Arranging Practice Time

BigBear
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Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:39 am

A good, yet troubling question. Since playing the guitar is a hobby it constantly falls victim to higher priorities. This creates it's own frustrations.

Playing (including practicing) is supposed to be my little respite in the storm of life. But lately there just doesn't seem to be time.

It takes discipline to get better and it takes discipline to stay at what ever level you are at now. The status quo means you are regressing. As I am now.

Knowing I have the IGC upcoming will be a huge motivator to practicing more. I know if I were to go today I would be embarrassed. So I will find the discipline to carve out whatever time I can every day.

But regardless of how long I practice I always follow the same method. Loosen up, do some scales, work on older "in the bag songs", then finish with new songs. I try to get 30 minutes minimum just to keep my calluses. One hour is perfect and 1-2 hours on the weekend is a treat but not often achieved.

Cheers! :cheer:


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Music Junkie
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Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:16 am

My schedule allows for an hour or so each night after the kids go to bed, and the house is mellowing out. Some nights I really get into it, and seem to make some advances. Others, it seems like I am picking the guitar up for the first time. I am thoroughly undisciplined in my practice sessions. I tend to work to the point of frustration on whatever "new" song is in the chamber, and then I thumb through my books and play through as many songs as time allows. I have noticed that as time goes by, the songs in the books are getting stronger, so I guess something is sinking in. None are what I would consider solid though... I would like to work more exercises into my routine and try to learn more about scales and how to use them. I would also like to work on song writing a bit, but don't really know where to start. I am constantly looking for the epiphany moment on chord progressions and how to use them, but it has not come yet.

Jason


wiley
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Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:07 am

Exactly what is "Practice"?

Is it when we are trying to absorb new material, some technique or piece we have never achieved? Or, is it the repetition and therefore the precision (or strive for) of techniques and such within our grasp, just in need of 'perfection'?

Is it, or is it not, sitting on the back porch, playing some piece that we have played several hundreds of times before? Does this even count towards our 'practice' time? Does a singer/songwriter include, in his 'practice' regime, the time before, during, or even after a 'gig'?

My biggest problem I strive to overcome lies in the face of all those years of 'practice' within other forms of jobs and task. "Practice" becomes too much like a form of solitary confinement 'homework'! You know, "Do It Or ELSE!!" thingy.

I play for the 'fun' - or more precisely. because I feel a 'need' to. Guitar, even as poor as I am at it ( I tell those who ask I more or less 'beat' on it) is not just a 'soothing' thing. Not just a way to 'escape' from everyday life. When I'm "on" (Usually only to myself) it's a 'mystical' thing - meditation plus. Doesn't matter if I'm playing some song note for note, it's rare that happens. Yet some sort of 'progression' - some sound that hits the back of my head and flows to my fingers and then back to my ears and 'soul'. It becomes a 'need' - like the need to breath.

As for a strict regime of 'practice' - it's there, I have some sort of drive to complete all 120 movements at a pace of ten times each, of "Giuliani's Right Hand Techniques" before the IGC. I'm too analytical a person to go without some sort of guideline. I throw in a smattering of other techniques and songs, like "Imagine" and "Freight Train" and a few others, depends upon my time allowed at the moment.

I'm also of the believe that too much 'strict' practice takes away from the 'art' of the performer. It's when one begins to 'think' too much that we usually begin to feel the frustration of expectations, be they our own or of others.

In playing Poker I found that I played much better when I turned myself loose, focused completely, knew what I wanted and expected and just let the 'rhythm' of the game take over. Of course, I'd spent a huge amount of time 'studying' the game, the math, the statistics, the laws of probability (and how they tend to vary when the human hand touches them), and the human emotions involved, body language and control. It's said that the game, best played, is void of emotion - Poker Face - bullshit! It's full of emotion, good times, bad times, crazy out of this world times. It's that 'rush' that's the real reason most play. And, the reason most of us give up. That Roller Coaster ride becomes a bit too much! The difference between a 'winning player' and a 'losing' one? Too many times it's the thickness of a playing card!!

So, practice is a 'necessity', even for those gifted. My own thoughts circle around the fact I need to play, and the fact that that does include practice to get there. Now, if I can overcome that long ago learned definition of 'practice' as "WORK" maybe I can get somewhere.


sbutler
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Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:29 pm

First of all, I've learned that if I'm not having a good day, anything on my guitar can be therapy. If I can't make anything sound good when I start playing, I'll put it down. I never push myself. That tends to create bad habits.
Later I'll pick it up and try again. I have a few songs that I use for finger warm ups, then I go to my index card list of things I've decided I want to work on. One list is precision picking, another is certain Techniques, (hammer on, pull offs, or maybe its got an intro riff, or lick that helps me with other songs. The next card may be, touch up old songs not visited in a while. Another card is work on new stuff, Rosa May, Bermuda Triangle exit, Lagrima, ect. I always mix it up, and I never make myself work on something that my fingers just don't seem to want to do. I'll come back to those later, and usually I don't have a hard time with them.

Some songs, I'll shelve for a few weeks, and when I come back to them, its as if I've been working on them non-stop. I think sometimes the mind just needs a few days to process some of this stuff, and when I come back to them, they seem to come easier.

Scott


cosmicmechanic
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Sat Apr 05, 2014 12:02 am

This is about when you want to play but have to be quiet :(

Funny thing ... I've had an electric guitar lying around for some months now, and barely touched it.

But I recently started using this electric guitar unplugged to play when being quiet in the house is the priority, and it really brings out another dimension to practicing.

Since it's usually easier to finger the notes and chords, and the sounds (good and bad notes) are much less pronounced on an unplugged electric guitar,
I feel that this seems to be helping me build confidence and attain a looser playing style. I've also been able to play more often, when otherwise I would have been too noisy.

In other words, while progressing on the feeling and muscle-memory in this more relaxed style of playing, the details can also later be polished on the less forgiving acoustic guitar.

I mean this as an on and off random cycle, not a planned sequence of practice. In this context, I've played maybe 5% of practice time on the unplugged electric in the last 2 months.

So it turns out that it's been a happy "accident" to have to play without making too much of a racket :)

Pierre


AcousticAl
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Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:41 pm

Great tip, Pierre!

That's exactly what I've been doing for about 90% of my practice time lately. Been using my unplugged Thinline tele that you see in my avatar. I've been working on lead stuff with bends and such, and because the thinline has the f-hole cutout, I can hear it pretty well too.

And you're correct that it's VERY forgiving. There's obviously quite a difference between unplugged and plugging in. You'll see that the 'forgiving sound' vanishes once you plug in, and you've got to adjust quite a bit to being amplified.


tgjameela
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Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:05 pm

Hi Guys,

The member that this thread was originally created for has come back with a new set of frustrations that he would like some insight on, I've pasted his reply below, he is currently in the Target Lite program so his list is building and he has lost his direction.

"Speaking of lessons, I did manage to fall behind on my TG lessons. This goes back to the email I sent to you regarding practice time and how and what to practice. I've fallen into a very frustrating 'loss-of-direction" regarding my guitar playing. I somehow lost the balance of playing what I already know, or know fairly well, with my learning of new songs.

I tried to learn and play my "new songs" on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then tried to play my "playlist" of "known" songs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. My sessions last for an hour to sometimes an hour and-a-half. This balance worked for a while but, somehow, I lost direction.

I've heard that some people like to divide their session time with "playlist" songs, "new songs", practicing problem areas, etc. And then there are people, like myself, who like to divided up the week with "playlist" days and "new songs" days.

I do think my problem ( especially with new songs) has to do with how and when to learn and practice the two new chosen songs for each month. Should I learn and practice just the first song for two weeks, for example, and then learn and practice the second song for the second two weeks, or is it better to learn and practice both songs together during the entire month? If so, how much time is optimum for the learning of new material? 10 minutes within the hour, 20 minutes within the hour? Should I learn and practice just one new song within the hour, or can I practice two? How do I balance learning new material while still playing, and getting better, with the songs I know fairly well? These are the questions I am asking myself. My frustration has slowed my progress."

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks,
Jameela


sandysue
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Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:37 pm

Hi guys

Usually I just leave my guitar on a stand so that it's easily accessible, and then I try to pick it up and play some whenever I have a little time.

Recently I learned a new lesson about practicing. Varying what you play is important. I kept playing a new song over and over too much each day and kind of ignored the rest of my songs. The song is in drop D tuning and you have to wrap your left thumb over the neck of the guitar to catch the 6th string to play Am. I finally gave myself left thumb tendinitis from overuse. The pain forced me to really back off practice for a while, and then I ended up having to learn a new way to play that chord because my thumb was hurting so much.

Sandy


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neverfoundthetime
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Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:17 pm

I would say, keeping yourself motivated is more important than practice! Do what you gotta do to stay motivated. If I was learning two new songs I would include them both in each practice session. But there again, I can get so hooked on one song, I practice it repeatedly throughout the day to exclusion of all else... usually because I am in an alternate tuning. Have been de-motivated and down a million times and it will happen again so I just remember that and keep going or jump to something new, a riff or a strumming pattern, whatever but I do just KEEP GOING! You will laugh about it further down the line. :) I can laugh now, I just bought the world's most beautiful guitar.... can't put it down! :woohoo:


willem
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Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:03 am

tgjameela wrote:
Hi Guys,

The member that this thread was originally created for has come back with a new set of frustrations that he would like some insight on, I've pasted his reply below, he is currently in the Target Lite program so his list is building and he has lost his direction.

"Speaking of lessons, I did manage to fall behind on my TG lessons. This goes back to the email I sent to you regarding practice time and how and what to practice. I've fallen into a very frustrating 'loss-of-direction" regarding my guitar playing. I somehow lost the balance of playing what I already know, or know fairly well, with my learning of new songs.

I tried to learn and play my "new songs" on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then tried to play my "playlist" of "known" songs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. My sessions last for an hour to sometimes an hour and-a-half. This balance worked for a while but, somehow, I lost direction.

I've heard that some people like to divide their session time with "playlist" songs, "new songs", practicing problem areas, etc. And then there are people, like myself, who like to divided up the week with "playlist" days and "new songs" days.

I do think my problem ( especially with new songs) has to do with how and when to learn and practice the two new chosen songs for each month. Should I learn and practice just the first song for two weeks, for example, and then learn and practice the second song for the second two weeks, or is it better to learn and practice both songs together during the entire month? If so, how much time is optimum for the learning of new material? 10 minutes within the hour, 20 minutes within the hour? Should I learn and practice just one new song within the hour, or can I practice two? How do I balance learning new material while still playing, and getting better, with the songs I know fairly well? These are the questions I am asking myself. My frustration has slowed my progress."

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks,
Jameela
Well I think your idea of ''playlist'' and ''new songs'' days is just fine, I think that keeps you motivated..but I would start every session with one ''playlist song for warming up and to choose one you could look at the technic that looks a bit the same as the ''new one'', to put it simple: if the new one is a strumming one ! take a strumming song from the ''playlist''..

here's a list with maybe important tips.

Always see it as fun,fun fun and fun.
Motivation, songs you like,the technic you want to learn
keep a list from songs you know and can play (I can forget many titles from which I know and can play) and refresh the playing of them..
practice new songs Always slow and in little sections and special the parts that are difficult or don't work at that moment,go so slow! that they will work and count it out(or metronome).
Always try to read the chart or tab together while playing/practicing
Maybe practice with nobody arround you or disturbing noise,,focus!!
don't practice the song to dead,,laying it a side(not to long) is very important..come back to it after one or two days
After one or two weeks there must be some progress,if not then you are maybe not ready for the technic etc (it will come in time)
Maybe record your self with something,,your Phone,tablet,pc etc,,I like video so you can see your self playing the guitar and discover faults.
Arranging practice time can be difficult so keep Always a guitar near by and grab it so now and then..Practicing is discipline but don't push your self.

cheers

Which songs can you play, which songs do you work on,,what is your taste????????????????

Willem


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