Here’s my ultimate guitar practice breakdown. These are the things you should cover when you practice. I have also included a rough percentage of time that you should spend on them. I find that it’s easy to get into bad habits when practising. These can include overplaying, poor technique, practising too fast, and avoiding some important musical considerations.
1. Some Technique 20%
scales
arpeggios
slurs
finger independence
plating/preparation
speed
2. Difficult Passages 20%
with metronome
be playful and inventive
try not to get bogged down
3. Musicality 20%
Story
contrast
tension/release
phrasing
dynamics
tonal contrast
articulation
4. Learning new repertoire 20%
Try and learn a variety of styles
research the context and composer/player
memorisation
ensemble or chamber repertoire
5. Stretching/relaxing/thinking/planning 10%
Take regular breaks, clear your mind
Stand up and stretch, relax your body
Plan a little, ask yourself “is this the best use of my time?”
organisation
Think about what you want to do, and how you can have fun
6. Older repertoire 10%
keep older pieces active, its always good to maintain a solid repertoire for gigs, concerts and dinner parties!
Sometimes you can revisit pieces with new insights
