“How often should my son/daughter practice to get the most out lessons?”

The simple answer is:

EVERY DAY!

The long answer is EVERY DAY, at least 15 to 30 minutes for beginners and 1 to 2 hours for the advanced player. The important thing for students at any level is to structure your practice to get the most out of it. I like to divide my practice schedule into three equal parts:

• Warm-Up Exercises and Scales
• Reading
• Playing Chords and Songs

Before I even pick up the guitar in the morning I try to set a goal for myself, no matter how simple it is. Sometimes it is reading through a page of new music; sometimes it is playing a warm-up for five or ten minutes straight to develop better technique; sometimes it is to sit down and compose a new piece and not stop until I finish. To work on your sight reading, read a new piece ever day.

Always remember the reason why we sat down in the first place: TO HAVE FUN MAKING MUSIC!

Don’t waste too much time playing exercises or scales. Make sure you play at least one song per day.

Take a tip from The Melvins frontman Buzz Osbourne:

Also, for all you Guitar Heros out there. For every song you “play” on Guitar Hero, why don’t you pick up the real guitar and play a song! I’m serious. I know students who can play dozens of songs on Guitar Hero, but can’t play an entire song on guitar. With practice you’ll grow up to be a real Guitar Hero.