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Practice Routine

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(@slowfingers)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Topic starter  

Ok, I am pretty much a complete newbie on guitar, and trying to improve/learn. Right now I am doing the following practice routine:

1 hour total
1) 15 minutes playing scales (major scales, just C,F,G, &D for now)....also mix in the argeggios for those scales and work on broken thirds for the scales I have a better handle on
2) 15 minutes working on strumming chord changes. Right now, I am only working between C, D, G, and Em. Still not making these chord changes very cleanly, with the most difficulty going from C to D...I will mix in other chord changes once I get these 4 down a little better. Main emphasis here is to make a clean change, hitting the chord cleanly on the first try (not doing that so well yet). If I can tell I missed, then I pick through the chord slowly to hear and see where I missed the mark
3) I am working out of a method book (WB Guitar Method 1). I spend 30 minutes in it, first going back over whatever I practiced yesterday to nail it down a little better, then work up a couple of new songs/lessons going through those thoroughly until I can do them right repeatedly. I may spend the last 5 minutes sightreading/getting a headstart on the lesson I will be working on tomorrow

If there is time left (or I just feel like playing on), I will put in a CD, get a tab for a few songs, and just play along for fun, doing the best I can. Of course, I limit myself for now to songs I know the chords for. This is really an extension of the chord practice from earlier, with less emphasis on making sure I do it right and more emphasis on enjoying myself.

So, here is the question: Is this a good way to arrange my practice sessions? Am I diversifying my practice too much? Should I just spend an hour on one of those things to give each area more time, perfect it, then move on to something different the next day? I really think I would get bored if I spent a straight hour doing one thing only, which is why I did it this way.

Anyway, I would appreciate any input/advice any of you might have on this routine. Thanks. SF

Seagull M6 Gloss


   
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(@artlutherie)
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Sounds good to me! I can't really think of anything to add.

Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear!
ChuckNorrisFactsdotCom


   
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(@dcarroll)
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practice tuning by ear..something I need to do more of too!

I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.
- Jimi Hendrix


   
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(@reasonableman)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 71
 

Sounds productive.

The only thing I might add is the scales, you might do this already but think about the notes your actually playing. I did scales for a long time without thinking about this and I feel it's alot more productive now I do. Helps you both learn the fretboard better and familiarise your ear a bit...


   
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(@slowfingers)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Topic starter  

Sounds productive.

The only thing I might add is the scales, you might do this already but think about the notes your actually playing. I did scales for a long time without thinking about this and I feel it's alot more productive now I do. Helps you both learn the fretboard better and familiarise your ear a bit...

Good idea, thanks. I agree I should probably sing or call out the name of the note when I play them. I also need to start working them up the fret board at some point. For now, I am playing them in the more comfortable parts of the fretboard.

Seagull M6 Gloss


   
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 300m
(@300m)
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I am just stating to learn scale. Is there some listing that showes the basic major scales? I can write out and post what I think they are if someone can give me some feedback? I just want to learn the right way, something I never did in the past.

John M


   
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 300m
(@300m)
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Here is my interpretation of major scales.
Using Root, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half steps.

C: C D E F G A B C
D: D E F# G A B C# D
E: E F# G# A B C# D# E
F: F G A A# C D E F
G: A B C D E F# G
A: A B C# D E F# G# A
B: B C# D# E F# G# A# B

Am I right on this or out to lunch?
Thanks
JOhn

John M


   
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(@evilspudboy)
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That's right, 300m, except for one thing. The F major scale, the A# should be a Bb which is the exact same tone, but you name it diferently.

F G A Bb C D E F

The idea is that each note name should be used only once.

Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it you play the guitar on the MTV


   
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(@djbouch)
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Your pratice routine sounds great; however, you might want to add some fretboard memorization (learning where the notes are). A good exercise for this is the "never-ending C major scale": start on the 6th string and play an A note, play B on the 5th, C on the 4th, D on the 3rd, E on the 2nd, F on the 1st, G on the 2nd .... etc. Keep going up and down the strings untill you get back to A on the 6th again.

Having the fretboard memorized is VERY usefull! If you start now and work on it slowly, it will realy help you out in the future.


   
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(@undercat)
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Having the fretboard memorized is VERY usefull! If you start now and work on it slowly, it will realy help you out in the future.

Hoo boy is this right! I neglected fretboard memorization, and it's really come back to bite me. Essentially for the first 2 years, I only knew the open strings and the 1st 5 frets on the E and A strings... It's funny because I was playing all over the place, developing soloing strategies(!) and playing all sorts of scales, etc, and didn't know what notes I was playing.

To make up for that I've been hitting fretboard warrior pretty hard. When I started, about 30 minutes- 1 hour a day, now I just do it a few times to cement some of that memorization. When I started to get into jazz recently, it was extremely vital, and the fact that I had to think about some of the notes made me pretty worthless when it came to sight reading, even if it was just chords.

That's a big chunk of why I'm so interested in a series of lessons coming up about sight reading and FB memorization... some day soon... Tom? Nick?

Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...


   
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(@undercat)
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Oh yeah:

http://www.fretboardwarrior.com

Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...


   
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 300m
(@300m)
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Evil Spud Boy, Thanks! I am glad I have the right idea and did not know about the repear letter. Now to put some better effort into this!

John M


   
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 cnev
(@cnev)
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Undercat,

Have you looked at Kirk's book PlainTalk. I can't believe I'm promoting it since I had a disagreement with Kirk about it several months ago. I had a problem with it being touted as a secret and he couldn't tell me anything about his methodology which to mean meant ripoff.

But I stand corrected. It's a good book laid out with simple explanations, although I'm not a fan of the comic book style he used. I think the book could be cut in hald if you took all the extraneous stuff out.

Anyway, I've used Fretboard warrior and that's really just rote memorization, which could get you to your goal if you do it long enough, but Kirk's book will open the fretboard up in a different way much quicker than trying to memorize all the notes. Plus with his method you don't concentrate on note names(matter of fact they are unnecessary)you concentrate on intervals.

I've seen some of what's in Kirk's book before in pieces here and there but not all put together like Kirk did.

I'm a book/resource collector type of person so I enjoy buying/reading books on playing/theory and I have to honestly say it is one of the btter ones, maybe a little high priced but it is good.

Nick did a review of it and that's why I decided to give it a try. I haven't read it through or even attempted to start putting any of it to practice yet but I think it will be a valuable tool.

Chris

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
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(@deanobeano)
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Here is my interpretation of major scales.
Using Root, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half steps.

C: C D E F G A B C
D: D E F# G A B C# D
E: E F# G# A B C# D# E
F: F G A A# C D E F
G: A B C D E F# G
A: A B C# D E F# G# A
B: B C# D# E F# G# A# B

i dont undersatnd how u r meant to no were to play these where do i play them. And where do i play these
the "never-ending C major scale": start on the 6th string and play an A note, play B on the 5th, C on the 4th, D on the 3rd, E on the 2nd, F on the 1st, G on the 2nd .... etc. Keep going up and down the strings untill you get back to A on the 6th again.


   
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 300m
(@300m)
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deanobeano: I worte the top quote, but all I was asking is did I have the scale names right. I have learned part of a caged run for scales.
Example for F: string/fret is the format
6/1, 6/3, 6/5
5/1, 5/3, 5/5
4/2, 4/3
This gives you the root (F) 6/1 then two hole steps. Half step to 5/1 (Bflat) then 3 whole steps and the final 1/2 step to 4/3 (F)
If you want to do the A scale you start the run at the 5 fret on the 6th string
Same progression for starting on the 5th string
5/1, 5/3, 5/5, 4/1, 4/3, 4/5, 3/2, 3/3
4th string start
4/3, 4/5, 3/2, 3/3, 3/5, 2/3, 2/5, 2/6
3rd string start
3/3, 3/5, 2/3, 2/4, 2/6, 1/3, 1/5, 1/6

This is what I am practing. I am going to invest in the plane talk book in the next week. The later post I did not write.
Hope this helps

John M


   
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