Welcome to this new installment of "The Importance Of." This time we are going to focus on something very, very important......a regular practice schedule. There are going to be two ways i break this down.
1) for a beginner
and
2) for an established player
Lets start with the beginner. For a beginner you should at the least try for 20 - 30 minutes a day. It might or might not sound like a lot to you. In reality its not,but with families, school, job, etc. it could be. When you first start playing the first 6-12 months are crucial. Why? Because that's when you are developing your hand\finger muscles. You need to do your finger exercises and chord progressions regularly to develop the muscle memory and coordination. You also need to review your chords and have your hands on your instrument as much as possible to help you remember everything. The first 6 months is usually when people give up. Don't be one of those people. Keep at it. Keeping a regular practice schedule WILL GET YOU TO YOUR GOAL OF PLAYING!!!
For the established player try and do an hour a day. That might sound like a lot but again, when you have been playing for a couple years, it's nothing. In that hours time break it off into 10, 15 or 20 minute segments. Make certain days for working on scales. Make others for chords, others for theory, others for arpeggios, etc.. Always make time everyday for exercises. Break your exercises into different groups on different days. Do sweep exercises on Sunday, left hand exercises on Monday, inside picking on Tuesday, outside picking on Wednesday, bends on Thursday, chromatic exercises on Friday, two string exercises on Saturday. That's just an example. Do what works for you, just stay consistent. Always try and push yourself harder and in new directions.
Keeping a regular practice schedule is vital for for all players at all levels on every instrument. I remember in the 90's when grunge came along, alot of players in that time told people that they don't practice and neither should any up and coming players. It was cool then to say you did not practice. There is a place and time to not do exercises and forget everything you learned, we will talk about that later. But to not practice? That's not good. All those awesome players in the 1990's that were telling people not to practice had already spent YEARS practicing. Years practicing, perfecting their chops, honing their craft. Not too many people in the world get good at anything without practice. If you want to become a champion, look at what a champion does to become one.
A set practice schedule has certainly helped my playing. Thank you for the advice!
ReplyDeleteMy schedule thus far, for months 3-5 (approximately) is two to three hours in the morning, at work, before my boss shows up, followed by another one to two hours after work. Five days per week. Sunday and Mondays off to allow my hands to heal and rest (just like any other exercise schedule). I know most people probably don't have this much time to devote to playing however; I'm just reiterating John's point. Regular practice is most certainly the way to go.
Mornings:
Thirty minutes on scales
Ten minute break
Thirty minutes on strumming exercises
Ten minute break
Thirty minutes on solo's.
Ten minute break
Thirty minutes of just goofing around and playing/writing (poorly) songs.
After work:
Scales until I'm warmed up again. Some quick strumming exercises. Run through all the songs John has taught me thus far.
John told me once that practice doesn't make perfect, but perfect practice... you get the idea. I try to never move on to a new exercise until I've gotten the first one down, with no mistakes. You'd be surprised by how much focusing on playing exercises right, and not just playing it sloppy and quick to move on to the next one (like I did before I started taking lessons) can help you to improve in other areas of playing.
i agree with john thomas. i have beenkeeping a regularpractice schedule and i have been seeingmyself get better, faster
ReplyDeleteglad to hear you are doing this john thomas!!!! you kicked some major ass last night at open mic!!! a regular practice schedule goes along way. it will get you better, faster, thats for sure.
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