A very important principle to practice guitar is relaxation. BEFORE even starting to play your instrument, you need to totally relax, because tension will cripple speed, accuracy and technique.

Being a self-taught guitar player, I spent many years practicing without even realizing this simple advice. Once I found out how to be aware of the tensions in the body and learned how to relax, my skills really improved. So I recommend you start every practice session by first making the choice of being relaxed.

Sit on your practice bench or chair and hold your instrument. Now close your eyes and breathe in deeply, hold the air 2 seconds and let go the air and the tensions. Feel your shoulders and arms relaxed, feel your fingers light as air. You can also try this: close your eyes and be aware of your body, starting on the head, and all the way down to your feet.

Okay after this, you should start playing your drills and exercises or songs. But it is very important that you spot any tension while playing. On a concert you can do whatever you like, but must work on relieving tension during practice time. This may be hard to do at first but it is something that will improve every aspect of guitar playing, and will make it even more enjoyable! Sometimes the excess of tension can wear us down quickly and shorten our practice sessions.

Stretches will also help your hand’s muscles relax, and will condition your hands so you avoid injury after practice. After a while, relaxation will be achieved immediately, you’ll become a master at controlling your muscles and you will enjoy the grace and ease of movement of a great guitar player.