Four Stages Of Learning A New Guitar Piece

Every time we attempt to learn a new piece of music, or even a study, there are arguably four stages of learning that must be passed through in order to find fulfillment in a completed piece of music. I am sure that the below stages could be broken down into smaller parts but I think the broad strokes given below to allow us to see the development. It is important for us to always remember that we are in one of these stages in the learning process as it relates to a piece of music.

Table of Contents

Stage I – New Information and Skills

This is the new and initial phase of learning a new piece. It is exciting and full of discovery. However, this period is usually very slow because you are trying to process a lot of new information and begin the assimilation of new skills. To further complicate things, it takes an extreme amount of time to play through the piece at a slow tempo. This delays the internal desire to hear “the music” and it’s beauty.

Stage II – Assimilation of Skills and Memory

There is a feeling of progress in Stage II. It is really when you begin to hear elements of the piece come through musically. Phrases are beginning to make sense and harmonies are beginning to form progressions. The technical aspects and memorization are beginning to solidify. This stage is a wonderful time because it rewards you with the aural sensations and the knowledge of increased tempo.

Stage III – Repetition and Habit Solidification

This stage brings about a plateau in the piece’s development. Progress seems to halt or at best be a slow crawl. Your interest begins to wain due to the repetitive task of refining our movements, sound production, memory, and tempo. Sometimes this stage feels like torture when we reflect on the progress we felt in the previous stage.

Stage IV – Incubation to Performance

Finally, Stage IV arrives with a seemingly slower climb to the upper limits of your skill. At this point, the piece is becoming a part of your soul. It seems that all the technical aspects are in your motor memory and happen without much thought. Your attention is increasingly focused on the expression of the piece and the goal of musicality. This incubation period forces the piece to move through a maturing process until it feels ready for performance.

Four Stages Of Learning Reference

For me, realizing that I am in one of these four stages of learning helps my motivation in learning or working on a piece of music. This is especially crucial in the final two stages when progress might seem snail-like. Knowing that at some point the incubation of a piece I’m working on will ultimately result in a good performance keeps the work moving forward when the motivation seems limited.

Chadwick Becks

I have two degrees in guitar performance and was privileged to study under Aaron Shearer, Tom Kikta, David Skantar, Ken Karsh, Tim Bedner, and currently Christopher Berg. Outside my editorial work on this blog, I teach full-time across many genres including classical, jazz, blues, rock, funk, and metal.