We all know practicing guitar is important. But knowing what to practice every day is the difference between actually getting better… and doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.

…which is the definition of insanity (as they say)

Depending on how you currently practice, there are three ways to approach it correctly. Pick the wrong one and you'll still improve, but everything will feel a lot harder than it needs to.

In this video, I explain the three stages in order so you can assess where you’re at, and continue on the best path possible for making steady progress.

Stage 1: Joy

Whether you're brand new, working through the basics, or advanced and feeling stuck or burnt out, the first thing to build into your practice is joy.

Because if picking up your guitar starts to feel like another thing to grind through, your body eventually pushes back with tension, or frustration. And at some point, you'll have to come back down in skill level for a bit to fix the mistakes you made anyway if you try to force it. It’s more efficient to take your time on the way up.

Here's what practice looks like at stage 1: Pick one exercise. Something your teacher gave you, or something tied to a problem you're working on. And do it three to five times. Then, spend the rest of your time playing music you actually enjoy. If something feels too hard right now, it probably is. Set it aside as a future-you problem.

Right now the goal is to have a good time every time you pick up your guitar, so your brain sees it as something you actually want to do.

Which you do, right?

Stage 2: Consistency

Once you're enjoying picking up the guitar most times you do, the next focus is consistency. Like language learning or physical health, the biggest gains come from small, measurable actions done regularly.

But here's what I see guitarists getting wrong.

If you tell yourself "it only counts if I played for an hour," you'll feel bad every day you miss it, which undoes everything from stage one. Don't do that.

Instead, ask yourself:

“What's the bare minimum I need to practice every day to actually make progress?”

Actually take a minute on this. Because hitting that minimum once a day should count as success.

This is what I call baseline practice, and it's been one of the most important mindset shifts in my own playing. Measure it as a series of things you do for a set amount of time, such as "I'll practice this dexterity exercise deliberately, without breaking concentration, for 2–5 minutes on a timer."

You can play more than your baseline, and if you have bigger goals for your playing, you will likely have to play more to get as good as you want to. But by celebrating the minimum and turning it into a habit, you'll naturally start playing more, and for longer.

And if remembering to pick up the guitar is the problem: attach practice to something you already do every day, like after work or before dinner. Leave the guitar out of its case and in sight. Instead of out of sight, out of mind …in sight, in mind? And track it with a free app or a printed calendar and a big checkmark on the days you play. Whatever gets tracked, gets done.

Stage 3: Structured practice

Once you've got joy and consistency, stage three brings back what I call structured practice: scales, arpeggios, technical drills, and learning pieces tactically.

A word of caution: you may be tempted to skip straight here. But skip the joy stage and this feels awful. Skip the consistency stage and you'll only get here once a week, so it feels awful and doesn't work. The drills need consistency to pay off, and you need to enjoy the journey, otherwise being consistent will cost too much willpower.

Here's how I structure it, in percentages:

• First 15% on technical exercises. Scales, drills, the grind. Over time, this plus the last 15% becomes your new baseline.

• Middle 70% on songs and pieces. Starting a new piece, I listen to someone play it twice while following the score (works with tab too), marking good start and stop points in pencil. Then I pick one section a day: note the fingerings, fix what feels awkward, work through it slowly, and only then add speed.

• Last 15% on pure joy. DO NOT skip this. Not music you're working on and still learning, but something you already know that just feels good to play. It relaxes the tension out of your body and reinforces the habit. (Advanced players: this can be new pieces, but four or more levels below what you play. So like… a fun sight reading piece here and there.)

Two traps to avoid

The first is not knowing what to practice, so you guess, or replay the same songs hoping you improve. The second is waiting until you "have enough time." That's a trap. You don't need more time. You need the right things, done consistently, for a small amount of time.

And the right things look different for everyone. The full method, plus the exercises to plug in, is in the video.

FAQ

What should I practice on guitar every day? One or two technical exercises done deliberately for a few minutes on a timer, then music you enjoy for the rest of your time. The specific exercises depend on your goals. If you’re unsure of what to practice, book a time with Troy here.

How much time do I need to practice guitar each day? There's no fixed number. Find the bare minimum that still makes progress and make that your daily win. Any time you get to spend above that is a bonus.

How should I structure a guitar practice session? 15% technical exercises, 70% focused work on one section of a piece (or for longer sessions, split between two sections), and 15% playing music you already love to end relaxed. Do that last 15% no matter what to reset any tension you’re holding onto.

Do I need to practice scales and drills to improve? Eventually, yes, but not at first. Build joy and consistency before structured drills, or the drills can feel miserable and are less likely to stick.