Similar to the question about being on vacation, there are times when I'm just really busy. Most of us go through periods like this I think, yes? With work, family and the such.
If I have a goal of constant improvement, what's the minimum I should aim for on days when I'm so busy that I'm tempted to skip practice altogether? What's the minimum time that can keep the fingers limber, and my brain in that learning-space so that my overall progress isn't injured too badly?
Thanks for any advice!
The amount any of us put towards guitar practice comes down to how we balance a daily schedule. For me, it was literally scheduling an hour each morning before starting work. If I didn't make it part of my schedule, it would be a hit and miss thing. What I gave up? Maybe some sleep, but I am an early riser anway and always like being at work a few hours early. But, that 1 hour with just the guitar was wonderful. I still play and practice regularly, but I have reallocted that hour before work to something else.
Good luck.
This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!
I've read in other threads 10 minutes is better than no minutes so with that said there are still days I miss a practice. lol. However On the days I can only get 10 minutes I would simply just do some spider exercises. Do different variations of them and move them down the neck. Same with some simple scales and open chord changes. Just strum some random patterns just to keep the muscle memory active and the fingers moving. You'll be surprised how many times ten minutes turns into a half an hour. [br][br][br]
good luck,
Moe
I've got to play everyday. I love it and on the evenings I'm too tired, I think about what I'm missing. I try to practice/play after I've had time with my wife so it doesn't seem like an obsession, but I'll go in my office and jam. I'm always, always working on a new song. If I peruse the pages of songs of GT, I always find my next big thing.
I find quality really matters if I'm short for time. 10 minutes working on a quick spider exercise to warm up followed by whatever I'm struggling with gives me better results than 30 minutes or more of noodling.
I wish this forum had a "block user" feature. Possibly I'm not the only one......
I struggle with finding time. I like to have a 30-60 minutes in the evening but need to rethink this as I'm often tired and not at my best. With me working from home now I have a room I have converted into an office and music room. What I call my mullet room. Business in the front and party in the back.
That said, if I have a lull in work I can from time to time pickup the guitar and get 5-10 minutes here or there. I do some finger exercises and scales. Also, from time to time I have to listen or watch a webinar. I pick up the guitar and absent-mindedly go run thru scale or exercises I don't think any single one of these intervals leads to a break thru in my learning but the cumulative impact is positive.
