Learning guitar as an adult: realistic daily practice plan?

With 30 to 40 minutes most evenings, use a simple structure so you always touch technique, rhythm, and a song. Do 5 minutes of warm up by fretting frets 1 to 3 on each string with fingertip right behind the fret, a relaxed shoulder, and just enough pressure to ring clean. Spend 10 minutes on two chord switches with a metronome at 60 bpm and count clean changes for one minute per pair, rotating pairs like G to C, C to D, and E to A. Do 10 minutes of strumming on one chord or muted strings to keep volume down, start with all downstrokes on beats 1 2 3 4 then add the D DU UDU pattern with accents on 2 and 4 at 70 to 80 bpm. Finish with 10 to 15 minutes on one song by first playing only downstrokes while you speak or sing the words, then layer the pattern, and if noise is an issue use a thin pick, strum over the fretboard, play lightly, or stuff a soft cloth in the soundhole.

Week 1 nail clean open G C D Em A Am and E, aim for 30 clean switches per minute between each pair at 60 to 70 bpm, and keep fretting fingers low over the strings. Week 2 keep the same chords and add the D DU UDU pattern at 70 to 80 bpm, loop G D Em C for five minutes without stopping, and try singing on simple downstrokes. Week 3 push those changes to 80 to 90 bpm, add Cadd9 and Asus2 to reuse fingers between chords, learn a second song in G or C, and start light palm muting with the side of your picking hand near the bridge. Week 4 introduce Fmaj7 or a mini F, work transitions to C and G, target 100 bpm on your main song, and add a basic arpeggio like thumb index middle index on each chord to change the feel without getting louder. Track progress with a tiny log that lists date, top bpm for a clean G D Em C loop, your best one minute change count, and a 30 second phone recording each week, and if numbers stall for two weeks drop tempo by 10 bpm and focus on relaxed hands and smaller movements.

I do 3x10 minute sprints because anything longer melts my brain. First block is chord flips with an index card that says G C D and I slide a coin each rep. Second block is strum-only on muted strings while watching the oven timer tick because the click keeps me honest. Third block is the song of the week with a cap on two mistakes before I reset. I track wins with a cheap sticker sheet on the case so I do not chase perfect, just stickers.

Target 30 minutes most days with one rest day. Use a rubber soundhole cover or a folded cloth at the bridge to cut volume. Set a metronome at a comfortable tempo.

Week 1 focus on fretting accuracy and basic down strums at low volume. Week 2 add two chord pairs such as G to C and D to G and aim for silent transitions. Week 3 introduce a down down up up down up pattern and apply it slowly. Week 4 pick one simple song that fits those chords and record a single take on day seven. Week 5 to 6 add a second pattern, light palm muting, and a second song that shares shapes.

Tracking is one line per day with date, chord pair, pattern, and tempo. Review weekly and raise tempo by five only if the recording sounds clean.

I started at 32 and wasted months noodling. My neighbors hated the squeaks and I mistook noise for progress. The turning point was scheduling 30 minutes with a timer and splitting it into three blocks. I did changes for ten, strumming for ten, and a song for ten. I tracked each day with a single line in a notebook with date, tempo, and one note.

Week 1 was just clean fretting and muted strums at low volume. Week 2 added two open chord transitions with a metronome and a simple down up pattern. Week 3 moved the song section to a two chord tune and I sang quietly to check timing. Week 4 raised tempos by small increments and I recorded one minute clips every Sunday. After six weeks the chord buzz was mostly gone and I could play one song end to end without panic.

I keep it dead simple because I misplace my phone every other day. Ten minutes chord changes, ten minutes strum drill on muted strings, ten minutes on one song, done. I use a kitchen timer because it cannot vanish into the couch. Each week I pick one new thing like a chord pair or a pattern and I keep it all week. Progress lives on a sticky note on the guitar with date and tempo scribbles. If the neighbors glare, I drape a towel over the bridge and sing into a pillow.

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