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Posted by: steve25 Jun 29 2007, 12:14 PM

Hi guys. I was just wondering if people had different ways of practicing and if people noticed that their practices have really helped them to improve and what works best for you? I've been playing for about 9 months now and i practice reguarly at least 2 hours a day but usually more than that except for saturdays because i work all day so that's like my day off if you like even though if i didn't work i'd still be playing guitar anyway. So here's my general practice routine and let me know what you think if it'd be a good one to do

1. Practicing stuff i'm not so good at - This would be at the moment certain chords such as F, Bm, C and Tapping as i've only just started doing tapping so i'll practice that. This usually lasts about half an hour

2. Practicing scales and chords - This is usually the stuff that i do know like practicing the pentatonic scale, power chords and other various chords. This also lasts for about half an hour

3. Speed practicing - By this i mean using a metronome to practice and get quicker at scales, using a metronome for alternate picking, tapping, hammer ons/pull offs etc. Also practicing triplets/sixteenth notes etc. This can vary in time usually around half an hour though

4. Learning new stuff (optional) - i usually do this if i feel i've progressed enough, need to now or just generally getting bored of my practice so that i don't lose interest. This could be anything from a new chord, new technique, new scale, new song or even just something here on gmc like a riff or a solo or something

5. Songs (optional) - again i don't always do this but sometimes i'll practice songs and learn new solos and riffs from those songs. And also play stuff that my guitar teacher has given me.

6. Improvising - For the last part of my practice and this varies greatly in time i improvise making solos from scales or riffs and licks and things and using chords to make rhythm etc anything really. Sometimes i won't always get anything good that's worth keeping but at least i'm still learning from it

So that's it for now let me know what you guys think of that if i could be improving from that kind of practice and what you guys do to practice as well.

Posted by: Robin Jun 29 2007, 02:13 PM

Looks like a pretty amazing routine to me

I dont really have a routine. Latelly I've been practicing like a madman on a instrumental song I've made. I just want to get it right so I can record it. But I find it really hard and it got many different techniques, so I know I'm improving even though I'm not doing any excerises.

I'm also trying to get better at using the whole fretboard while improvising(Blues in my case).
Sometimes I just jam for fun, with or without backing.

My practice "routine" changes alot, it depends what I want to get good at. Couple of weeks ago I practiced on Rude Mood by SRV, but I gave it a rest because of the song I've made. I also did practice alot sweeping and speedpicking for a couple of weeks, but I'm not really that interested in shredding so I havent pracitced that for a while, but I'm planning to start using sweeps, even in my blues/rock'n'roll songs.

Its totally random, sometimes I practice songs, sometimes my own songs, or techniques I suck at and other times GMC lessons. Maybe it would be smart for me to make a real routine though.

Posted by: The Uncreator Jun 29 2007, 02:18 PM

I got a set routine, its about 2-3 hours long, ill do that in the morning, but later that day, i might just jam out to some backing tracks or play along to some cool songs i know, like lately ive been playing alot "3 Inches Of Blood". helps me with endurance!

Posted by: steve25 Jun 29 2007, 02:22 PM

Well i guess if that's working for you and you're improving then that's fine and maybe changing it around a bit isn't such a bad idea. That's cool that you're making your own instrumental i want to as well but at the moment nothing is good enough that i'm making be sure to let us listen to it when you've recorded . Yeah i'm not overly fussed about being a really fast player i just want to be fast enough. Sweeping doesn't interest me at all i think it's overrated. Well i guess when making stuff it takes time for something good to come along from playing but good luck with your piece :]

Posted by: Robin Jun 29 2007, 02:28 PM

Thank you very much, I will upload it to the forum when its done!

You've only played 9 months, its not always that easy to make good songs when you havent played very long. Just listen to music and practice alot, then you'll be able to make awesome songs after a while I feel that I'm making much better riffs and songs than I did a couple of years ago. It just takes some time I guess

Posted by: jammer91 Jun 30 2007, 05:35 PM

WTF?
People start going on guitar sites and start posting their dream routine (what is up with that)?
Who has 24.5 hours a day to dedicate themselves to guitar.
Playing guitar can be fun but it does get boring after like 4 hours.

Its annoying when people post a 28 hour practice schedule covering everying.
People even post this stuff on UG.

Posted by: Robin Jun 30 2007, 05:59 PM

Not for everyone

Posted by: Eat-Sleep-andJam Jul 1 2007, 06:12 AM

Yeah I think your routine looks very good. Make sure you keep playing within the scales your learning. Get very comfortable with the scales , in the long run it becomes very important. TRUST ME

- John

Posted by: steve25 Jul 1 2007, 11:20 PM

How is that a 28 hour routine? Some people, myself included like to have certain practice methods to help them improve in certain areas to speed up progress and things. Of course a practice routine i've found out can be no good if what you're practicing isn't necessary or needed.

Thanks guys yeah i'm trying to memorise the scales and stuff so that i'll be better when it comes to improvising. At the moment, all i'm doing is pentatonic scales and that's it until i'm comfortable with those.

Posted by: Anastasio123 Jul 2 2007, 01:57 AM

lol

Posted by: fkalich Jul 2 2007, 03:22 AM

agree. myself, i have to be careful to not let myself get carried away to the point i refuse to put down my guitar and stay up all night. i got myself on a pretty screwed up sleep schedule that way. not healthy. but back to normal, and now I go to bed, no matter how much i want to keep practicing, in other words, it does not get boring after 4 hours for all of us.

i have been thinking about my practice. but for me it is more simple. i think ideal for me at this point is:

1/3 time drills.
1/3 time new stuff (new gmc lessons)
1/3 time working on perfecting stuff i know.

It is real easy for me to get focused too much on the third item, and working on the first two will indirectly speed the accomplishing of perfecting things that I know. there is some overlap of course, but i try to think in these terms, no more than 1/3 time actually play a song i am working on. but i might take some notes of that song that are tough, and turn that into a drill. so there can be some overlap.

I am not concerned with being innovative at this point. I have a goal to reach a point at the end of the year, where my skills are such that i start trying to come up with my own stuff.

Posted by: Anastasio123 Jul 2 2007, 03:59 AM

I think of my practicing in three categories

THEORY
-learn scales
-read through and understand Andrew's theaory lessons
-learn new chords and variations
TECHNIQUE
-metronome stuff/licks/exercises
-GMC lessons
-learn new songs/solos
FEEL
-improvisation
-soloing with new scales
-jammin

Every day I do a little or alot from each thing but I always do every category to maintain balance. I have to be honest Im not a very focused at practicing but at hte end of the day, I almost unknowingly touch all three dimensions of my playing just by "noodlind around". The hardest part for a writer is to write. The hardest thing for a scholar is to just study. I consider myself a musician/songwriter, not a PRACTICER. For me, If I take a good hard look at myself and compare what I Knew lats week to what I know now, and I find improvement, thats progress at least

Posted by: fkalich Jul 2 2007, 05:18 AM

quite a bit different from the way i look at it. different people, different stages of development, different backgrounds, etc etc.

For me it is drills, songs, and new stuff. i just have to make sure i am balancing that out right, but not to much time on existing songs mostly. better to turn bit of them into drills. also feel it is much better to work with a metronome rather than backing tracks. backing tracks can put you in a state where you don't focus on your flaws, they cover things up.

Posted by: Ryan Jul 2 2007, 08:38 AM

I second that. I can play for 12 hours. And still want to play more!! I try usually to get 5-8 hour days in. When im off. Its like an all day guitar session for me. With a few breaks inbetween!!

Posted by: Hemlok Jul 15 2007, 10:54 AM

Well first off, I want to make this topic more active.

I at this moment don't have a practice routine. I just do whatever, whenever. And I have come to this thread to stop that. Meaningless practice is time wasted

So GMC'ers keep posting, especially the instructors

thanks

- Hemlok

Posted by: Jakub Luptovec Jul 16 2007, 09:42 AM

For me its not about how many hours I practice a day, but (standartly its about 8 hours..) more of how long is it fun to me, or how challenging is it to me.
Yesterday I started that John Fruscinate lesson.. I did it almost completely in 30 minutes.. and I thought, that I am over.. then I realized, that one of the parts sounds really bad.. so i spent whole day on it With only breaks, to calm down, playing stuff, that I have already learned (songs, I can show off with - "Pink Floyd - Wish you were here" for example, I advise all begginig guitarists to learn this.. it sounds great and is easy) or just improvising. When I settle down, I just get back to the thing, I am not able to do and start fighting it again

So to sum it up, I just grab some techinque/solo and wrestle with it, 'till I am satisfied with the sound:).

Posted by: Pantalaimon Jul 17 2007, 05:22 AM

Unfortunately, you're never going to become a world class guitarist if guitar gets boring after a mere 4 hours. I usually play around 4 hours a day give or take an hour or two.

World class guitarists have 28 hour practice drills. I know a few.




I like this. I think I'll adopt your method.
And yes...the hardest thing for a writer is to write! especially poetry.

Posted by: Travelin' Man Jul 18 2007, 04:05 PM

I am still in the beginner stage, so the scales are all I practice right now. I already have a sense of chords and playing rythm.
My goal for coming here is to learn scales and technique.
That said, I try to get as much time in as possible, but between the wife, kids, and life in general, a steady diet is NOT possible. Even tho the guitar is in my lap for hours, Im lucky to get 30 minutes in at one sitting. I guess I have a long road to hoe at this rate.
The technique is on the back burner until I know my way around the fret board. Even though I enjoy watching, it doesnt make any sense to me to start trying to keep up with the instructors, until I know the scales.

Posted by: signularis Jul 30 2007, 06:45 PM

i have trouble that i learn a lot of dont master them lol can someone pls give me some advise about routine i 6 7 houtrs at weekends and 2 3 hours a day but i dont have a good schedule yet what the best do in those 2- 3 hours

Posted by: steve25 Jul 31 2007, 01:06 PM

As Kris said somewhere i can't remember where, everyone's practice schedules are different because we're all at different level and stuff. For those 2-3 hours you might want to think what is most difficult for you? I don't think that you have to master these things that you practice straight away at least have a good understanding of it though and be able to play parts of it or all of it but just really slow. If you get bored you can move away from it and practice something else until you're ready to go back to it.

Remember to warmup before a practice i've made that mistake of not doing so and suffered the consequences, i couldn't play for a few days, WHAT!? So yeah lets say you have 2 hours perhaps for 20 minutes you want to practice stuff that you struggle with, could be anything. If you practice stuff that you know you're already good at, as fun as it is, it isn't going to make you any better you want to challenge yourself

The next 20 you might want to practice stuff like scales, perhaps stuff you already know but needs improving could be consistency or speed that you need improving on in these areas. Don't forget to practice with a metronome. You don't have to do each of these in 20 minutes, could be more could be less it's entirely up to you, these are just ideas that you could do it's up to you to pick a schedule for yourself.

You could also practice songs if you like, maybe stuff that you've made yourself, riffs and licks or complete whole songs. I personally prefer to practice little bits out of songs i rarely play a whole song all the way through but really i probably should.

You could practice improvising over a backing track or a metronome from what you know and what you've learnt. You could try making solos or riffs anything you like just as long as it's helping you improve all the time it doesn't matter. You might not notice improvement straight away but it will come in time you have to keep at it.

You could try learning new stuff, could be anything like a new song, new scales, new chords, new stuff from GMC like new techniques and stuff anything. This is really useful to get you improving the more techniques you can do the more opportunities you have when playing. It's also a boredom curer if you're getting sick of what you're playing .

There's just some ideas i think about when making some practice schedules of my own i'm sure other people will have different stuff but it's just an idea. Make your own and see if it helps you

Posted by: fire Aug 1 2007, 02:02 PM

I have in general no "routine" it's still like a little chield, it sit in front of my computer and suddenly i take my guitar and start playing... usually I start with some string skipping ( hotel california 's quite nice here ) or the famous "spider" (: after that i go on with solos or anything i like... but while chatting I'm often just jaming a little with my guitar while tipping like now (: that can take hours hehe

Posted by: Eat-Sleep-andJam Aug 2 2007, 12:41 AM

Well Ive seen some good practice routines and some very bad ones. Sure Id love to just sit at my computer and play and jam but sadly that wont get you to where you want to be . Do you think when steve vai was a noob he just sat around his house and eventually came up with something amazing that one day magically turned into tender surrender ? No ! He worked hard on theory and scales, different chord progressions arpeggios and what not non-stop. And look at him now .


Next time your just " Sitting around " waiting for some magic to happen, pick up your guitar and " Really " practice. Dont waste time that could be useful to your journey as a musican.


- John

Posted by: Pavel Aug 2 2007, 12:47 AM

Well i guess i am than always using my time the right way! Be cause - to be honest - i don't like just sit and strum random chords - it drives me crazy! It just somehow turns out that each time i pick up guitar, i come up with a new exercise or a new riff for my songs or just practice one of my exercises from my own licks library!

And make sure to spend a couple of hours practicing exercises! It's not that boring - at least not for me! I love playing exercises because i always try to imagine where my practicing will lead me to! And it helps!

Posted by: Eat-Sleep-andJam Aug 2 2007, 01:09 AM

Exactly. Ladies and Gentlemen , that is why he plays that way he does. Do you think Pavel woudl be a the skill level hes at if he just goofed off ? The jury rests its case


- John

Posted by: Sergeant_Ant Aug 2 2007, 02:09 AM

wake up
play guitar
eat breakfast
play guitar
eat lunch
play guitar
watch tv
play guitar
eat dinner
play guitar
sleep
repeat!

thats mine till school starts again

Posted by: Salivtomte Aug 3 2007, 12:32 AM

OK, My routine changes with time, 3 moths ago i would have a routine that would be something like this:

20 minutes of warming up, where i would play chromatic boxes up and down with stringskipping and a metronome, and i would switch between playing 8notes and 8note tripplets and try and increase my bpm for every day.

Then i would take a 2 chords i at the moment found har to bar, and switch between them with a metronome, up and down the neck(chord shapes, not chords).

then i would make up 3 drills that was hard to play, try and play each of them with a metronome intensivly for 3 minutes, than go with the next drill for another 3 minutes and so on for 20-30 minutes.

When i was done with this i would write a short log on how things had worked out for me that way, if i noticed progress or and what bpm i was playing the exercises at.

I would then work with 3 song for 2 hours, just random song that i liked, try and transcribe by ear, and learn and play them at a slower speed if necessary, work with em for days until i felt i could do em with my eyes closed, and i mastered all the guitarparts i liked, for instance the songs i am playing now is "little wing with jimi hendrix, Snow (hey oh) with RHCP and Can't stop with RHCP" ( little wing is great for making basic chord pogressions more interesting, Snow is good for speedpicking, and Can't stop is good for stringblocking, stringskipping and solid chordpicking.

For every new song you learn u have to master new teqniques, and no feeling beats the feeling of beeing able to play along with your favourite songs

I also like picking out hard pieces of songs i like (transcribing by ear) and work on them isolated with a metronome.

One more thing i like to do is to make up strength exercises, again; here i use the 3minute 3drills concept and work on it until i cant feel my fingers.

when im through with this I either try and make up my own stuff, or doing a bit of jaming



Currently i am pretty focused on working out the pentatonic boxes, and getting used to walk diagonal and horisentally betwwen them, and this goes hand in hand with speedpicking.



It's a cool feeling working on speedpicking, when you are picking on and on in a handmotion that your body is not used to, and you can really feel the little part the arm that you are building musclepower in, and in the begining (ive only been speedpicking for 4 days) you notice improvement every single day thats pure satisfaction imo


Hope this helps anyone out:) Bad thing with getting to focused on one practice moment in my oppinion, is that you loose some of the stuff you used to know, but whats great with muscle memory is, once you learned something, you can allways work your way back to the level you where once at. So nothing you ever learn is ever forgotten by your muscles, just needs to be polished a little