Feel like it’s taking forever to learn guitar? A step-by-step guide with examples to learn guitar faster.
Take advantage of how your brain learns naturally. That’s the only hack that works.
Subscribe to my newsletter for insights into practicing efficiently, staying motivated, and being a happier guitar player into your email inbox every Friday!
Everyone has an opinion about the best way to practice guitar. More specifically, everyone has a different opinion.
Do this, don’t do that, don’t even bother practicing. The list goes on. But here’s the thing: there are known strategies to get the most out of practice and make more progress in less time.
If you’re self-taught and feel like you’re not getting anywhere even though you practice all the time, or if you’ve hit a plateau and don’t know how to go on, use these ideas to get some traction and improve your playing.
Overview
Part 1 is about getting into the state where real change can happen in your brain. These ideas come from Dr. Andrew Huberman, in episode 6 of the Huberman Lab Podcast.
Part 2 is about what and how to actually practice once you’re in that state. The general recommendations come from episode 20 of the Huberman Lab Podcast and I’ve applied them for guitar players.
Part 3 is about how to organize what you’ve practiced into the best order to maximize your learning. These ideas are from the book Make It Stick by Peter Brown.
Part 4 summarizes these ideas in a step-by-step guide to get the most benefit out of the least amount of time.
Part 1
When you’re learning guitar, you’re literally changing your brain. It’s called neural plasticity.
Picture driving down the same dirt road everyday.
If you always drive in the exact same section of the road, grooves will start to emerge. The more you drive in these grooves, the larger they become, and the more difficult it will be to drive on a different section. The grooves will always pull you toward them. If you drive on a different section of the road for a day or two, that won’t be enough to create new grooves and change the pattern of what’s already been established - the original grooves are deeply embedded.
So it is with the brain.
Your brain loves routine and habits that automate your everyday actions so it can do less heavy lifting. Grooves will form to make common tasks easier.
So, once the grooves in your brain are formed, you’re fucked then? That’s how it will be for the rest of your life?
No. Your brain and nervous system are designed to change, it just takes some work. Happily, you get to choose how it changes.
Your brain’s ability to change itself is called neural plasticity. When you experience, learn, feel, or do something that is meaningful in some way (positive or negative), the relevant pathways and connections in your brain are strengthened.
The steps you need to take to trigger neural plasticity.
There are three steps that need to take place to trigger neural plasticity and the rapid learning that comes along with it:
1. Recognize exactly what you want to change. Become alert to the cognitive or motor skill. Awareness cues the brain some shit is going down.
2. Shift your perception to that thing, bring it into your consciousness, and put all your attention on it.
3. Your brain releases the necessary chemicals to make the change.
If you’re missing either of the first two steps, you’ll miss the entire thing. You need these states of awareness to trigger the right chemicals in your brain. Accomplishing the first step triggers adrenaline (alertness) and accomplishing the second step tiggers acetylcholine (attention).
More specifically, adrenaline raises your overall alertness and acetylcholine makes the signal from whatever you’re focusing on stronger than the rest of your sensory perceptions. When these chemicals are released, the brain changes itself to represent the new thing you’re focusing on and you will get the benefit of rapid learning.
So, as a guitar player, how can you take advantage of this nice little biological feature to get the most out of your effort?
For the purpose of this article, here is the learning situation we will use as an example:
You want to learn all five positions of the Major pentatonic scale
You want to be able to transition between the positions to move around the neck
You’ve found this resource to learn the different positions in G Major pentatonic
You’ve realized you‘ll have to figure out the transitions by yourself
It will be important to set up your space and materials ahead of time. When it comes time to get into deep practice, you won’t want to leave unnecessarily.
1. Plan out what you want to work on that day. Let’s say you already have a good handle on the first position of the major pentatonic scale, so today you want to work on the other four positions and the transitions between them. You’re not too sure how this is going to happen yet, but that’s fine because you’ve narrowed the scope enough to start and the details can come later.
2. Set up your environment. Now that you know what you’ll be working on, make sure you have everything you need. Do you need a capo? Not today. Do you need any printed materials or books to reference what you don’t know off the top of your head? Maybe. Tuner? Yes. Coffee made ahead of time? Absolutely.
3. Get rid of distractions. What a good time to leave your phone on silent. Focusing for longer periods of time can be hard if you’re not used to it. Think of it this way: 60 - 90 minutes of hard practice will do you better than pretending to practice for the next several weeks without seeing any improvement.
Okay, all set up. Now you need to worry about the two states of mind that trigger neural plasticity: alertness and attention.
Alertness
You’ve set out to learn all 5 pentatonic shapes and how to transition between them. Why?
The alertness needed for neural plasticity will come from your inner desires - the reasons you’ve decided to do this instead of something else. The more reasons the better.
Why do you want to learn this in particular?
Is it personal?
Are you getting bored of playing the same two shapes all the time? Do you always stay in the same area of the neck? Did you tell yourself you would learn this by now, but didn’t? Are you genuinely excited to learn because you love playing guitar?
Is it someone else?
Does your buddy that started playing the same time as you already know this? Is your guitar teacher irate because they gave you the lessons but you still haven’t practiced it yet? Is your spouse encouraging you to move forward because they know you love playing?
Is it from outside social pressure?
Are you the weakest link at your jam sessions? Are you afraid to go jam with people because you feel you don’t know enough? Do you want to identify as a good guitar player in broader society?
Huberman points out that your brain doesn’t care if the underlying emotions that will cause alertness are positive or negative. Love, hate, or shame, it doesn’t matter. All your brain is concerned about is that there’s something causing alertness.
Reflect on your reasons for wanting to learn this today. Make it a priority. Define it as important (because it is) and get that adrenalin chemical to soak your brain.
Attention
Once you’ve identified what you want to work on and you’re feeling alert, it’s time to focus.
However, guitar playing can become very automatic. Once you’ve developed some muscle memory, habits, and patterns, it’s easy to switch over to autopilot. When your hands and fingers are on autopilot, it’s really easy to let your mind wander and think about something totally irrelevant.
The solution: visual focus is the best way to establish mental focus.
Look at your hands, the frets you need to play, and the strings you need to play. Vergeance eye movement (focusing your view on a small, high resolution space) will trigger those chemicals needed to get some neural plasticity going.
This will be hard to commit to. Your mind will wander, you will experience agitation, and you will find it difficult to stay focused for this period of extended time.
But guess what?
That means you’re doing it right.
When you find your attention fading, use your visual field to bring it back to the task at hand. Stop playing for a moment and just look at the frets you need to play to transition between those pentatonic scales. Keep your eyes on your hands and on the fretboard.
How long should you practice for?
Huberman recommends a period of about 90 minutes. It will take some time to warm up and get into the flow of this intense level of focus.
The hope is that the middle hour of this 90 minute block will be fruitful.
If you can keep your attention on this difficult task for that middle hour, you will be an absolute hero. HOWEVER, don’t mistake the middle hour as the benchmark of success. If you find yourself really focusing for about 15 minutes and your mind wandering the other 45 minutes, then just do 15 minutes.
Deep practice is about being all in. Build up to good, focused attention for the full middle hour. Or, if you decide 15 minutes of deep practice is enough for you and your goals, then that’s great! But for people who are looking to improve fast, commit to longer periods of deep practice.
Self-awareness and knowing what you want and how to get there is at least half the battle.
After the practice session
Your brain needs some time to let all this new information sink in. It doesn’t happen immediately.
It does this with periods of idleness and rest. One of the best things you can do to let this new learning encode is get good sleep for a couple nights after the practice session. This is when you actually learn the information - when those grooves in the road are formed.
You can also go for a walk or bike ride immediately following your practice time. Just let your mind wander, not thinking about anything in particular, and this will have a similar effect as sleep.
Taking advantage of neural plasticity is easier when you’re brand new to an activity. There are no grooves in the road yet, so you can start creating them with (hopefully) the right approach. But even if you’ve been at this guitar thing for a while and it’s time to learn something new or finally relearn something the right way, those grooves in the road can change.
It will take some work, but as long as you put yourself and your brain in a position where change can happen, you can do anything you like.
Part 2
Once you’ve done the steps to trigger neural plasticity, how should you go about practicing?
Okay, so you’ve got some good alertness and attention going on.
You’re figured out the reasons why learning all five positions of the pentatonic scale and how to transition between them is important. You’ve cut out distractions. You have all the resources needed to do the work. Your brain is ready to go.
But how do you actually practice? What are the contents of the middle hour of alertness and attention? Do you play position 3 today, position 4 tomorrow, and position 5 the next day? Do you mix them all up today? Do you do the positions first and the transitions later? Or do you mix those up as well?
There are about a million ways to approach this. Here are recommendations for making the most of your deep practice.
The neuroscience behind building motor skills fast: follow a few basic strategies and let your brain do its work.
In episode 20 of the Huberman Lab Podcast, Dr. Huberman describes steps to learn physical motor skills in the fastest way.
The basic idea is to get as many repetitions, even mistakes, in a period of time as possible. Here are the details for what guitar players can do to take advantage of these steps.
You get constant feedback when you’re learning something new on guitar
Learning guitar is often a closed loop. When learning something new, you do the same scale or chord progression or part of a song continuously making micro adjustments as you go. You get more repetitions in the same amount of time.
The heart of this type of repetition and feedback loop is that you’re going to make mistakes. Not only is this fine, it’s desirable.
The tricky part, though, is knowing the difference between a mistake and correct repetition if what you’re learning is something new. The downfall of learning guitar online is you don’t have the benefit of a teacher to tell you when you’re doing it right and wrong. It’s really important to make sure what you’ve set out to learn is actually the right thing. Reference your material and make sure you’re playing it right before you start any bouts of practice.
This moment-to-moment feedback is only good insofar as you keep track of what’s wrong or missing and adjust the next time.
Break down the five pentatonic shapes and the transitions between them
There’s going to be a lot to learn.
You’ll need to know fingerings for each position, note names, intervals, shapes, patterns, and the different points of transition to go between one position and the next.
Break down the entire thing into small and manageable chunks. Here are some examples to give you an idea of what is small and manageable:
• Each position could be a small chunk.
• One transition between position 1 and 2 could be a small chunk.
• Another transition between position 1 and 2 could be a small chunk.
• One transition between position 2 and 3 could be a small chunk.
• Etc.
The ideal small and manageable chunk is up to you. The ability to break down a complex whole into smaller approximations of itself is one of your greatest skills in learning guitar. Working on the right thing, at the right time, for your current ability level is BY FAR more important than anything else.
Here’s how I would break down this particular learning goal into smaller and achievable chunks for myself:
Break down the whole concept ahead of time. With the two minute chunks already decided on, that’s one less thing to worry about during your practice time.
Make the maximum amount of repetitions in a set period of time
Once you’ve broken down the goal into smaller and manageable chunks, give yourself a set period of time to work on each thing.
My recommendation is to start with about a two minute time frame.
However, everyone is different. Some people can maintain focus and control for longer, while others for less. Figure out what works for you physically, mentally, and depending on what skill or concept you’re trying to learn.
Two minute chunks are a good place to start - this is on the cusp of challenging to maintain, yet not so long to get fatigued and peter out. At 8 seconds for the first chunk, you should be able to do about 15 repetitions in two minutes.
So, set a timer for 2 minutes and pump out the 1st pentatonic position without stopping. Again, make sure YOU KNOW WHAT IS CORRECT AND WHAT ISN’T before you start. If you make a mistake, don’t dwell on it and just keep going. If you’re physically tense or hurting, then stop, but if not, just keep pushing through the entire two minutes.
Remember, if you are feeling frustrated and agitated because working steadily on this new thing is hard, you’re doing it right.
When you make mistakes, your brain will anchor attention on it.
You’re probably going to make a lot of mistakes during these two minutes.
But this is where the neuro-magic happens. The mistakes cue your nervous system that some important shit is going down. The acetylcholine in your brain is triggered and your attention shines a spotlight on this particular pentatonic position because of the mistakes.
You’ve put yourself in a situation where you are alert to what you’re learning and the centre of your attention is focused directly on it - the recipe for neural plasticity.
When you play the pattern correctly, it will be rewarded by dopamine and consolidated in the brain.
You’re obviously not going to be thrilled if you only get it right 3 out of the 15 times. Your brain knows this.
When you do play a correct repetition, you get a little excited and dopamine is triggered. Your brain will recognize this as the cue that that particular take is the one to make permanent. It will mostly discard the bad takes and consolidate the good ones as new learning.
This is why it’s important to know ahead of time what is correct and what isn’t. This is obviously easier with a teacher, but it’s totally possible to do by yourself. Just one extra layer of diligence in your deep practice.
Take a minute to sit there with your eyes closed and let your brain do its thing.
Let yourself relax after the two minutes is up. Close your eyes and just do nothing for about a minute.
Your brain replays the motor sequence of the correct pattern and helps to consolidate it even more. That was a difficult two minutes, but the benefit far outweighs the pain.
Come up with more small, manageable, two minute chunks
The good news is that now that you’ve done this once, you will start to get a sense of what will make up a good small, manageable chunk and about how long is the ideal time for yourself.
Was the whole 3rd pentatonic position too much? Try doing it on half the strings. Was it too easy and you didn’t make any mistakes the entire time? Add transitions or try a different, less known position.
It takes time to learn how you learn best. And that’s fine, this is always a process that can be fine-tuned for an eternity. Use the data you collect as you do these exercises to your advantage and keep doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
Part 3
Take these two minute chunks and mix them up
So, now the question: should you do the same two minute chunk or do something else? According to Peter Brown in his book, Make It Stick, it’s better to do something else.
If you just do the same two minute exercise over and over again, you will be engaging in “massed practice.” Massed practice means drilling one specific skill (cognitive or motor) over and over again until it sticks. The research shows that when you do this, you’re drilling it into your short term memory. While you will see some immediate benefit, it doesn’t land in your long term memory and it will be difficult to bring back later.
Instead, Brown suggests three approaches: spaced practice, interleaved practice, and varied practice.
Spaced practice
Spaced practice means working on the same skill after some time has elapsed. For example, it’s better to work on these pentatonic exercises a little today, a little more a couple days from now, and again a couple days after that. This gives your brain time to consolidate it in between sessions which will help it stick with you longer.
In general, the harder it is to retrieve this information, the better. If you let two weeks go by and have a hard time recalling all the positions and transition points, that will be good for long term learning. But waiting two weeks in between practice sessions is too long. Spacing it out even day by day is still very helpful.
Interleaved practice
Interleaved practice means working on two different skills at once. To interleave the pentatonic practice, you could do a position for two minutes, then another position for two minutes, then a transition for two minutes, etc. Think about it: the end goal is to be able to play the Major pentatonic scale freely across the fretboard. You will NEED to interleave the scale positions to do this.
In the book, Brown gives the example of a baseball player working on just fast balls, then just curve balls, etc. Getting really good at hitting fast balls when you know you’re being pitched a fast ball is fine, but it isn’t much help when you get to the plate in an actual game and you don’t know what kind of throw you’re getting.
Although each skill seems like its developing slower and it can be a hit to your confidence, the skills are encoding in your brain deeper when you interleave them.
Varied practice
Varied practice means making small changes in the same skill you’re working on. You will start to understand the broader sense of movement to accomplish the given techniques.
So in our example, try the pentatonic scale shape starting on the third fret. Now do the same thing starting on the 10th fret.
The spacing of frets is a small change your fingers have to subtly adapt to. This speeds up the development of your “movement vocabulary.”
To take advantage of these three benefits, you will want to organize your practice this way:
• Find a series of small, manageable, two minute chunks that are approximations of the whole concept
• Put each small, manageable, two minute chunk into a rotation
• Go through the rotation however many times you can while maintaining mental focus and clarity in each session of deep practice
• Repeat over the next few days
Part 4
Summary and step-by-step guide
Okay, now it’s time to put it all together.
Ahead of time
Step 1: Decide what you want to learn
This technique works for anything. If you want to learn songs, riffs, chords, scales, or anything else, applying these principles will be effective for both cognitive and motor skills.
Step 2: Reflect on why you want to learn this
Think about it this way: what type of person will you be after you learn this? How important will it be to know this? What will you be able to do? Will you be able to jam with others? Join a band? Improve your confidence? The more deeply seated in your emotions and consciousness, the better. Dig deep!
Step 3: Collect the necessary resources
There are probably millions of hours of guitar education content online. You can find a high quality resource for just about anything you want to learn, so it comes down to which teachers and resources speak to your personality. Collect everything you think you’ll need for your goal.
Step 4: Identify how you will use the resources
Is this resource going to be enough to complete the goal fully? Will you need to figure out some parts on your own? Do you need other resources to clarify the main goal? It will be helpful to go through this ahead of time to know if you’ll need to scout out for more resources.
Step 5: Break down the entire concept into small and manageable chunks
It helps to know yourself. What is your attention span like? Can you focus for long periods? Short periods? Start breaking down the goal into small and manageable chunks. It doesn’t have to be perfect (you will reflect and modify once you actually start), but at least give yourself a framework that seems logical and reasonable to start.
Step 6: Make a list of the small and manageable chunks to be referenced during actual practice time
Making a list ahead of time means you’ll spend less time thinking about logistics when you’re actually practicing. Once you get into an intense level of practice, you want to keep distractions to a minimum.
At the start of the week
Step 7: Plan out your designated practice block (60 minutes? 90 minutes?)
How long can you practice this week? Are you busy this week? Does your schedule constantly change? If you’re not sure, shoot for a little less time because you’ll be more likely to complete it and get a sense of accomplishment, which will help with your overall motivation.
Step 8: Schedule your practice blocks throughout the week/month
Where can you fit this in? Can you do 5 days? 3 days? 1 day? Figure it out at the start of the week so you can plan for it. Make it a priority and don’t overestimate how ambitious you will be. Start small and build up.
When it’s time to practice
Step 9: Collect all the materials you will need
Go get your tuner, timer, capo, beverages, and whatever else you need. Make sure you have the resources for what you want to learn handy, as well as the list of small and manageable chunks you made earlier.
Step 10: Warm up for a few minutes
Play anything you want. Be unfocused. Get your fingers moving over the strings and frets.
Step 11: Set the timer and try your first small and manageable chunk
Get familiar with the first small and manageable chunk. Make sure you know what is correct and what isn’t. Keep the repetitions going, pay close attention to what you’re doing right and what you’re missing. Make the micro adjustments needed as the repetitions continue.
Step 12: Take a break for about a minute, close your eyes, and let your mind wander
Just relax!
Step 13: Try a different small and manageable chunk
Get familiar with the next small and manageable chunk. Set the timer and let the repetitions go. You’re taking advantage of interleaved practice by not doing the same chunk over and over.
Step 14: Take another break for about a minute, close your eyes, and let your mind wander
Time to relax again!
Step 15: Check in with the difficulty level of the small and manageable chunks
Do you think you’ve broken things down to a good level of difficulty? Should you pause to make adjustments? Are you not hitting any correct repetitions? Is every repetition correct? You want to live in the zone of proximal development - where you’re challenged, but not so much you can’t actually complete the exercise.
Step 16: Repeat steps 11 to 15 for the duration of your practice block
Rotate through your small and manageable chunks doing a different one each time, let yourself rest in between them, and check in with yourself every couple times to make sure you’re at a good level of difficulty. If you’re reaching a point where you simply can’t focus and pay attention anymore, that’s okay. You’re gathering data on what works and what doesn’t.
Step 17: Make some notes on what went well and what didn’t
Give yourself something to reference for the next time you sit down for deep practice. Ideally, you take notes throughout the practice session. When you’re reflecting and checking in with yourself, that’s a good time to just jot down what you’re thinking so you have something to reference for next time.
Step 18: Organize your materials for next time
With your notes and materials all set up, you’re ready to start the next practice block for whenever it’s planned.
After the practice block
Step 19: Do something leisurely that lets your mind sit idle
Your mind needs some time to replay all the difficult shit you’ve done and consolidate it in its long term memory. Go walk your dog.