12 Practice Methods for Guitarists

Many people waste a lot of time when practicing. This is because we’re not often taught how to practice and end up developing our own intuitive methods, resulting in mindsets like “no pain no gain” and “practice makes perfect”.

You may or may not have a great teacher and if you do then lessons are usually once per week. That means you spend most of the time practicing on your own, which can often result in bad habits ensuing. Musicians from past centuries seemed to be keenly aware of this, as indicated by Couperin.

! “During the first lessons given to children, it is best that they not practice except in the presence of the person who is teaching them. Youngsters are not focused enough to be able to pay attention to holding their hands in the position that has been prescribed for them. When I do this, at the beginning lessons for children, I keep the key to the instrument on which I teach them so that they cannot in a brief moment undo all that I carefully instructed during three quarters of an hour”
--- François Couperin, The Art of Playing the Harpsichord (1716), pp. 3ff.

This booklet provides twelve practice methods that can help you maintain focus and awareness, plus boost the results and efficiency of your practice. These are methods I have used myself and teach to my students. A short piece by Carcassi is used as a model (see below). These methods are explained in a way that enables you to apply them to any piece, study or technical exercise you’re working on. Combining the methods together can also have powerful results.