What To Do Immediately After The Warm-Up?

Great! You have set a realistic practice goal, and you are warming up for 5 minutes every time you practice...

But what do you do next? 

This is probably the most crucial moment in your practice session. This is when you have the most energy and you are the most excited to get going. You are not mentally fatigued from practicing yet and you are ready to conquer the world! 

Now you have to use the time wisely, because trust me, it won't take long before you get tired and loose focus... I know that I have about 10 minutes before I get the itch to check my phone or go on Facebook and so do YOU. Once you've touched your phone, it's game over. 

In this phase of my practice session, I try to work on some general musical principles. This is where I work on all my scales, arpeggios, and any technical issues I am encountering. Basically all the building blocks you need to know the instrument better. Now of course you won't have time to go through all of that in 10 minutes. That's why you spread different tasks out throughout the week.

Also, it's important to set a timer for this time. Once the 10 minutes are up, you are done! It doesn't matter if you got through all 5 positions or not. It doesn't even matter if you only played one scale the whole time. The time is now up. You have made great progress, even if it doesn't feel that way! At the end of the 10 minutes, you track your progress and set a goal for the next time you are working on this issue. 

Here is a nifty little weekly schedule: 

Click HERE for a PDF

Print one for every week and fill it out as you go! Eventually you can start to change the goals. Use the notes section to track the progress you are making. Then use the general notes section to write down observations/revelations you have made throughout the week. 

Keep this up for several weeks and you are destined to make great progress! 

Remember tiny consistent progress turns into great change! 

- Jonathan​

​p.s. If you are interested in learning more, check out my course Guitar Solos Made Easy!

Take me to the Course!