I'm a relatively new player (about a year and a half). I was self taught up until about three months ago, when I got myself a teacher because I was in a rut. It's working for me, but I'm seeing a lot of the same problems I was having back when I was learning solo, which is time alotted.
I can't practice for longer than 40 minutes.
It's pretty much as straightforward as that. It's not a matter of not wanting to, or not caring enough; I'm planning on making this my career, so it's not like it isn't important to me. I just have the hardest time practicing for extended periods of time. I can generally make it to the forty minute mark, and then I start feeling all stuck and twitchy. I stop being able to focus on what I'm practicing, and instead go off on semi-musical tangents, doing things I already know that I'm comfortable with, and generally wasting time.
I don't know if it's a matter of concentration (I don't have any sort of diagnosed attention disorder), or work ethic. I don't think it's work ethic, because mentally I'm totally willing to devote entire days to it, and sometimes I try to play past my discomfort. But I just hit a point where I can't practice efficiently anymore. It's incredibly frustrating, and I would love some suggestions/sympathy. How do you develop focus?...
P.S. I apologize if this had been covered already, but I don't have the patience (clearly...) to look through the entire list of posts.
40 minutes is a long time to work on just one thing.
I would suggest you structure your practice time differently. For example you might work on scales for 30 minutes, take a break for 15 minutes and then work on playing a a song that you want to bring up to performance ready status for another 30 minutes. Take another break and then work on chord transistions that you are having problems with. Then play a few songs that you simply enjoy playing.
In my case, I have to divide my time from day to day. One night I work on learning how to play bass. Another night I work on tabbing out a song I want to learn. The next night I work on improvising over chord progressions. The next night I work on bringing certain songs to performance level. Another night it's nothing but songs I already know and enjoy playing.
The bottom line you can have structure and variety too... and still enjoy it.
Don't forget to spend time learning and more importantly applying music theory. Plus since you plan on making this your career, you got to learn to read and play standard notation.
Good luck!
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
*sigh* You mean there isn't some magic trick to make me able to do one thing for days on end? Cursed world...
Thanks.
well, what sort of things are you working on?...I'm at about the same time frame as you are. I practice throughout the day - on and off for at least 30min's each time.
Sometimes I go on for hours...Just don't even pay attention to the time - that might be your problem.
Focus on how fun and stress free playing is. I'm currently working on some chord progressions (ice cream chords) that have barre chords and I add a nice rhythm to each chord change.
I'm 40, and have been learning guitar "solo", with informal lessons from a friend who plays well, for just over 6 months.
Once upon a time I was a college music major, emphasis on vocal performance in an opera oriented program. In high school I'd had a great music teacher and had really enjoyed music.
In college I found myself in a competative environment that felt "cutthroat", which was less fun. I also found myself being assigned to learn music that I didn't really have an interest in. Spending time in the practice room became an exercise in discipline, and then something I just couldn't bring myself to do.
Keep your focus on music that you love. The purpose of taking lessons is to get you to where you can make the music you love come out of your hands. Your teacher will assign you things to work on for specific purposes; if you don't keep in mind that the purpose of the assignments is to help you master the skills you'll need to play what you want to play, but instead let yourself get so focused on the assignments that they become the whole of your musical world, they will become chores instead of exercises.
What I'm trying to say is that you can expect your teacher to give you guidance where it comes to technique, but you have to supply motivation for yourself and the place that motivation comes from is the music you love.
Unfortunately, finding what keeps you motivated is often an individual thing, something that you will need to explore yourself. Despite that, there are suggestions others can make that might help you find your way.
How about making a list of things/techniques you want to learn. Make it fairly extensive list, but make each item very specific. You put specific songs on that list, or scales, or other techniques. For songs, you could even split them up, intros/solos etc. Then, in each practice session, try working on one or two or them, and once you are comfortable with them, and have reached a level you are satisfied with, then cross them out. It will give you a good map of where you would like to go, and what you have accomplished already, which is motivational.
The major concern I have, is that you want to make music your career. The hard truth here is that if you are having trouble practicing for 40 minutes a day, you will have trouble making it in that industry. I don't want to sound negative, but sometimes you have to look at reality.
Keep your stick on the ice!
well, what sort of things are you working on?...I'm at about the same time frame as you are. I practice throughout the day - on and off for at least 30min's each time.
Sometimes I go on for hours...Just don't even pay attention to the time - that might be your problem.
Focus on how fun and stress free playing is. I'm currently working on some chord progressions (ice cream chords) that have barre chords and I add a nice rhythm to each chord change.
I do the same thing, I feel it makes me concentrate more on the music and not other daily things. 8)
Stairway to Freebird!
I guess my problem biggest problem with the practice is that I'm very limited in what I can do right now. My tutor is really hardline about me not doing anything he hasn't told me to do, because he doesn't want me reinforcing bad habits. This means that the only things I can play are pieces in the first 4 pages of a music book, and I have to play them in a particular way so as to teach myself something (and many of the somethings he leaves a mystery... He wants me to go through the motions, and he'll show me what they're good for later).
I have the greatest faith in him, I really do; he's the highest decorated guitar teacher in Canada (Benson Benovoy), he shows me things in ways I understand, and he's just an all around quality guy. It's just frustrating right now. I can't figure out how to use the things he's teaching me in a satisfying way without being a bad student.
I also have faith that it won't always be this way. I think once I get the basics for proper playing down he'll probably loosen the reigns a little bit.
P.S. Quarterfront: props on your eloquent phrasing.
Rexlander: I have actually spent enormous amounts of time in a day playing... Just not practicing (at least straight through).
If you are having fun playing, no worries. As for the practicing, good luck, I hope that you find your motivation soon (or try practicing at 30 minute intervals, 2 or 3 times a day?)
Take care
Rex
Keep your stick on the ice!
