Who else, besides me, struggles to find the time to practice their instrument? Why is it so difficult? Well, if I analyze my day, it's easy to see the problem. Hi, I’m a working husband and father of three, nice to meet you! Every possible moment between 5am and 8pm is spoken for, with important stuff, stuff that can’t be rescheduled or handed off. By 8pm I’m done, spent, that’s it! Why are we so busy these days? Why am I so busy? There has to be time somewhere. I’m jealous of the people I see on Facebook that have hours to spend every day, honing their musical craft. Do these people work?
Please don’t expect to find the magic solution here, because I don’t have it. The best I can offer is some advice that I too need to consider and put to use. Find a few 10-minute gaps in your day and make the most of them. Have a practice plan that keeps you working towards your goals. Can you keep a guitar at the office? Of course, you have to have access to your instrument, so work that out ahead of time so no practice time is wasted. I say this like it’s all going to be easy, but it won’t be. It will require desire, discipline and dedication. This isn’t ideal, but it’s better and more satisfying than not doing anything at all.
At home, one thing I have a problem with is the idea that my rig isn’t set up perfectly, I don’t want to play. I recently found a solution to this, though it wasn’t perfect, it broke down the barrier and got me practicing again. I can’t always get to the basement to play my full electric guitar setup, so I made a compromise for those quick moments during commercials or when I get inspired to get an original idea out of my head and into the air. I simply put an acoustic guitar in my living room. That way, if I can’t get to my electric rig, I can still play a favorite acoustic tune or write something cool… AND, I can always grab the acoustic and take it outside on the patio and make some noise.
Another option is have your electric sitting next to the couch plugged into an effects processor with a headphone output. This is an awesome way to get inspired with proper electric tones and most of these units at least have a small amount of recording functionality built in. With this, you can maybe record a snippet of rhythm guitar and work on some solo noodling whilst relaxing between kids' bedtime and your bedtime.
You’re busy too! How do you make time to practice? Give us your thoughts on this topic on our Facebook Page, under the thread titled “The Practice Struggle is Real”
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