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Over the years, I have practiced almost every day ( other demands notwithstanding ) and for anything from 30mins to say, 3 hours in one go. Like most of us I suspect, 5 or 6 hours is not on the cards ( family, job, mowing grass (!!), social life +)) and being realistic, I think in my case the law of diminishing returns would probably kick in. Of course, I am not including here the picking up of a guitar for 10 mins to sort some problem or aspect of theory.
I now find that 1 hour units ( sometimes repeated in fact two or more times ) suit me best. By this I mean that they seem to yield most, allow for change of activity ( including theory, recording ) and avoid any kind of RPI tendence. This way, I stay fresh.
Should I feel bad.
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01-31-2015 12:51 PM
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An hour block sounds like a good Idea! In my study years I would do 50 minutes practice and then 10min break.
On the guitar (and the bassoon)
I always start with warmup-technique (scales, arpeggios etc)
then whatever is the most brain demanding (theory, note fixing, experiment etc)
and finish with run-through (playing the tune without stopping)
when the show is near I skip part 2 and go to run-through. (all my paid gigs are classical so maybe this part is not right for jazz playing)
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Thanks for your perspective Takemitsu - feeling better already. Back in the day when I did 3 years or so on clarinet I found that just blowing long notes stood in a corner soon passed an hour away! I do divide the time up, although never sure if I have the right balance but the current tuen/tunes always take priority. As in your case, if a gig is in the offing then the repertoire is all.
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No.
Originally Posted by blackcat
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it helps to be focused and have a clear goal. that's how you can assess the effectiveness of your practice.
did you hit the goal? how effectively? how would you grade yourself? A, B, C?
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The 50 minute practice and 10 minute break was how HR taught us at GIT. He said important on break to put down the instrument, and drink something or smoke if that's your thing. That taking the breaks easier to maintain focus over long practice sessions.
For others have learned get the boring or non-creative stuff out of the way first.
A Kenny Werner tip is don't plan to practice for a long period that when we plan it and it doesn't last as long as planed it creates negative feeling and frustration. He said just plan to practice 5 minutes and once you get into it you'll probably go 45 minutes or more.
Last journal your practice so you can track progress and pickup where you left off the next session. Many keep starting at the top of their list everyday and never get to thing at end of the list. Also journaling is good when you think you've hit a plateau and not progressing, look at the journal and see you are making progress. Also in beginning learning you're making big leaps regularly, but the further and more advanced you get the smaller the gains are so being able to see progress as you advance is even more important.
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nice. and true. Originally Posted by logictweek
There are loads of books on practice and the brain and all that stuff - you can make an hour work for you in a major way.
Also might be useful to try and get a 45 minute practice plan ... and 90 minute practice plan ... and a 3 hr practice plan. I practice very differently when I have one hour than I do when I have four. You can make it as effective as possible and really get some mileage out of whatever time you have.
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Clear goal(s) is/are surely everything. For some time after leaving the blues domain I waded into theory and let it sit on me until the penny dropped viz. the song is the thing. Teachers I've had dealt 'by the topic' and seemed to lack the 'joined up' mentality. I think your point about self-assessment is spot on but all too easily worked around. Thanks for the reflection.
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Docbop. Thanks for that. All good stuff but I think your last point about a journal is really on the money. That said, the Kenny Werner tip is a good one - often works out that way. Born in the North of England ( UK ) I surely suffer from the good old work ethic thing!
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Thanks for that pamosmusic. I tend to think Mus 1, Mus 2 +/ Mus 3 on a really good day and switch priorities for each session. Also ( practical/realistic point ) try to make Mus 1 the first task of the day and before visitors, work and other dsitractions kick in. If out all am then Mus 1 shifts to first thing after lunch and likewise after supper for Mus 2 or 3. All depends. Basic tim management I guess.
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This article is very very very very interesting ... talks about picking a small number of things to practice and rotating through them one by one repeatedly. Says after a half dozen or so reps of a line your brain sort of turns off so to get the most out of your practice you rotate through your material for example maybe hitting three things several times for a minute or two at a time rather than one thing for the first hour - one for the next - and a third later...
Why the Progress You Make in the Practice Room Seems to Disappear Overnight
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Peter, Originally Posted by pamosmusic
Excellent article - out of the box - worthy of consideration. Thanks for that.
David
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I make a list of things to work on each day of the coming week and make a mark on a page in my Steno pad when I practice each thing. I come back to some things several times throughout the day. Especially tunes I'm working on and things that give me a hard time. And picking. The morning is my best time. It's the most challenging practice and I've been at it awhile, so I 'just do it' and don't beat myself up if today isn't that great and I don't skip a day because the previous one was grand. I'm at it every day, rain or shine, and I make some progress.
It helps me to add something every week that is either new or challenging. Right now I'm working on a couple Barry Greene technique exercises that run through a cycle of dominant seventh chords. The second one I don't have down, so I just play that one slow several times over. The first one, I have down and can play faster, but I make a point of extending the cycle through another area of the fretboard. That takes time but that's okay. I just keep at it. This week is smoother than last and next week will be smoother than this one. That keeps me going.....
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get yourself an egg timer so that you can keep track. I practice in 30 minute slots, that's a good time for me.
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As an aid to making sure I cover everything I need to, I find this app Music Journal (iOS only as far as I know) to be the best thing in the world for tracking practice. I color code everything so I can tell at a glance what is being covered (and neglected).
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/musi...325759857?mt=8
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I just got a new timer the ticking of the egg timer drove me batty. What I like about this digital timer is count up or down. I use the count up so when I start my practice on a topic I just start the count up then go as long as I want and when done stop the timer and know how long I worked on the topic. I find that easier than constantly have to set for 50 minutes or an hour. I also like I can stop and start the timer so if I get a phone call I can pause the timer and restart after the call. The timer was like $10 on Amazon. Originally Posted by nick1994
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Sometimes at school I use the timer app on my phone which also allows you to pause but it only counts down, which is alright. I know some people like to use egg timers for small amounts of time like 10 or 15 minutes. Sometimes if I practice near computer I'll use an online stopwatch which is pretty good. There are so many different options out there. Originally Posted by docbop
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Some great tips here and thanks to all. I used to keep a log but then shifted to keeping individual topics/strands in single semi-rigid Nyrex sleeves and then shuffling them every day according to need/progress. Jumping back to the link from the Manhatten Clarinet tutor who is into brain studies, the only thing that occurs to me is if one is shuffling items on a rotating basis and not staying in one place for too long, how is muscle memory developed/consolidated?
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I find my phone handy as a timer. It also has a metronome app.
Originally Posted by nick1994
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Enjoyment is the key for me.
I try to make my practice interesting and enjoyable.
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I don't have any time for "practice" these days. I spend a lot of time away from the instrument thinking about how to structure the little time I have when I get to it. I think focusing on really working on a couple of things at a time rather than everything is helpful.
Also things I work on when I've got an hour look very different from when I've got 5 or 10 minutes. Always have in mind the more "brainless" things you want to work on getting under fingers with small moments of spare time here and there, where you don't have time to really get into it. If they're simple enough you can get some good cumulative reps in those moments as well.
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Practicing is a gift and joy we are given, to spend time playing our guitar. Originally Posted by GuyBoden
Tom Lippencott video on Joy of Practice at Mike's Master Classes. Good basic practice advice.
The Joy of Practicing | Lesson by Tom Lippincott | Mike's Master Classes
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I agree with everything people have said here.
The thing I have to try and avoid is neurotic practice - easier said than done. Every time you practice you are exploring something. It should be a joy.
I don't there's any simple rules - what suits you is best. I would say rather than set goals, do something you can see yourself measurably improve at. For example, if your aim is to develop better time, work out a few exercises that will challenge your time feel that are difficult, but achievable. For example here are some I am doing
1) Practice a bebop head against the metronome on the and of 1 and 3 (straight offbeat tempo around say 60-80 bpm, so metronome at 30-40)
2) Sing/play a quarter note triplet against a metronome on the 2 and 4 of the bar while tapping your foot/walking on 1 and 3. Metronome at 90-140 (so 180-280bpm)
3) Play the head to a bebop tune in two handed sticking in 12/8 on hand drums
Now, each of these exercises I found very difficult at first, but now am finding a bit easier. I don't need to practice any of these activities for more than 5 minutes each. An hour of 5 minute bursts of this type of work with short breaks and you should feel you've had a work out mentally. I think of this as 'full mindfulness' or 'narrow concentration' exercises - these are not like playing music.
There are other kinds of practice too, ones that are more blue-sky and right brain, such as transcription, improvisation practice (say slow improv) and so on. These are important too, much more like playing music. I think of these as 'distracted concentration' or 'wide focus' exercises.
There's a lot of grey area in the middle. There is also some disagreement about how 'mathematical' you should be when you practice rhythm, for instance.Last edited by christianm77; 02-01-2015 at 01:54 PM.
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Oh and at present I am aware of practice that needs to be on the guitar, and what I can do without playing.
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Interesting point, I have had the good fortune to be playing live 2 to 3 times a week, with 3 to 4 hours per gig. I realize that I don't practice as much when my schedule is like that. Mostly away from the stage now I am preparing new arrangements and new songs. Plus the wear and tear as you get older requires a rest day.
In the past of course I had a guitar in my hands as often as possible.
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