How do you practice

BigBear
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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:


beaker
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:26 pm

... Yeah, quite a few of us had a tough time getting that 2nd, 3rd & 4th finger formation of the G chord, but I have to say it is well worth it. Using that G has made soooo many songs soo much easier!
Here is some advice from the MAN.....Mr Keith Richards...... Pretty simple really, but sage advice on learning to play guitar.......



AndyT
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:59 am

Yes, there are lots of different answers for this question. But I think there are a few constants. Things that fit universally.

Practice more often, not just longer.
If you practice for four 15 minute sessions each day, that is better than doing 1 hour long session.
The mind, and the muscle memory absorb better in smaller chunks. So doing it in smaller sessions of 15 minutes allows the mind to take it in better. And the more often you do it, the faster you will build the muscle memory.

When you practice, spend the first 15 minute session on the hard technical stuff that you need to learn. The rest of your sessions can be on different things. Don't overwhelm yourself with hard technical stuff in every session.

When you're done with practice, its time to PLAY. Have fun with it. If you don't enjoy it, then it will go in the closet and then whats the point.


tovo
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:29 am

How do I practice? I get up early. Real early. I sit on the couch and work on the tune I'm learning. I try very hard to play nothing but the tune I'm learning. As soon as possible I play it all the way through. I try not to have too many tunes on the go at once. I always have a main tune. I revisit tunes I have learned during the time I am sitting on the couch just noodling. If I find I have forgotten them I spend more time. A pleasing thing is that I have more tunes that I can play off the top of my head all the time. I don't do enough theory, I don't do enough scales, I don't do enough 1 minute changes and that sort of stuff and I spend FAR too much time on the forum. I do pick up the guitar a lot though. That's good.


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neverfoundthetime
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:02 am

Very mixed bag with me. Like Vanessa I'll pick up the guitar regularly throughout the day if I can. Sometimes I'll repeat riffs I've been learning while watching tennis or soccer on TV. Other times I'll run through songs I'm working on and usually play the songs all the way through and sing them. I'll go back and work on problem areas. Or I'll just play through a bunch of songs I know well going back through my songbook and playing ones I haven't played for ages. Then I'll get hung up on a"new" song and listen to it and practice it repeatedly (sometimes all day long ... with breaks to eat ;-)) until I can play it and video it. I remember what it was like training and working at sports with great discipline throughout my life but I don't bring that sort of structure to playing the guitar. Even so, it does all add up over time... although if I used half the time I spend on the forum on practice, I'd be good by now! :-). No way I could do what Tony does... I can't sing or think straight in the morning and my best moments on the guitar are usually deep into the night.


kpenhorwood
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:31 am

So, I was alone last night (wife and kids out) so I tried singing while playing. Not only do I sound bad (not a big deal) but it really thru off my strumming as the singing tempo was different than the strumming tempo. I will definitely have to work more on that.

I am curious as to if anyone else here started off on another instrument. I grew up and consider myself a keyboard player. Which makes the keyboard to me a much easier insturment to play. It is linear and knowing what note you are playing is always obvious since notes never repeat and a C notes looks the same down the entire keyboard. No need to "learn" the notes and locations. That is something that has always facinated me about the guitar...the way it is set up. It has also been very confusing but thanks to the theory lessons here I am finally starting to understand how it is set up. I have to admit that I don't spend enough time on the scales and learning the notes as I should. I need to incorporate that into my "Practice" sessions much more.

How many of you started on other instruments? Do you think guitar is easier or harder than the instrument you started on?

Just curious.....this has also been covered I am sure....hard to be original. :S

Kevin


suziko
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:05 am

Great topic. I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's responses. Coincidentally enough, this months Acoustic Guitar magazine had an article about practicing, with 21 tips by a group of experts. One of the (many) things I took from it was to keep your session short (they suggest 20 minutes), but to have several sessions throughout the day. In trying to incorporate that into my practice routine, I've been doing a 30 minute session, then taking a break to get a drink, check my email, eat, etc. Then I go back and do another. Another thing they recommend is to keep distractions to a mininum. I admit that up until now, I tended to practice right by my laptop. I'd play some, then check out the forum, then play some, then check my mail, play some, answer an email, etc. Sure, I might do that for 2 hours, but how much real focused practice am I getting in? Since then, I've shut my computer for the half-hour that I'm practicing, and i only check it when I'm done. I'm finding that really helps a lot.

I haven't really had a structured practice schedule the whole time I've been learning. I just always shoot for playing/practicing somewhere around 2-3 hours/day (not counting weekends). I usually focus a large chunk of that to practicing and learning a new song. Then I spend time going over my "repertoire" of songs. Some of that is just fun strumming and singing, but a lot of times I'll focus on the parts that dont' seem smooth, and spend time just going over those parts until they feel better. I practice primarily during the day. In the morning I'm too groggy and cranky, and at night I'm pretty much the same. :)


In answer to your question about instruments played prior- I played piano for about a year before I started learning guitar. I was definitely a beginner, but I think it helped me, theory-wise, with picking up guitar slightly quicker.

Suzi

P.S. Welcome to TG!! It's a great place to be- just be cautious about what a time-suck it can be.


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