term progress killer for us.

Tip #1 above should help prevent lack of focus, but you can still burn
out. When you feel yourself begin to slip, here's what you can try.  Put
the guitar down.  Chill out for a couple of minutes.  Grab some
water. Spend a little time thinking about what you worked on, and what
you'll be doing next. Relax. Stretch out. DON'T PLAY YOUR GUITAR during
your break. Keep your mind on your practice. Avoid distractions.
Personally, I make my breaks 2-5 minutes, sometimes 10. (Especially
after tough sight-reading.)

Tip #3: KEEP YOUR GUITAR NEARBY AND OUT OF ITS CASE.

You'll be a lot more likely to grab an extra 10-15 minutes of practice
time if you only have to spend 3 seconds reaching for your guitar
(Instead of opening the case and hooking on the strap). Have each
guitar you own in a stand, ready to be played in an instant.

Tip #4: DON'T PRACTICE AFTER EATING.

It's tough, but try not to do serious practicing between 30 to 90
minutes after eating.  Your body is busy digesting, and your brain won't
give you the concentration you really need for the hard stuff. (Noodling
and jamming is fine, though.)

Tip #5: REMIND YOURSELF THAT PRACTICE ISN'T ALWAYS FUN.

I could write a whole series of articles on discipline and fighting
boredom. Just remind yourself that to make serious improvements, you've
got to spend a lot of time grinding it out.

To summarize, WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN before each session. Be specific,
but brief.  Keep sessions short, with quiet, quick breaks in
between. Relax.

Remember, everyone's different. These techniques have worked wonders on
my playing and my practice ethic. Some of them may not work for you, but
give them a shot.  Let me know if they help.

Practice hard,
- Larold

(For questions or comments, mail larry_schrof@yahoo.com)