Here's a tip on how to deal with the number one problem for a great number of guitar players: Finding time to practice.
Watch the Video:
Video Transcript:
Hello guitar friends,
I hope that everything is well with you, and that you are beginning the new year refreshed, and excited. I wish you an extremely productive year, and plan to do my best to help you take your playing to the next level. I was just writing my monthly report to my practice partners, but I realized that the subject I talked about can be useful for all EMP viewers, and I decided to make a video about it. So whether you’re a partner or not, I think that you’ll find this helpful, and it will hopefully inspire you to make the best of this new year.
Now if you’re like me, then the beginning of a new year makes you think of a hundred different things that you would like to do (or do better) this year. So this is a good time for planning and decision-making. Planning, and getting our lives organized, is the only way we can squeeze everything we want to do into our busy schedules. I realize that finding time to watch guitar lessons and practice can be a challenge. But I encourage you make time for this, not just to make progress as a player, but also because working on something creative helps keep you sane and happy :-)
From experience, I would say that the best way to ensure consistency is to make a practice schedule. Schedule your guitar sessions. I know that for most of you this is a hobby, and that it may feel strange to schedule something like this. But if you don’t, life has a way of sucking out all your time. if you don’t make some kind of commitment, something will always come up just when you thought you were going to play. So here’s my recommendation: Make a 2 month plan, decide what you want to work on, and schedule in the time. Then you can revisit a couple of months later, set new goals, and so on. Repeat this every couple of months. You may end up changing your plans 100 times. That’s alright, be flexible. But just having some kind of plan, and schedule, helps you stay committed.
Now everyone is different, so for some of you this may mean playing an hour a day, for others an hour a week, but it doesn’t matter. CONSISTENCY is the key to progress. Sure... if you have a busy schedule, then your progress will be kind of slow, but at least you will keep moving forward, and then when the opportunity arises, you can invest more time and move faster. But the fact that you didn’t completely unhook, that you kept even a minimal practice schedule, means that you protected yourself from getting disappointed, getting completely out of shape, or even quitting.
That’s similar to what I’m doing now but from the perspective of a teacher: I’m choosing how I will use my time in the following months, trying to prioritize what will be more valuable to you, planning the lessons I will release, and so on. You probably can’t imagine how many things I have on my todo list. And the only way I can keep up, is to commit to a consistent schedule.
Which brings me to the next part which is letting you know what’s hapenning with the Practice Partner Subscription. I’m designing a new course on 7th Chords and specifically drop 2 voicings. These are very cool, and can really add some color to your rhythm playing. So be sure to check and you’ll see the course and the first lessons pop up when you log in, in the next few weeks. I’m also preparing more lessons and practice drills for Economy Picking Bootcamp, and I will expand SFS Melodic Minor Modes and Harmonic Minor Modes. Btw you should give these two a try. These are kind of strange sounds, but still very nice, and definitely… fresh. As always I also have more backing tracks and lessons for the EMP Blog, and the YT channel, which are not just for subscribers, but for all EMP viewers.
Ok, I want to thank all my Practice Partners for your support in 2017, as well as all viewers for helping me grow EffectiveMusicPractice, and wish you once again a great year. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any ideas or questions about the subscription and the included courses. I do consider you my partners in this project, and not just customers, so feel free to give me feedback. Your insights help me improve my teaching, and add value to your courses!
Thanks for watching, enjoy your practice, and be effective!