There are quite a few things seasoned guitarists will suggest for you to improve, but some of them can be downright weird. For me to tell you to play with your eyes closed, it may seem like I’m trying to ruin you and dissuade you from continuing. Actually, that is far from the truth.

In fact, learning to play with your eyes closed will give you a better understanding of your own playing habits, help you better recognize guitar parts, and develop your ability to learn by ear. Take a look at these 6 reasons why playing with your eyes closed can drive further improvement in your skills.

1. Improving your knowledge of familiar chords is faster.

It seems that when you start learning the basic chords, it all depends on your ability to see how you shape them when that is not the case. Forming chords correctly has more to do with muscle memory and when you take your eyes off the equation, you have nothing to rely on other than your ability to remember the formation of your fingers.

2. Your understanding of the tuning fork will increase.

Sometimes when riffs are played that make you jump to different frets up and down the board, you can get tangled up and start playing wrong notes. If you practice those riffs with your eyes closed, you will find further improvement on the guitar in your ability to feel subtle differences between the different frets on the neck.

3. You can recognize your mistakes more easily.

When you look at your hands and try to overcome a difficult guitar progression, like walking through mud, you may be overlooking some of your own fundamental mistakes. Yet with his eyes closed, those mistakes turn into bold statements that stand out in his perfect tune and he’s almost forced to soften them.

4. Your memory will improve.

Looking at the frets and where your fingers go can sometimes cloud your memory when you have to memorize some tunes. Without sight, feeling your way through the song is much more effective, and you will find that your memory improves with each practice.

5. The stylistic characteristics of the songs become clearer.

There are musicians who can play music and there are musicians who can play music the way the composers intended it. When you have nothing but your fingers and ears to rely on, you actually absorb more important stylistic characteristics of a song that you may have seen differently.

6. It can better match the tempo of the music.

If you’re a guitarist who struggles with tempos by speeding up and slowing down without warning, playing with your eyes closed can improve your interpretation of song rhythms and tempos. Without your eyes to guide you, you will find that your listening skills will increase and your adjustments to the tempo of the song will be more precise.

Any way you can think of to have a better relationship with the parts of your guitar is beneficial for improving your skills. Try some practices with your eyes closed and see if you can’t move your fingers more independently than you see.