Guthrie Govan Discussion :: View topic - practice routine
Help support this site by shopping at Amazon through our link.
Guthrie Govan Discussion Forum Index

Guthrie Govan Discussion
The Official Guthrie Govan Discussion Board

www.GuthrieGovan.co.uk

 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

 

 
practice routine

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Guthrie Govan Discussion Forum Index -> Techniques, Theory, and Musical Education
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
simo



Joined: 03 Mar 2006
Posts: 17
Location: australia

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:09 am    Post subject: practice routine Reply with quote

hi guys im just a bit confused on what to practice on the guitar.i really want to be an acomplished player but dont no what the right stuff i to practice.
do any of you guys have pracice routines that you go through or anything like that. please help! thanks
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sumis



Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 570
Location: gothenburg, sweden

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

what do i know? but:

if you're a beginner or early intermediate, there's no way out of playing exercises focusing on picking, legato, TIMING, vibrato, bending, etc. chromatic patterns have a place.

if you've been playing for a while and have basic technique or more, don't waste too much time on practising technique as such. make it musical. practice stuff that actually translates to playing. there's no contradiction between working on musical things while at the same time developing your physical dexterity. but if you focus on practising technique as such (ie repeating picking/tapping/legato patterns), you'll become a great player of exercises (which of course is fine if that's what you want).

and always: there's no way to overestimate the importance of a good ear (always work on that, learn to name the intervalls and sounds you hear, say them out loud as you play), timing (as important, but mine sucks, someone help me!), and of course vibrato and bending (although one could argue you could play great guitar without ever bending or vibrating Wink ). those three things are in my opinion the most important aspects of developing your guitar playing.

.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Rickh



Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 40
Location: Leeds - UK

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's what I'm playing with at the moment, but bear in mind I'm starting a jazz studies degree in september and I've got auditions coming up for the college bands.

30 mins - sight reading - working through the real book, charlie parker omnibook, and anything else I fancy reading.

30 mins - Comping - working through the above books reading the chords and thinking about appropriate voice leading and rhythm styles. Anything I don't know I can either work out or have a look in chord chemistry.

30 mins - Repertoire - learning a new song, be it a jazz standard or something else (like wonderful slippery thing Twisted Evil) Also playing tunes I already know, use it or lose it!

30 mins - theory/harmony/improvisation - right now I'm on a melodic minor binge, throwing in super locrian over chord V7 in both blues and II V7 I progressions.

That takes me up to 2 hours. I'm trying to do that routine twice a day making it 4 hours of practice but it all depends on what other commitments I've got on such as work/girlfriend Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
sumis



Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 570
Location: gothenburg, sweden

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sounds like a great routine. i forgot to say that the style of music you're interested in has a lot to do with how to practice efficiently. i mean, a jazzer could do something like the above, butfor someone who basically wants to be a great shredder, the only thing is to repeat patterns with a metronome, over and over and over and over and over ...

.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Yeah but guthrie



Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 96

PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:09 pm    Post subject: practice Reply with quote

routines are obviously very effective at improving your playing etc, however i find that routines arent for me, i just pick up the guitar and work on something, be it in a magazine in a magazine or whatever.For instance i went through the guthrie solo school dorian mode, but then I find ways of improving on what i am doing, like playing Dorian, but throwing in a major seventh to try and get that melodic minor sound/outside sound and try it till i can nail it convincingly, i find that way you can work on everything at the same time- throwing in new techniques, new chords etc. Obviously somethings you will need to practice specifically like sight reading, advanced new techniques and what have you. Another thing is the whole time assortment thing, i find i just like playing whatever i am playing, if i am sight reading and enjoying the piece, ill do it till i feel like stopping, which can go on for hours or even a few minutes, depending on how i am feeling.
Although it may be more effective having everything in its order, I find it makes practice more of a chore and something that has to be done but different thigns work for different people.
For the record, i read a steve vai interview where he explained the three note practice, take any three notes, and play stuff using them and try and wear them out till you cant think of anything more to play with them, thats always good fun, thanks for listening to my rant.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
EL84



Joined: 10 Aug 2006
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi simo !

My routines are:
first: WARMING UP !
- 80-90 BPM: playing two notes for string alternating fingers. Use in 1/8; 1/3; 1/16; sestine
(Example:
from 1^ to 6^:
1^ string (E) 1-2
2^ string (A) 1-2
3^ string (D) 1-2
4^ string (G) 1-2
5^ string (B) 1-2
6^ string (E) 1-2

from 6^ to 1^:
1^ string (E) 3-1
2^ string (A) 3-1
3^ string (D) 3-1
4^ string (G) 3-1
5^ string (B) 3-1
6^ string (E) 3-1

from 1^ to 6^:
1^ string (E) 1-4
2^ string (A) 1-4
3^ string (D) 1-4
4^ string (G) 1-4
5^ string (B) 1-4
6^ string (E) 1-4

from 6^ to 1^:
1^ string (E) 3-1
2^ string (A) 3-1
3^ string (D) 3-1
4^ string (G) 3-1
5^ string (B) 3-1
6^ string (E) 3-1

from 1^ to 6^:
1^ string (E) 1-2
2^ string (A) 1-2
3^ string (D) 1-2
4^ string (G) 1-2
5^ string (B) 1-2
6^ string (E) 1-2

from 6^ to 1^:
1^ string (E) 2-1
2^ string (A) 2-1
3^ string (D) 2-1
4^ string (G) 2-1
5^ string (B) 2-1
6^ string (E) 2-1

And then the exact exercise above starting from 1-3 all cicle and 1-4 al cicle

The important thing is PRECISION and continuity (all exercises are to begin and finish without interruption !)

Next post next exercise ............. if you are intersting about it !!! Wink

(scuse my for my *bad* english !!)

Antonello
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Schenker



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

EL84, this seems extremely boring. Isn't it? Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
frankus



Joined: 13 Sep 2004
Posts: 1100
Location: Chelmsford/Arachnipus

PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think it's definitely a balance thing: if you don't make the effort you don't get the rewards: stand at the crossroads all you want or "be the reincarnation of Jimi" all you like, but if your muscles haven't been trained for it, it's not going to happen for you. I'd include the bits of the brain that recognise intervals, rhythms, techniques, chords, progressions and stuff - the brain is a muscle too.

Offset against that is the idea that you've got to enjoy it, live life, smell the roses and all that.. if you've spent ten years in the woodshed with your guitar you're going to be able to play scales, arpeggios, chords etc and the ten years in the woodshed blues in 12 keys - nothing more. So getting a balance is the trick.

I go to the gym and watch all these guys lifting 50kg weights in all directions; they only use their arms... if you did that as a job all day, those muscles would get tired and your body would compensate with other parts of your body: not a focussed set. The guys in the gym have bulging arms, no chest muscles and a beer-gut... not having the core strengths means they're unfit even though their arms might be as big as Bruce Lee's.

This is kinda the same for guitar. There seems little point getting picking accuracy up to 500% at 180BPM if the rest isn't with it. For me that'd be sight reading, chords, keys, arpeggios, harmonic extensions and improv and ear-training (then mess around) 15-20 minutes a time keeps it from going stale. My aim is to play more music than I do non-musical practice.

Some gotchas I've found that mean I'm practicing more than playing are: straight 8th notes, playing in positions, one finger per fret (locked into scales so little sliding bending or slurring), one picking style, not jamming and the most important: having very little to say, musically - so falling back to licks, arpeggios, scale patterns and the like.
_________________
Fabulous powers were revealed to me the day I held my magic Suhr(d) aloft and said "by the power of great scale!"

I have the power!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Guthrie Govan Discussion Forum Index -> Techniques, Theory, and Musical Education All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum



Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group