In one of my recent posts, I talked about collecting intentions, and more specifically the importance of Practising With Intention. I wanted to expand on that idea a little more here, because I genuinely think it’s one of the most important parts of improving on the instrument.
So, what exactly is collecting intentions? How do we realise our intentions? And how can we use these intentions to our benefit?
Put simply, it’s the process of identifying all the things that you genuinely want to improve, achieve or experience on the guitar. It’s gathering together the things that matter to you as a player.
That could be things like:
- Improving sweep picking
- Developing alternate picking
- Learning the fretboard properly
- Writing a song
- Learning a difficult solo
- Transcribing an entire tune
- Tightening up a technique within something you already play
The possibilities are endless really, because everybody’s relationship with the guitar is different. Our goals are different, our influences are different, and our reasons for playing are different.
The important thing is to actually define those intentions.
Write them down. Properly.
Not vaguely in your head somewhere. Not as a passing thought whilst scrolling through Instagram watching somebody play something outrageous. Get them out of your head and onto paper.
That list becomes your direction.
Acting on what’s intended
Once you’ve collected your intentions, you’ll probably realise the list is quite large. Mine certainly is!
That can feel a little overwhelming at first, because suddenly there are twenty different things competing for your attention at once. So the next step is learning how to prioritise.
The way I usually approach this is fairly simple.
Whatever keeps returning to the forefront of my mind is usually the thing that matters most at that moment in time.
If I keep thinking about improving a particular technique, learning a certain piece of music, or fixing something in my playing, there’s usually a reason for it. That repeated mental pull is often a very strong indicator that it deserves my attention.
Prioritising and breaking things down
Once we’ve chosen an intention to focus on, we need to honestly assess where we currently are with it.
That requires self reflection, honesty, and humility.
We’ve all had moments on the guitar where something simply doesn’t feel right. Maybe a passage feels weak and uncontrolled. Maybe your articulation is inconsistent. Maybe a phrase collapses every time you increase the tempo.
Those frustrations are important.
The emotional response we have to our own playing is often one of the clearest indicators of what needs work.
If alternate picking always feels tense, there’s probably a technical issue somewhere. If your timing falls apart during difficult rhythms, there’s something there that needs attention. If improvising leaves you feeling boxed in, perhaps your fretboard knowledge isn’t as strong as you thought it was.
These things tell us where the work needs to happen.
That awareness is powerful, because once we know what the issue actually is, practice becomes purposeful rather than random.
Recording yourself playing
If you struggle to identify what needs work, one of the best things you can possibly do is record yourself.
Honestly, it’s uncomfortable at first. Most people hate hearing themselves back. But it’s incredibly valuable.
The reason recording is so effective is because we don’t listen the same way whilst we’re performing as we do during playback.
When we play guitar, the brain is occupied with an enormous amount of information all at once:
- Coordinating both hands
- Keeping time
- Controlling articulation
- Thinking ahead
- Remembering material
- Managing tension and movement
Whilst all of that is happening, our listening becomes narrower. We’re usually focusing on surviving the performance more than objectively analysing it.
Playback changes that completely.
When listening back to a recording, our sole job is simply to listen. That’s when details suddenly become obvious. Timing inconsistencies, unwanted noise, uneven articulation, poor phrasing — things that felt fine during performance suddenly stand out immediately. This is active listening.
Recording exposes the truth of our playing in a very honest way.
That honesty is uncomfortable sometimes, but it’s also incredibly useful.
Practising the intention
Once you’ve identified the issue and realised your intention, your practice becomes much more focused.
You’re no longer just “playing guitar”.
You’re solving a specific problem.
Recording yourself regularly also introduces a level of pressure, and pressure reveals how well something is actually internalised. Something that feels comfortable in isolation can suddenly fall apart the second the record button is pressed.
That tells us a lot.
The Zeigarnik Effect
There’s another reason why defining and following through with intentions matters so much, and it comes from psychology.
There’s something called the Zeigarnik Effect, which essentially describes how unfinished tasks continue occupying mental space.
Unfinished goals tend to linger in the background of the mind. They create mental residue.
According to Psychology Today:
“Unfinished tasks create a cognitive burden and are more easily recalled than completed tasks.”
I think a lot of musicians experience this without even realising it.
Half learned songs. Abandoned exercises. Techniques we meant to develop but never committed to properly. Over time, those unfinished intentions begin to pile up mentally.
That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to see things through wherever possible.
Not perfectly. Not obsessively. But deliberately.
Final thoughts
Progress on the guitar rarely comes from randomly playing whatever happens to be in front of us that day.
Real progress tends to happen when we identify meaningful intentions, honestly assess our weaknesses, and consistently work towards resolving them.
Collect your intentions.
Prioritise them.
Be honest with yourself about where you currently are.
Then do the work necessary to move forward.
What are your practise priorities? Leave a reply beneath and share your list 👇
