Structuring a long-term practice regimen?

[SHIVmongrel]

I have been playing for about 12 years now, very little training, unformally learned by helpful musicians.

 

I just finished grad school, now I have time to get back into playing seriously, and I want to do it right.

 

I've begun this morning, practicing major scales, and plan to practice major scales until i know all keys in all positions, then move on to the relative minor scales.

 

I found a little book called 'uncle tim's building blocks' which i am using to practice the scales as i learn them

 

 

I would be interested in some veteran's takes on how to maximize my gains practicing 1 hour in the morning and then 2 hours each night.

 

i want to learn guitar, not just a style of music. I want to be able to play for all types of people, not just those interested in a genre

 

Anyone have any advice, pointers or leads to books or websites that would be helpful to me? Motivation isn't an issue, and I can follow thru with a long-term plan, so I basically just seek advice on how to structure my sessions to reach the goal of becoming a proficient player

[Auggie Doggie]

The first link in my signature is for a book that will give you an ENORMOUS amount of music to practice to develop your technique, and the second link is for a book that helps you get the most out of your practice time.

[Redsweater]

Yea, im having trouble building my speed. The speed mechanics book in my opinion hasn't been helping at all. I can do the chromatic excersises in my sleep, and the section on sweep picking is a bit... LACKING.

[tuvokzeta9]

The Frank Gamble video Monster Licks from DCI publishing is a great for learning proper execution of sweeps. The thing is to watch him play over and over... not necessarily do each example over and over... save that for later. Gamble's technique is the best out of all the dudes that sweep. Also there is the Stylus Pick.

[Redsweater]

My main problem is probably the muting of the strings. I take my fingers off in time with the pick, but I guess the open strings vibrate a little when I sweep up, and sometimes when I sweep down wich makes it sound really sloppy. (And this is more pronounced with distortion too!)

[crowekd]

Classical musicians (including guitarists) have been studying their instruments based on stuctured, rigorous, and disciplined approaches for years. In particular, it got me to thinking about the Royal Conservatory of music approach to classical guitar. One doesn't have to study exactly the same things but it is useful to study the same components. So how about:

1) scales
2) arpeggios (including sweeping)
3) triads
4) 4 note chords (major, minor, and diminished 7ths)
5) slurs & ornaments (bends, slides, vibrato, hammer on's, pull offs, trills,tapping, harmonics, etc.)
6) rhythm
7) ear training
8) sight reading
9) theory
10) a second instrument or vocal work
11) composition (improvisation)

AND most importantly

12) songs, songs, and more songs

In additon, there are multiples styles and music genres to choose from. Don't forget finger style, slide, alternate tunings, and acoustic.

Technique is a wonderful thing but it is only a means to a musical end. Endless repetition of mind numbing technique is anti-musical. If you spend 2 1/2 hours practicing scales and only 15 minutes on some tunes, you are missing the point. Most of us don't have the mental discipline for this kind of approach and get bored very quickly and consequently stop practicing. It is much better to practice every day for 1/2 hour than once a week for two. As a rule of thumb, spend only half your time on technique.

Play music you are actually interested in. I believe the combination of over emphasis on technique and songs that have no interest for the student are what poision people towards formal musical training.

I personally hate straight chromatic exercises because there is no musicality to them. If I want to warm up, I'll play some scales (Segovia). In fact for scales, apeggios, and triads, I try to play them in a scale context. Sometimes, I'll play all 24 major and minor combinations but mostly not. Don't go crazy trying to memorize every scale. If you can play C, A, G, E, D , F (and maybe Eb and Bb so you can play with horn players) you are doing well.

Ear training can be as simple as sitting down with the radio or a CD for 15 minutes and trying to play along. Try to play the vocal lines as well as the guitar lines. I like the radio simply because you never know what your are going to hear.

Formal education emphasizes performance, both given and received. This doesn't have to mean recitals and adjudicators, and concerts. Play with anybody you can whenever you can, especially people who are better than you. Go to jams or any other live performance. Even if you are not playing, you'll learn something by watching the others. Almost no one is truly self taught. Most of our guitar heroes had mentor(s) along the way who showed them a particular chord, or riff, or technique or fingering that opened up a door for further development.

Learn a second instrument (not bass, preferably not even a stringed instrument). Some keyboards are often preferred but anything else, including voice, takes you out of the rut of viewing music through the eyes of a guitar.

Approach to practice is important. Work at solving a problem or learning a new technique...not at something you already know how to do. Even worse, practicing something you are doing wrong is truly counter productive.

Finally, don't make practice a miserable chore. Some of it should be hard, but make sure some of it is a blast.

[SHIVmongrel]

thanks for the advice, that really helps me. I found the second instrument suggestion particularly interesting, I've been wanting to try some type of brass instrument for a while now. My wife used to play saxophone, I might talk her into teaching me a few things...

so perhaps i might want to shorten my alloted time a bit in order to avoid a rut.

i can't play and sight-read music currently, but i plan to begin learning as i go

very interesting advice, thanks again, i'll let you know how i structure my sessions and what progess i'm making

[SpiderFingers]

I'm about to start some serious practicing as well for the new year. AFter I got off the road from the artist I was playing with I didn't play for a while. Now I have my hunger back. I also am coming up with a regiment that is very disciplined. ONe thing I use a lot is a cooking timer. I set if for a certain amount of time & break the practice off into different sections. I got this from Vai's 10 hour workout. I don't do his work out but I will do some work on chords, some on scales, some on particular techniques etc. Now I will be focusing more on songs as I will be playing in another band. One thing I recommend is buying either a book or a video & actually LEARNING everything in it as opposed to just watching & copping a couple of licks etc. I have one by Don Mock I will be working on Jazz rhythms etc. Usually when I buy videos they are from styles I DON'T play to keep me fresh. I don't need a shred video etc. I focus a lot on country & jazz. Include in your practice sitting down & learning a new song every week or every day if possible. Something you wouldn't particularly learn. I learned 2 new songs from No Doubt & will be learning some Billy Idol songs (STeve Stevens!!!). Also I dig the Police for chords. I try to teach my students using songs that use what I am teaching. Not just teachings chords or scales but their applicability as well in a song format. A bunch of scales & chords won't help if you can't apply them.

[Terje]

OK, some thoughts...

Don't spend a lot of time on learning every position. No need, they are all the same, you just move them up or down a fret or two. Learn things using different fingerings instead.

Most of us spend way too little time learning actual songs. Learn melodies and tunes. Learn these with different fingerings and in different keys.

Play music as much as you can. With others preferably, with backing tracks and to CD:s or just by yourself.

If you want to spend a lot of time on scales then at least spend it on different scales. So after the major scales move on to the melodic minor scale, cause the relative minor scales are just the same thing as the major scales but with different starting notes.

After the melodic minor you can move over to the diminished and the augmented and the whole tone and all that stuff. Chances are though that you won't need it. With those two basic scales, the major scale with all its modes, and the melodic minor scale with all its modes you've got pretty much everything covered.

[Little Dreamer]

I'd recommend taking a half hour or so to daydream about where you want to be 10 years from now. What things will this great guitarist be able to do? Make a catalogue of the various things you want to accomplish. Do you want to be in a band? Do you want to be a master of theory? Have a tape full of your original songs? Know covers? Know several styles - if so, which ones? Be a technical wizard? Etc. etc. etc.

Now list each goal and lay out your lesson plan for achieving that goal. If you want to master theory, get some good books and set up a schedule for going through them. Look through each book and estimate how long each chapter, lesson or whatever will take. Then write this down like a class schedule, complete with midterms and final exams. Like, I'll learn one new chord each week, along with practicing the ones I already know. Therefore, I should be through section 1 of the chord theory book in two months, so the "midterm" is Feb. 24. Give yourself holidays from study, just like school. That chord a week may seem slow, but you're working towards 10-year goals. Go at your own pace.

And that would be one class out six (or whatever). Develop a cirriculum, with a syllabus for each course.

[wooderson]

Crowekd -

That was a great post. I'm in the same position as SHIVmongrel. I'm 31, I've been playing since I was 12 off and on, and frankly I suck. Well, I'm a 4.5 on a 1 - 10 scale.

I never practiced much but was alwasy in bands. First punk rock, so forget any need for soloing or notework. Then heavy stuff (a la Kyuss) and mainly just used a Wah, reverb, OD and echo to form my sound while I noodled around. I haven't really played in about 4 years and just started a band with an old friend of mine playing country rock and am completely lost for how to play the licks and lines I hear in my head. I really like your suggestions.

I too like the 2nd instrument idea. I'm buying a pedal steel to learn, still guitar but a bit different. Also looking into buying a Rhodes and picking up the keys. I love the sound of both of those.