Your Best Practice Exercise... Options

[Brandon Earman]

Name your best/favorite practice exercise that you ever added to your routine. This could be a basic warm-up, string skipping pattern, chord exercise, anything.

Which of these do you think has improved your playing the most over time?

[Mudbone]

Well this one ain't my best or my favorite exercise, but it was very effective, and opened new doors for me.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...ht-hand-basic1/

[Sollesnes]

I think skip picking excersises in general are especially good for developing hand coordination, and helping your right hand to be as exact as possible, knowing its way around the strings. Like this one:


-----------------4------1------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
------------3---------------2--------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
--------2-----------------------3----------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
---1-------------------------------4-------------------------

Of course you should be able to both economy and alternate pick it

but of course... what, all in all, has probably made the most difference, is the thousands of hours Ive spent doing 1234 etc
For the left hand, I think new excersises needs to be added constantly for it to be excersises. Whatever way you find weird, unusual, uncomfortable, difficult, etc, to move your fingers. Thats what your excersises should be for the left hand
For example, I can make an excersise right now, which I can make the goal of today to make easy and fluid.

Not a very hard excersise, only took a few minutes, but make some every day. I think its the best way to find your weaknesses, and work them out

---------------------------------------------------------1-- e
-------------------------------------------4----3------------
------------------------------1-----2----------------2--------
----------------4-----3---------------3------4----------------- t
---------2----------------2------1----------------------------
------------3------4-----------------------------------------
---1-------------------------------------------------------- c

This post has been edited by Sollesnes: Mar 21 2011, 06:40 PM

[Kristian Hyvarin...]

The way I learnt to speedpick was Zsolt Galambos's Modal Madness series here at GMC. No better exercise for it than those lessons, if you ask me. They also help theory understanding as the exercises are actually scales back and forth.

[Brandon Earman]

Nice, Sollesnes. String skipping does help build dexterity, I only do simple pentatonic ones:

E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------12---15---
B------------------------------------------------------12---15--------------------------
G----------------------------------12---14-----------------------12---14-------------- etc.
D-------------12---14-----------------------12---14-----------------------------------
A------------------------12---14--------------------------------------------------------
E---12---15-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The way I learnt to speedpick was Zsolt Galambos's Modal Madness series here at GMC. No better exercise for it than those lessons, if you ask me. They also help theory understanding as the exercises are actually scales back and forth.

I have been considering starting that lesson. It seems like you'd get a lot from it.

The way I learnt to speedpick was Zsolt Galambos's Modal Madness series here at GMC. No better exercise for it than those lessons, if you ask me. They also help theory understanding as the exercises are actually scales back and forth.

Kristian, at what BPM backing track did you start with on this lesson, and how fast are you up to now? Just curious.

[Kristian Hyvarin...]

I started at 60 bpm and now I can reach 180-190 bpm, not that I've been actively training with it for half a year or so. Once you get a hold of it, it'll get easier.

[Sentenced]

6 notes on one click at 190 bpm sounds quite fast...congratulation.

[Brandon Earman]

I started at 60 bpm and now I can reach 180-190 bpm, not that I've been actively training with it for half a year or so. Once you get a hold of it, it'll get easier.

Wow, nice man. I'm still trying to break past ~80BPM 16th triplets. I get to a point and then I plateau, where I know it just requires more and more practice - but I get distracted easily onto other lessons etc.

[Kristian Hyvarin...]

Yeah, it takes a lot of time and patience. I remember going through phases where I only played that exercise (first on the series) on low speeds (lower than 90 bpm) for hours and hours, and on other times I barely could begin with the scales. But if you keep going it's more than doable, especially when you get the stamina to keep playing the exercise.

[emirb]

+1 on modal madness. I'm also practicing that - well sort of as that's what I play when not plugged in i.e. on the sofa in front of tv or something just to get the hold of stability in picking and also a bit in stretching the left hand as some positions are unusual for my normal 'grip'. Also very important and I'm already gaining from this is fretboard knowledge. I don't think I'll ever play these scales as they are but some short runs here and there and positions where the notes are becomes 'etched in you head after a while.
sorry for the long comment just some random thoughts. And Christian those speeds are truly impressive, I not even nearly there. Started also like 60bpm or something, now around 100 which feels quite ok for some month or so practicing.

[Kristian Hyvarin...]

And just when I got everyone's attention... Yeah, I messed it up. Should never try writing anything when I'm tired - no way I can play Modal Madness 180-190 bpm, that'd be a kill. I'd forgotten they are played triplets, my speed is more realistically around 130 to 140 bpm. However, I do think it's possible to go even that far.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I still recommend the series.

[Gitarrero]

For me, practicing Lian's "Metal Patterns 1" and a couple of licks from Todd's saturday chats helped me improve my right hand speed dramatically. Around last fall, I had trouble playing Lian's lesson at 180...nowadays I start with 180 to warm-up

[Sean_1234]

And just when I got everyone's attention... Yeah, I messed it up. Should never try writing anything when I'm tired - no way I can play Modal Madness 180-190 bpm, that'd be a kill. I'd forgotten they are played triplets, my speed is more realistically around 130 to 140 bpm. However, I do think it's possible to go even that far.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I still recommend the series.

hahaha I might just get started with this series, seems prety nice

[MonkeyDAthos]

My Best Practice Exer...is actually learnin' songs for exempl*

Training my Down Pick Endurance/Str - i learned Tornado of Souls, MAster of Puppets and ...Ramones Songs

etcetc..i find it alot better and tasteful training that way

This post has been edited by MonkeyDAthos: Mar 23 2011, 01:01 AM

[Kristian Hyvarin...]

Hey, that's a brilliant point! I think people should train songs or parts of songs they like, they do work as exercises.

[Michael AC]

Adding a metronome and playing slower not worrying about speed but accuracy.