Guitar Practice Routines: How I Stay Consistent

Practicing scales and arpeggios consistently might be the single biggest factor in whether or not you improve on jazz guitar. And they should probably be a major part of your guitar practice routines.

I’ve written about this before, but the truth is simple: you don’t need to practice for hours. Even 5–10 minutes a day can make a huge difference—if you’re focused on the right things.

So let’s talk about what an effective guitar practice routine looks like—especially when your time is limited and your goals are real.

Should You Follow a Plan or Improvise Your Guitar Practice Routine?

ar practice routines don't have to be overwhelming

Early on, I used to plan every detail of my practice routine. I had time blocks for scales, arpeggios, ensemble work, lessons—everything. I used a kitchen timer and stuck to the schedule because I had so many responsibilities.

But eventually, that got tedious. And more importantly, it stopped working.

What I found—for myself and for a lot of students—is that the more rigid the practice routine, the more likely you are to put it off.

As soon as I didn’t have to follow that schedule anymore, I didn’t want to. These days, I follow a loose structure—and it works better.

Here’s What That Looks Like:

I focus on one topic—chords, scales, or arpeggios—for about three weeks at a time.
All of my practice energy goes into that one skill.
If something urgent comes up (a gig, a school ensemble, etc.), I pivot to that.
Otherwise, I stick with the cycle.

If three weeks sounds like too much, start with one or two. The point is to go deep, not wide.

How to Build a Consistent Guitar Practice Habit

If you’re in music school, your routine kind of takes care of itself. But for the rest of us—working jobs, raising families, juggling hobbies—it’s really helpful to tie your guitar practice routine to something else you already do every day.

For a while, I practiced right after my morning coffee. (Like in my morning coffee practice routine…)These days, it’s after I drop my kid off at school. You could practice:

After dinner
After work
After the kids go to bed

Whatever you choose, just stick with it for a couple of weeks. Once it becomes a habit, it’ll feel weird not to practice.

The Best Way to Practice Tricky Guitar Material

“Tricky” could mean a tough scale, a difficult lick, or a hard section in a big band chart. But most of the time, what makes something tricky is unfamiliarity. So the goal is to make it familiar.

Method 1: Slow and Steady

Play it at a comfortable, easy pace—so slow that you can’t mess it up. The secret here is painfully slow at first. Over time, you’ll speed up naturally.

Be careful not to rush or get stuck in slow motion forever. Check in with yourself. Make sure you’re gradually increasing your speed without sacrificing ease and clarity.

Method 2: The 60–80–100 Method

If you want a more structured guitar practice routine for tricky material, try this:

Choose a short passage (no more than 2 measures).
Set your metronome to 60 bpm. Play each note as a whole note (4 clicks).
Move to 80 bpm, then 100 bpm—still whole notes.
Go back to 60 bpm and repeat the cycle with half notes, then quarter notes, then eighth notes.
Add in the real rhythm at the end, after you’ve nailed the finger movement.

This method builds control and muscle memory without tension—and it really sticks. I got this exercise from the book Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar by Jamie Andreas. Check out her site here.

Should You Track Your Guitar Practice Progress?

I used to keep a notebook of everything—what scales I practiced, my top metronome markings, and so on. That can be useful, especially if you want something tangible to point to.

These days, though, I mostly go by feel.

If I’m practicing daily, I remember where I left off. I know I’m improving when:

A passage starts to feel easier
I can play something more cleanly
It just sounds better when I jam or record

You don’t always need a spreadsheet to know you’re getting better.

Final Thoughts on Building Better Guitar Practice Routines

Here’s the big picture:

Follow a loose plan. Keep it flexible enough that you want to stick with it.
Drill tricky stuff slowly. Use painfully slow practice or the 60–80–100 method.
Track your progress if it helps—but don’t stress it. If you’re practicing consistently and challenging yourself, you will improve.

That’s the core of a practice routine that works.

What Should You Practice Though?

Knowing how to build a practice routine is great, but what are you actually going to practice? That’s where Jazz Guitar Weekly comes in – a free weekly jazz guitar lesson straight to your inbox.

Every Monday you’ll get a new jazz guitar lesson with simple, useful stuff you can use to sound better right away. Click here to check it out.

And as a bonus when you sign up, you’ll get my “5 Minute Jazz Guitar Warm Ups” ebook – absolutely free.