One of the most common mistakes guitarists make is practicing every exercise they come across without understanding its purpose. With the abundance of online tutorials, lesson books, and instructional videos, it’s easy to fall into this trap. While having access to endless resources is a blessing, it can also lead to a scattered and inefficient practice routine. To truly improve, guitarists need to embrace purposeful practice by applying what I call the “Why” test.
Before you add any new exercise to your practice routine, ask yourself two critical questions: “Why am I practicing this?” and “What specific skill or improvement will it bring?” If the answers aren’t clear or compelling, it’s better to skip the exercise and focus on something more aligned with your goals. Let’s break this concept down and explore how to apply it effectively.
The Danger of Random Practice
Practicing random exercises may feel productive at first. After all, you’re spending time with your guitar, building muscle memory, and possibly learning new techniques. However, without a clear purpose, this kind of practice often leads to frustration and stagnation. Why? Because it’s not targeted toward achieving specific goals.
For example, let’s say you’re working on alternate picking, but you’re also trying out fingerstyle patterns, sweep arpeggios, and exotic scales—all within the same week. While it’s great to be ambitious, dividing your focus too thinly makes it harder to see measurable progress in any one area. This lack of progress can make you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, leading to burnout or a loss of motivation.
The Power of the “Why” Test
The “Why” test is a simple but powerful tool to bring clarity to your practice routine. Here’s how it works:
- Identify Your Goals
- Before evaluating any exercise, take a moment to define your short-term and long-term guitar goals. Do you want to master a particular style, such as blues or jazz? Are you aiming to improve your speed, accuracy, or improvisation skills? Knowing your objectives will help you assess whether an exercise is relevant.
- Before evaluating any exercise, take a moment to define your short-term and long-term guitar goals. Do you want to master a particular style, such as blues or jazz? Are you aiming to improve your speed, accuracy, or improvisation skills? Knowing your objectives will help you assess whether an exercise is relevant.
- Ask “Why?”
- When you come across a new exercise, ask yourself why it deserves a spot in your routine. For example:
- Will it improve a technique I struggle with?
- Does it prepare me for a piece of music I’m learning?
- Will it help me achieve my broader goals?
- Evaluate the Specific Benefits
- Be honest about the value an exercise offers. If it doesn’t clearly address a gap in your skills or contribute to your goals, set it aside for now. Remember, it’s okay to revisit it later when it becomes more relevant.
- Be honest about the value an exercise offers. If it doesn’t clearly address a gap in your skills or contribute to your goals, set it aside for now. Remember, it’s okay to revisit it later when it becomes more relevant.
- Consult an Experienced Teacher
- Working with an experienced teacher can make it much easier to determine what is valuable and appropriate to work on. A good teacher can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, tailor exercises to your goals, and keep you accountable. They can also save you time by filtering out ineffective or irrelevant material, ensuring that every minute of practice counts.
Building a Purposeful Practice Routine
Once you’ve filtered out unnecessary exercises, it’s time to design a routine that maximizes your progress. Here are some tips:
- Focus on a Few Key Areas
- Select 3-5 primary skills or techniques to focus on at a time. For instance, if you aim to enhance your ability to strum any song, concentrate on making the pendulum strum technique automatic, then introduce variations until you can play anything that comes to mind. It’s beneficial to practice strums at different tempos and record how accurate and consistent you are at each speed.
- Select 3-5 primary skills or techniques to focus on at a time. For instance, if you aim to enhance your ability to strum any song, concentrate on making the pendulum strum technique automatic, then introduce variations until you can play anything that comes to mind. It’s beneficial to practice strums at different tempos and record how accurate and consistent you are at each speed.
- Prioritize Weaknesses
- Target the areas where you struggle the most. It’s tempting to stick to what you’re already good at, but growth happens when you push beyond your comfort zone.
- Target the areas where you struggle the most. It’s tempting to stick to what you’re already good at, but growth happens when you push beyond your comfort zone.
- Set Clear Goals
- Define specific, measurable objectives for each practice session. For instance, instead of “practice scales,” aim to “play an A minor scale sequence at 120 bpm with clean articulation.”
- Define specific, measurable objectives for each practice session. For instance, instead of “practice scales,” aim to “play an A minor scale sequence at 120 bpm with clean articulation.”
- Reflect and Adjust
- Regularly evaluate your progress and adjust your routine as needed. If an exercise isn’t yielding results, don’t be afraid to replace it with something more effective.
The Results of Purposeful Practice
By applying the “Why” test and focusing on purposeful practice, you’ll experience more noticeable and meaningful progress. Your playing will improve faster, and you’ll feel more confident in your abilities. Plus, you’ll spend less time on exercises that don’t serve your goals, leaving more room for creativity and enjoyment.
Remember, the quality of your practice matters far more than the quantity. So the next time you’re tempted to try every exercise you see, pause and ask yourself: “Why am I practicing this?” The answer will guide you toward a more focused, effective, and rewarding guitar journey.
About The Author
Brian Fish is a professional guitarist who has been dedicated to helping other guitar players in Northeast Ohio pursue their musical dreams since 1994. He’s passionate about guiding others on their musical journey! He is the Guitar Playing Transformation Specialist, instructor, mentor, trainer, and coach at Guitar Lessons Geauga.
Brian has also created the fantastic rhythm course, “Ultimate Rhythm Mastery,” which is available at MusicTheoryForGuitar.com.
If you live in Geauga County / Northeast Ohio, Guitar Lessons Geauga can help you become the player you’ve always wanted to be. Click the button below to request your FREE no-obligation trial lesson
