Does anyone have any tips on how to improve their ability to truly concentrate with your full potential during a practice session? I find some days I concentrate better than others, and to be quite honest I have no idea why it's like this. One day I will start to practice and I will click right away and be set for the rest of the session, but other days I will try to concentrate with all my might and I still can't focus in on what I'm working on. This lack of control is extremely frustrating because It's a terrible feeling to practice 8 hours a day but feel like you've done 4. I really appreciate any advice, because without intense concentration it feels pointless to practice heavily.

Sir,

What you may be experiencing is similar to many people. Speaking for my self, when I have to be accountable for my playing either at a group practice , getting ready for a public gig or accountable for an assignment to an instructor is when I am most focused. When I do not have a specific goal for a length of time I find what you describe to happen a lot. Self motivation, coffee and the will to succeed is alway good, however getting others into the picture where you feel accomplishment by contributing is alway helpful. This has been my experience. I alway remember the cramming for tests or work assignments, someone counting on me, alway extremely focused. Now the other point is being over the top which is another subject.

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

Steve

YEAH!
Cramming for tests...I know that one very well...lol.
I remembered one time I forgot I was having a test until 3 hours before.....the concentration level was equal to a pack of Hyenas catching the scent of a dead Gazelle! Instant memory.
But...Stephen hit it on the head with his explanation.

Thanks for the help I Really appreciate it. How would you describe the "Over The Top" state of concentration?

Something you might want to try...kidding aside....
RUN a half an hour before you practice.
I did this for about a year when I was back at 8 hrs a day and it did very well for me.
Concentration for me was heightened right after running.
Hope it works for you.

Over The Top.....
Maybe if you had electrodes attached to your certain parts and every time you screwed up....ZAPPP!
LOL

Everyone may have a different opinion of over the top. I suggest when you seek instant gratification with disregard of positive long term advancement. It can also lead to burn out, depression and physically injury. This could be over stimulation for the sake of accomplishing beyond repetitive practice or out playing the moment. Of course it works but the aftereffect can be unpredictable, only speaking from several repeated attempts and experience. We all learn from our mistakes of course too (at least I am attempting to stick to this better and better).

Keep in mind on concentration,a professional musician brings home the bread and pay the bills, so one must seriously produce or find another profession. Also the fastest way is getting the best possible advise based on your goals from a top instructor. I have chosen Pebber for obvious reasons related to my specific situation and its helped me keep focused as such. I play as a hobby, do play live on regular basis, practice with a group weekly and practice daily as much as practical.

Best Regards,

Stephen

I suggest you look into Time Frames, they will skyrocket your endurance and productivity.

http://truefire.com/forum/showthread.php...-Howard-roberts

Afterwards you can beginn experimenting with lightning, temperature, different times of the day, and some form of meditation, thus creating your own rituals, there is a media for the average human, but you always want to find the perfect enviroment for you!

And remember do not neglect oxygen in the room (fresh air) and getting enough sleep.

I had a 5 year old student enroll yesterday, we had a short conversation to start the lesson:

Me - 'How many times a week should you practice guitar?'

Student - 'Everyday!'

Me - 'Good, and how long do you think you should practice for?'

Student - '...For more hours than in existence.'

Me - 'Well we only have 24 hours in a day...how many of those should be used for practice?'

Student - '16 hours.'

He might only be 5 but he is thinking the same way as a lot of people in this world. Until you dive in you can not know how deep the water is. 16 hours to a 5 year old is the same as 10 minutes waiting at the doctor's office...you could probably say the same thing for teenagers and many adults as well.

If you are physically struggling to attain your practice goals then you need to increase your time in small increments. Sleep, physical exercise etc are all side issues, they can increase the quality but not so much the quantity of your practice. If you can only manage an hour then aim for 90 minutes or maybe 70 minutes if you are really having trouble.

Also, do not get trapped into the cycle of watching the clock. Set aside a time for practice and do not let anything disrupt that. I used to set an alarm for say 1 hour, either side of that alarm and I could not practice. This made me hungry for more practice and made me make the most of the time I had each day.

Interesting topic. My knee-jerk reaction would be to say "You know you have to practice many hours a day so just shut up and do it" but, reading the replies here, I paused to think about what concentration really is. Like most people I have practiced different hours throughout my life. 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 whatever, at different points in my life. And I never sat down to think about why I was doing it or how I was doing it, only that I knew I had to do it and, above that I really wanted to do it and enjoyed it...for the most part.

Pebber told me "Remove all distractions from your life and just play guitar" and I think THAT is what concentration is. Very difficult. But, you need to set aside some time during the day where you are not worried about calling your friends, worrying about paying your bills, worrying about what your girlfriend is doing, and so on.

Once you can sit and have no other concerns but playing guitar, then you will be concentrating on playing guitar. Try some basic meditation. There are videos on youtube of people leading you through some basic meditation skills.

Pebber,

Having seen you play on youtube I do not doubt that you have done some serious hours. The point I was making is that most people do not know what it means to do that kind of work.

I think one of the best videos on your youtube channel is the hour long video covering just picking skills. That video gave an insight into real practice, and that was basically the warm up. It would be a big ask but I think a 7-8 hour companion video featuring all the skills in a real time 'practice session' would be a real winner. That way students could practice for the duration of the dvd and truly experience those kind of hours.

Great stuff, will have to get my hands on those.