The Ultimate Guide To Guitar Practice

by Frederik Nielsen, Jul 1, 2019 . 6 min read

The Ultimate Guide To Guitar Practice

Practice makes perfect, and clichés will forever be used in blog posts like these. But just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean it’s not true!

Read on to learn how to…

1. How to find the right acoustic guitar

Experienced musicians will tell you that it’s not about the gear, but about the ear. While that’s true to an extent, you also need an instrument of a decent quality to get a good sound.

Here are some of your best options when it comes to affordable guitars:

Each of these three options looks great and will definitely give you bang for your buck in terms of the sound they produce.

Further reading – Read 3 Great Acoustic Guitars for Beginners to learn more about each of these guitars.

2. How to plan your practice sessions

Now that you’ve got an axe, it’s time to put it to work. But how do you get the most out of your practice sessions? Every minute counts when you’re a busy musician.

Here are the three founding pillars of good guitar practice:

Create a routine by setting aside a set amount of time (whether 10 or 60 minutes) per day to practice your instrument.

Set yourself goals by being very specific about what you want out of a given practice session, as well as what you want to accomplish in the long term.

Track your progress by having a notebook handy every time you practice, write down what you did, as well as what you found easy and/or challenging.

Further reading – Read 3 Tips to Improve Your Guitar Playing Routine to learn how to practice more efficiently.

practicing guitar

3. How to stay motivated

All new things are fun in the beginning until they become routine. Although routines are important, they can also be the cause of boredom and the death of motivation.

Here’s what you need to do in order to stay motivated:

Further reading – Read Bored of Guitar Playing? Here’s How You Stay Motivated 

4. How to practice rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar is the backbone of many a genre, from rock’n’roll to funk. And while it can seem easier than shredding, it takes a while to get really good at hitting the grooves.

Here’s how to practice rhythm guitar like a pro:

Further reading – Read Get Into the Groove: 3 Steps to Playing Better Rhythm Guitar to get in the groove.

5. How to practice lead guitar

Rhythmic grooves are easy to learn but hard to master. Lead solos are often an entirely different beast. You’re the center of attention and every little mistake will stick out like a sore thumb.

Here’s how to practice lead guitar and kick ass:

Further reading – Read 3 Top Tips for Great Lead Guitar Phrasing to make your guitar sing like a rock star.

6. How to practice pentatonic scales

Major scales, natural minor scales, chromatic scales, diminished scales, and boy, are there a lot of scales. Pentatonic scales are a bit different, however, and can be a bit more exciting.

Here’s how to practice pentatonic scales and write some amazing folk songs:

Further reading – Read Tapping Into Pentatonic Scales to learn more about this technique in-depth.

band jamming

7. How to practice downpicking

Downpicking, also known as down-stroke picking, is simply the practice of ditching the up-strokes when you play. You guessed it — that makes playing the guitar twice as hard.

Here’s how to master downpicking and rock out with the hardest:

Further reading – Read How to Master Downpicking for a more in-depth tutorial on each of these techniques.

8. How to expand your practice repertoire

Practice is important, but how do you keep things fresh and exciting. By expanding your repertoire and trying out some songs and solos from the pros.

You could, for example, delve into 25 Best Guitar Songs From TakeLessons to build a solid repertoire out of these hand-picked guitar classics.

Once mastered, you can move on to practicing these 3 Simple Guitar Solos You Need to Learn before you go on to compose your own solos.

If you’re feeling cocky, then try your luck with these 2 Notoriously Difficult Songs to Learn on Guitar and see if you can succeed where others have failed.

Finally, you can broaden your cultural horizons by Learning a Song in a Foreign Language and follow the step-by-step guide we’ve laid out for you.

Ready to practice?

You should now be ready for your first (or next) guitar practice session. We’ll expand this guide as we go along, so be sure to check back in regularly.

If you’re in the mood for some more, check out our Tips & Tutorials section of the blog.



Subscribe to Gain Access to our Alternate Tuning Library & Accompanying E-Book Guide
Discover the origin of the most popular tunings, some less-known facts, AND most importantly, learn how to play songs in your desired tunings.

Check out some other similar articles

These 10 essential jazz guitar chords will help you become a better guitarist.

Rodrigo Sanchez
May 5, 2023 . 6 min read

The best studio desks can make a big difference in your workflow. Folks that record music in any capacity are

Rodrigo Sanchez
Apr 19, 2023 . 3 min read

Improving your music production skills is not an easy feat! Did you know that…

Allen Brown
Apr 14, 2023 . 7 min read

Ever wondered what the best tools or software for music creators are? In this article, we’re going to give you a balanced list

Rodrigo Sanchez
Apr 11, 2023 . 6 min read

Today we’re going to show you how to tune a banjo. This instrument is beloved and offers a very unique tone and texture.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Apr 7, 2023 . 3 min read

Shooting a music video is an exciting experience that every aspiring musician or group of musicians is bound to have.

Maria Ames
Mar 20, 2023 . 5 min read

If you want to learn guitar and/or learn ukulele, you’ve come to the right place!

Rodrigo Sanchez
Mar 14, 2023 . 6 min read

Open D Tuning offers another world of possibilities on the guitar.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Feb 27, 2023 . 5 min read

These 4 Tips To Improve Your Speed On Guitar can help you become a better player.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Jan 16, 2023 . 3 min read

Today we’re going to give you 8 tips for playing guitar in a band. Working with a band requires particular skills, knowledge, and attitude.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Jan 2, 2023 . 6 min read

Every musician should know that using a metronome is highly beneficial to improving their playing.

Esther Vijendran
Dec 1, 2022 . 3 min read

Have you ever wondered if you should buy a vintage guitar to play? Many guitarists get quite excited about vintage guitars.

The Roadie Music Team
Nov 14, 2022 . 5 min read

Bass tuning is essential for anyone getting started with this amazing instrument.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Oct 31, 2022 . 3 min read

The 5 best online singing lessons offer tremendous value for beginners and advanced singers.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Oct 28, 2022 . 3 min read

These 13 tools and tips for playing guitar with arthritis can help you immensely. It is no secret that arthritis can affect your guitar playing;

Frederik Nielsen
Oct 21, 2022 . 5 min read

Welcome to our complete guide to learning guitar. In this article, we’re going to go over the most important aspects to get you started with guitar. 

Rodrigo Sanchez
Oct 7, 2022 . 29 min read

The 8 best websites for guitar tabs are a great resource. They contain thousands of songs, killer riffs, burning solos, and more.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Sep 26, 2022 . 5 min read

The 5 best websites for ukulele tabs will help you build a diverse repertoire.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Sep 19, 2022 . 3 min read

Today we’re going to share 7 Tips Productivity Tips for Musicians. As creative people, musicians sometimes need a bit of help staying on top of things.

Frederik Nielsen
Sep 5, 2022 . 5 min read

Today we’re going to talk about the hardest guitar chords every beginner should master.

Rodrigo Sanchez
Sep 2, 2022 . 5 min read
We'll be bringing you recommended tabs and plenty of interesting quotes from guitar legends along the way!