Practice schedule. Help needed

Hi,

I am total beginner and I have a question. I'm watching video lessons and I love it. What would you recommend as a practice schedule? Are there appropriate exercises i need to follow along with watching video lessons?

Best regards.

I've used the core system here to work out my chords, strumming, picking, finger picking etc.. then moved on to the core system part 2 when I felt that I had gotten my fingers used to holding the chords down long enough to practice something harder.
The whole time I was in the core system, I broke up the practice "blues" with some bouncing around and looking at what was coming up. I'd look at the lessons ahead and prepared myself to be able to attack them without the finger pains of the practice.
I'd find some simple songs on the "Song List" such as Ode to Joy etc and try and pluck those out and work out how to build up my chord practices.
I don't really have a "Schedule" as I never know when I will be needind to take my tired butt to bed for nap... So I just grab the gee tar whenever I feel like hitting the chords..
Once I DO that though, I usually practice for a few hours at a time or until my hand tires. *Don't push your hands though if they feel tired or sore.. Carpal Tunnel can be brought on by doing so*
Just this kind of practicing has gotten me thru the core systems 1 and 2 and on to playing some level 2 and 3 type tunes... I started playing the guitar in December.. but actually started learning once I joined here a few months back..
Christopher Schlegal, Bobby Howe, JD, Neal, Lisa M, Hanspeter and the others have ALL made some excellent tutorials to follow... and trust me.. I don't ever plan on cancelling my membership.. my son will have to do that once I die... Just follow these folks' leads and you'll find out you really don't have to rely on a "schedule". It all just seems to fall into place as you start the core system.

Howard
PS One MAJOR thing that helped me to start plucking the tunes out.. Learn to read the tabs! Once you learn to read the guitar tabs.. you can sit there and start trying to get your own groove on... that was a MAJOR factor in my learning!

As far as creating a schedule goes, you should try and keep things varied and interesting.
Set yourself a goal(s) and stick to them. E.g. "to be able to play a certain lick 2bpm faster by next week."
What have you learned so far? Do you feel yo have enough items to create a schedule or are you practicing 1 or 2 items over and over?

Originally Posted by: solvmanHi,

I am total beginner and I have a question. I'm watching video lessons and I love it. What would you recommend as a practice schedule? Are there appropriate exercises i need to follow along with watching video lessons?

Best regards.

I totally understand the need for a practice schedule or an outline. I have one of these on a form that I simply add to as needed with developing lessons. I would be happy to send it to you...my email is [email]clintrbnsn@gmail.com[/email]. IMO, a good practice schedule is vital in learning and continuing motivation. I am actually surprised that there is not more emphasis on daily schedules given with the lessons on this site.

Basically...I will take one day as a lesson day (the full lesson). I will then add to my practice schedule whats needed from the lesson. I then spend 1-2 weeks just doing the practice schedule until I have a good handle on what was taught and I am comfortable moving to the next lesson.

I believe that developing a good practice schedule and then disciplining yourself to stick to that schedule will yield the quickest and most thorough results. Just my take.

Originally Posted by: TCRGuitarI totally understand the need for a practice schedule or an outline. I have one of these on a form that I simply add to as needed with developing lessons. I would be happy to send it to you...my email is [email]clintrbnsn@gmail.com[/email]. IMO, a good practice schedule is vital in learning and continuing motivation. I am actually surprised that there is not more emphasis on daily schedules given with the lessons on this site.

Basically...I will take one day as a lesson day (the full lesson). I will then add to my practice schedule whats needed from the lesson. I then spend 1-2 weeks just doing the practice schedule until I have a good handle on what was taught and I am comfortable moving to the next lesson.

I believe that developing a good practice schedule and then disciplining yourself to stick to that schedule will yield the quickest and most thorough results. Just my take.

Just to add to what TCR said, consistency is key. 1 hour 5 days a week is better then 3 hours 2 days a week. This is true for everything you do, guitar, sports, work etc.

Of course I have the same problem and am in dire need of a practice schedule. Though its not the schedule I need so much at this point as I have things to practice with, its the sticking to the schedule. But even if you are practicing regularly, having one is still better because having a set plan helps you get where you want to go, and once its on paper, there's no excuses; you see when you didn't do something you were supposed to. You can also track your progress.

I only realized this recently after little progress over a long time. Now that I know some of what I am doing wrong, I can fix the problems.

Set clear goals, preferably with approximate deadlines, make a commitment and stick to it.