10 Steps Perfect Practice

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AGetting Started With GuitarPublication


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What I know now, a million (never mind the real number) yearslater, is that I was truly blessed.

Sure, I writhed in adolescent self-pity, but truth be told, I wasblessed.

My mission in writing this e-book is to bring that sense of luxury to

you, even in the midst of your busy and complicated life.

You love guitar. You need guitar for your heart and soul.

And chances are, it is not always easy to fit guitar into the complexmosaic of your grown-up life.

I would like to help with that, by offering a bridge, a strategy, andsome heartfelt encouragement.

Take it from an ex-existential artsy angsty teen turned career pro-guitar instructor:

You can do this. You deserve this. Youve come to the right place.

So lets get started.

Its not necessarily the amount of time youspend at practice that counts;

its what you put into the practice.

-Eric Lindros


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CONGRATULATIONS!

You are about to learn ten simple but powerful strategies to makesure you get the absolute most benefit from the time you put into

practicing your guitar.

After all, your time is valuable, and your desire to become a betterguitar player is real, and important.

Even if you only have a few minutes a day in your busy life to

dedicate to guitar, this step-by-step guide will ensure you get themaximum benefit out of the time you put in.

So lets get busy and jumpstart your guitar-progress byimplementing these 10 simple steps.

Ready? Lets dig in!

The very first thingyou will do in your Perfect Practice Session is


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1. SET UP.

Perfect Practice requires focus, and thats hard to do withthe TV on and people milling around you.

To make the most of your practice time, you must create adedicated practice space just for yourself.

Dont worry this doesnt require a major re-arrange of yourwhole house! Lets keep it easy, quick, and effective.

To create a dedicated focused practice space, all you reallyneed is a basic straight-back chair and a small corner

somewhere out of the flow of traffic.If you can retreat to a room with privacy for a while, that isperfect. But that is not always possible. Even so, it ispossible to create a dedicated practice space, even in abusy home.

Face the wall if you have to, just to shut out the distractionsof the room.

Cool insiders tip: sit facing a glass window (but dont get distracted bylooking outside and watching the world go by!). When you play and sing infront of a glass window, the glass reflects the sound back to you. You canhear yourself better, which means you can pay closer attention to thedetails and nuances of your playing.

Now, gather your gear:

Guitar

Tuner

Picks

Capo

Music, Tabs, Songsheets


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Use a music stand or small table to place your music on.

If there are other people in the house, tell them that for thenext 30 minutes (or 20, or 60, or) you will be practicingyour guitar. Ask them to please leave you alone during that

time (unless its an emergency, of course!)Do whatever you can to eliminate distractions and focus yourenergy, and youll get much more out of your practice time.

All set up? Great! Now its time to

2. SIGN UP.

My life is busy. Your life is busy.

Its way too easy to intendto practice the guitar, only to findthat once again the day has come to an end, youre tired,and you wind up putting it off until another time.

Fix: Put guitar practice on your schedule!

Be realistic about what time of day is best for you, and howmuch time you can devote to practicing your guitar.

Even if its only 15 or 20 minutes.

Even if its only 2 or 3 days a week.

Then, get out your calendar and write it in.

Give it the same priority levelas all those other must-dotasks that have a knack of creeping in and filling your day,your week, your life.

Guitar is important to you. Honor it.

Got your slice of time all set-aside? Super now its timeto


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3. SHOW UP.

Even if youre only able to carve out twenty minutes, stay

focused on your guitar for those twenty minutes.

Do not answer the phone.

Do not check your email.

Do not tweet.

Do not dust.

Do not nibble.

Just play, for twenty minutes, or forty minutes, or an hour.

Whatever amount of time you decided in advance you couldallocate.

Keep your promise to yourself and your guitar.

Ready to do this, and ONLY this? Perfect. Now lets

4. TUNE UP.

Use an electronic tuner to get your guitar in really good tune.

An out-of-tune guitar will compromise the quality of your

sound, leading to frustration and discouragement.

If the music sounds sour, its going to be un-fun.

Besides, part of what practicing with an in-tune guitar is allabout is training your ear to be sensitive to the nuances ofthe notes, and their harmonic relationships to one another.


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Dont let your ear develop lazy habits by neglecting to tuneyour guitar every time you practice!

If you are not sure how to use an electronic tuner, watch myfree video on How to Use an Electronic Tuner. (click title

to view video)Insiders tip: Electronic tuners are fantastic tools, but are also a little fussysometimes. If it gives you weird answers sometimes, dont take itpersonally! Learn what the note names of your open strings should be,trust your instincts, and use the tuner as a tool, not as the ultimate wordfrom above. A tuner that consistently gives weird answers probably justneeds a new battery.

In tune? Excellent. Now lets dig right in and

5. WARM UP.

Now that youre in tune, spend the first few minutes of yourpractice time doing some finger warm-up exercises.

You want to wake up those hand and finger muscles gently

before putting them through the main workout. Not sure howto warm up? No problem Ill show you!

Watch my free video on How to Warm Up for GuitarPractice. (click title to view video)

Fingers all warmed up now? Terrific now lets

6. PLAY SOMETHING EASY.

Even if its a two-chord golden oldie, play something you canplay without much trouble.

Play it all the way through. Enjoy it.

I like to call this, getting the music into the room.


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Relax and enjoy the sound, the feel of your fingers on thestrings, the weight and shape of the guitar in your lap.

Getting the music in the room helps to focus your attentionand energy for working on the more challenging stuff,

coming up next in your practice session.Played a couple of easy songs? Good now its time to

7. MAKE YOUR PLAN.

Depending on how much time you have set aside for todayspractice session, take a moment to choose between one and

three specific topics or projects to focus on.These could include any of the following:

Working on a specific song, and the details that need tobe improved upon in that song

Working with a scale or specific fingerboard exercise

Practicing making smoother chord changes between

chord-pairs that are giving you trouble or slowing youdown

Practicing achieving the best tone from your notes andchords by working with subtleties of hand-angle andfinger-angle

Practicing getting better at a particular technique.Example: fingerpicking, or strumming.

And much more!

Plan to spend a minimum of ten to fifteen minutes on eachtopic or project you are addressing in this practice session.


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Given the amount of time you have allocated for todayspractice session, plan accordingly as to how many topicareas you can cover.

Tomorrow you may have a different line-up of topics to focus

on, and by the end of the week you should have touched oneverything youre currently working on.

Got a plan? Excellent. Because now were going to

8. BUCKLE DOWN.

Start with your first chosen topic or project, and dig in.

Listen and observe non-judgmentally as you play.

Be your own coach.

Make a mental (or physical) note of the details that needmore work.

Work on each of those details one at a time.

Be patient with yourself, and creatively address problemspots.

Notice, appreciate, and congratulate yourself on anyimprovements! Remember, guitar is mastered in babysteps, not huge leaps and bounds.

IMPORTANT: Before you move on to another topic, play the

whole song or exercise through once more, and try toincorporate all the new learning that has just taken place.

By doing this, you are actually building new neural pathwaysin your brain. Your brain is literally memorizing the newinformation and technique, so it will come more easily nexttime, and the time after that. See where this is headed?


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9. NEXT IN LINE?

As time allows, move on to the next topic or project on your

list.

Give it your complete attention, diligence, and creativity for aminimum of ten to fifteen minutes.

Rinse, and repeat (and enjoy!). This is how guitar is learned.

Okay, were in the home stretch now. In the final 5 minutesof your Perfect Practice Session, you will

10.PLAY SOMETHING FUN.

Save the last five minutes of your practice time for a funwind-down.

Play something you enjoy, something you can play with

relative ease.

Think back to when this piece used to be too hard for you!

Congratulate yourself on honoring your guitar learningprocess, and savor the sweet sound of music.


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I hope you enjoyed this guide and find it helpful in structuring yourguitar practice sessions to be a perfect fit for you.

Remember, even just a few minutes spent with your

guitar is exponentially better than no minutes at all!

And remember:

Im rooting for you every step of the way!

Now, before I let you go, I want to offer you a little parting gift.

On the next page, youll find a mini-tour of my ground-breakingvideo program, Guided Practice Routine for Beginners.

And after that mini-tour, youll find your gift. Enjoy!!

Its not necessarily the amount of time youspend at practice that counts;

its what you put into the practice.

-Eric Lindros


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LearnMORE and LearnFASTER than You EverDreamed Was Possible, with Lisas

Guided Practice Routine for Beginners!

Just put on the video, and follow along as I guide you through all

the basic skills you need to practice, step-by-step, note-for-note.

With the Guided Practice Routine for Beginners, you will:

Warm-up, Stretch, & Strengthen Your Fingers,theRightWay

MasterAll Basic Chords

PerfectAll of Your Chord Changes

Exponentially Increase Your Playing Speed and Accuracy

Work With a Professional Guitar Instructor in aStructured Learning Environment,Anytime You Want

Just look at this comprehensive lineup of exercises anddrills you and I will go through together, when youaccess the Guided Practice Routine for Beginners:


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Guided Practice Routine for Beginners:

Complete Lesson List:

* WATCH FIRST: How to Use This Program

* STATION 1: Tune Up and Get Ready

* STATION 2: Let's Warm Up the Fingers

Warm-up Exercise Playalong, Skill Level 1



What is it?Complete orientation to the program, andhow to customize it to your exact skill level, problemareas, and amount of time you have to practice.

What is it?Lets get tuned up together, and work onlearning the names of the strings, both by note-name,and by number. No more sour wince-inducing notesand chords.

What is it?Choose your challenge-level, and jumpon in with me to get your fingers warmed up,stretched, and strengthened. And as your skills getbetter, you can up-the-ante and move up to the next

level of challenge. Progress is guaranteed!

But waitwere just getting started!


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* STATION 3: Chord Clarity Inspection!

Master Chords w/6th-String Bass Note



* STATION 4: Chord Change Boot Camp: Faster! D & A7: Strategies & Practice Drill

D & Em: Strategies & Practice Drill

C & D: Strategies & Practice Drill

C & Am, C & Em: Strategies & Drills

C to F and C to Dm: Strategies & Drills

The G Chord, Played Two Ways.

G & D: Strategies & Practice Drills

G & C: Strategies & Practice Drills

G & Em: Strategies & Practice Drills

G & Am: Strategies & Practice Drills

G & F: Strategies & Practice Drills

G & A: Strategies & Practice Drills

A to E and A to D: Strategies & Drills

What is it?Well go through every basic major andminor chord you should know, and Ill teach you

powerful insider strategies for getting the verybest tone and clarity out of each chord. No moreclunkers, thuds, and buzzes.

What is it?Themost comprehensive and detailed guide tochanging chords smoothly and quickly that youll findanywhere. Choose the chord changes that give you trouble,and discover the insider secrets to making the change ontime, every time. No more awkward pauses and brokenrhythms. Progress is guaranteed!


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* STATION 5: It's Music! Speed-BuildingPlayalongs

Speed-Building Playalong: Three Chords

Speed-Building Playalong: Four Chords (Part 1)

Speed-Building Playalong: Four Chords (Part 2)

* Watch LAST: Where To Go From Here

So What Does This One-on-One, CustomizedGuided Practice Routine for Beginners Cost?

Like, a Million Bucks?

NO WAY!I Could Tell You I Could Get You In for About aDollar a Day, But Even That Would Be Way Off.

What is it?Well work with some common chordprogressions, and gradually increase the speed of thechord changes. You keep up as long as you can, then re-wind and keep practicing. Before you know it, youll be ableto make it to the very top speed level. No more fumblingto keep up, you speed-demon, you.

What is it?Well strategize on how you can continuallyupdate and customize your Guided Practice Routine toaccommodate your rapidly growing skills, and tailor thisprogram to be a perfect fit and a perfect companion to yourguitar-playing dreams and goals. No more feeling stuck;

youre on the move now!

Warning: HotOffer Coming Up


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Okay, heres the skinny.

First, you probably wouldnt want to jump right in without

getting a chance to try it out for free, would you? Me neither.

So lets start there.

Please accept my gift of a FREE 2-WEEK TRIAL to myGuided Practice Routine for Beginners.

(more on how to access your

backstage pass in just a moment)


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But since Im so certain thatyour guitar skills are going tostart to explode from all this awesome structuredpractice youll be doing, let me toss in a FREE ALL-ACCESSPASSto all of the thousands of guitar lessons on the toponline guitar instruction website on the planet,GuitarTricks.com.

That way, youre not only getting a great practice workout, butyoull be like a kid in a giant candy store full of guitar

lessons of every type, level, and style. Thousands of em!

Apply your new chops to learn to play things you never before

thought possible for you!

Warning: you may become tempted to quit your day job


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So lets cut to the chase.

Grab your gift: Your 2-Week Free Trial at this link now:

http://bit.ly/2weeksfree

This is a limited time offer from GuitarTricks.

I have no idea when they may take it down, and it is not up tome.

This offer is not made available to the general public.

I am able to offer it to you as a special perk, because I am one ofthe principal guitar instructors at GuitarTricks.com.

When you go to sign in for your 2-week free trial, I will meet youover there and talk you through it. (You think Im joking? Im

not just click on over and see for yourself!http://bit.ly/2weeksfree)

For site security reasons, you will be asked to provide a credit

card number. YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED unless youdecide youd like to stay on past the 2-week free trial. At that

point, the charge goes to about $15 per month. Fifty cents a day.

Best deal in town.

Once youre in, you will feel like a kid in a giant candy store.Once youre in, you can get started with your GuidedPractice Routine for Beginners at this link:http://bit.ly/guidedpractice

(Or, stuff your mouth with every flavor of candy you couldpossibly imagine.)

I truly wish you all the very best with

your guitar playing!

You biggest fan, Lisa

2012 Lisa McCormick Music, LLC

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10 Steps Perfect Practice