Practice Tip: FOCUS

Do you ever feel that you have so much to practice you don't even know where to start?  I do!! Trying to practice a little bit of everything is not only overwhelming, but also not very productive.  Here's what I do.

• I remind myself that there is more music than I have time.  By the way, this is a good thing.  It's the reason I am enjoying playing the guitar more today than when I first started.  There is alway something new and fun to learn.  My list of songs, styles, and artist that I want to study is long.  I will never get bored playing the guitar!
• Pick something to get good at.  In other words, FOCUS.  Pick anything.  Make sure its something small and manageable - like a single measure of music.  
• Practice that measure slowly and with a metronome and play it over and over.  I don't know how many times you will need to play it, but I do know you will eventually get it.

Here's the great thing about practicing this way, you will feel like a better player when you are finished practicing than when your started.  You feel like you accomplished something!  You get to check this off your list and move on to something else.  These little accomplishments add up over time.  And, you know what the funny thing is?  You get what I call the "spill over effect."  All that work you did here show up somewhere else.