Good Guitar Habits

You just bought your guitar, a music stand, a guitar case, a pick and a tuner; You now feel motivated to learn to play songs or solos. The first days are always all fire and brimstone, then as time goes by, you forget the instrument, until you forget it completely. So what are good habits to implement to keep the interest, focus and practice every day. The key to successful learning is to practice a little bit every day, even if it's only for five minutes a day!

Keeping your Guitar Visible and Accessible

The biggest mistake beginners make is not making their instrument easily accessible and visible. A guitar sleeping in its case will tend to be forgotten. Having to take the guitar out of its case requires an extra effort that over time becomes unpleasant. Let’s try not to be lazy! It is preferable to keep your guitar on a stand and in an area where people are present. Seeing the instrument will make you want to strum the strings here and there, if only to "tinker" with a few chords, and this regular work will allow you to progress without realizing it.

Keeping your Guitar in Tune

A well-tuned guitar is a guitar that sounds good! Nothing is more demotivating than a tuning that doesn't sound good. Thanks to modern technology we have tools that allow us to tune our instrument in a few seconds. No need for a tuning fork or a perfect ear, the electronic tuner does the job for you. Remember to tune your guitar regularly, even during a practice session. This is even more true for classical guitars with nylon strings, which are subject to strong variations depending on the ambient temperature, but also on the heating effect under the fingers, carbon strings for example need a heating time before stabilizing! It is therefore necessary to practice some scales and warming up exercises before being able to stabilize the sound of the classical guitar.

Have Good Strings

Playing on old strings is extremely unpleasant. Everything is rough under your fingers, the guitar doesn't project a clear and bright sound anymore, and it becomes difficult to tune as well. So remember to change your strings regularly. If this task is too daunting for you, or if you are afraid to do it, go to your local music store and they will be happy to help you with this task that clearly doesn't please any guitarist!Also remember to clean your strings before playing but also after playing.The perspiration deposited on the strings oxidizes them more quickly. Cleaning will also save you money on changing strings, which will become less frequent.

Recording

Recording is the most helpful exercise there is, although it takes guts to do. Recording can appear merciless, in that it reveals all your flaws, which hurt the ego. However, it will allow you to progress at a lightning speed by showing you all your weaknesses and bad habits, but you will at least know what to focus on to improve. The brain then picks up all the problems of rhythm and misplaced notes but you will be happy to have done this type of exercise!.

Using the Metronome

The metronome is an indispensable tool for playing smoothly. Even if it is not very sexy, practice a little bit with the metronome every day, even if only for two minutes, to get used to following a precise tempo and rhythmic guide. The metronome will bring you rigor and precision and will considerably increase the quality of your playing but also of your listening.