Lessons from the Fretboard

Lessons from the Fretboard

I came across a YouTube video last week where a guitar teacher (NathanGuitar) talks about how to effectively improve your skills through structured practice. With this approach, Nathan says he went from practicing two hours a day in his 20s and staying at a amateur level to becoming a pro in his 30s with just thirty minutes of daily practice. As someone who is stuck at an amateur level despite years of playing, this really resonated with me. What also struck me is that this wasn’t just another guitar technique, but a way to rethink how we learn anything. The perpetual learner in me recognized that not only could I improve my guitar playing but get better at learning itself — a skill I can apply to everything I pursue.

The most obvious and intuitive way to get better at something is repetition. It works to an extent but unless you’re a prodigy or naturally gifted, you’ll eventually hit a plateau. Nathan references the studies of a psychologist, Dr. Anders Ericsson who spent decades researching the ways of the people who excel in their fields. From virtuosos in music to high performance athletes to accomplished doctors, all of them have a method. They hone their craft not just with mere repetition but engage in intentional practice sessions focusing on specific aspects of their field they are looking to improve on, with direct feedback from a master.

To put this into action for guitar practice, Nathan recommends splitting a practice session into three zones.

1. The Comfort Zone

As the name suggests, this is playing the instrument at a speed I’m comfortable with. I pick a song or a piece I’m trying to improve on and start off playing at a pace at which I can play reasonably well, around 75-80 BPM. I play repeatedly at this consistent tempo for the first part of the session. This will build my muscle memory, establish a foundation and give me a sense of momentum.

2. The Edge of Ability

In the next part of my session, I turn up a tempo just a bit where playing the same piece gets more challenging, at around 90–100 BPM. I should still manage to play the piece but I’m going to make mistakes. This is where most of the learning happens. I notice where I’m missing notes and where it doesn’t sound good in general and then shift my focus to improving those sections. Whether it’s improving my technique, transitions, or strumming patterns, the key is to recognize the weak spots and practice those sections.

3. Speed Bursts

This is the pace at which things really start to fall apart. I turn the tempo up and attempt to play it at a pace which is intentionally beyond my current capability. Rather than attempting to play the whole piece, I break it down to just a few notes which I can barely manage. Nathan explains that the point of this is not to go for perfection but to do “quick sprints and train your fast twitch muscle fibers”. This will give me a glimpse of advanced playing and a tangible sense of my target skill level.

Dividing the sessions into these three zones shifts practicing from mindless repetition to focused and deliberate improvement. For my guitar practice, this is surely a way to use time more effectively. But zooming out, I can see myself applying this approach to some of my other pursuits as well.

In our busy lives, time is of the essence. So applying a more intentional and a structured framework to learning can really make a difference. While I can apply this when I’m learning a new skill altogether, I can apply this to improve in my writing, fitness, cooking and even more so in to my professional career. There are a bunch of things that I do in my comfort zone regularly. But to put this into action I must take up tasks that challenge the edge of my ability and perhaps go beyond, wherever I see an opportunity. And during these pursuits, I can also seek some feedback from a “Master”.

When I apply it to my writing, blog posts like this one are in my comfort zone. My edge of ability will probably involve crafting more complex narratives, multiple viewpoints, and stronger delivery. For speed bursts, it could be timed challenges where I try to write a compelling story in 15 minutes. I’ll likely fail on most attempts, but it will stretch and strengthen my creative muscles.

As a software implementation consultant, my comfort zone is understanding technical requirements, configuring solution packages and deploying it on servers. My edge of ability here could involve speaking to customers and converting their requirements into a detailed solution design. Speed bursts could look something like take part in addressing product level challenges involving many software and architectural components which come with a lot of ambiguity, under the supervision of much more qualified people. They don’t necessarily have to be about speed alone but rather attempting something beyond your perceived ability.

But when I look at the hobbies that I indulge in and the skills I use in my profession, it is less about achieving mastery and more about just getting tangibly better at it. We live in a time where continuous learning is paramount to staying relevant and creating value in our jobs. But the way I see it, that’s not the only motivation to keep learning.

Learning something new and looking for ways to get better at something can be rewarding in so many ways. It allows you to experience it more deeply. For example, listening to music that moves you is so enjoyable but the experience of getting that same music to flow out of you is much more profound. Playing your favorite sport is fun but elevating your game, even a little bit, and playing it at a higher level is exhilarating.

So no, it is not just for merely practical reasons that we ought to be learning. Looking for ways to learn better is seeking more from our limited time here. Learn, not just to build skills but to get a deeper sense of fulfillment, explore the possibilities of your potential, and experience richer lives.