Creating the perfect guitar practice space

The prime answer is: accessibility. We guitarists love to play, but the routine of structured practice can often lead to procrastination and stalling. The littlest thing such as having a place in which we can be ready and rockin‘ within moments is sometimes all we need to ignore any excuses and get straight down to the task at hand.

A dedicated practise ‘station’ can encourage more frequent practise too. Studies have also revealed that smaller 5 & 10 minute bursts of learning can be of huge benefit to mastering any skill. Sitting down in an environment which is solely created for the guitar is also a great way to become more focused and inspired; leaving the outside world behind, even for a short time, and experiencing the mindfulness of being nothing more than a guitarist at one with the music (how very Zen!).

Firstly, have everything you need within easy reach. If your guitar is tucked away in its hard case somewhere or your amp isn’t ready to go, then these strange little obstacles can really make the difference when cramming in extra practise sessions.

Be sure that you can be up and running as quickly as possibly, with the flick of a switch or two. The best set up for this is your guitar/guitars of choice on a stand and your amp set up with a neat cable sat on top of it at arms reach from a comfy chair.

In addition to your obvious guitar, amp and pedals, ensure that you have all the tools which you’ll need for a useful and fun session. If you are using backing tracks or video lessons; make sure your playlist/favourite learning platform is only a click away, your device is charged and ready to go, or your media player is able to restart your favourite lesson/track from the push of a button.

It is funny how a snapped string or the death of a cable can bring an end to your guitar one to one time. Have spares to hand; create some storage for picks, strings, cleaning items, guitar cables and batteries if needed.

Always have something which can create a beat within grabbing distance too. Backing tracks are the end goal for performance and improvisation; however, be sure to set up instant access to a metronome (apps and online metronomes are a great free resource). Have your DAW open at the beginning of your session with a drum track ready to go. If you are old school, a drum machine is the perfect alternative. This is vital for keeping your focus and direction. We are all guilty of picking our way through new material and familiarising ourselves with fresh new riffs & licks with nothing more than some intermittent foot tapping as accompaniment. Firing up a beat will give everything you practise more rhythmic value, improve your timing and stop you from getting distracted. You’d be amazed how much progress you can make in 5 minutes of looping a riff round with a slow steady beat!

Slightly off topic, but valuable nonetheless; have a humble pen and paper to hand. Make notes of the the speeds you practised at, song ideas, new goals, areas which you want to improve etc. Most importantly - combine these into a mini plan and pin it somewhere for your next practise session. Its always easier to set tasks for your future self!

Aside from having all your top choice guitar gear on hand, there are a few things which help you get in the ‘zone’ a little quicker.

Firstly, set up a ‘one size fits all’ working guitar tone. If you are learning something new, then slathering your sound with gain and lots of time based effects can cover up signs of your progress or areas where you can tweak and improve. Go for something pleasing and inspiring, but which encourages you to play more accurately - boost the mids, roll back the drive a little, or take it easy on the reverb! You‘ll appreciate that gooey guitar sauce all the more when it comes to performance time!

‘If it’s too loud, you’re too old!’ might be true when it comes to showtime, but do your ear drums a favour and use a smaller amp or load box/attenuator to get good tone at less than shouting volume! This isn’t simply to keep the peace with your neighbours or significant other, but it has been found that practising at high volumes for extended periods of time in a smaller space knocks your focus off kilter and can create a kind of mental exhaustion.

Remember those heady days as a kid, when you would lock yourself in your poster adorned bedroom and jam for hours? Now we’re talking! Your practice space needs to be a haven; a shrine to all things guitar! Framed posters, charts, album artwork etc all help you reconnect to the reason you first picked up a guitar! Set the mood too - whatever puts you in a creative frame of mind; quirky lighting, candles, skulls; it’s all good! It has never been said that guitarists make the best interior decorators, so don’t expect anyone else in the house to appreciate your guitar cave!

If possible, a place with plenty of natural light is the way to go; as this is known to help boost your attention span. The inverse is true also, try not to practise anywhere with hard artificial lights as you will tire easily and lose concentration. It may be channeling you inner hippie, but plants have been said to help concentration levels and learning (not the plastic kind!), hence the reason so many offices have them on display. Perhaps a well placed Yukka might help you nail that Satriani solo? Stranger things have happened!

Now, more than ever, there are a plethora of modern distractions which can put a dampener on your guitar mojo! The last thing you need at the climatic moment when you are just about to master that ambitious lick is an email notification about life insurance or a telemarketing call! Use your phone & computer as learning aids, but turn your notifications off, shut down social media tabs and set your phone to do not disturb. You don’t want anything pulling you back into the ‘real world’ when you are practising; otherwise, before you know it you have been watching videos of skateboarding dogs for the past 24 bars!

Hopefully these pointers provide another step towards guitar practice enlightenment!