By Mitch Wilson
Let's be real, practicing guitar can be tedious.
Sticking to a guitar practice routine, staying consistent, carving out guitar scales, stumbling over chord changes.
It can be frustrating.
That's why we've put together the best guitar practice routine you can use when learning how to play guitar.
We've designed this practice routine to be a good balance of the fun stuff with the tough stuff.
Keeping things fun is the key to coming back and learning even more.
Since we've taught over 4 million people how to play guitar, we know a thing or two on keeping people motivated in their guitar practice.
Be sure to bookmark this page so you'll know exactly what to do next in your guitar practice session.
Here's a quick outline of what we'll go over:
1. Warmup - Strumming
2. Song Practice - Building your repertiore
3. Chords Practice - The key to guitar
4. Scales - yup...but they'll be applicable to real life!
That's it!
Take the following guitar practice routine and work on it every other day.
This will keep you consistent without getting exhausting.
Once you get rolling, you'll probably enjoy it so much that you'll want to pick up your guitar and play every day!
Note - it'll be handy to have a binder as you go so you can have a single place you keep any songs, chords, tabs, or other music papers.
Let's break this best guitar practice routine down.
1. Warmup
First in our guitar practice routine; let's get the guitar in our hands and connect the instrument to our body and our ears.
We're going to strum chords in this sequence: E major, A major, G major and D major chords.
Hold up!
Grab an online metronome to keep things steady.
Music is 50% notes and 50% rhythm.
Set the metronome to 80bpm.
Use the Guitar Tricks metronome in your regular practice to improve quickly!
Then strum either quarter notes or 8th notes in time with the metronome.
The key to working with a metronome is to make the metronome groove.
Don't fight with it, play with it like you would a drummer.
Now, change chords every 4 or 8 beats, whichever is most comfortable for you.
All we're trying to do here is warm up; warm up the guitar, warm up our ears, warm up our fingers, warm up our strumming hand.
No need to set a timer and do this for an entire 5 minutes.
Just a few times through the progression is great.
2. Songs
Playing songs is the entire reason we learn guitar in the first place!
In order to make this the best guitar practice routine, start with the songs you already know.
Run through them (with your metronome) or better yet, play along with the song in your headphones!
Imagine you're on stage, pretend you're playing alongside your heroes, lean into your dreams because this is what learning guitar is all about; having fun and experssing yourself.
Keep a list of all the songs you know and add new ones as you learn them in your binder.
This is a great way to watch your progress and keep you motivated.
During this portion of your guitar practice routine, go over any songs you already know THEN work on a brand new song you don't.
This section of the routine will take as long as the songs take to play; could be the majority of your practice.
Don't worry about time spent on these songs, focus on how well you know them.
Some songs will only take a few minutes to learn, others might take multiple practice routines to get them down.
No need to think of new songs to learn off the top of your head, we've already done that work for you.
Check out this list of easy guitar songs or 3 chord songs.
Try to learn at least one new song per week.
Meaning that you can play it accurately from start to finish without stopping or any major mess-ups.
You can't just learn the chords here and call it good.
For this to be the best guitar practice routine you'll need to understand the form (verse, chorus, bridge), the tempo and rhythm of the chord changes, if there are any breaks before/after a section, if there's one weird chord in the bridge that you'll know when and where it happens and can nail it.
Every week you'll be adding (at least) one new song to your repertoire.
Before long you'll have a handful of songs to bust out at parties, around the campfire, or just alone in your room.
To learn more songs, you'll need to know more chords.
3. Chords
We'll take the same approach with chords as we do with songs.
Start by going over any chords you already know or learned last week, then add another chord this week.
Work towards adding one new chord every week.
Print a guitar chord chart and put it in your binder to keep track of the chords you already know.
If you don't know your open chords yet, that's the place to begin.
For the best guitar practice routine, learn learn new chords while you learn new songs.
Doing this will provide context for the chord itself.
When you learn chords while learning songs you'll have to play the chord in rhythm and sequence with other chords around it.
Knowing a chord by itself is fine, but knowing a chord relating to other chords will make memorization much easier, and keeps your guitar practice routine fun!
Also, switching smoothly between chords can be tricky for new guitar players, so working on this aspect of chords at the same time as learning their finger placements will be very beneficial in the long run.
Here's a simple hierarchy of chord levels you can use when learning new chords:
Foundational - Open chords, barre chords and power chords are the three basic chord types/shapes to learn in the beginning.
Expressive - 7th chords are a natural next step because you will find they are easy to learn from basic open/barre/power chord shapes. 7th chords are used constantly within popular guitar styles like Rock, Blues and Pop.
Advanced - Diminished chords, augmented chords, extensions (sus, 9, 11, 13) and alternate voicings. These chords are relatively less common and are mostly used in Jazz and Classical pieces. But you will find sus chords and 9th chords throughout Rock and Pop songs.
4. Scales
Ok, now the tedious part; guitar scales.
Let's take a slightly different approach to make this the best guitar practice routine.
Sure, you need to know your major and minor scales.
But basic major scales and minor scales won't be the best fit for riffing over songs, which is the primary reason we learn scales.
Major and minor scales on guitar are great for understanding over-arching theory concepts like chord qualities (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii) and what chords fit together.
But this is more theoretical and tends to be rather dry and can quickly get tedious.
Let's take an approach that helps us build scale skills to use in real-world guitar playing.
Mainly; the Blues scale and Pentatonic scale.
These two scales will give you what you need to be able to take solos on guitar.
You could take a solo with the major/minor scales, but it'll sound rather rigid and un-expressive.
Grab that metronome again and set the speed to relatively slow.
Learning scales correctly going slow will ensure you get them accurate before you speed them up; it's much harder to go back and fix things.
The Blues pattern:
1-2-b3-3-5-6
The Pentatonic pattern:
1-2-3-5-6
There are many variations on these scales, but we'll start with the basic versions for now.
In this section of your guitar practice routine, run the scales up and down, then down and up.
Utilize the Guitar Tricks Scale Finder if youd like more clarity on which scales to work on.
With this tool you can highlight any scale you'd like to work on, in any key.
To keep your pratice routine fun and interesing, use these scale patterns and try to take a solo!
Open the Guitar Tricks Jam Station to play along with real music.
You might say, "But it's going to sound bad!"
This is how every great guitar player got started; simply start riffing and playing over some music.
You'll come across small patterns or sequences that sound interesting.
Write them down and keep them in your binder so you can always reference them.
Beyond this, the next level will be to listen to your favorite guitarists, paying extra special attention to their solos.
Eventually you'll start hearing similar riffs and licks across different guitarists.
You may even start visualizing the fretboard while you hear the music!
You could even learn these famous solos note-for-note.
Transcribing music is a great skill to hone; not only will it help your guitar playing, but also will develop your ear in general.
Conclusion
We've compiled the best practice routine out there.
The key is to keep things fun!
Sometimes as teachers we get stuck in academic techniques and systems.
With this more casual guitar practice routine, you'll be sure to learn how to play guitar while also enjoying the process.
If you'd like something a bit more structured and rigerous, grab a Custom Lesson Plan from Guitar Tricks.
Answer a few questions and one of our instructors will custom tailor a lesson plan to help you achieve your unique goals.
With this guitar practice routine, you'll be set up to tackle even more complex techniques down the road.
Good luck and, most of all, have fun!
FAQ
What is the best practice routine for guitar?
The best practice routine is one that’s consistent and covers all the basics: warm-ups, technique, learning songs, and some theory. Tailor it to your goals and make sure it’s fun, so you stick with it.
How many hours a day should I practice guitar?
It depends on your goals, but 1-2 hours a day is great for steady progress. If you’re tight on time, even 30 minutes of focused practice can make a difference.
Is 30 minutes a day enough to learn guitar?
Absolutely! If you’re consistent and focused, 30 minutes a day can help you make solid progress, especially as a beginner.
How to practice guitar every day?
Make it a habit by setting a specific time each day and sticking to it. Keep your guitar accessible and start with a short session to build momentum.
Is there such a thing as too much guitar practice?
Yes, if you’re playing for hours without breaks, you risk burnout or injury. Balance is key—listen to your body and take breaks when needed.
How long does it take to get OK at the guitar?
With regular practice, you can start feeling comfortable with the basics in 3-6 months. It depends on how much time you put in and how focused your practice is.
What is harder, piano or guitar?
It depends on the person, but guitar can be trickier at first because of finger strength and coordination. Piano is more straightforward with note layout, but both have their challenges.
How many years does it take to get really good at guitar?
It varies, but most people see significant improvement within 3-5 years of consistent practice. “Really good” is subjective, but dedication pays off over time.
Can you get good at guitar in 3 months?
You can definitely make noticeable progress in 3 months, especially if you practice consistently. You won’t be a pro, but you’ll surprise yourself with how much you can learn.
What is a realistic timeframe to learn guitar?
You can learn the basics in a few months, but becoming truly proficient typically takes a few years. The more you practice, the faster you’ll get there, but remember to enjoy the journey!
