To avoid injury, soreness, and such:

1) Maintain a "straight" wrist (or gently/slightly arched) -- when playing. When the wrist is moved out of neutral (straight) position, up to 90% of the potential power is lost. Only press the strings down as hard as is needed to produce a good tone. Don't over press.

Note: If the wrist is bent too far, the friction on the tendons as they pass through the carpal tunnel is increased which can cause injury. Avoid the two main causes of injuries: “over-use” (practicing too much-- So take a lot of breaks!) or “misuse” (not warming up, etc. -- step one in the practice suggestions below)....

2) Move fingers from the "Knuckle." When we move from the knuckle, the moment that we "relax," the finger will spring back to a neutral position.

3) In general, the left hand knuckles should stay more or less "parallel' to the edge of the guitar neck -- or the little finger is moved slightly closer to the neck.

4) Use new strings. Use Extra-Light gauged strings (or Nylon strings on acoustics if you are a novice) and practice on a guitar that is "Playable." Keep your strings clean. Use products such as "Fast-Fret" by GHS and "Finger-Ease" by Chem-pak. Barre (or Bar) chords are typically easier on Electric guitars, but not usually on Acoustics, so try a different voicing -- otherwise you will wear out your hand by not playing efficiently. Mix up Barre chords with other "voicing" instead of playing "all" barre chords. This will give your wrist points of relaxation. If you are learning Barre chords for the first time, then practice them in spurts. Don't spend a lot of time holding a Barre chord down until you become much better at them. It is good practice to start with chords that Barre only two notes first, then only three, and so on. Work your way up to barring all six strings. There are other ways to Barre chords: Hinge Bar, Split Bar, Half Bar, etc., but I will write about them later.

5) Stretch before you play. This will increase your alertness. Play "relaxed." Make sure you eat a well balanced meal and stay in good shape -- helps to keep the blood flowing. Drink plenty of fluids.

6) Play new material slowly until thoroughly learned. Use Correct fingerings: One-finger-per-fret-rule and such. “Warm up” with something that is easy to play for you. Visualize playing it in your mind first.

7) Don’t play when you are tired.

Suggested Practice Routine: Try Spending from 5 to 15 minutes on each Item (1-10) depending on your needs. Remember to take breaks. Also drink plenty of fluids. Practicing is more effective if you have “clear goals” in mind (see below):

1) Warm up and Technique:
Do Warm up Exercises firsts. Something slow and Easy. Focus on making your techniques better. Ask other guitarist to show you "How they play?" It can be more important than what they play. A slight change in your technique can greatly improve your playing. Some techniques are well guarded secrets.

2) Scales an Arpeggios:
Lead Patterns, Pentatonics, Major/minor scales, Modes, etc., Learn at least three different ways to play the same scale. Play them forwards and backwards. Start and end on different notes. Play them in groups of three notes, then four, then five...

3) Chords and Voicings:
Power chords, Octave chords, Optional fingerings, Learn at least 3 different ways to play the same chord. Don't depend on one way of doing things. Don't depend on just barre chords. There are infinite ways to "voice" your chords.

4) Sight Reading:
Site reading. Don't take eyes off of music. Do something simple and readable for you.

Recommended "3 Step" Procedure for "Sight Reading" Practice

A) Name each note as it is played. Do this until all are learned. Good to do if you have difficulty reading notes or are a novice.

B) Then say UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN as you play in order to maintain strict alteration of your Picking (for the most part, we alternate our picking, but it depends on the music we are working on -- the idea is to call out your picking pattern, whatever it is). ***If you are Finger Picking, then say i, m, i, m, i, m …. as you play in order to maintain strict alteration of Index and Middle fingers.

C) Lastly, Count 1, 2, 3, 4 (or 1, 2, 3), a count for each beat of each measure. It is a good idea to use a Metronome. Set it as slowly as necessary to play without hesitation from the beginning. Work the tempo up slowly, accurately; one count for each click. It isn't mastered until it feels and sounds natural. Success is ease even at a very slow tempo. So go SLOWLY with EYES ON MUSIC!

5) Theory:
Chord progressions, Triads, Keys, Modes, etc. Use theory as a tool. It can be very useful. It can add clarity to your playing.

6) Rhythm and Timing-Setting the Groove:
Practice different Rhythm attacks, comping, use a metronome. Take simple melodies and change the rhythm.

7) Previously Practiced Material - Polishing - Making it “Reliable“:
"A song or Exercise you have Practiced before." Fine tune it. Reinforce what you already know. Strengthen week areas.

8) Totally New Material-Playing Green:
"Something totally new to you: Song or Exercise." A song that inspires you and you want to learn. It is good to play what you want. Try to find songs you like, but are within your grasp of playing. Also, work on songs that challenge you to get to the next level.

9) Open Practice-”Let the music FLOW“:
Anything goes, just have fun! Just play and see what you can come up with. Try recording yourself for 30 minutes of non-stop improvised playing. Do this everyday, and I bet you will come up with a few “gems” worth making into songs, or riffs and such. Much of what you play may be canned, but it will not all be bad. This is a good exercise to break outside of the box. Try it! It will be like keeping a music diary on yourself.

10 ) Other-“My favorite way to Practice“:
For example: Practice with others -- Have a Jam Session. Go listen to and watch other musicians perform. You may learn a few things just by watching. Then, try to create a song in their style. Watching can be better for your playing than just listening to a recording.

***Linking it: Also try this 15 minute learning method (5-5-5 method):
Practice something you know quite well for 5 minutes, then "new" related material for 5 minutes, then go back to what you know for another 5 minutes. This will help you to "Link" new material with old. Incorporated into the steps above.

Having a purpose -- Having goals:
In many ways, there is a difference between Practicing and Playing. When you
practice, you should be learning something new, or specifically focusing on a skill.
You should be able to determine why you are practicing something. In other words:
“What is your purpose for practicing something”? For example, you could say --

“My Purpose is:

· To learn the notes of a scale or a chord.”

· To learn to shift between two scale positions or chords.”

· To learn to connect the notes well, so they sound continuous (Legato).”

· To learn to play disconnected notes, so they sound separated (Staccato).”

· To learn a specific Pull-Off or Hammer-On Pattern (Slur).”

· To reinforce what you have learned by playing it again.”

· To play with more feeling and passion by using dynamics.”

· To build up speed and stamina -- or to learn a new rhythm”

· To learn or work on a picking Technique, such as Sweep Picking.”

· To work on ear training, such as distinguishing between intervals, or different
types of chords.”
· To play for enjoyment and fun! It is always nice to finally learn a new song or
skill and be able to play it for ones own enjoyment.”

If you know your purpose, it can aid you in your mastery of the guitar. Time spent in focused practice can be time well spent than simply blindly playing -- or always playing something you are good at. You need to stretch yourself. You should not always sound good when you are practicing. If it is always sounding good, then you should work on a week area or something new. So I encourage you to form some sort of practice routine, such as the one suggested. The more you put into your time practicing and playing, the more you get out of it.

Start today to make some goals for yourself. For example, if you do not know any songs at this point, tell yourself that you are going to learn three songs that you can play at anytime -- memorized. Also, find some other guitarist to play with and have a jam session (on a regular basis). This can be a tremendous learning experience. It can also be a lot of fun an enjoyment! The more you play, the better! Enjoy and Keep Playing! Hope this helps someone? Let me know!