Originally Posted by: SuperhumanYou will actually make far more drastic improvements if you can manage to leave your axe down for about a month (shock - horror!!). Spend the time listening to technically perfect guitarists with strong melodic skills (my playig and composition improved by listening to Vinnie Moore & Thodore Ziras while taking a long break). When you go back to playing you will find yourself staying away from the practice patterns and scales and focusing more on playing new original material. Once you know the scales and patterns I don't see the need to continue playing them as often, that only gets you faster at playing those scales and does little to advance your creativity. The strange thing is your technique will be stronger, more personalised and your overall playing will be more creative after a longer break. It's hard not to play for that long but i've always noticed the biggest advancements in my playing after longest breaks. It's not easy taking that much time off though!!!