Do Something Right. Do Something Wrong. Okay, Now Right Again. BOOM! You're a Professional!
Want a simple and effective way to improve your guitar skills? You might want to try the sandwich technique. It comes from Dan Coyle book "The Little Book of Talent".
The sandwich technique consists of three steps:
Perform the skill correctly,
Perform the skill incorrectly, and
Perform the skill correctly again.
The idea is that by deliberately making a mistake, you force your brain to pay more attention to the correct way of doing it. This creates a stronger neural connection in your brain. And it allows to progress faster.
How do you apply it to practicing guitar though?
You could be practicing a chord progression and play the right one once. Then intentionally play it again with a wrong note or chord. Then finish it up by playing it the correct way again.
If you are working on a solo, you could play one part correctly. Then change the rhythm or the phrasing the second time. Then play it the right way again to lock in how it should be.
The key is to make the mistake obvious and intentional, not subtle or accidental.
Use the sandwich technique to make your practice sessions more engaging and productive. You can use it to challenge yourself. Or you can experiment with different versions of what you're playing. As Coyle writes, "The sandwich technique is a way of creating a vivid picture of your errors and etching the correct move into your mind."
Try it out during your practice time today!