Members gui_999 Posted March 10, 2003 Members Posted March 10, 2003 Ok, after reading replies to my other post, I've decided to set up a practice routine based on 2 hours per days. (I don't have money right now for a teacher) So like I said on my other post, I know some techniques but I need to build my speed and gain clarity, the things I don't know are theorical ones, like scales, chords, etc etc... So how should I build up my routine? - 30 minutes speed building? ( 1-2-3-4 things with metronome )- ??- ??- ?? Any "concrete" ideas ( link to website would be appreciated )
Members Flanger Posted March 10, 2003 Members Posted March 10, 2003 Originally posted by gui_999 So how should I build up my routine? - 30 minutes speed building? ( 1-2-3-4 things with metronome )- ??- ??- ??Any "concrete" ideas ( link to website would be appreciated ) Why not do something useful, like scales. You can build up your speed AND knowledge at the same time.
Members Triton Posted March 11, 2003 Members Posted March 11, 2003 What to practice all depends on your goals.Since you want to get faster i would suggest picking exercises,hammer-on exercises and also sweep picking exercises.There are tons of exercises out there that you can do that will cover these areas.Also remember to use a metronome that is one of the most important things. You might wanna read this by John Petrucci.6 pages of good information. http://members1.chello.nl/~n.tiemessen/jp/lesson_01.htm You can also find useful stuff here. http://www.insaneguitar.com/ http://www.guitarworld.com/0100/framesets/lessons.html http://www.ibreathemusic.com/ If you want to learn some theory then go here. http://www.zentao.com/guitar/
Members Bajazz Posted March 11, 2003 Members Posted March 11, 2003 - 30 minutes speed building? ( 1-2-3-4 things with metronome )- ??- ??- ??Any "concrete" ideas ( link to website would be appreciated ) Why not play 1234 for, say 5 minutes. And really, really quality time perfectioning your technique. After 2 months you'll be sick to death playing 1-2-3-4 1/2 hour. You'll be a 1234 master though..... I would spend the rest 25 minutes developing speed on songs I'd like to learn. Let's say you always wanted to play "Bumble bee". Just use the same principles as for 1234. Start so slow that it hurts! If you increase 1 beat/min every day for some months, you'll soon be buzzing around..... BTW, learn scales, chords, licks, and don't forget songs/tunes!
Members GTM Posted March 11, 2003 Members Posted March 11, 2003 Don't get to hung up on the 1234 thing. Remember, the secret to playing fast is "knowing where your going". Playing fast consumes notes fast, in other words you have to have inventory. The guys who do it well know scales, modes, shapes, arpeggos , etc, inside out and can go from scale to scale, key to key with ease. When palying fast you have to be thinking way ahead of yourself. If your really serious you need to get some books that have scale patterns written out for practice. You can buy them at music stores or on line. They are not hard to find. The difference between an ok guitar palyer and and exceptional one is how he uses his resources. In other words part of the process is seeking and finding. A good teacher is important, he will provide a path. If you can't afford a teacher you have to be resourceful. Seek and you shall find but don't expect anyone to do it for you.
Members djmojo Posted March 11, 2003 Members Posted March 11, 2003 I also think an important key to speed is finding which hand is slowing the other hand down... You need to be PERFECTLY coordinated between your picking hand and your fretting hand, so that as soon as you pick a note, you fret it too, once you get this going you will realize what you were missing all along As suggested, 1234 for 5 minutes to developer cleaness and acuracy, not so much speed. Then work on each hand separately for 5 or 10 minutes. Play all your scales and modes legato three notes per string. Pick one and hammer on two, and repeat. then for another 5 or 10 minutes, work on your alternate picking, say on just one or two strings, with not too much crazy fret work, but concentrate on fretting and picking at the same time. Then do your scales with alternate picking every note. its important to mix up the patterns, 1234 or running up and down a scale wont help your TOO much in the long run, you have to be able to do for example 1423, or 1324, or 4321, 4123, things like that... and same with scales, try moving in thirds, fifths... etc. if you get stuck to wanking up and down in a straight line with your scales, you wont be happy with your practicing.
Members gui_999 Posted March 11, 2003 Author Members Posted March 11, 2003 My 1-2-3-4 exercise is a variation of it. not the 1234-1234-1234 it's 1234-1243-1324-1342-1423-1432-2134... etc... with alternate picking
Members VT_Hokie Posted March 11, 2003 Members Posted March 11, 2003 get speed mechanics by troy stetina. this will keep you occupied for a looong time. as for the 1-2-3-4 thing, try it without picking the notes, using only hammer-ons and pull-offs. this is tough at first, but once you get it, your fretting technique will improve exponentially, not to mention hammer-ons and pulloffs. this is the first exercise in speed mechanics, and one of the best.
Members Mister2 Posted March 12, 2003 Members Posted March 12, 2003 Like to pass on my thoughts of he last 6 weeks here..i hope it will be of some help, or at least food for thought. I am in the "woodshedding" stage totally at the moment, have been playing for 15years but while i can play certain things i would never consider myself a good player. My goal at the moment is to be able to play with alternate picking smoothly and cleanly and to 150bpm 16ths, at the moment this means upping to 150 on the 1234 pattern, and a goal of 132 bpm for modal scales ...i started 6 weeks ago, slowly at 66 bpm , and immediately came to the conclusion that "Honesty" is a very important element, "can i play cleanly" at 66 "are my hands relaxed" "is the tone good", i think concentrating on these things and above all being honest with myself has allowed me to progress, slowly but progression is definately there. Anyways to the point of this thread, practice regime, lots can be read as noted, the Petrucci video was my tool !! One thing i found very quickly was not to neglect the left hand, a rounded approach to a practice regime is definately called for. I now start my session and spend 50 mins on the left hand, Legato ..concentrating on lightness of touch and good tone , i start these sessions at 100bpm, and find it comfortable to rise to 140 bpm. i try and incorporate as many stumbling blocks , difficult parts and not spend to much time on each exercise, 50mins is a long time it seems but it flies by , i allways start each exercise at 100 then rise to 140 in increments of 8, my left hand is cetainly better than my pickinghand but i have found it falling into its old ways and not so good for scalar stuff, these exercises are helping . One important thing is to start a folder, get some tab sheets and right down your practice schedule, my first section has 22 exercises which takes the 50 mins to complete. if i had a scanner i could up it for everyone. i may powertab it, , give us a shout if this will help you and i will gladly resolve to get that done !! From the Legato, section i move on to the picking hand, start at 66bpm and play an a minor scale across two octaves, starting with 4ths i move onto eighths and then sixteenths, all the while keeping at 66bpm , i then play a few modal positions of this scale 5 to be exact, just in arange on the fretboard that i find beneficial, all the time at 66bpm alternating 8ths and 16ths as i go. i then go back to the aeolian mode A and up my speed in 8bpm steps up to 108bpm..thats where i stop at the moment with this exercise, i only up it when everything is totally comfortable, and i feel i am not there yet ...give it a week though and i may be up to 116. I then use the 1234 exercise last to finally push for speed and after the workout usually get a nice kick from seeing how fast i can get, 140 is about my limit, and at this speed i do cramp up , but a few weeks ago i would cramp up at 108 so its definately working. In summary do write down your practice schedule be honest and critical..record yourself spend a lot of time playing slowly, or "within your abilities" work out for a while and then ..and only then.. push yourself to a higher speed Hope this helps someone.
Members GTM Posted March 12, 2003 Members Posted March 12, 2003 I'll add to this 2 extremely valuable tools I use when I practice, a looper and recorder. Several times a week I create my own jam tracks, simple chord progressions to play scales or modes over. I play for 20, 30, 45 minutes over the same loop. This serves two purposes, one is to use what I have been practicing in the "real " world. Meaning it's nice to practice 1234, 1324, etc, but your not gonna play that stuff in a song. Playing over the loops forces me to get melodic and drives me to concentrate on creativity and tone. I'll also record some of the practice sessions and listen back to them. VERY IMPORTANT, THE TAPE DOESN'T LIE!!" I can hear my weakness and strenghts and work on both of them.
Members AJrockz Posted March 12, 2003 Members Posted March 12, 2003 Originally posted by gui_999 Ok, after reading replies to my other post, I've decided to set up a practice routine based on 2 hours per days. (I don't have money right now for a teacher)So like I said on my other post, I know some techniques but I need to build my speed and gain clarity, the things I don't know are theorical ones, like scales, chords, etc etc...So how should I build up my routine? - 30 minutes speed building? ( 1-2-3-4 things with metronome )- ??- ??- ??Any "concrete" ideas ( link to website would be appreciated ) Theres been some really good advice laid out for you throughout this thread. I would definitely advise you to get yourself a metronome, or if you can't afford one........go download a free one for your PC. Practice with it....it will pay off in the long run immensely!Check out the already-mentioned links.....and take a look at Guitarcenter.com......The Ultimate Guitar Show with Mark Seal. He's a excellent player, and teacher.......some of his lessons will be frustrating at first. But he doesn't get caught up in "theory jargon" too much.....lays it out for the average layman. I've actually started using a few of his ideas in my lesson plans for the students I teach.
Members Terje Posted March 13, 2003 Members Posted March 13, 2003 Suggested practice routine... Jam with records for as long as you can stand it. Learn solos and melodies but also just jam along, be part of the rhythm section, try to fit in with the band. Then learn a new song. You can never learn too many melodies. Never know when that corny tune is gonna save your ass. If it's a jazz to you can use those Aebersold play-a-longs. Learing new applications of the scales you already know. There's always something. Work on your technique, make sure it's as effortless as possible. Then see to it that you play with others as much as possible. Once a week is great, once a day is wonderful. So, as a part of your practice routine you should teach your wife to play bass
Members gui_999 Posted March 13, 2003 Author Members Posted March 13, 2003 For now I play once in 2 weeks with a signer and drummer. We jammed 4 times to date.. I was imprest with my timing! I played some system of a down, Metallica ( seek and destroy ), some iron maiden, anthax, etc.. And it was not to bad! I was able to follow the drummer all the time, playing the riff where they must be played, and that was the first time I ever played with a drum!
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