Practice is something you should try for every day.? Give it all you can.? If you have difficulty with any part, slow down, practice slowly.? Try introducing an interval of at least 1 second between each count until your playing accuracy has improved.? It isn't necessary for you to play any piece at the correct speed right from the start.? If you slow down a bit your accuracy will improve and then you will find it easy to speed up.

Practice should not be a chore and a bore but an interesting journey of discovery.? You should have no trouble getting motivated to practice because you should look forward to it as an enjoyable experience.? You should practice as often as you can and practice slowly and carefully.? You will be surprised at how quickly you can progress with? careful repetition.? What at first seems almost impossible suddenly becomes easy.

You see, playing music well happens when you cease making a conscious effort.?? A concert pianist, for example, doesn't sit at the keyboard and think;? "Right! I will now depress the C key with the 3rd finger of my left hand and at the same time depress the E with the 1st finger and the G with the Thumb and at the same time I must remember to play 5 keys with my right hand" etc. etc.? What happens is that he sits down, calmly and plays.? There is no conscious thought? commanding the muscles of his hand to move his fingers.? He relies on MUSCLE MEMORY.? This happens when something is practiced so often that conscious thought is no longer necessary.? It is subconscious and the muscles react automatically.? If you find this hard to believe then I suggest you suspend your disbelief until you have proven it to yourself and prove it you will.? It will surprise you to discover that you can pick up your guitar and attempt a piece that you haven't played for a year or so and find that your? hands produce the tune automatically.? There is no thought as to what is the next note, your fingers are there playing them.? Hard to believe?? Well any accomplished musician will tell you the same thing.?

It's the same with anything that requires muscle coordination.? Golf for instance.? If you had to repeat to yourself all of the things you had to remember regarding stance, eye on the ball, right arm straight etc etc, you would be a lousy golfer.? It is only when you stop thinking about these things and rely on muscle memory that your golf game takes off.

And what does all this boil down to?? Practice.? Constant, careful repetition.

Now, we all have varying degrees of talent.? Some people seem to pick new ideas up very quickly and some are a bit slow but the people who do the best are the people who do it the most.? Take a person with only average musical ability who makes a special effort and that person will become far more successful than the person with exceptional musical ability who, perhaps because they are gifted, make little or no effort.? Look at some of the most successful entertainers today.? It is not that they are particularly gifted.? They succeed because they try harder and believe in their success more.? Did you know that anybody can sing?? It isn't a special gift given only to a few.? The truth is that anybody with vocal chords can sing.? It's just that some like doing it and practice it to the point were they become outstanding at it.? It's the same with the guitar.? You can become an outstanding musician with patient, constant, careful repetition.

It is not just practice though.? It has to be meaningful practice and you are lucky to be learning with this course because it provides a step by step guide to keep you on the right track.? You see, if you practice the wrong way of doing something, you will become very good at doing something the wrong way.? For your practice to be worthwhile you have to be sure that you are practicing the right things.? Trying to play a guitar without the right guidance will severely limit your progress and you will eventually give up.? Stick with doing things the right way and your success is assured.? The old saying 'Practice makes perfect' is quite true.? The more you do, the better you will be and the quicker will be your progress.? Please realize that by regular practice your playing will be more enjoyable and you are paving the way to success, fun and friendship when your standard of playing improves and your talent becomes known to others.