Daily Guitar Practice Routine

Practicing each day for at least 15 minutes to one hour is a good habit to get into. However, I know sometimes life has a way of stopping us from being able to practice each day. But it doesn't take long to get rusty when it comes to playing guitar. If I haven't picked up my guitar in a week or more it will show in my playing.

The good news is that it doesn't take long to get back on track with a little practicing. Sometimes it may even be a good idea to put the guitar down for a day or two if you become frustrated. There have been times where I am trying to learn a new lick or riff and I just can't seem to get it. That's when I'll put down the guitar and try again later. It always surprises me that when I come back to it later, I seem to be able to play it a little better than before.

Be prepared for your fingers to be sore, it will take some time for the skin on your fingers to thicken up, but you gotta pay your dues if you wanna play the blues, or rock, or country, or whatever.

Warming up

In this section I give a few exercises that you can do each time you practice to get you started. Repetition is the key to success for playing guitar, and most activities for that matter.

The warming up process is just playing a little easier material before pushing fast or strenuous playing to avoid potential tendon injury.

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Ideally, you should have gone through lessons 1 - 5 before you start this daily practice routine.

If you have not learned how to read tablature yet, then you can either continue practicing at whatever lesson you are on now or go to lesson 5 and learn about tab reading to understand the following exercises.

Using a Metronome

A metronome is a device that produces regular clicks or beats, settable in beats per minute (BPM).

The metronome is used for practicing by maintaining a consistent tempo with steady regular beats. You don't have to practice with a metronome and using one can be a bit boring and annoying, but it can help you become a very clean, accurate player. Using a drum machine can be more fun and you could substitute with it if you have one.

Some electronic tuners have a metronome built in to them. You can get one at any music store or find one here.

Korg TM40 Digital Tuner Metronome

You can also use a free one online here. Metronomeonline.com

Set your metronome, if you have one, to 60 bpm or as slow-fast as you can handle, as long as you can play without any mistakes.

Play each note of the exercise at the same timing as the clicks of the metronome.

You can play these exercises for as long as is comfortable for you. You can set a timer for 15 minutes for each exercise and you can set a goal to be able to play them with no mistakes until you reach a metronome setting of 120 BPM or higher.

I know these exercises may seem boring and may even annoy any listeners that may be nearby, but some of the greatest guitarists did these exact type of exercises everyday for a period of time until they developed and became an awesome guitarist.

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The following are "chromatic Interval finger strengthening and dexterity exercises". Chromatics are notes played in half step intervals. An Interval is a fancy name for spaces between notes or frets. This will help with your picking accuracy and left and right hand synchronization.

Try doing each exercise for about 10 minutes each.

Do this exercise in first position, then move it up a half step to the 2nd fret position and keep moving it up in half steps until you reach the 12th fret. Then work your way back in half steps back to first position.

Use all down picks for now. In level 2 there are more advanced picking techniques that you can learn.


This exercise uses string pairs. The first string pair will be the 6 and 5 strings in the first 4 measures. Do this string pair in first position, then move it up a half step to the 2nd fret position and keep moving it up in half steps until you reach the 12th fret. Then work your way back in half steps back to first position.

Then in the next four measures you move up to the 5 and 4 string and do the same thing. Then move up to the 4 and 3 and so on.


In this exercise you will go up the strings the same as in ex 1, then shift to the second position and go back down the strings starting with the fourth finger, then back up the strings from the third position starting with the 1st finger on the 6th string and so forth.

In level 2 you can learn scales that you can practice using these techniques as well.

Practice Chords and Strumming

Print out the chord chart.

Easy Chord Chart

Print out lesson 4 exercises to practice as well.

Practice the chords from the 3 keys.

Play 4 down strums for each chord in the key. You can use a metronome for strumming as well. Your goal is to be able to switch smoothly from one chord to another.

Key of C

C //// | Dminor //// | E //// | F //// | G //// | Aminor ////

The "F" chord may take some time to get. Lay your first finger down over the first two strings. Not curled for this chord. Keep trying, you will get it.

C //// | F //// | G //// | C ////

Key of G

G //// | Aminor //// | Bminor //// | C //// | D7 //// | Eminor ////

G //// | C //// | D7 //// | G ////

Key of A

A //// | Bminor //// | C#minor //// | D //// | E ////

A //// | D //// | E //// | A ////

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Daily guitar practice routine