Your biggest bang-for-the-buck thing to do in the shed.

[brent.h]

Besides listening to more records, tunes, lines, etc. what has been that one thing that you've physically practised that has improved your overall playing exponentially? If we apply the Pareto Principle, what is your '20% of efforts resulting in 80% of consequences'?

[Litterick]

Modes

[vintagelove]

If I could only do one thing, and wanted to get the most from my time, I’d play rhythm changes.

There just a ton of raw material in there to work on, and if you do it musically, it’s directly transferable to so many other tunes.

[Christian Miller]

Besides listening to more records, tunes, lines, etc. what has been that one thing that you've physically practised that has improved your overall playing exponentially? If we apply the Pareto Principle, what is your '20% of efforts resulting in 80% of consequences'?

First of all my playing hasn't improved exponentially haha. I would say I'm not sure at my core I'm playing differently to the way I did ten years ago.

But if I had to say the one thing that I think is always worthwhile - it's working on the musician. By which I mean the inner ear, the intention with which you play and your ability to hear music and reproduce it on your instrument. Sometimes the best thing you can do is put the thing down, in fact.

I think people slightly misunderstand this BTW - they tend to think about it in terms of being a sort of ear training machine where you can name every note in a cluster, or play each note as it occurs to you - when actually it's about building up and learning to hear a really good repertoire of melodies, phrases, devices, basic lines, voicings, chord progressions and so on. Aside from this, there are many important things in music that are not taught in formal sense and yet are absolutely essential. The way that a musician plays something is as important, if not more so, than the notes themselves - and that can only be learned by ear

It's also vital, if you have any interest in playing music beyond the paint by numbers stage, to develop your ear to this highest level you can. This is not an innate ability, it takes cultivation and practice, even if you have perfect pitch. For guitarists this means sometimes almost wilfully shutting out a lot of stuff that promises to help us and focussing on doing it, however imperfectly, for ourselves. It's the only way to build the muscles.

That's not to discount the importance of building technique and so on as well.

For one's own long term mental well being - have concrete measurable aims that are short term, medium term and long term.

[EastwoodMike]

Sitting down with a pen and paper and mentally creating usable chord grips with roots on each string. Then running them through the cycle of 4ths until my kids threw something at me. Then applying those voicings with songs. Over and over. This took me from the beginner bar chord grips on E and A, to a whole new vocabulary and set of registers.

then doing the same with shell voicings and inversions. This one is taking a while (Thank you Tim Lerch and your fantastic book and explanation of Ted Green’s V system)

[brent.h]

Modes

Respect. I always admire players who know/use modes in their playing. I tried it, but I couldn't get them to sound musical or outline changes quick enough.

a ton of raw material in there

Do you mean melodies/contrafacts built on those changes or the changes themselves?

...the inner ear, the intention with which you play and your ability to hear music and reproduce it on your instrument.

...it's about building up and learning to hear a really good repertoire of melodies, phrases, devices, basic lines, voicings, chord progressions and so on.

...there are many important things in music that are not taught in formal sense and yet are absolutely essential. The way that a musician plays something is as important, if not more so, than the notes themselves - and that can only be learned by ear

I think the musicians that have this great inner ear (plus intention, facility with the instrument, etc.) tend to play multiple styles and genres. The exposure to a wide variety gives them a bigger picture of music in general. One example that comes to mind is Patrick Bartley. Dude can play anything.

Sitting down with a pen and paper and mentally creating usable chord grips with roots on each string.

That's a lot of effort haha

[pamosmusic]

First of all my playing hasn't improved exponentially haha. I would say I'm not sure at my core I'm playing differently to the way I did ten years ago.

But if I had to say the one thing that I think is always worthwhile - it's working on the musician. By which I mean the inner ear, the intention with which you play and your ability to hear music and reproduce it on your instrument. Sometimes the best thing you can do is put the thing down, in fact.

I think people slightly misunderstand this BTW - they tend to think about it in terms of being a sort of ear training machine where you can name every note in a cluster, or play each note as it occurs to you - when actually it's about building up and learning to hear a really good repertoire of melodies, phrases, devices, basic lines, voicings, chord progressions and so on. Aside from this, there are many important things in music that are not taught in formal sense and yet are absolutely essential. The way that a musician plays something is as important, if not more so, than the notes themselves - and that can only be learned by ear

It's also vital, if you have any interest in playing music beyond the paint by numbers stage, to develop your ear to this highest level you can. This is not an innate ability, it takes cultivation and practice, even if you have perfect pitch. For guitarists this means sometimes almost wilfully shutting out a lot of stuff that promises to help us and focussing on doing it, however imperfectly, for ourselves. It's the only way to build the muscles.

That's not to discount the importance of building technique and so on as well.

For one's own long term mental well being - have concrete measurable aims that are short term, medium term and long term.

Damn. As the kids would say, this post is flames.

[James W]

Besides listening to more records, tunes, lines, etc. what has been that one thing that you've physically practised that has improved your overall playing exponentially? If we apply the Pareto Principle, what is your '20% of efforts resulting in 80% of consequences'?

I'm not sure I'm qualified to comment yet on this lol. But I will anyway.

I have found writing and learning my own etude for whatever song it is I'm learning to be really useful. Perhaps it's my background (my music degree was a classical one) but I think it helps to conceptualise/visualise the tune in this way and also to vary it - so you might want to resolve a line always in a particular way that you have written down, but then you can work on developing different ways to start it, and vice versa and so on...

That, and of course developing the ears and being a good listener, as per Christian's post.

[princeplanet]

Here's my 2c:

Play the shit out of Jazz Blues (major and minor), RC and Autumn Leaves. At least 5 keys on the flat side of the circle, and in 5 different positions. Comping and soloing. Listen to your favourite players handling these tunes and steal ideas that can be repurposed in many situations (over many chord types etc). Learn drop 2 and drop 3 grips for all the needed chords in all positions. Learn a handful of soloing devices (ways of outlining chords by embellishing chord tones etc) in 5 positions and spend time on linking them across chord changes.

Sounds like a lot? Probably is, but if you ask someone who has had ten different teachers in 20 years and tried to work from 20 different books and still can't play Jazz (they're out there), there's a lot of much harder ways up the Jazz mountain!

[emanresu]

Just trying to learn to play with groove. But that's just me. Most people start with it, now I'm trying to finish with it.

But honestly THE biggest bang for the buck is! Ah, it is simple. Start with a cool musical thing that already works and wakes your mind.
While practicing something "serious", play something cool and fun occasionally.

I noticed that it works so well. Learned the scales in certain way - playing very simple pop tunes when minding the patterns. Kinda melting them.
Afterwards, my solo made way more sense. Or rather, I liked to hear myself playing something, anything, even stupid. So, that.

edit to to clarify: I meant shortly after playing something fun for 5 minutes, the solo would be fun too. Or stupid, but likeable.

edit 2 cuz I forgot to add this: I noticed this happening some years ago, then recently randomly stumbled on this (2'34''):

[rpjazzguitar]

Besides listening to more records, tunes, lines, etc. what has been that one thing that you've physically practised that has improved your overall playing exponentially? If we apply the Pareto Principle, what is your '20% of efforts resulting in 80% of consequences'?

The biggest dividend for the least amount of work was this.

Somebody explained to me how to move a grip (or chord) through a scale. I started with xx2233 and moved it through the G major scale. Around the same time, somebody explained that I could use stacks of fourths, like the chords I just moved through the C major scale, more or less interchangeably as tonic and dominant chords.

At that point, I tried comping standards with the 7 fourth voicings and it worked. I still use a lot of that when I comp. It came together pretty easily. Took a bit of work to get it in 12 keys.

Later, I did the same for melodic minor -- and those are even more easily interchangeable.

Big dividends, minimal work. This time.

[Alter]

For me two things. First transcription, working with phrases and solos from the masters. Second, playing tunes i know by heart in different keys. Great ear workout.

I've also enjoyed doing an exercise Mick Goodrick suggested for a while: Recording a couple of minutes of random chords ever day, and soloing over them the next day. Then rinse repeat. The chords may be completely random, or about something you're trying to hear, diminished, modulations, random II-V-I etc.. After a while you can improvise over anything..

[pauln]

Performing by ear songs I've never heard with people I've just met, a typical evening as the guitarist in a band hosting open mics... over ten wonderful years of that.

[voxo]

late starter but found a method to get me in.no technical stuff..think id be bored out of my mind.,.YouTube.,..,Yasuhiro Fujii Tenor Sax solos with backing tracks..Standards...just slide up 2 frets..,im in..can play them all with ease. learnt to read rather than play scales....and they sound damned good...sorry to bore you...forgot to add band in a box.,.add Django books midi files Wes,.Kenny .Jimmy .,Grant,.jOE.,.,. door now is wide open

[deacon Mark]

We play to play tunes and melodies. Best thing is sitting down and memorizing a tune and melody. Get the chords and melody and the song form all together. Then everything happens after this. Play tunes over and over and over........ad nauseum

[Stringswinger]

We play to play tunes and melodies. Best thing is sitting down and memorizing a tune and melody. Get the chords and melody and the song form all together. Then everything happens after this. Play tunes over and over and over........ad nauseum

+1 on this. I have heard that chicks dig guys who know tunes.

[deacon Mark]

+1 on this. I have heard that chicks dig guys who know tunes.

Wow in vowed religious life now so chicks not happening. I don't want forget tunes, so I guess just have to just keep fighting them off.

[marcwhy]

Rhythm.

[Mick-7]

+1 on this. I have heard that chicks dig guys who know tunes.

Not if they are jazz tunes.

[brent.h]

Rhythm.

This is a big one. How do you work on this?

Myself, I've started recording all my practice sessions in Logic Pro to see how all my lines and comping rhythms line up against the software's grid - am I rushing, on the beat, or dragging.

It's been brutal and humbling.

[pamosmusic]

This is a big one. How do you work on this?

Myself, I've started recording all my practice sessions in Logic Pro to see how all my lines and comping rhythms line up against the software's grid - am I rushing, on the beat, or dragging.

It's been brutal and humbling.

I've been doing this a lot lately, which I love doing ... taken to it with drum sticks lately ...

A rhythm exercise a la Aaron Parks

[Strat-itis]

Anything that is key to improving your playing. You can come up with a lot of things. My latest one that really helped was mapping and working out all the rhythms. And I mean ALL the rhythms. The long ones up thru 8th notes and triplets, but also 16th notes, 16th note triplets, and 32nd notes. Once you get to where you can run all the rhythms, then it really helps your fluency because you don't have to worry about them any more and you can just focus on note syntax. You can practice the rhythms on a single scale, or do scale outlining with them, or over chord patterns like a 2-5.

[voxo]

where to play .. certainly no where live.. i wouldnt have the B...`s...Paltalk chat..live music..Mishroom Soup room..backing tracks allowed ...see ya there...uk time..

[Strat-itis]

Working with phrases and solos from the masters.

I really like this one for bang for buck practice. You can dick around a lot and not make progress. If you work with solos from the masters you integrate that quality of play better. It's something most avoid. You don't have to transcribe everything yourself, simply find a good solo transcription on youtube and learn it. Even 1 chorus.

[rpjazzguitar]

This is a big one. How do you work on this?

Myself, I've started recording all my practice sessions in Logic Pro to see how all my lines and comping rhythms line up against the software's grid - am I rushing, on the beat, or dragging.

It's been brutal and humbling.

I think this is interesting. If you're trying hard to nail the grid, you can see where you stand in relationship to it.

OTOH, if you're playing with good jazzy time feel, then departures from the grid are to be expected. I don't know how you evaluate your wave forms in that context.