It’s obvious that you can’t get really good at anything without practicing, but when it comes to the question of how to practice things aren’t as clear. The fact is that there is no one-size-fits-all best approach to practicing, but whether you’re playing blues for recreation or to reach a professional level, here are some ideas that will help you get the most out of your efforts.

What is practicing?

Guitar players today tend to think of practicing in terms of technical exercises like scales and arpeggios, but traditionally, blues guitar players rarely if ever took that approach. Instead, they learned by copying more experienced players, whether a relative, a local performer, or from a record, and practiced by perfecting actual phrases and songs. The result is usually a narrowly-focused set of skills, but the blues tradition values style and personality over generic technique and what the great blues guitarists lack in terms of range they make up for in depth.