5 Guitar Practice Life Hacks
Life is full of lots of business. It doesn't matter what age you are or where you live, there are always things fighting for your attention. This challenge can be good and force us to get creative. Here are some ways to combat time restrains.
Disclaimer: First I want to make a distinction between responsibilities and distractions. Things that you have to do are very few, most everything is a choice.
There will never be a replacement for choosing to be responsible with your time and making time to practice guitar.
Now if you are genuinely busy or are traveling, etc. Then we can find ways to still get in practice and make progress no matter what is going on.
1. Practice right before bed.
This is the most ideal time because the brain is subconsciously more receptive to storing the information going into it right before you sleep. So if you have less time, then you can do this am get more out of your practice.
2. Using notation software for writing music.
I almost always bring my laptop with me when I travel because I can work on the airplane, a hotel, or anywhere remote by utilizing notation software. Some popular apps are Guitar-Pro, Musescore, and Sibelius are popular ones. Guitar-Pro is more directed towards guitar players, but can be used for a lot of different instruments. Musescore is free, but is limited in capabilities and harder to use. Sibelius is more professional and more expensive as well. Or you can write with a pen and paper.
3. Using notation software for ear-training.
Pick a simple melody and try to write it out in the software and play it back and see if you got it right.
4. Using notation software for rhythm training.
Do the same thing as the ear training, but with rhythms. It's a lot of fun if you look at it like a game.
5. Ear Training in the car, shower, etc.
Knowing and understanding music in all in the mind. Practice humming a major scale while driving. It's simple and you can go slow and double check your work.
I hope this helps you get started fitting more music into your life. A little everyday will add up and become a habit so you are a living breathing music machine.
About The Author: Ryan Duke is a professional musician, guitar teacher in Franklin, WA.