1/ Your guitar playing needs a daily movement practice.
Like yoga for your hands. Downward Facing Dog isn’t a task on your to-do list, it’s a practice unto itself. Same thing here.
Seek out the motions that make great sounds.
2/ What fundamentals should you practice?
Let the songs tell you. You’re learning a new tune. Something isn’t up to snuff.
Turn it into an exercise.
3/ How long should you practice the fundamentals?
Five minutes is about right. Less is disrespectful to your craft. More is a distraction.
Do it every single day.
3/ That doesn’t seem like it’ll move the needle.
Five minutes a day doesn’t sound like much… until you realize that over the course of a year, that’s THIRTY HOURS.
Frequency > duration.
4/ It’s more than just seat time.
When you return to it again and again, you notice new things. Insight accrues. Your brain keeps working on it in the background.
You get better in your sleep.
5/ Get on board with being unbored.
If you’re bored, you’re not paying enough attention. Become fascinated with the tiny details. Treat it like a meditation.
Your focus is a spotlight. Illuminate.
6/ Keep track.
Where do you store your insights? You need some kind of analog or digital notebook. Don’t sort them by date, sort them by song.
Tag or highlight your insights.
