Practice routine

[Tailgate215]

Greetings, newbie here with first post. I just found the site a few weeks ago and love the lessons. I’ve been struggling to stay focused when I practice. I’m sure that’s pretty common. I would finish and then realize I hadn’t accomplished a damn thing other than noodling around. So I’m committed to following a new simple routine.

My routine has these elements, not in any order. I allot about 10 minutes on each section. MY goal is to make sure I have hit all the sections beginning with whichever section I’m attracted to that day.

WEEK 1 SECTIONS
–Scales (solos over a backing track or with a metronome) Two scales each week, a major and a minor from same key. I’m into blues, so this week it’s A major and A minor pentatonic.
–Circle of 5ths, one chord family for the same key. A major and A minor. Rhythm with metronome. Learn all positions on the fretboard for that family.
— 2 Licks each week, more if I have nailed the first 2. Licks this week A major and A minor.
__ Choice- either strum along with a song or learn 1 new strum pattern. Rhythm with metronome.
— Song of the week.

So NO set order. Start with what section feels good that day, but complete all the sections. Practice is casual not boring. In other free time (retired), explore theory, etc… stuff you can do without a guitar.

At the beginning of each week, look back at what I’ve accomplished and forward to what I want to do next week.

After getting sucked down the YouTube rabbit hole of teachers, I’ve picked 3 guys that I can relate to and avoid the rest.

What’s your routine or practice philosophy?

 

[FatFingerBlues]

The greatest advice I can give any new player is
FIND THE RIGHT TEACHER
The right teacher will keep you focused and excited to play
He will make almost every lesson a joy to take
When you struggle He will Challenge you and find ways to help you that fit your goals and levels

I struggled with the wrong teacher and quit playing for years
A good friend of mine introduced me to my current teacher
Each lesson is wonderful
I am constantly challenged and He finds ways to teach me that appeal to my tastes and dislikes
He is worth every penny and then some
He never ceases to amaze me and I never have a lesson where we don't find a moment to laugh
When I leave the lesson I can't wait to get home and try out what I learned

 

[Max Headroom]

Wait..I'm supposed to practice?

 

[Moondog Wily]

I play 2-4 hours per day, 6 days a week. I play about half original music and half covers. I have several "sets" built that focus on different stuff.

1. Notes (album) set list - This is a new album I am working on that has 11 songs on it. I play through the entire album each time. I never play the set more than 3 times in any given day and usually play it twice in a day's playtime. It is about 45 minutes.
2. Production set list - This is other original material I am working on producing and have not yet released. I usually play about 15 of the 30 or so songs on this list each time I do this set.
3. WOI set list - This is my acronym for "Working On It", but not my own stuff, this is covers that I am working on. Once I have them figured out to my satisfaction, they get moved into the "Studio Live" set list.
4. Studio Live set list - This is a set list composed of my already released songs and cover songs that I have worked out to my satisfaction. It is literally 7 hours of music in a Cubase project file. I step through this and play whatever feels clever any time I play this set.

At this point in my life (I'm old), I have no interest in studying or learning in most senses of those words. I am studying and learning by playing and composing new material, but have no interest in formal study at this point. I just want to play and have fun ;~))

If you are interested, I started a thread earlier today about resources that I have put together over the years and use in my work. Feel free to access and or query on that material as necessary.

I am very rudimentary and do not have the discipline to do what you are doing, but if I can help with anything, I am happy to do so!

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Max Headroom]

Being serious for a change I have to say I'm deeply impressed with people's attitude and dedication towards practice.
Being a naturally lazy slob who always did just enough on tests etc to get by I unfortunately applied the same philosophy to my playing.
Was it good enough for what was needed in the band, ok, so why do more.
Wrong, wrong and so very wrong!
Keep it up folks!
Don't be a failed wannabe like moi!

 

[Moondog Wily]

Being serious for a change I have to say I'm deeply impressed with people's attitude and dedication towards practice.
Being a naturally lazy slob who always did just enough on tests etc to get by I unfortunately applied the same philosophy to my playing.
Was it good enough for what was needed in the band, ok, so why do more.
Wrong, wrong and so very wrong!
Keep it up folks!
Don't be a failed wannabe like moi!

I resemble those comments!

 

[Jimmy Ramone]

FIND THE RIGHT TEACHER

Great advise!
let me add what has helped me over the years
Quality over quantity. Focused practice with a purpose trumps mindless hours with no direction.
Play along with songs. Play along with songs that support the material you are learning. Makes its more fun.
Play with others. Play with players who are supportive and better than you are. It motivates me to get better.

 

[aphantomvaper]

OP, what kind of guitar do you use for practice?

 

[Juan Luis Vidal]

I am a very very lazy guitarist...do not enjoy practicing too much. And that's no good.

I started 100% self taught, just by using tab books from artists I liked (Trilogy by Malmsteen, everything Metallica, Passion & Warfare by Vai...), but obviously that led to some sloppy and inconsistent playing. I still chuckle remembering the first time I rehearsed with a band "hey, ALL THE OTHER guys are out of tempo...!" . I finally bite the bullet, several years later, and went to a great teacher that showed me how to better practice (and gifted me a metronome). Many bad habits had to be fixed.

Then for many many years I basically only practiced my own band's songs, stopped going to the teacher and from a guitar skills' POV I guess I stalled.

Now, almost on my 50s and with not much time available, I have opted for a middle ground...I practice bits of songs that make me focus on a technique. I will use a MIDI track in a loop. For instance:
- Alternate picking / inside picking - When we sleep by Insomnium, the intro is great
- Tremolo picking: Floating on the Murmuring Tide by In Vain
- Tapping madness: Sea of lies by Symphony X
- Modal phrasing: trial of tears, Hell's kitchen by Dream Theater

and so on...

From time to time I practice with some really good lessons from guys like Bernth that focuses on things not easy to find isolated in any particular song...but since they are not actual songs I tend to get bored quickly.

Additionally, and my one saving grace, 90% of my playing these days always uses a MIDI track or goes along with some recording (which I assume has click track) so my sense of tempo and rhythm has never been better.

Sometimes I do wonder what could I do with the instrument should I have followed a constant and well directed habit of practicing

 

[bodia]

Wait..I'm supposed to practice?

I am firmly in this camp!

 

[Prina]

Wait..I'm supposed to practice?

Only if you want to get better

 

[You_Narf]

Greetings, newbie here with first post. I just found the site a few weeks ago and love the lessons. I’ve been struggling to stay focused when I practice. I’m sure that’s pretty common. I would finish and then realize I hadn’t accomplished a damn thing other than noodling around. So I’m committed to following a new simple routine.

My routine has these elements, not in any order. I allot about 10 minutes on each section. MY goal is to make sure I have hit all the sections beginning with whichever section I’m attracted to that day.

WEEK 1 SECTIONS
–Scales (solos over a backing track or with a metronome) Two scales each week, a major and a minor from same key. I’m into blues, so this week it’s A major and A minor pentatonic.
–Circle of 5ths, one chord family for the same key. A major and A minor. Rhythm with metronome. Learn all positions on the fretboard for that family.
— 2 Licks each week, more if I have nailed the first 2. Licks this week A major and A minor.
__ Choice- either strum along with a song or learn 1 new strum pattern. Rhythm with metronome.
— Song of the week.

So NO set order. Start with what section feels good that day, but complete all the sections. Practice is casual not boring. In other free time (retired), explore theory, etc… stuff you can do without a guitar.

At the beginning of each week, look back at what I’ve accomplished and forward to what I want to do next week.

After getting sucked down the YouTube rabbit hole of teachers, I’ve picked 3 guys that I can relate to and avoid the rest.

What’s your routine or practice philosophy?

I'm at the point where I no longer focus on music theory, I've pretty much soaked all I could with that in college and private lessons. Anything else learned now is pretty much forgotten but wouldn't help much anyway in a real way.

No, I just worry about playing different things, challenging myself with different music, getting uncomfortable with it. When I practice I want to "make" music so I'm coming up with fresh licks and learning new chords (or variations of chords) that I've never seen before.

I plug in and adjust tone to match pickups, then I create. When I practice, I usually play without effects. When I play live, I bring the effects in.. That said, playing effects always inspires me to create too!

 

[veinbuster]

I don’t practice much anymore. I mostly play stuff I like.

But, I start by warming up my fingers. Usually by finger picking through chord changes. It loosens up my fingers and gets them used to the guitar I picked up. I uses half a dozen string gauges, 4 or 5 neck scales and 4 or 5 nut width, so sometimes a few minutes are needed to get the fingers right.

In the morning I’ll probably play songs. At night I just play what I feel.

But I always warm up. Maybe that’s what practice is.

 

[WingerRules]

I no longer practice with the intent in improving my ability. I now “practice” only when I have songs to play live that I need to learn or if I’m only playing lead, that I need to familiarize myself with well enough to solo over.

Unfortunately, my best days are well behind me and my hand is slowly taking my ability away. I learned the last two weeks just how bad it’s getting as I had a big gig today and while my main thing was lead, I was free to add rhythm, and in some places required to do so. As much as my ring and pinky finger are slowing down my faster riff playing, i found out the hard way that it is affecting my chording MUCH more than that. My hand DOES NOT like being locked in one position for more than a second, and it also doesn’t like reshaping to play the next chord. I’m actually struggling more with simple rhythm playing than even with faster more complicated leads.

I did OK today. It’s not like I messed up a bunch, but I’m very discouraged right now. If I was the ONLY rhythm guitar player and had to carry the song, I might be in trouble even with simple stuff, as there are some chord changes my hand just does not want to make. I was barre chording some and literally flipping my fingers up between chords just so they didn’t get locked into place. I quit lifting weights because that was KILLING my hand, but I now see that it really isn’t much better.

ARTHRITIS SUCKS!!!!!!

 

[You_Narf]

As he wisely says "If you're not learning something new every time you practice, then you're not doing it right"

"Sometimes we give up and use the 'can't teach old dog' excuse to avoid trying new things. It's a confidence error, a fear to move forward that freezes us"



All great points! The videos have alot of great points!!!

 

[Greywolf]

A few years back I decided to dust off my Fiddle chops and took a year and a half of private lessons. My Teacher played in a band I made all the instruments for , we are close friends. She has her Masters in perfomance Viola .. serious as a heart attack. She made it quite clear there is a BIG difference between PRACTICING and playing .

She'd ask me " Did you PRACTICE? " I'd happily reply OH I played 3 hrs every day this week ! You didn't answer the question!!!

My goal was to get my playing up to performance level . I learned VERY quickly and now PRACTICE for hours every day ..as long as my hands give out (rapidly approaching Septigenarian )

I'm blessed to have a weekly gig so it is a great motivator

Morning - 1 hr of Acoustic Composition practice - working on songs for performance
Mid day 1 hr of Jazz practice - focusing on phrasing and fluidity
Late afternoon / Evening - 1-2 hrs of Rock /Blues practice on Bass/Hand drums/ Guitar

 

[Elias Prieels]

Would indeed say to find the right teacher. He’s not only supposed to teach technics, harmony and that kind of stuff but also to help you find a way how (!) to practice certain things.

Don’t overstep, do little things at a time. Don’t go nuts on studying scales that you won’t remember after a couple of days because it’s too much. If you see what you can already do with some pentatonics and arpeggios.

I have had some great results with using a timer too. Let’s say practice a pentatonic minor in one shape for 5 minutes at a low bpm and then go up. You’ll be surprised how long 5 minutes is using this methode.

 

[Headset]

My #1 tip for practicing is to be intentional with your time. It’s perfectly fine to noodle and enjoy just playing but I found my skills increasing at a greater rate when I was purposeful about my practice. What I’m doing currently is allotting 30 minutes a day towards practice (scales, chords, intervals, fretboard navigation, playing techniques, learning songs). Then I try to step into my studio and close the door for at least an hour every weekend to work on songwriting and the creative process. I used to practice a lot more when I first started but found this routine keeps my chops sharp and helps me improve on areas where I want to be better. For context I’ve been playing guitar for 20 years. Find what keeps you interested in playing and enjoy the process!

 

[Moondog Wily]

My #1 tip for practicing is to be intentional with your time. It’s perfectly fine to noodle and enjoy just playing but I found my skills increasing at a greater rate when I was purposeful about my practice. What I’m doing currently is allotting 30 minutes a day towards practice (scales, chords, intervals, fretboard navigation, playing techniques, learning songs). Then I try to step into my studio and close the door for at least an hour every weekend to work on songwriting and the creative process. I used to practice a lot more when I first started but found this routine keeps my chops sharp and helps me improve on areas where I want to be better. For context I’ve been playing guitar for 20 years. Find what keeps you interested in playing and enjoy the process!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^FIFY^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^​

Just joking of course! But that last sentence seemed to make the rest of this whole thread, every post from every participant self included, superfluous ;~))

 

[Tailgate215]

OP, what kind of guitar do you use for practice?

Electric..I haven't played my accoustics in awhile.