Setting up the spot that you practice is crucial to getting the most out of your practicing and could help make it easier to get into a daily rhythm of practicing. I’m going to focus on Guitar for the most part, but these tips can be used with just about any instrument.
Make Your Guitar Accessible and Visible
This whole article will be about creating a space where you can just go and practice. The idea is to be able to just sit down and play. The first part of that is to put your instrument in a place where it is visible and fairly easy to just pick up. If you put your guitar in a case and then in a closet, then you have to go through a few steps just to start practicing. If you put your case on the floor near your practice area or better yet, put your guitar on a stand you have a much smaller barrier to entry and are much more likely to practice.
Having your guitar visible and accessible makes for a little spontaneity in your practice time. Imagine seeing your guitar, thinking about a song you have practiced and then be able to pick the guitar right up play through it a little bit and then put it back down. You just practiced and it probably took less than two minutes.
Every time you are able to pick up your instrument and do something, anything on it, you are improving and gaining experience. These little sessions by making this one change can add up to major results in the long run.
Go Ahead, buy the nice music stand
If you find yourself using an iPad, Phone or actual sheet music, invest in a nice music stand. I know I have personally lost more time and patience fighting with those flimsy cheap stands that throw your music on the floor and are made of the cheapest metal possible that breaks or bends after I few uses. I’m sure your local music store has pushed these on you when you purchased your instrument, but do yourself a favor and buy one of these durable varieties that only cost a little more.
Have a Speaker Close By
Many times you are going to want to listen to the songs you are playing so have a speaker or headphones close by can help you with making sure you are playing your favorite songs accurately! This can be accomplished with the speaker on your computer, ipad or phone as well, but sometimes you need a little extra volume.