Question from Anonymous:
How much time a day do you think I should practice my guitar?
I'm a beginner (I started taking lessons in the last 2 weeks) and I'm not sure I'm practicing enough. My teacher is pretty laid-back, and just says to play "when I feel like it", but I don't feel like it all too often! Is there a recommended number of days a week?
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Answered by Edward Hale.
Try to schedule time to practice or play everyday if possible even if it's fifteen minutes to thirty minutes in the beginning. You might try to tell yourself, if you have a busy schedule, that this is YOUR time for YOURSELF. Music has a very beneficial effect on us and can satisfy parts of us that get neglected during a busy day.
After you establish a minimum practice pattern of a half-hour, you can increase your time to 45 minutes or even an hour if possible. You have to reach a saturation point with your playing where your time transforms into "musical time". This is valuable for your whole self. I mean it's good for your mind and heart to get together everday in the pursuit of music. In my experience, satisfying musical moments can come fairly soon with a disciplined approach. And then you will probably wish for more. The "discipline" can turn into a "feeling" or a "wish to play" with a creative approach to study time. So try to make it creative.
If you wait for yourself to "feel like playing" you'll probably just drift and get little for yourself. Stick with it! Discover a little more of your musicality everyday. It's YOUR time and it's for YOURSELF. Have some fun!
Also, it's worth mentioning here that lesson times that are too short don't give ample opportunity for a teacher to impart the stuff needed to learn to play a musical instrument. With shorter lesson times there is often very little musical saturation to take with you, which is essential to sustain a student in their practice time. A student may be repeating the same bad habits each week, and these need considerable hands-on time from a teacher to correct. In short, if there is too little time in a lesson for a teacher to lay a good technical foundation the student may also just drift. Longer lessons are also much more enjoyable as it gives time to play music together with your teacher. And that increases the fun and incentive to practice as well.
Reply from Anonymous:
Wow -- thank you for your very considered reply -- I agree that the time is 'my time' -- it really helps me to remember that I can treat myself as well as I treat others where I make commitments/meetings happen --)
How much time a day do you think I should practice my guitar?
I'm a beginner (I started taking lessons in the last 2 weeks) and I'm not sure I'm practicing enough. My teacher is pretty laid-back, and just says to play "when I feel like it", but I don't feel like it all too often! Is there a recommended number of days a week?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answered by Edward Hale.
Try to schedule time to practice or play everyday if possible even if it's fifteen minutes to thirty minutes in the beginning. You might try to tell yourself, if you have a busy schedule, that this is YOUR time for YOURSELF. Music has a very beneficial effect on us and can satisfy parts of us that get neglected during a busy day.
After you establish a minimum practice pattern of a half-hour, you can increase your time to 45 minutes or even an hour if possible. You have to reach a saturation point with your playing where your time transforms into "musical time". This is valuable for your whole self. I mean it's good for your mind and heart to get together everday in the pursuit of music. In my experience, satisfying musical moments can come fairly soon with a disciplined approach. And then you will probably wish for more. The "discipline" can turn into a "feeling" or a "wish to play" with a creative approach to study time. So try to make it creative.
If you wait for yourself to "feel like playing" you'll probably just drift and get little for yourself. Stick with it! Discover a little more of your musicality everyday. It's YOUR time and it's for YOURSELF. Have some fun!
Also, it's worth mentioning here that lesson times that are too short don't give ample opportunity for a teacher to impart the stuff needed to learn to play a musical instrument. With shorter lesson times there is often very little musical saturation to take with you, which is essential to sustain a student in their practice time. A student may be repeating the same bad habits each week, and these need considerable hands-on time from a teacher to correct. In short, if there is too little time in a lesson for a teacher to lay a good technical foundation the student may also just drift. Longer lessons are also much more enjoyable as it gives time to play music together with your teacher. And that increases the fun and incentive to practice as well.
Reply from Anonymous:
Wow -- thank you for your very considered reply -- I agree that the time is 'my time' -- it really helps me to remember that I can treat myself as well as I treat others where I make commitments/meetings happen --)
