Re: How do you practice
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:14 pm
Kevin- yes, this topic has come up frequently on this forum and the responses are as diverse as the players.
Clearly, there is no "one size fits all" solution. But what I think is very important is to understand how you personally learn best. How any of the rest of us learn really shouldn't mean a wit to you.
I've played the guitar for over 40 years and my skills are like a great lake that is one inch deep. I can play a million tunes but few of them all the way through or even very well. This TARGET program, and my fellow guitarists, have forced me to change my approach.
I like the saying "practice how you will play". If I intend to only play the first verse and the chorus then that's all I need to learn. But how many "real" guitarists do that? If you ever want to play in front of anyone else, you have to learn the whole song. In fact, that is Neil's definition of an intermediate player. Someone who can bang out the first part of a lot of songs and then quickly moves on to the next. That was me.
Reading these other posts it seems vital that we understand the difference between playing and practicing. I have the attention span of a gnat so I need to plan my practices a little better than most. I never begin a practice without having someing in mind that I want to accomplish or at least work on.
Nowadays, as I get older, I always warm up a bit playing a song I like first with easy strumming and then moving toward fingerstyle. Once my fingers and hands are loose I always go to my main learning goal for the session. I try to not spend more that 20 minutes tops on breaking out a difficult run or a tough transition.
I always try to get 15-20 minutes of scales in too. Scales make me feel like I am thinking about the whole fretboard and not just notes. Scales make me feel connected.
After scales, I work on my TARGET "In Progress Songs". If I have extra time, this is where I spend it. I have at least 20 TARGET songs that I want to learn and that is way too many. Neil is evil. He senses when my TARGET list is getting manageble and then dumps a week of Jethro Tull or Prog Rock on me. I can hear his evil laugh saying "Got you again big guy! HaHa!!"
Finally, I unwind each session by keeping fresh on my "Go to" songs that I feeel comfortable about playing in front of others. But I have to be careful here and not get lazy and only play snipits. Also, this is where I practice vocals so I try to be sharp during this segment.
This puts practices at about 1 to 1-1/2 hours and I'm good. For me, I do better with more practice sessions versus longer sessions.
Try various practice approaches and see what your learning style responds best to. I think you'll be surprised how different approaches help you achieve your personal goals quicker.
There is only one constant in music. Play (practice) 'til your fingers bleed!!! And enjoy every minute of it!
Happy playin' :cheer:
Clearly, there is no "one size fits all" solution. But what I think is very important is to understand how you personally learn best. How any of the rest of us learn really shouldn't mean a wit to you.
I've played the guitar for over 40 years and my skills are like a great lake that is one inch deep. I can play a million tunes but few of them all the way through or even very well. This TARGET program, and my fellow guitarists, have forced me to change my approach.
I like the saying "practice how you will play". If I intend to only play the first verse and the chorus then that's all I need to learn. But how many "real" guitarists do that? If you ever want to play in front of anyone else, you have to learn the whole song. In fact, that is Neil's definition of an intermediate player. Someone who can bang out the first part of a lot of songs and then quickly moves on to the next. That was me.
Reading these other posts it seems vital that we understand the difference between playing and practicing. I have the attention span of a gnat so I need to plan my practices a little better than most. I never begin a practice without having someing in mind that I want to accomplish or at least work on.
Nowadays, as I get older, I always warm up a bit playing a song I like first with easy strumming and then moving toward fingerstyle. Once my fingers and hands are loose I always go to my main learning goal for the session. I try to not spend more that 20 minutes tops on breaking out a difficult run or a tough transition.
I always try to get 15-20 minutes of scales in too. Scales make me feel like I am thinking about the whole fretboard and not just notes. Scales make me feel connected.
After scales, I work on my TARGET "In Progress Songs". If I have extra time, this is where I spend it. I have at least 20 TARGET songs that I want to learn and that is way too many. Neil is evil. He senses when my TARGET list is getting manageble and then dumps a week of Jethro Tull or Prog Rock on me. I can hear his evil laugh saying "Got you again big guy! HaHa!!"
Finally, I unwind each session by keeping fresh on my "Go to" songs that I feeel comfortable about playing in front of others. But I have to be careful here and not get lazy and only play snipits. Also, this is where I practice vocals so I try to be sharp during this segment.
This puts practices at about 1 to 1-1/2 hours and I'm good. For me, I do better with more practice sessions versus longer sessions.
Try various practice approaches and see what your learning style responds best to. I think you'll be surprised how different approaches help you achieve your personal goals quicker.
There is only one constant in music. Play (practice) 'til your fingers bleed!!! And enjoy every minute of it!
Happy playin' :cheer: