This BIG (and Common) Practice Mistake Can Reverse Your Progress!

Most Students Make This Mistake: Mindless Practice:
When I was conducting and reading expert interviews for my master’s thesis on expert practice
strategies in flamenco guitar, almost every expert said that practicing mindlessly was the
biggest mistake students make. This means repeating something over and over again without
clear goals, good concentration, or a strategic game plan.
This mistake comes from the idea that to be successful at playing guitar we just need to
accumulate hours of practice and tons of repetitions. But that ignores the primary goal of
practice which is to improve. And to improve, the first step is to have clear goals. For example,
think about what you want to do with your repetitions. Do you want to increase the tempo? Do
you want to add a dynamic shape to your phrase? Do you want to vary your tone? Is there a
mistake that you need to correct?
The second thing we need to do is to concentrate a lot. Let's say we have a mistake that we
want to fix and we correct it once or twice. If we repeat our correction without paying attention
(e.g., while watching TV), there's a high probability that we'll make other or similar mistakes
that we're not even aware of. Without realizing it, we’ll end up getting worse - or at best,
plateau. To make things worse, if we go overboard on our repetitions - which is fewer than
you may think - we also risk seriously injuring ourselves which can push back our progress
even more.
Finally, we need to have a strategic game plan when we work on repetitions. If we want to
increase tempo, how do we want to do that? Do we want to increase gradually? In large steps?
Do we want to use speed bursts? Do we want to use a metronome? Do we want to use a
combination of strategies?
Here are some ideas that can help you stay focused in practice:
• Schedule a dedicated time, in your calendar, to practice.
• Make a plan for your practice & write down your goals for that practice session.
• When you hit a challenge, write it down, come up with a solution, and consciously
implement the solution.
• Never practice while watching TV, listening to something else, using social media, etc.
• If you catch your mind wandering, stop and refocus or take a quick break and come back.
• Make sure to take plenty of breaks to help your mind and body stay alert and injury-free.
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[@susannekalejaiye4351]

Great advice. Thank you!

[@DiegoAlonsoMusic]

You’re very very welcome! Thank you so much for your comment 🙏🏽

[@OzymandiasRex]

Aw crap, that's like 80% of my practice sessions. Time to bust out the metronome again

[@DiegoAlonsoMusic]

😂It’s ok! I did that for years. It’s totally reversible! Thanks for commenting! 🙏🏽