Practice Schedule

Does anyone have any tips on how to identify what you should include in a personalised practice schedule?

I'm at a point now where I can go in so many directions, and fear wasting months practicing the wrong things.

Thanks

I feel like this is a question you can answer yourself. What do you feel like you're lagging behind in? Chord changes? Work some change exercises into your routine. Scales? Same thing...pick a key and try to play through the positions of the scale you want to play in that key. Songs? Learn a new song or work on a song you're trying to perfect. I don't feel like doing anyhting on the guitar is wasted at all. Anything you do is going to improve some aspect of your playing, be it picking or what have you. My big thing is i suck at fretboard memorization. Sure i can count the notes up and down the string, but if you asked me what note is on the 7th fret of the b string i couldn't tell you without counting up in my head to that position, and even then it's not a 100% thing i feel. The final thing i can say is this: It's not a race. There's no winning at playing the guitar. Many many people learn open chords and thats all they want to learn. Still others want to blast out 16th note scales ala Yngwie Malmsteen and thats great too. It's a journey and i feel like we should enjoy taking it.

Originally Posted by: jeff.szankovicsIt's not a race. There's no winning at playing the guitar. .......It's a journey and i feel like we should enjoy taking it.

Superb post Jeff! These two gems in particular strike a particularly insightful chord.

Yes, awesome question, and awesome advice.

I generally advise students to have a short-list of specific projects they are working on. It could include a song or two, a scale or two, or any other topic of musical study.

After doing some warm-ups and playing a couple of things loosely just for the fun of it, then you go to your list and work on your projects one at a time, focussing on what exactly each one needs to keep it moving in the direction of being smoother, better-sounding, and more relaxed and second-nature.

Be sure and make notes of any discoveries you uncover in your study. ("Oh! I realize if I angle my wrist slightly differently when I go for this particular reach, I get better tone!" Write it down: "remember wrist angle")

Give each project as much time and focus as you have to spare, then finish up your session with playing another couple of free and easier things, just for fun.

-Lisa