Guitar: What You Learn When You Practice On Your Guitar

By: Peter Edvinsson

Why do practice on your guitar?

I guess you hope that you will learn to be a better
instrumentalist with the joy that follows. However, there are
many learning rocesses going on at the same time when you
practice on your instrument. After reading this article I hope
you will be more aware of factors that can limit your progress
as an instrumentalist and have more effective practice sessions
on your guitar.

What has feelings to do with your guitar practice?

At times when you practice on your guitar you might find that
you are nervous and don't feel too good when playing because you
feel forced to play due to a guitar lesson coming up and you
feel that you haven't done your homework or maybe other negative
feelings are present for some reason. The feelings we have when
we practice a certain piece of music have a tendency to be
evoked anew when we play the piece at another occasion.

Can tensions stick to your sheet music

Yes, in a way at least. My experience, also confirmed when
reading about this topic, is that your actual tension level when
playing a particular musical composition also tends to be
present when you play the same piece of music in public. Or
rather, it will be harder to perform a piece of music in a
relaxed way when you have practiced it without paying attention
to your tensions or rather not having tried to play in a relaxed
manner.

Can you learn not to play a piece of music?

You practice on your guitar in order to become a better player
and maybe to learn a piece of music that you like. My experience
is that if you don't concentrate on your guitar playing you can
make a lot of mistakes when trying to learn a piece of music.
These mistakes tend to slow down the learning process or rather
the will be a part of the learning process, which means the more
times you make mistakes playing a particular passage the harder
it will be to play it right because of those earlier mistakes
trying to get your attention.

How to use these principles to your advantage

In accordance with the before mentioned dangers when practicing
I think it is wise to always practice a new piece of music
slowly so that you can pay attention to your tension level and
correct posture when playing on your guitar. Another reason for
playing slowly is to be able practice a guitar piece without
mistakes if possible in order to maximize the benefits of your
guitar practice sessions.

About the author:
Peter Edvinsson is a guitarist, pianist, composer and music
educator. He is also the proud owner of the website Capotasto Music with
free printable sheet music, guitar tablature and bass tablature
and learn to play guitar and other instruments resources for
musicians and music students. http://www.capotastomusic.com