GUITAR TIP: 5 Common Practice Mistakes 

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PETITION FOR BRANDON TO UPLOAD HIS ELECTRIC GUITAR SHRED VIDEOS!! WE ALL KNOW THEY EXIST BRO CMON IVE BEEN WAITING SINCE I SUBSCRIBED TO YOUR CHANNEL

Brandon basically just summed up how to effectively practice not just for any instrument (as well as singing), but literally any skill that humans can learn, ever. Bravo to you, Brandon.

That metaphor at 1:24 about slowing down being likened to zooming in a painting.. should be taught to everybody when they first touch an instrument

I’m currently 17 and is practicing sweep picking while watching this video, the first tip made me stop! I love this channel so much hahaha

I see Bradon Acker as the Bob Ross of musical art

I had given up on the guitar permanently a literal half hour ago. Your video has encouraged me to try it again tomorrow, i never thought 'inspirational' content would actually inspire me. Thank you.

The gentlest, most musical vampire. ☺️

As a electric guitar player, I smiled when you mentioned sweep picking obssession at the age of 17. Story of my life. I will start practicing classical guitar when I finally get an acoustic.

heres how i learn guitar: hear a song>learn the song>practice 5 hrs a day>eventually play it well>put the guitar down until next year>forget the song>rinse repeat

My guy had a wrinkly shirt prepared just for this video

This video is not only really well made and informative but there is something about Brandon's demeanor that really makes this video feel so encouraging and gentle. Thank you so much for making this!

The best guitar teacher I had told me, "Perfect practice makes perfect." He gave me so many tips like these to improve my play.

me before the photo : Well this dude has always been on classic music stuff. *Brandon showing a picture of him at 17* me after the photo : Well, he definitely is more awesome than i expected.

I hope people appreciate and see the difference between a guitar lesson from someone with a degree in music studies and someone who just explains some frets and tabs on RU-vid. Your videos are so good and hope it reaches out to as many people as possible who want to learn guitar. Your explanations were the same ones that I received when studying classical guitar, and that was about 15 years ago. Happy to see that these practices are still used!

So thankful I found this channel. Picked up my first guitar 12 years ago, was a serious metal-head. Then came the rock music my father loved, next came the blues. I’ve recently picked up the Nylon String guitar and I have never been more in love.

I don't usually make comments on RU-vid videos but had to make an exception on this occasion... Thank you so much for your clear, simple and non-patronising advice. It's given me a much-needed boost to instil focus and discipline into my guitar practice. I'll let you know how I'm doing in 3 months time!

1:49 Metalhead Brandon is one of the things I never knew I needed to see, but now I'm glad I did.

This is my favourite guitar channel.

My 1st year university Music 100 course - we had to spend the first three months clapping to a metronome @ 60bpm for 3 full minutes. Every time we were on the beat the sound of the metronome disappeared into the clap. Idea was not to hear the metronome at all and you had "started" to demonstrate control over a basic element of music ... time. This video brought that memory back. Thanks!

Speaking as a violin teacher, once I got my violin diploma (weird progress system in greece but it's the final thing you get), I was completely lost. I always had a certain piece as my goal which pushed me to study and practice but after "finishing" everything it was extremely hard for me to get any better. Small goals and hard pieces you can progress on slowly are the best thing to have to motivate you and I wish it hadn't taken me a year or more after my violin diploma to realise that.

Its interesting to see sweep picking on a classical guitar.

Here's his points: 1 - Slow down You will hear your mistakes better, and will learn to play without them, quicker. 2 - Use metronome/drum machine "Anchor" yourself in a rhythm, just like you "anchor" your instrument in a certain tuning. 3 - Using metronome, play as slow as you need to play it well and comfortable. Speed up gradually, and you'll learn to play fast quicker (as weird as it sounds). 3.2 - Separate "practice" from "performance" When practicing, work slow on parts where you make mistakes. When performing, skip mistakes even if you make them. People listen to a whole piece and not to mistakes 4 - Set yourself goals that you can achieve in one practice session You won't feel as unaccomplished if you set small goals and progress on them fast. 5 - Introduce some structure to your practices. When you're up to commitment, make a journal and log your practices - what did you do, for how long, and what needs some work.

Watched Rob Scallons video on classic guitars, almost fell in love with Brandon when he plays the 275 000 guitar despite being confident in my sexuality, found this video and now im practicing on my guitar after not having touched it for 2 years. Probably the best fundamental guitar lesson videos ive had the pleasure to watch! Thank you soo much!

What’s to dislike?? Free lessons....really good quality as well. Brilliant info well explained!

You're like the big brother musician I never had, thanks so much sir

"If you can play it slow, you can play it quickly."

lmao he looked so badass at 17 thats hilarious

Great advice - for all instruments. My trumpet teacher used to say “Practice doesn’t make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect. Imperfect practice only re-enforces mistakes.” I would add one other tip. That is to isolate as well as slow down. Sometimes a mistake is more than one problem. By breaking down what appears at first to be a single mistake into all its parts we can really fix it. So, by ignoring all other problems for a while and focussing on another one, we allow our brains and bodies a chance to fix the one we’re focusing on much more effectively without being overwhelmed by too much at once. Eg. wrong notes, wrong timing or bad dynamics, fingering, technique,interpretation etc. Always initially focus on one thing only and fix that without worrying about others. And I mean not just one rough spot. Usually a mistake or single rough spot has multiple problems. Isolate each issue. Repeat with each problem and make your final focus be the putting of all the fixed problems together, to “iron out” the mistake. This is often harder than you might imagine and usually requires a drop in tempo on the first few attempts, but by isolating issues we can fix them much quicker than trying to fix everything wrong with say 1 bad bar, or a sloppy scale run. Chances are there are almost alway 2 or 3 smaller things going wrong - often even more. It’s also great for our mind and ear to learn the discipline of identifying the problems. If we can’t break things down and identify what’s wrong, it’s really hard (and slow) trying to fix them. And likewise, we can improve much quicker and effectively if we can identify problems and break them down into their smallest parts.

I love how passionate he is about guitar and music. He is such a nice guy and I just love to hear him speak. His calm voice and speaking flow really are something special!

Brandon, you're totally correct on every aspect. But for me as a self-learner was a total blast to understand how to really _focus_ on spotting mistakes. It's like a meditation. You can be really annoyed when playing same piece slow, repeat after repeat, you usually don't have visible progress, eyes and ears become "blurry". Sometimes frustration builds up. What's really helped me to stay focused is trying to play pieces differently(adding dynamic, accents etc) while playing slow. Recording yourself is another way to spot mistakes.

Wow! I play the mandolin, but there is no difference between guitar, mandolin, piano or violin when practicing. I've always heard that "practice makes perfect." I have only recently heard that PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (via TwoSet Violin). You have, to my ear, just described how to attain perfect practice. I'm going to follow everything you just stated. I wish I'd heard these things 6 decades ago. I might still be playing the guitar. Watching your videos has motivated me to start really practicing again. Thanks! One of the problems I have is a bit of arthritis especially in my fretting pinky which has been bent in towards my ring finger from years of use. You'll understand that when you get your bowlback fixed and start playing it. Another is building calluses on soft, mushy old fingertips. I have some Ace Brand sort of baseball tape I have cut in strips to bind my finger tips to keep the mushy pads off adjacent strings and focus the strings on just the tips. Old fingers are so annoying! I'm just now trying it. Anything you can suggest to help would be greatly appreciated, Brandon! Listening to you perform is a joy and your tips are fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and beautiful playing with us lesser mortals. Sincerely yours, Old Farty Goat 🐐

Brandon always looks like he would have some sort of foreign accent but then he just speaks with an American one

"Expose your greates weaknesses"...The best tip for the life. It seems that always we the guitarrists try to hide our weaknesses not just for the listeners but ourselves.

12:06 Brandon reveals his death note, which he uses to rid of bad sounding notes.

That which one has learnt for oneself, goes an important proverb and shares with others, makes one immortal. In this spirit of kindness, generosity of spirit and heart, Mr. Brandon gives us the best of himself. This is truly appreciated and many thanks for sharing with us.

i started out learning chords, then practiced finger picking with the chords I learned, then moved onto lead guitar parts in songs for slides and vibratos, went back to finger picking and learned Big Love for speed and now moving towards classical guitar. Going on 3 years now since I first started learning guitar, practice every day but never set a time for how long. Sometime I'd pick it up for 5 minutes but most of the time nowadays I play until my finger tips hurt lmao. So glad I decided to learn an instrument, made my furlough entertaining.

"I want to live *next* to Carnegie Hall so when people ask me for directions I can say 'practice, practice, practice, then make a left.'" - Demetri Martin

I've been playing and studying for 25 years now and what he says is 100% accurate. Weakness of human nature leads to those mistakes. When noone is there to disciplne you, you'll avoid the painful stuff like isolating and fixing the parts that dont work well. Thats the exact difference between a pro and an amateur.

This definetly won't be the last video from you I have watched. You ar e a brilliant teacher and my rescue.

Some of these tips are so great that you can actually apply it in almost everything in life.

his voice is giving me some asmr vibes

I've been playing for around 12 years. I also am a high school teacher for the past 27 years. A lot of your practice ideas come straight out of the school of pedagogy. This is the best video of guitar advice I've seen. Some of these things I had figured out some I had not. New players would be really wise to follow the advice given here. Very pragmatic and specific tools to improve. Just excellent. I just subscribed.

WHY DO I DISCOVER THIS CHANNEL ONLY NOW!! gosh the best classical guitar channel in the cosmos

What’s a metronome? ......A wee guy that lives on the Paris underground

Even for non-guitarists like myself (I'm an accordionist), this video can really help for other instruments as well.

This is the best practice plan explained without rushing through it that I have yet to see. Thank you!

Watching you play, it's very clear to me that playing classical, and ANY finger style acoustic guitar, is way, way more technical and skilful than most electric guitar techniques.

I got a squier strat when i was 15. I quit after only playing power chords, learnt some nirvana songs and tried some downtuning. I moved with my parents to a other house and never played guitar again. Im turning 18 this month and i got an old western from my girlfriend a week ago. I saw your video with rob scallon and the $275.000,- guitar. And now this, its realy motivating and i think im about to buy a nylon string.

This video is criminal for it is free high quality content

This guy seems to be a true gentleman and a scholar besides being an artist. Very soothing watching him.

1:48 Mad props for posting that photo. It took a lot of guts to do that. 👋

Forget about the Dr’s office… All you need to do is break down the fret board into minute segments against chords… Most people don’t care or want to put that much energy into the task at hand. Brandon is spot on. It’s a mind task…. Either you care to go down the rabbit hole… or you don’t… it’s a lot of work… but it can be so rewarding and a life changer…

I wish I had been taught this when I was trying to learn guitar about 40 years ago. My tutor never gave me this excellent advice. I never played anything well, and I gave up. Unfortunately now, painful fingers, thumbs and wrists prevent me from trying again. I've watched a couple of your videos and you have an excellent teaching manner. It's relaxing just to listen and watch, even if I can't apply your advice.

This is *the * method. Back in the day, I went to school for percussion. This is almost the exact method we used. The main difference is that our Instructor filled out the practice journal and served as the second voice of your inner monologue to help you spot and find a good approach for problem spots. Fast forward a few years, and I'm getting a welcome recap on these skills after picking up guitar (marimbas are proper expensive). Thank you for putting excellent methods out there for more people!

What a perfectly disciplined man (at least thru regular habits when the camera is on bc i dont know this man ofc.) 1. Makes sure to look into the camera and stay there 2. Obviously musical discipline 3. Voice and facial expressions THIS MAN HAS A PRACTICE JOURNAL. Didnt even call it a book. Issa JOURNAL. Thats like 1 vocab level from callin it a ledger. Im joking but great vid. Love learning here.

Ohhh the obsession of sweep picking + tapping at crazy speed. My secret was making them even faster so it appeared like I was doing something extremely cool but you could hear only noise :D

Guitar teacher: Learn everything slowly Also Guitar teacher: charges by the hour Job security intensifies...

This is classical guitar education for free Wonderful advices , high quality content Couldn’t be more grateful

I feel like you were personally speaking to me. I cannot thank you enough for this video. BRAVO

Subscribed, because after a long time I found a speaker is speaking the way a good human being should speak.

Your delivery and pacing is so calming. This actually makes me want to do something I find frustrating like practicing a difficult piece. Your style of presentation is perfect for what you're trying to do.

This, and all Brandon's 'tip' videos, are so informative and inspiring eg. myth busting, warm up and so many more. Thank you for your contributions to the guitar playing community.

Thanks for the tips Count Acker

But now you are a great player and teacher :D. I played guitar all my life, but bad. And now, at my 50s, I am taking things slow and it works, just like you say. Thanks for sharing this information! Keep doing the good job!

If you were teaching about python and Dijkstra's algorithm I'd swear up and down you were my Algorithms professor. This is gold.

Your channel has made me fall in love with my guitar and piano practice again. I can see how passionate you are about guitar and music in general and that helped me remember why I started playing music in the first place! Practicing felt like drudgery for a long time and your teaching has helped me be learn to practice really effectively so I can get the most out of it. You have helped me to be patient with myself while I'm learning something, no matter how long it takes for me to figure it out. From what I can see, you are the best guitar teacher on RU-vid and one of the best teachers I've ever had. Thank you.

Absolutely precious advice, thank you

Thank you so much for sharing with us.

Wow I'm stunned! You give us such a guidance in learning how to play guitar and you do it in the best way possible. I wish you finding as much joy in creating these videos as we do while watching them :)

I'm watching this realising that I've been playing in some kind of practiformance mode all the time.. this video really helps to improve overall, very good explanation

Excellent, thank you Brandon.

You have literally answered all of the questions that I’ve had for more than 10 years. I always knew what I was doing wrong, but I could never tell how to solve it until now. You are a true maestro!

Thank you. I've been playing on and off for over 12 years now and it's only recently that i felt the need to really step up in my commitment and to try new things. You are really helping to keep me motivated.

Excellent video. Thanks for putting it together.

👍 I like the peaceful telling of the way! Thank you.

you're such a sweet heart your voice conveys this well, so positive and kind

Wow, I never realized how much I could be improving, I surely would be adopting all these tips in my practice routine, thank you so much dude

Fantastic presentation, very helpful !

Happy to have you on RU-vid thank you !

Unbelievably useful practice tips! I wish I’ve known them years ago. I also applied them to my piano playing. Thank you very much Brandon! Cheers!

Without a doubt, one of the most informative and clearly articulate/detailed explanation of how to practice accordingly! Refreshingly assuring video! Thanks for your expertise and advice

Very precious comments and tips. Thanks a lot.

Thank you so much for the precious tips.

I really appreciated the idea of performance mode/fun mode vs practice mode. This is definitely something I need to hone in on because I often catch myself messing up something in a song and playing on, and in my head I'm often like "practice that part", but I so often just keep playing on. So silly. Thanks for pointing this out.

The way you speak is so soothing!

Another fantastic video. Thank you for posting.

Thank you for explaining and sharing with us your technics!!!!

What a great video. For such an accomplished player to explain this in detail and with such humility is so gratifying. So many musicians treat others of lesser abiltiy and experience with disregard or condescension; Brandon is not one of those.

Wow this video helped me realize a bunch of stuff I was doing wrong during my practice. Thanks for helping me improve and stay motivated :)

Thank you, looking forward to this new adventure!

Such a great video and clear explanations. Thank you Brandon.

Hey Brandon, I'd like to offer a video idea: You should talk about straight wrists, I see a lot of players with REALLY overbend wrists and always wonder how they do not have issues with wrist pain yet as I had..... The placement of the ellbow is a pretty neglegted topic in many many youtube videos (in my opinion) and I think you are one of the best persons to talk about that, in classical guitar position and in the "modern style" on the right knee I hope you think this is a good idea, too and so do other viewers. Best regards from Germany Cheers

Maybe best guitar teacher ever, I feel like I have made a new friend, in addition to finding a mentor and a source of much-needed inspiration! Thank you Brandon, for such well-made lessons.

EXCELLENT! I always tell new students (piano, here), "You have to be stubborn. You must also be patient." I have music from the 60's with my teacher's scrawl on some pages - "Slow Down!!!" Some lessons have me walking a student through their own practice session. Good job, siir. Your videos are a pleasure.

1:52 NANI!!! I always imagined you to be a classically trained perfectionist in your childhood but this is so different in a very good sense!

Man, thank you so much for all the amazing material you're uploaded. I would gladly pay for in-person lessons from you and I feel extremely lucky to be able to watch your videos for free. I often feel like the internet is slowly destroying us as human beings, but work like yours restores my faith to a very large degree. Please keep up your amazing work.

Love your new intro!

THANKS!! this is a great video, very clear and usefull.

What a genuinely good channel... Love it.