"Soft" Practicing

I'm not sure where I got this idea from--I have the vague recollection that Oscar Ghiglia might have said something similar in a master class--but it is a very useful concept. When you are learning new music or re-learning old music you should make use of "soft" practicing. I mean by this a particular approach to how you use your hands, especially the left hand. You should practice slowly, of course, but you should also practice with soft hands. That is, without any tension in the hand to speak of. Approach the notes not only very deliberately, but also very softly, focussing on touch and feeling. Don't slap your fingers down quickly and inaccurately, do the opposite, place them gently and carefully. If you do this many times, then you will have the passage programmed accurately into your muscle memory. The more speed, inaccuracy and tension, the harder this is to do. Don't play loud! Play quietly as well.

Perhaps the greatest failing of guitar students is that they practice too quickly and are very sloppy. The more you do this, the more you inculcate bad habits that will be hard to eradicate later on. I think it was in an interview that Isaac Stern said it is all in how you practice: it might take two hours of careful practice to make up for one hour of bad practice. This kind of practicing does take a lot of focus and concentration and when you feel your concentration going, you should take a break. But I am quite sure that soft practicing will improve your playing!