Playing the classical guitar requires an intense amount of concentration and physical exertion knowing how to navigate the conflicts of time, energy, and our health can help us practice well throughout the variables of life. Learning to practice well can take your guitar playing further than you may expect. Reassessing your approach to practice, or even giving yourself permission to take a break (even if it is over a longer period) can renew our motivation and interest by providing new contexts. If we are exhausted during practice, this poses the risk of building mistakes into our guitar playing due to fatigue.ĭepression and anxiety can negatively affect practice routines and productivity due to avoidance or apathy.
Our quality of practice is directly related to how we are doing mentally. Since we have to shape our nails before every practice session, having a method for your nail care along with quality tools is necessary.Īnother aspect of safety that is indispensable to all musicians is being mindful of our mental health. When our tone is beautiful we feel more powerful, boosting our confidence levels and motivation. It may not be obvious to ensure any physical exercise or other activities are not posing a risk for your hands' health, but both big and small problems can be caused by repetitive or extreme movement.įor example, many classical guitarists have had to give up rock-climbing for the sake of both their ligaments and their nail health!Ĭaring for your nails is also a surefire way to have the best practice sessions. Other factors in the longevity of your practice include using ergonomic guitar supports to relieve stress on the upper and lower body ( see my tonebase Livestream "Let's Talk Guitar Supports!."), or using Alexander Technique for posture.Įxercising the upper body to help in the support of the arms can also help prevent injury. These actions can be taken before, during, and after your practice sessions including taking breaks and doing bodily warm-ups before picking up the instrument. SafetyĮvery instrument presents its own set of risks for injury so it is important to acknowledge our individual struggles and learn to practice guitar healthily. Customized warm-up routines are great because you can always make necessary changes based on the transformation of your guitar playing over time.
a 5-star resort, you want to be ready with the correct tools to make your journey to an incredible performance as effortless as possible. In the classical guitar world we are not wanting for arpeggio exercises and patterns, which is good because they are a core technique in our repertoire.Ĭhoose from Giuliani's 120 Right Hand Studies to match your repertoire these can be applied literally or to improve issues in RH finger independence. Learning a piece with some challenging slurs? Start Practicing Slurs Like a Boss! Playing a highly contrapuntal Bach fugue? Work in the BEST Finger Independence Exercises into your routine. We can still start with the same routines and certain physical sensations such as being well-rested or doing the same meditation/yoga exercises before playing.ĭepending on which repertoire is currently in rotation, our warm up routines can be tweaked to address specific issues presented in the music.
More importantly, considering how we can create that consistency in variable situations can help us be more adaptive to different performance spaces. Small details like this can help lessen the effects of performance anxiety. They may eat the same breakfast or have the same cup of coffee next to them during their session. Some musicians go as far as creating rituals that include opening the case and picking up the instrument the same way, playing the exact same thing for the first time such as a certain chord or a small melodic line. Remedying this issue could mean practicing at times in your concert clothing to build familiarity with the fit, or finding clothing more similar in fit to your house-clothing.
This not only includes common guitar techniques such as effectively building a guitar practice schedule, but also consistency in your seating position, the order and content of your warm-up routine, and even seemingly trivial things such as your clothing fit can help create an equilibrium between practice and performance.įor example, if you practice guitar in your pajamas it will feel shockingly different to play in formal concert attire. Structure can be introduced into your guitar practice sessions to facilitate consistency and reliability in your work.