Practice Routines

[olectric]

I'm interested in how everyone practices. I've lately come to realize that practice is an art, and you can really hamper your progress as I did for two years if you're not disciplined enough.

My practice routine (I actually have one now that I've finished grad school!) usually follows this order: chords/chord-melody songs, warm-up exercises, scales (usually altered dominant scales and melodic minor modes, as these are what I am least comfortable with), then reading exercises. I play everything to a metronome, and I have banned any and all tab from my music stand. (I'm really suffering from that last one)

Every other day or so, I pop in an Aebersold CD or a new worship album to jam along with.

What's your routine?

[nickdahl]

I don't get to play too much...maybe a few minutes a day...so I don't really consider that "practicing." I do, however, like to practice on Saturdays, when I'm watching football on TV. Most recently, I've been using the Sheets of Sound book, choosing an exercise then working through it while the game plays. I try to get one line down well per quarter.

Nick

[nickdahl]

Oh, I forgot to mention...I'll be practicing with this guitar as Penn State goes to 5-0!

http://home.twcny.rr.com/drnick/PA010010B.JPG

Nick

[crash]

Larry Crane, the guitarist for Mellencamp for all the good early stuff, once was asked in an interview "So, how much do you practice?". His answer was something like "Oh, I never practice. But I play 5 or 6 hours a day"

So some of it just has to do with having it in your hands all the time. Gone are the days when I had 5 or 6 hours to practice - I have to be more efficient with practice time now.


...as these are what I am least comfortable with...I play everything to a metronome...

+1 to both - it's easy and more fun to play stuff we can already nail, but that doesn't develop anything.

I will usually use a delay set to a quater-note triplet to practice scales, just becase the ping-pong shows where the tempo drifts.

[mwoeppel]

I get about an hour day, about 5 days a week.

I work on chord comping - I have a few exercises I'm working through from Tomo Fuji's "Accelerate Your Guitar Playing". Metronome - not always, but often enough.

I am working through the "Blues You Can Use" book, so I work on my latest piece; new technique - all of it. I'll do that for 15-20 minutes.

Then the fun stuff; jamming! I'll play at least 15 minutes with something; I really like Lucinda Williams' stuff. Kinda bluesey, but then, it's usually in a weird key like "F" (who plays in f?). Sometimes I'll play some jazz, but mostly blues.

then, if I'm motivated, I'll work on an SRV solo or Freddy (ummm - Arrgh -- I can't remember his last name) - Hideaway! But that's if I'm really motivated.

Sometimes, I'll do some scales to work on hand syncronization or fretboard knowledge - but only if I'm REALLY motivated.

[Suriel Zayas]

i don't know, but it sounds like work to me. maybe i'm wrong, but guitar is not about work. guitar is about passion, art, love, but most of all fun. usually regiments, routines & exercises have very little in common with fun. again, maybe i'm wrong.

[jimmieb]

i don't know, but it sounds like work to me. maybe i'm wrong, but guitar is not about work. guitar is about passion, art, love, but most of all fun. usually regiments, routines & exercises have very little in common with fun. again, maybe i'm wrong.

I know I don't know much, but if I can go/get to a place where my soul is free from the garbage this world throws at me. I'm then freed up to the point that I can do things I never believed posible (for me at least). Being able to express what's deep inside though music is the ultimate catharsis. For me, I try to learn the songs we do each week at church, I try to cop what the original artist does. Then practice till it's tight, and then as the piece progresses we tend to add our own signature to it. Sometimes we start with an idea that all our own if we don't have that idea we copy the tune. To me I become better as I play more (in a band situation) and that journey is the best part of music to me. Practicing till I can do something well enough to take it to the band is good enough for me and the most disiplined I am. I guess I don't have to be a "Great Guitarist" just good enough to enjoy the music and not be a distraction.

Jimmie B

[Suriel Zayas]

To me I become better as I play more (in a band situation) and that journey is the best part of music to me.
jimmie, right on, right on, right on. we are lucky that we can be part of that band experience, seeking that "one" sound. however, there are alot of our fellow players that can't experience that on a consistent basis and just have music on cd's to work with. in either case, enjoy it and make it fun.

[olectric]

i don't know, but it sounds like work to me. maybe i'm wrong, but guitar is not about work. guitar is about passion, art, love, but most of all fun. usually regiments, routines & exercises have very little in common with fun. again, maybe i'm wrong.

It is work, but it's fun work; practicing is fun for me. I've really been getting into it lately. I'm really enjoying learning all this new stuff and seeing myself progress (slowly). I think that it's completely fine for artists to practice their art.

Honestly, I can't really have fun playing a gig or recording if I don't practice, because I get stuck in a rut, so I have practice to free myself up.

From your post, it sounds like you're saying you've never practiced?

[BFC]

The trick, for me anyway, is to make practicing and playing sort of the same thing. For instance, I have a book with page after page of different grips for jazz changes. It will show something like a II-V-I or a VI-II-V-I or maybe a cool vamp. Everyday I pick a page and play the progressions in various keys. Now, I could just play them straight ahead everytime but I like to give each one a different rhythm or a different style everytime I practice them. I might take a set of changes and play them as a reggae groove in one key for a while then play them in another key with a swing feel. I might start changing the voicings, making subs, or doing voice leading tricks along the way. I might come up with a song idea while I'm at it. This way I'm practicing new chords but I'm also refining my ability to play various styles, putting my own stamp on them, and just generally making the chords fun and making them my own. I'm making music. I also always practice them with the metronome clicking as a referernce point for the band in my head that I'm playing along with. Sometimes the click will be quarter notes, sometimes the click will be on 2 and 4, sometimes the click will be on the 1, etc.

In other words, I practice playing music. Even if its a really stale exercise I try to make it musical by playing around with the phrasing or whatever. Because what I've found is that, because I don't play with a band as much these days, I won't be prepared to play with anyone when the opportunity comes around if I'm only good at practicing exercises. But I'm also learning new things and pushing myself instead of noodling the same old stuff day after day.

Did that make any sense? :)

[crash]

Makes lots of sense to me.

"You must practice until the impossible becomes easy.
Then, you must practice until the easy becomes beautiful"

- Harry Houdini.

[jimmieb]

I can see how that if the imagination is pluged in even if it's so called 'practice' that's fun. I can see where your coming from. I wish disipline was more natural for me. I did practice alot at one time in the begining to overcome the deterity issues. Now I learn very naturally by watching and listening to other guys. Dexterity is less of a problem, but sometimes I think I don't require enough from myself. Ty Tabor told me once after a concert in Denver that he would get into what he called his "Trancer mode" when played. He said when he used to ride Moto Cross he couldn't think quick enough to ride in bumps, he had to react and not think to hard or he would eat it. He said that same thing worked when he played guitar. After he said that I began too employ that myself and it worked.

Jimmie B

[jimmieb]

Makes lots of sense to me.

"You must practice until the impossible becomes easy.
Then, you must practice until the easy becomes beautiful"

- Harry Houdini.

I'm sure that works, but it just not me. Anyway Houdini died practicing...

Jimmie B

[guitarzan]

I usually just dance around.



and... I... mean... a LOT. I think it makes me look cooler.

Also, sometimes I'll I'll move my hand over the strings and makes some "meedly meedly" noises with my mouth. It's so I'm not dancing for nothing.

[mwoeppel]

I usually just dance around.



and... I... mean... a LOT. I think it makes me look cooler.

Also, sometimes I'll I'll move my hand over the strings and makes some "meedly meedly" noises with my mouth. It's so I'm not dancing for nothing.

Cool! do you have any vids or clips on that? I'd like to incorporate that into my routine! (after the kids have left for school, of course!) :p

[fractal]

The trick, for me anyway, is to make practicing and playing sort of the same thing. For instance, I have a book with page after page of different grips for jazz changes. It will show something like a II-V-I or a VI-II-V-I or maybe a cool vamp. Everyday I pick a page and play the progressions in various keys. Now, I could just play them straight ahead everytime but I like to give each one a different rhythm or a different style everytime I practice them. I might take a set of changes and play them as a reggae groove in one key for a while then play them in another key with a swing feel. I might start changing the voicings, making subs, or doing voice leading tricks along the way. I might come up with a song idea while I'm at it. This way I'm practicing new chords but I'm also refining my ability to play various styles, putting my own stamp on them, and just generally making the chords fun and making them my own. I'm making music. I also always practice them with the metronome clicking as a referernce point for the band in my head that I'm playing along with. Sometimes the click will be quarter notes, sometimes the click will be on 2 and 4, sometimes the click will be on the 1, etc.

In other words, I practice playing music. Even if its a really stale exercise I try to make it musical by playing around with the phrasing or whatever. Because what I've found is that, because I don't play with a band as much these days, I won't be prepared to play with anyone when the opportunity comes around if I'm only good at practicing exercises. But I'm also learning new things and pushing myself instead of noodling the same old stuff day after day.

Did that make any sense? :)

What book is that?

[BFC]

Here ya go...

The Jazz Guitar Chord Bible (http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=68195&item=1529564)

[crash]

Do you practice that in front of mirror? Some of the mouth motions are hard to get without seeing (watch any live clip of John Mayer....)

[fractal]

Here ya go...

The Jazz Guitar Chord Bible (http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=68195&item=1529564)

Thanks!

:D

[dannopelli]

Not sure if this site still works but its worth a try:

http://web.archive.org/web/20041127042204/http://hatbox.lib.virginia.edu/gtrchord/gtrchord/