A practice method is a specific way to practice something to achieve a desired result. This could be to learn new notes, speed things up, or to get them cleaner. For most any problem there is one or more practice methods that will get the job done.
Part of learning classical guitar is learning how to practice. And a big part of learning to practice is learning various practice methods.
Many of the methods below can also be found in the appropriate sections of the CGS Resources page.
Here are some of the main areas in which we use practice methods:
- Learning New Music – First learning new pieces. This could also include memorizing music.
- Solving Specific Problems – Working out the tricky bits in the pieces we play.
- Polishing Pieces – Getting the music we know up to performance level
- Increasing Speed – Getting pieces up to performance tempo (speed), and building overall speed and stamina.
- Right-Hand Technique
- Left-Hand Technique
- Inner Game of Practice – These are mental frameworks and stances that make practice more effective.
Below you’ll find a large list of practice methods. Use the list above to narrow down your search, or browse the archive below.
All Practice Methods
- 42 Questions to Blow (open) Your Musical Mind
- 50 Ways To Test Your Musical Memory
- 6 Tips for When You Get Tired of a Tune
- 7 Steps to Learning Any Piece Quickly and Easily (video series)
- 7 Time-Wasting Mistakes in Daily Guitar Practice
- Ace the Tricky Spots and Polish to Perfection (pt 1: First Things First)
- Ace the Tricky Spots and Polish to Perfection (pt 2: The One Thing)
- Ace the Tricky Spots and Polish to Perfection (pt 3: Talk it Out)
- Ace the Tricky Spots and Polish to Perfection (pt 4: Simplify)
- Are You Practicing, or Exercising? The Truth Will Set You Free!
- Backing Up to Go Forward: Faster Learning, Better Playing, through Easier Pieces
- Be a better classical guitarist by harnessing the power of simplicity
- Chord TABs: Learn Classical Guitar Pieces Faster with this Secret Code
- Classical Guitar Technique Off-Guitar Exercises for Travel, Strength, and Stretch
- Classical Guitar Visualization: What, Why and How
- Create a Before-Bed Review, and End the Day In Style
- Cross the Bar Line for Better Phrasing, Better Classical Guitar Practice
- Curiosity: The Single Most Important Practice Skill
- Eliminate Confusion and Reduce Random Guitar Mistakes
- Exaggeration: A Practice Tool to Bring Your Playing To the Next Level
- Focus More in Practice, With the “Brain Dump” Technique
- Get More Done Practicing with the Pomodoro Technique
- Guitar Sight Reading: Tips and Methods for Practice
- Have a Positive Agenda in Your Guitar Practice
- How (and Why) to Memorize Music on Classical Guitar
- How Long Should I Practice Guitar Each Day?
- How to Create Guitar Exercises from Pieces of Music
- How to Learn Classical Guitar – A Free Course on Right Hand Technique
- How to Learn Classical Guitar Pieces (Gypsy Dance)
- How to Learn New Guitar Chords: A Proprioception Exercise
- How to Maintain Classical Guitar Repertoire
- How to Make Your Guitar Playing Easy
- How to Master Motivation in Your Classical Guitar Practice
- How To Play Guitar Expressively, In Layers
- How to Polish Classical Guitar Pieces to Performance Level
- How to Practice for Note-Perfect Guitar-Playing
- How to Practice Guitar with the Lilypad Technique
- How to Shadow Practice on Guitar
- How To Teach Yourself Classical Guitar (even if you live on the moon)
- How to Use a Mirror in Guitar Practice for Evaluation
- How to Use an Ordinary Timer to Supercharge Your Classical Guitar Practice
- How to Use Corrective Pauses to Speed up Chord Changes
- How to use Easy Pieces in practice
- How to Video Yourself for Guitar Practice and Be Your Own Teacher
- How to Warm Up for your Classical Guitar Practice
- Inner Game of Practice: Release Guilt and Accept Reality
- Keeping Arpeggios Fun on Classical Guitar
- Learning to Learn Vs. Learning a Piece
- Listen to RCM Bridges Guitar Series MP3s (plus download free)
- Memory Tip: How to Memorize and Recall Classical Guitar Pieces More Quickly
- Mental Practice – Practice Without a Guitar
- Play “Naked”: Leave Out the Ornaments (at first)
- Short on Time? Simple Tricks to Learn Music Fast
- Speed Up Your Guitar Playing, Using Dotted Rhythms
- Successful Practice Tip: End On a High Note!
- The 85% Rule: How to Play Pieces Perfectly Polished at Full Speed
- The Chord Shift Formula: How to Shift Cleanly to a Chord
- The Four-Measure Musical Formula for Practice, Phrasing and Memory
- The One-Minute Problem-Solver Method for Polishing Guitar Music
- What to Include in Your Guitar Practice Schedule
- Why You Procrastinate Practicing Scales (and how to stop)