The overview
I’ve been playing guitar for 30 years and spent too much of that time hunting for shortcuts to improve or get better quicker. Despite best efforts I have not found a quick or easy shortcut.
However, I have found 7 points that I think are critical to improving and, when understood and used correctly, give you the best chance of developing a daily guitar practice habit which, in my opinion, is the most consistent way to improve and beat plateaus. That rate of improvement is directly related, unsurprisingly, to how much daily effort you can put in.
After each point I have then linked how these 7 points are built on in the 66 day bootcamp that I offer. It is important (to me) to stress that you don't need this bootcamp to make this approach work, I am not selling magic beans, just further assistance in trying to help you get a daily guitar practice habit.
1. Use a Metronome
Playing in time is non-negotiable, and nothing helps more than a metronome. It seems obvious, yet for years I didn’t pay it enough attention, didn’t use it enough to help me, didn’t understand how it can help run the daily routine (see step 2).
What I don't see recommend that often is using a metronome that uses 'steps' that incrementally build up the Beats Per Minutes (BPM). I recommend steps of 3 to 5 BPM and an overall movement of around 20 BPM. For each exercise you are undertaking you need to know what tempo is at the peak of what you can currently play comfortably and accurately, then set the metronome around this:
Start 15 BPM slower than your comfortable tempo to build accuracy and confidence. Go 5 BPM faster than your comfort zone to push yourself and make progress. This isn't about building up speed, this is about playing consistently and accurately at BPMs that you are setting depending on your goals.Using a step metronome can be a game changer, there are loads of phone apps with them and they are also available on-line. The other clear benefit of using them is that they help chart progress when combined with the below steps.
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How does the 66 day bootcamp help this point ? In my experience people aren't very good or honest about how cleanly they can play with a metronome. Often playing slower and consistently can be more difficult than playing sloppy and fast so people think they don't need a metronome or consider it boring. All my metronome exercises are 2 minutes long, I can concentrate on an exercise for 2 minutes without issue, any longer than this and I start getting bored. It took me a surprisingly long time to appreciate:
1. Using a metronome consistently
2. Using a metronome with 'steps'
2. A 2 minute approach per exercise
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The 66 day bootcamp will assess your understanding of this and test (over video call) how cleanly and accurately you are using a metronome and setting those BPMs for your exercises!
2. Practice Every Day
If you want to get better at something, do it everyday. This can be hard as work, life, responsibilities can all get in the way.
You need to commit to a daily minimum amount of practice, I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes. We all have 24 hours in a day, if it is important to you to get better you need to find that time everyday. If 30 minutes feels unachievable, start smaller—10 or 15 minutes a day is enough to build momentum. Even short, focused sessions are better than none, the key is it being every day.
Record / journal your practice - note how long you are playing for, what time of the day - sometimes will be easier than others. Simply noting it down can also help as a motivator to keep going.
How does the 66 day bootcamp help with this point ? Finding dedicated daily practice time in your daily routine with all the other pressures and things to do in your life can be difficult. Using the questionnaire and having space to discuss how a daily practice routine could work helps overcome those blockers.
Daily check-ins throughout the 66 days helps with accountability of actually playing every day.
3. Develop a practice routine
Use multiple routines to keep interest / things fresh, change it up on the regular.
Write down your routine and stick to it. Whether it’s a warm-up, fingerpicking drills, or sweep-picking arpeggios, having a plan keeps you focused and prevents wasted time. Your routine needs to be clearly set out with your BPM targets (see step 1) having a check list of exercises is a short cut - you don't have to think, you just do it. Adapt, adjust and add to the routine as you see fit.
You just want to pick up your guitar and play ? Sure, do that. If you want to get better you need a structure. You can endlessly noodle away whenever you want, just after you have finished the minimum of your structured practice routine.
How does the 66 day bootcamp help with this point ? By assessing your current practice routine and offering suggestions as to other exercises and approaches that could help. The bootcamp does not prescribe the exercises you should be doing, your musical goals are known by you - not by a predefined set of exercises.
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Being open to feedback and discussing your practice routine can help your motivation and insight into new exercises and approaches, there are always more exercises / riffs / licks / songs to be learnt - there is only a certain amount of time in your day - targeting the right exercises can help.
4. Play With Other People
You will be forced to learn things outside of the comfort zone.
Learning to play with other people can be really hard but ultimately, when done well, can be the most rewarding. You will be forced to compromise on what needs to be played, learn new parts, think creatively.
Going to open mic nights, answering adverts to play in bands, starting a band yourself - all hard work and, at times, is absolutely exhausting. However, playing with others pushes you out of your comfort zone and shines a light on strengths and weaknesses you might not notice otherwise.
How does the 66 day bootcamp help with this point ? In my experience there are an lot of people who want to play with others but are (understandably) nervous of how to make this happen. This puts people off making attempts and relegates too many people to forever be bedroom guitarists. I think that playing with other people can be a great motivator and, honestly, when it works, one of the best things humans can do. The bootcamp will challenge you to assess the efforts you have made to play with other people and challenge you to seek more. I can't guarantee you will find people but I will be your cheerleader to try.
5. Intervals And Notes On The Fretboard
Both get left behind too often..
Learning these, through focused daily practice will directly improve your ability to improvise in a more musical and melodic way. This can often be a plateau that guitarists struggle to overcome.
Learning notes on the fretboard is often put on the backburner as boring, and it is! But it is time well spent and can easily form part of your daily routine (see step 2) There are loads of phone apps that can help you learn the notes on the fretboard, learning intervals can be a longer struggle but requires strategy and daily practice to break through.
How does the 66 day bootcamp help with this point ? We will assess where you are in terms of currently understanding this critical part of growing as a guitarist, in my experience too many people put it in the 'boring' or too difficult pile of things to do. The thing that breaks it through? Practice and repetition - for some people (myself included) this can take a long time to really be intrisically understood. However, when you do get there the value is unmeasurable. The bootcamp will look at how you can include practicing these areas everyday to start making progress in getting these key parts locked in. In my experience it is first notes on the fretboard, then intervals - they both need to be learnt to the point they are just completely and fully understood without thinking, this takes concerted effort over a long period of time.
Music theory (in general) is a huge subject in itself, I have struggled with it for the length of time I have played guitar. For some people it just clicks, I am not one of those people - I have found it opaque and confusing. However, consistent learning of notes and intervals has been the main key that has helped accelerate my understanding of theory in general.
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Interestingly there has also been some recent internet discussion from Cory Wong (awesome guitarist) about the need for guitarists to know every note on their fretboard - I agree, it is a critical skill. Use the bootcamp to get it in your daily practice routine and get it learnt !
6. Get Buy In From People Close To You
This is potentially the most misunderstood part of developing a consistent practice routine - those closest to you need to understand you are committing to something and you need their support. If they do buy in they can help act as a motivator, supporter, cheerleader - it can reduce the guilt of doing something solitary, minimises distractions and builds a support network. It also helps give you the space and time to commit to the minimum daily practice routine, this is especially useful on the days where motivation can be lacking.
Do not under estimate the power of this step, if people near to you (ideally those who live with you) support you, you will get better.
How does the 66 day bootcamp help with this point ? We will discuss and assess your current personal situation and work out a plan that can hopefully help and support getting your family on board. Everyone will be completely unique in this regard but you will struggle to find time (and your family then want to give you the time) unless they understand your desire and goals to play everyday. This isn't just about being left alone to play, this is about those closest to you really understanding your planned approach to committing to playing and getting better through having a daily practice habit. Once 'on board' and supporting I think having this is a key part to consistency through the difficult times / plateaus.
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I want to learn from every person I discuss this bootcamp with about this specific part of getting a daily guitar playing habit, I think there is more to understand about this that can be refined to help others.
7. Learn To Love Practice
Practice because you love playing. Knowing that daily effort makes you better can transform practice from a chore into something you genuinely enjoy. Make it part of who you are.
This sounds cliche and trite, I get it. However, the more you can shift your mindset to making this part of your identity the easier it is to continue, especially on the days where you just can't be bothered - aim to get a minimum routine done, it might well inspire you to keep on, keeping on.
How does the 66 day bootcamp help with this point ? I need to understand your view on practice, do you think it is boring ? What do you understand about it? What has been your journey with it ? I think anyone can learn to love practice. I wish I could practice all day, every day - however, I know my own thresholds with it, I used to be able to do long practice sessions but ultimately I found them quite tedious and ultimately, off putting. I found my sweet spot at around an hour a day with a minimum of 30 minutes - I can look forward to this every day, plan for it and make it happen. You will have a sweet spot of daily time you can dedicate that will help you learn to love it. In my experience too many people associate 'loving' practice with needing to love long, repetitive sessions, scales over and over etc etc. That doesn't need to be the reality. You need to find an amount of time that works for you, follow the above steps and keep showing up, every day, then you will start to learn to love practice.
These are my hard-earned reflections on how to improve at guitar. But there’s one missing piece: accountability. Knowing these steps is one thing—putting them into action is another.
This is where I can help you turn these 7 steps into a daily habit—through a 66-day boot camp designed to transform your practice routine.
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If interested drop me an email to discuss further