Practising

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roland Vinyard on February 15, 2011 at 7:43am

It is not necessary to know how to read music in order to take lessons. I'll bet that most students don't learn. But if you don't learn to read, you have to rely upon your memory and your ear for everything. Reading simple music is not hard at all and I find it fun. As with other things, there are layers of learning to it, but most students do not need to get deep into it in order to have a satisfying experience. It is so neat to be able to play something, correctly, something that you have never heard before. You can't do that by ear. It is also neat to be able to listen to something and then play it back. I learned to read music in the 4th grade, then used that knowledge 4 years later to teach myself to play the various instruments that I play now. For myself, I have found it harder to learn to play by ear than by reading. Everyone is different, but I think most of us would be happiest if we did both.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Victor Saumarez on February 13, 2011 at 10:08am

12 hours a day should do it, or until your fingers drop off. Make sure the routine isn't just practicing scales and licks. Broaden you musical knowledge (understanding of harmony, theory etc) and develop your ear (aural training every day) as well. Go to college, and make sure you can site read very well, and play in a few styles. Oh yeah, and have a good plan B. Good luck!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Nepper on February 19, 2011 at 11:02am

Ask people how much / how often they practice and you will always get a different answer. When I was younger, I practiced and played all the time.............at 60 I try to practice smarter not longer. I have been told by my own teachers not to practice too long on one thing, maybe 15 minutes and then move on to something else. Typically, I spend a lot longer than that on a piece I'm learning, but I will stop and play something familiar every half hour or so. My daily practice sessions can last 2 or 3 hours which is about all my body can handle nowadays. I pick up the guitar every day even if I can only do a half to an hour. Picking the right piece to learn is probably pretty important advice. First off, it should be something you REALLY like, but not too far advanced for your ability. It's good to challenge yourself, but you'll know in a couple days if you are really ready or not. I have come back to songs I tried to learn years earlier and found them alot easier the next time. Also, with time comes patience. Some tunes I have performed for years I will slow way down or speed up or change the key, and find a whole new dimention to it, it's very rewarding. So hang in there and Practice, Practice, Practice! 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ed Huddleston on March 5, 2011 at 1:57pm

It's not just a matter of how much time you practice to become a "professional"- natural ability is the largest factor in the equation.

 

Compare it to sports. You could practice hitting golf balls 12 hours a day and never make it on the PGA Tour.

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Terry Doran on March 5, 2011 at 8:30pm

Gee thanks Ed, now I'm really depressed.  .......just kidding. :)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Roland Vinyard on March 5, 2011 at 9:44pm

I beg to differ some. Natural ability counts for a lot, granted, but a determined person can make up much of that difference. I've seen it happen (not with me, unfortunately!).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chad Becks on March 15, 2011 at 7:57am

Technically speaking I don't believe that practice makes perfect.  My belief is that practice makes permanent.  Therefore, however you practice you will play.  Learning the guitar is a long journey and the more quality practice sessions you have the quicker you will reach your goals.  One hour of solid and focused practice a day will yield much more than three hours of unfocused practice with many mistakes.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Scott Collins on March 15, 2011 at 11:52am

There are some great points here.  Practicing isn't just about time - it's about concentrated time.

 

I know plenty of guys who say they practice 8 hours a day.  In reality they practice about 2-3 hours a day and fill in the rest of the time with breakfast, lunch breaks, cigarette breaks, phone calls etc.

 

There are several practice related things you can do that might help right away.

1. Have clear goals of what it is that you want to do. Know what you're going to practice, and why. (i.e. I'm practicing scales - but I'm planning on using them in a solo.) If you're practicing something just because you think you should do it rather than having a reason - it will mike it a lot harder to maintain.

2. Try to practice the same time every day. It will help reinforce the habit. Additionally try to find a quiet well let place where you're not as easily distracted.

3. Write it down. When you practice something - document exactly what you practice and for how long. (Ex. Bm Arpeggio 7th position - 140bpm 10 minutes). As you write it down you can actually see what progress you are making.

4. Practice with a timer. Set a timer for 5-10 minute increments and practice specific things. Don't joke around. When the timer is on - focus only on what you are doing for those 5-10 minutes. Pay strict attention to the 3 T's (Timing, tone and Hand tension) - see the posts below. This means use a metronome or a time keeping device as well.

5. Learn songs and solos - in addition to practicing scales, chords, what have you - learning things by ear make you a more flexible musician. Additionally it's important to see how chords and solos work in the context of songs.

Here are some practice related posts that may help as well:

http://guitarchitecture.org/2010/04/21/practice-makes-better-aka-pr...

Proper Posture Is Required For Proper Performance – Practicing Part...

Tension And The Soda Can Or Practicing Part III « Guitarchitecture.org

Definitions and Documents Or Practicing Part IV « Guitarchitecture.org

Practice what you play or Practicing Part V « Guitarchitecture.org

Testing Your Vocabulary Or Practicing Part VI « Guitarchitecture.org

Possession Is 9/10s Of The Law But Perception Is Everything Or Prac...

Warming Up: Finger Exercises, The 3 T’s And The Necessity Of Mistak...

This is a HUGE topic - and worth addressing the right way. The hand tension issue alone is one that doesn't get covered enough.

I hope this helps!! If you have any questions about any of this - just let me know.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Terry Doran on March 15, 2011 at 1:32pm

Thanks Scott, that's a lot of great information.  Especially for someone like me who is self taught and still self teaching.  All I need is a better student. :)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Scott Collins on March 15, 2011 at 3:06pm

Thanks Terry - It's just a matter of coming up with a game plan and sticking with it. 

 

Self discipline does not come naturally to me - so the only way for me to kick myself into gear is to set up situations (gigs, rehearsals, recording sessions, songwriting sessions, etc) that force me to hone certain skills to get through the situation.  But in terms of sitting around and thinking, "I should really work on my melodic minor modes" I can't really do that.  But if I recontextualize it into, "What on earth am I going to play over these solo changes in this tune - maybe melodic minor..."  then it happens.

 

Good luck and stick with it!  Hopefully the tips help!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Keith on March 15, 2011 at 4:27pm

Daniel Levitan in his book "Your Brain on Music" states that mastering anything whether it be the guitar, chess or even cooking, requires 10,000 hours of intense, engaged practice. So if you practice 3 hours/day 365 days per year that would be 1,095 hours/year. So roughly and assuming you miss somedays that's 10 years or more of practice (but again the emphasis is on "intense & engaged"). I believe this to be true, especially in my own case where I left off playing guitar regularly until about 10 years ago when I started to play almost every day and my playing has seriously improved as a result. However many insightful things have already been said in other replies to your question about WHAT you should do during a practice session. In general I work on my weaknesses more than my strengths, trying to see if I can do something I wasn't able to do yesterday. I start slowly and gradually challenge myself more each day until I'm satisfied with the result. Then I move on! Hope this is the kind of thing you are looking for.

Keith

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Fingerpickingguitar on March 29, 2011 at 10:54am

Something that I don't thinks been mentioned....if you can teach yourself to hear the music in you're head then you can practise when you don't have you're guitar, prepare in you're mind what you will play when you next have the guitar

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page