How To Practice Guitar So That You Learn Faster (Even If You're Ancient) 

Best guitar teacher in the world, in my opinion.

Agree, I'm 70 and had a desire to learn guitar. Mr. COMISKEY has me playing and learning guitar. I bought his book and it's so cool, pure easy if you read it and apply it. I practice and I'm so proud. Never too old. Thank you

Watching Labamba at about 4yrs old!! The guitar has had me ever since!!!

Thank you young man each time I tune in to your vids , I learn, I am 75 and you help folks more than you, thank you again, be safe and stay well😊

This channel deserves millions of subscribers , Ricky makes everything so much easier to digest 👍

You are among the best ! But it is so touching that a huge part of your life as you see it is to teach and pass your knowledge on. Much love to you Ricky!

This learning pattern definitely works. I discovered it long ago, though not in this sort of detail. Ricky has thought through, parsed it out, and explained it in a way that has improved my understanding and practice of it.

My catalyst is learning beautiful music or songs that strike a desire to learn!

Ricky, you are really a brillant tutor, guiding me through this difficult moment and encouraging what I had to do by improving my guitar playing method. But I must admit that the learning process is a long journey, but I am slowly getting there. Thanks for motivating me. You are definitely fantastic in teaching guitar lessons. Many thanks, Aslam.

16:30 This whole exercise is so simple and so totally brilliant and eye-opening-as so much of your teaching is, Ricky. Thank you so much!

I don't remember what drove me to play guitar as a kid, but I do know what made me pick it back up and stick with it: an interview with Tommy Iommi, in which he talked about how he kept playing after his accident. I have extremely small hands for a guitarist and used to always get frustrated about it because everything seemed so unfairly hard for me to learn. I hardly ever feel frustrated about it now, and playing Iommi's arrangements of sabbath songs always cures any lingering negative feelings. Musically I'm always finding new catalysts... I hear new songs I'd like to learn to play all the time. Thanks for the advice, Ricky. I'm relieved to find out I do most of the stuff naturally when I practice is actually the right thing after all.

Great lesson and wise counsel Ricky. My catalysts have changed throughout my life. Seventeen years old I started by learning Country Blues and rags off a Stephan Grossman LP and tab book borrowed from a friend at school. It came quite easily but I had no theory knowledge at all, having learnt the finger picked instrumentals by wrote like following a knitting pattern. Then I wanted to sing over the guitar parts so listened to the original songs plus the guitar parts. Later I was very shy of performing in public so I tried to learn enough theory to join a sort of Play Music evening group and not seem musically clueless. That became a new catalyst but I'm still working out picked blues songs, rarely learning from instruction books anymore. After retirement I felt ready to join a covers band and play in public so from acoustic guitar I tried to get into electric rhythm and lead but I needed a much deeper understanding of theory, like using the entire fretboard with CAGED chords, triads, double stops and a whole load of new manual skills: Vibrato, accurate bends on lighter strings, ear training etc. That is what I'm struggling with right now whilst playing live and trying not to mess up too much and not let the band down. Putting yourself under pressure really concentrates the mind on research and practice. Seventy years old now and having so much fun playing with great players and singers. Still nauseous and nervy before going on but it's getting easier every time. 👍

Falls jemand draußen Gitarren spielen lernen möchte, dann kann ich diesen wunderbaren Gitarrenguru und Lehrer Ricky Comiskey empfehlen. Er ist einmalig und super, wenn es um die Theorie und Musiknoten handelt, die er so wunderschön auf englisch einem erklären kann. Er verdient einen großen Respekt für seine Erklärung. Vielen Dank, Ricky. Du bist der aller Beste.

i bought your book and having fun learning after years of going in circles. i play for my own amusement so not in a rush. your style of teaching is great

Hi Ricky I played classical guitar for several years when i was young. Unfortunately, I only learned to play sheet music and never understood the construction behind music. Thanks to your teachings (in a delicious, unique and pleasant style), I am starting to understand how music and the mechanics of my guitar really work AND I had some nice chuckles. Thanks for the lessons, i've found them to be incredibly enriching. I've had my first RU-vid binge-watch experience on your channel... Take pleasure in a well-deserved cup of coffee ("💸") and be sure to enjoy it with a delicious cookie :-)

This particular video has got me fired up and I’m not even finished with it yet. Everything you’ve said really makes a lot of sense.

I'm in serious SERIOUS need of a practice regiment

Incredibly helpful ! Thank you !!

I Agree. Lots of resources out there. But nothing that is as clear, as concise, as complete as Ricky’s. Fab!

Probably the most important lesson you will ever watch. Brilliant Ricky.

So helpful!

Thank you Ricky.

This was great information. Thank you so very much!

Thanks Ricky ......probably the lesson I most need at the moment.

Practice makes permanent

Ricky, I am going to use this information to start focusing my practice today. I can see my weak areas and this breakdown of steps is awesome! Also great to be able to follow along when you reference a page in your book. Thanks!

Thanks Ricky-great information. Practical and ready to use-love it!

I really like the way you teach. Thank you.

Ricky your lessons are amazing and you are such a great guy and teacher. Please keep em coming . ❤

Thank you ! For many of us, a father figure :) ! You're a great teacher.

Yes, I think too much before actually doing

Nailed it ---> Crossroads… thanks Ricky!

You remind me of my A Levels Chemistry teacher some 45 yrs ago in Morecambe, a middle-age gentleman by the name of Mr Hornby from Oldham who would go out of his way every time to make sure the subject made sense and in the process enjoyable. Fast forward after slightly more than 1/2 a century when I first picked up the guitar, with the miracle of the internet, I have the opportunity to study from a guitar guru equally passionate and dedicated right here in my living room in Malaysia. You're easily the best guitar guru on the Net sir. Keep it up. Thank you very much 🙏

absolutly brilliant,,,not saying anything till I get stuck in for a few weeks... I need the book soon....

My catalyst was that magical feeling when i heard style of classical guitar. Fireplace generic chord strumming and singing never appealed to me, so i never thought about learning guitar when i was younger. And then, years later i heard... i think it was recuerdos de la alhambra. That single thing pushed me to buy a cheap guitar and start my journey. As my catalyst was closer to classical guitar, i didnt bothered to play with pick. I carefully assigned my fingers to each string (pima) and tried to apply it to every thing i played. Lot of things from my journey resonates with techniques shown in this video. You are a great teacher. Thank you

I paused this video to practice.😅 Love you, Ricky! The two string approach is great. The 7 is my favorite it seems.

Hello Ricky, Glen from Canada, Just bought your You Tube Book. Awesome methods! I needed a jolt of different thinking and thoughts about the guitar!! Refreshing!! Thankyou!

Wow Ricky so far you the best teacher , TQ so much

Correct 😊

I was just watching this and you mentioned page 72, so I went and got your book from my guitar room, and would you believe it, my book mark was in page 📄 72 for tomorrow. Now that’s a spooky coincidence. Keep on rockin Ricky 🤟🎸👍

You are thebest teacher by far I want to purchase you book

Love you Ricky from Nepal

“perfect” lesson. If I had a dime for the times I heard, “just play” o Gawd

I did piano lessons for 3 years (11-14 ) then we moved and the piano was sold. I loved making music, so I bought a crappy old classical guitar and put steel strings on it with obvious results. Age 17 I saw Rory Gallagher live at the Jazz club in Redcar. As soon as I left home I bought a decent Yamaha. 50 years on I am still playing blues, and bought a new Yamaha transacoustic, now playing more than ever. (still looking to improve)

Yep

I always say practice makes permanent

Ricky, this session really underlined a lot of things for me. I don’t have the time to practice for hours and hours, so every time I pick up my Martin Jumbo acoustic (which is hanging on the wall next to my desk, I practice something I need to improve. At the moment I am working on alternate picking… Question: Does the pick remain in a fixed position in relation to the strings? or does the angle change when moving from one string to the next? I have looked through your brilliant book, but can’t seem to locate this precise topic. Any tips? You are an excellent teacher - love your enthusiasm and your hunger to share your talents: thank you so much!! 😊

As an ex-driving instructor, this whole cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), is so familiar. I was deploying these techniques, and the GROW acronym, twenty years ago. Breaking-down a process, say, slowing down and stopping, into individual micro processes, and becoming competent in each process, is exactly what you’re describing here for guitar, and it’s logical. Learners/guitar players, etc, need to know what questions to ask, then come up with options as to how they can proceed/improve. Essentially, you’re encouraging people to work it out for themselves. This is a good lesson, which I’m sure will help a lot of people. If you haven’t already Ricky, I would strongly suggest attending your local college and taking a six week or so teacher training course, I’m sure you would benefit. Really enjoyed this lesson.

I've heard measuring tape & tape measure. Similar to " Kaypo" or "Cappo". It's all good.

Starting at 20:10 and then at 20:50 sounds like "Swamped" by Lacuna Coil

My catalyst is Eddie. When he past , I was crushed but I wanted to pick up the guitar for him, keep the music playing. I always wanted to play the minute I saw him but mom just had enough money to keep food on the table I'm gonna be ,56 soon. Playing and learning since lockdown

Great videos. Is it possible to get faster as an older player (54)/ should older players stay away from music that requires a lot of fast or complicated moves?👍

Ok so I went from 4 years to 3 years to 4 months to 4 hours. I am hoping to get to the moment where I can catch up to you right up to the moment. I am a retired person who always wanted to get into music but was always stopped for one reason or another. I am a drummer who writes lyrics and was taking composing lessons on piano. I always had a guitar but I am a lefty with my right handed guitar switched over to lefty. And I found a really good lefty chord book but one day I stumbled on one of your videos. You started off saying how you yammer on ( and boy do you ever do) , but at the end of the video I learned more than I have in the past 15 years of having a guitar and not getting anywhere. My only problem is my hands going numb ( I can't believe you just mentioned this as I am typing this). Also I am still having trouble understanding the CAGED system along the fret board. I understand the concept but I have trouble remembering all the shapes and often my hands get numb from arthritis and it is hard to keep the shapes. But since I started watching your videos people I jam with have noticed how much I improved. The only thing is when they try to keep me to the first 4 frets ( 1st position?) my hands get numb. I do better when I freestyle but haven't a clue what I am playing; but now not as much. I live on the East Coast in the U.S.A. Connecticut precisely if you are familiar with Yale University I live very near to it. I am hoping to catch you when you're live and I also want to join . Don't know if I have to pay to join so I have to do it when I have money. And I can't believe you are talking about the problems I am having with my hands as I am typing this. One day I told one of the people I was jamming with that " the problem is as a drummer I know the timing, and the beats but having trouble getting the right notes." When I got home that night you did a video called " playing guitar from a drummer's point of view" or something like that. I been looking for that video ever since.

I had one child that had nasty learning problem. He could not remember something he just read 5 minutes ago. We tried everything. Finally we tried having him record what he read and then play that back to him.. Something about him hearing himself read made him remember it.

If you're going on a musical trek you need Ricky's I GROW C map. The map can do a limited number of things Good to know; but it can't do everything Good to know what it can't do! because that points you to the next musical trek- Good to know!

There is no spoon! 😄😄😄

I wish I could play good improvised lead over a blues track, from minor to major riffs, my playing just sounds like a pentatonic practise exhibition.

when are your Spiral Bound books going to come back?

39:00 Funkadwlliv Disco Baby!!! Purple Flared Velvet Bell-Bottom Pants with matching Flared Broad Brimmed Hat and a White Faux Fur Coat and Peacock Feathers!!! Parliament, Tower of Power, P-Funkin' until it's time to take a ride on the Mothership!!! HAHAHA 😂 HAHAHA 😜

How do I buy your book

I tell my music enthusiast, YOU'RE AS GOOD AS YOUR PRACTICE.

Hi Ricky Al from Switzerland here, Ricky I can’t remember what my catalyst was. Does this matter,I love playing my guitars. Alan

“For the uninitiated, the Aggregation of Marginal Gains simply states that if you decide to improve on a particular skill by as little as 1% every single day, you would be better than at least 90% of other people who have that skill.”

Watching The Beatles at age 13 on the Ed Sullivan show.

How do I get that book?

Failing to perfect practice is practicing to fail!

20 hrs = 1200 min 1200 min ÷ 15 min/day = 80 days (~12 weeks)

Hank Marvin

You will laugh, but we call it a "tape measure" 😊

Let me add something Ricky. Enviroment. You need to have or make a place where you can practise with out constant interuptions..Proper chair or desk. Proper lighting. I had 5 brothers and 5 sisters growing up so don't ask me how I know. Really hard to focus, you know what I mean. A bitchy wife, or a sick baby? That list goes on and on.

It makes perfect if you're a genius . Because your pressing forward, looking for the way. But i understand not everyone is a genius , lucky me. ..but i got it hard ,Id stay right there if i were you, stay out of my shoes, if you know what's good for you ..

But when you have put in hours and hours a day of practice over months and you just can't improve and even transition chords, then when do you give up. Before you smash the guitar to pieces.

I wish that when I started I had been taught the importance of learning the notes on the fretboard. Can you find every A on the board? for example. Its fundamental to starting out.