Yesterday I was reading an article on David Nevue's website entitled Piano Lesson Myths. Even though it's written from a pianist's perspective, I found myself agreeing with most if not all of the points raised. Many of these myths could easily be applied to most other instruments.

There was one "myth" in particular that intrigued me:

"I must practice every day."

Nevue explains that taking 2 to 3 days off to recuperate from practice (much the same way athletes do) is far more beneficial than practicing every day. Another reason for this - he explains - is that rest periods are important for your brain, because that's when the information you learn is absorbed. He goes on to say that rest periods should be "guilt-free" so the benefits of rest can be enjoyed.

In the 7 years (8 years in February) I've been playing guitar I've barely missed a day of practice unless I was out of the country. Yet, I've often pondered if there aren't more efficient ways of practicing that don't require me to invest 6 to 12 hours everyday. We all want to get the most out of our time and approaching your limited practice time systematically and methodically is a must. But if your muscles and your brain aren't functioning at their peak when you're ready to dive in to some difficult material, it's no wonder that you don't make much progress and can't keep your focus.

At the same time, I still wonder if this is the most effective way to improve. Will it help me to narrow in on the material I really need to focus on, or will I find that 5 days a week just won't be enough time to master the material? Will a guitarist experience the same benefits that a pianist would from this approach?

Right now I don't have the answers so I've decided to conduct an experiment. Between January 21, 2008 (today) and February 21 I'm going to practice for no more than 5 days a week. I'm going to allow myself to "play" (in other words perform material I've learned or experiment with new ideas) on my days off, but I'm not going to have focused and scheduled practice time. I will be reporting on the results right here on Arctic Sunburn so keep checking back. This article was written by David Andrew Wiebe, web designer, graphic designer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter, guitar instructor, and music expert. Interested in winning a free CD? Click here for more info! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Recommendations? Email me.

Published on January 21, 2008