Practice Room Overload

[m78w]

Hey Everyone,
After my last lesson I posted about a week or so ago, I had a number of people ask me about deciding on what they should be practicing, especially with so much solid material out there to choose from.

So I worked up an article with some of the ideas that I use when I don't know where to go next in the practice room as a starting point. Feel free to add your own suggestions either here or in the comments sections of the article and we can get a nice collection of ideas for people to refer to when they feel like there is too much material and not enough time.

Practice Room Overload: Deciding What to Practice When Time is Short | MattWarnockGuitar.com

Check it out, thanks!

[Helgo]

Hi Matt.

Wow, cool! Thanks for taking our feedback so seriously and sharing your thoughts!

I only had time to briefly skim over your article but I am looking forward to reading it later with a cup of coffee in a coffee shop.

Thanks, anyways,
Helgo

[m78w]

Thanks, hope you dig the article!

[Kman]

Hi Matt. Good stuff as always.

So many things to practice, especially starting out. I remember one year I was asked to play christmas songs for family and friends and I couldn't play anything. I felt really stupid. So I would add, if you're a beginner and you're ever in doubt about what to do in the practice room, read music. In fact, just read music first. Then get overloaded.

[m78w]

For sure, being able to read a few easy tunes in front of family and friends is a great place to start. As well, I would add just learn a few tunes. When we get into jazz we usually focus on blowing and comping, but don't really get any tunes down that we can just sit there and play for people. So even having one or two chord melodies, with no improv, is also a good thing. JJG magazine always has great easy to play arrangements that would be perfect for players just starting out.

[markf]

another great lesson, and as usual, short, easy to understand, and practical, with a load of good tips.

[m78w]

Thanks Mark, glad you dug it!

[FatJeff]

How about what to do when I am completely overloaded with material to assimilate but I can't bail on any of it, because I'm going to be tested on it? :-0 That's the boat I'm in right now. Do you have a suggestion for how to buy myself another month at the end of each semester??

[m78w]

yeah that's a tough one, I used to hate that time of year in College. I used to practice half the things one day and the other half the next day, I would also multitask when I could, so if I had a transcription due and had tunes to learn, I would run lines from the transcription over those tunes, that way I learned the lines and got some good sounding material over the tunes as well. Any way to work two things at once is beneficial, at least when it's crunch time.

[FatJeff]

Good suggestion actually...I'll keep it in mind for the coming spring semester. Then I'll graduate! Looking forward to actually working on things I want to learn, and in my own timeframe.