Sharpen Your Focus: What to Practice (and What to Ignore) on Your Musical Journey

The world of music is a vast and seemingly infinite ocean. You could dedicate every waking moment to its study and still only scratch the surface. This beautiful reality, however, presents a challenge for aspiring musicians: with so much to learn, how do you choose what to focus on?

The truth is, effective practice isn't about cramming in as much information as possible. It's about strategic focus. I've seen this time and time again in my years of giving guitar lessons. Often, half the battle was guiding students away from distractions and towards the core elements that would truly accelerate their growth. The more laser-sharp your focus, the quicker you'll learn, and the faster you'll see real progress.

Of course, your specific goals and current skill level will influence your priorities. But there's a general framework of what to embrace and what to gently set aside, at least in the early and intermediate stages of your musical development.

Decide on specifically what you want to learn and define your long term goals

What You MUST Practice: Cultivating Depth

1. Pick a Style (and Dive Deep):

Resist the urge to be a musical tourist, flitting between genres. Choose one style that truly resonates with you and immerse yourself in it. Love rock music? Great! But recognize that rock encompasses many subgenres. Focus on the specific sounds you love. Trying to learn jazzy chords and swing rhythms when your heart is set on shredding metal solos will only dilute your efforts.

• Musical Example: If you're into classic rock like Led Zeppelin, focus on learning their blues-infused pentatonic licks (e.g., the solo in "Whole Lotta Love"), power chords, and the rhythmic feel of their songs (e.g., the groove in "Rock and Roll"). Don't get bogged down trying to learn intricate fingerstyle techniques more common in folk music. Yes, I know, Stairway To Heaven etc. but you get the point. Stick to rock first, learn fingerpicking second.

2. Stay at Your Level:

It's tempting to jump ahead to complex techniques and challenging songs. However, building a solid foundation is crucial. Master the basics before moving on to more advanced concepts. Trying to run before you can walk will only lead to frustration and bad habits.

• Musical Example: If you're just starting out on the guitar, focus on clean chord changes in open positions (e.g., C, G, D, Em) and simple strumming patterns. Don't immediately try to tackle sweep picking or tapping techniques seen in advanced metal.

3. Stick to Specific Techniques (Within Your Chosen Style):

Avoid spreading your technical practice too thin. Instead of dabbling in country fingerpicking one day and then trying to learn shred guitar solos the next, concentrate on techniques directly relevant to your chosen style.

• Musical Example: If your focus is blues guitar, dedicate your practice time to bending notes accurately (like in B.B. King's playing), learning blues scales and licks, and developing your vibrato. Don't spend time learning classical guitar arpeggios unless you specifically see them used in the blues you're studying.

4. The Core Building Blocks:

Within your chosen style, consistently practice these fundamental elements:

• Rhythm (Chords and Notes): Developing a strong sense of timing and groove is paramount. Practice playing chords in time and articulating individual notes with clarity and precision.

• Scales: Understanding the scales prevalent in your chosen style is essential for improvisation, understanding melody, and building your ear.

• Songs: Learning songs you love is the best way to apply the techniques and concepts you're studying in a musical context.

• Song Form: Understanding the structure of songs (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) will enhance your musical understanding and ability to navigate and even create music.

• Learning Clichés (of your style): Every genre has its characteristic phrases and licks. Learning these "clichés" will help you sound authentic and build a vocabulary within the style.

• Learning Licks (of your style): Transcribing and learning licks from your favorite musicians is a fantastic way to develop your ear and technique.

• Melody: Pay attention to the melodic content of the music you're learning. Understand how melodies are constructed and how they interact with the harmony.

• Chords: Learn the common chord voicings and progressions used in your chosen style. Understand their function and how they create different moods and feelings.

• Modern/Style Vocabulary: Stay up-to-date with the contemporary sounds and techniques within your genre.

• Music Theory (Relevant): Don't get bogged down in abstract theory. Focus on the theoretical concepts that directly explain what you're hearing and playing in your chosen style.

• Musical Example: If you're learning blues, understanding the concept of the dominant 7th chord and its role in creating tension and release is far more relevant than studying complex modal interchange used in jazz.

• Intervals and Patterns (Contextual): Learn intervals and patterns specifically as they apply to what you're currently working on.

• Musical Example: For blues, understanding the sound and shape of minor and major thirds and their use in creating the "bluesy" feel is crucial. Don't waste time memorizing all possible intervals in isolation.

Make sure to take notes, write out lists of what you're learning. Refer to textbooks, videos and tutorials to help you along the way

What Not to Practice: Avoiding Detours and Dead Ends

While curiosity is important, it's equally important to recognize activities that can hinder your progress, especially when you're trying to build a strong foundation:

• Writing Out (In Isolation): Scales, Chords, Intervals: Simply writing these out without applying them musically is an inefficient use of practice time. Focus on learning them by ear and by playing them in the context of music.

• Learning Old Vocabulary (Irrelevant to your style): While music history is valuable, spending excessive time learning harmonic practices from the 18th century won't necessarily help you play modern rock or pop effectively.

• Writing Out Chord Voicings (Without Application): Understanding chord construction is helpful, but spending hours writing out every possible voicing without then learning to play and hear them in musical situations is counterproductive.

• Arcane Ear Training: While ear training is vital, avoid exercises that are overly abstract or not directly applicable to the music you want to play. Focus on recognizing intervals, chords, and melodies within your chosen style.

• Music Theory (Irrelevant or Too Advanced):

• 18th Century Harmony: As mentioned before, unless you're specifically studying classical music from that period, this level of detail is likely a distraction.

• Not Related to Your Style: Don't delve into theoretical concepts that have little bearing on the music you're passionate about.

• Too Complicated: Avoid getting bogged down in overly complex theoretical concepts before you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals.

• Diminished Theory (Unless Relevant): While diminished chords have their place, if they aren't prevalent in your chosen style, focus on more common harmonic elements. Try not to down theoretical rabbit holes that have nothing to do with your style
• Songs Not in Your Style: Learning songs from completely different genres can be fun, but it can also dilute your focus and slow down your progress in your chosen style. Save these explorations for when you have a stronger foundation.
• Too Many Songs in Varying Styles: Jumping between jazz standards, bossa nova tunes, and heavy metal anthems in the same practice session will likely leave you feeling scattered and without a deep understanding of any of them.
• Random Solos/Chords: Learning isolated solos or chords without understanding their context within a song or style is less effective than learning them as part of a cohesive musical piece.
• Random Intervals, Patterns: Memorizing random intervals or scale patterns without applying them musically won't translate into practical skills.

The Path to Mastery: Focused and Deliberate

The journey of learning music is a marathon, not a sprint. By being deliberate and focused in your practice, you'll make more efficient progress and ultimately achieve your musical goals faster. Embrace the depth of one style before branching out. Master the fundamentals before chasing advanced techniques. Your focused efforts will yield greater results and keep you inspired on your musical adventure.