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My pracitce routine is pretty much the same everytime I pick up the guitar; Start off with good intentions . . run some arps . . . then get bored, lose focus and switch to comping . . then get bored, lose focus and switch to reading . . . then get bored, lose focus and start to noodling endlessly with heads of tunes I like . . . then get pissed off at myself for not being able to focus and try to play some tunes . . . then get pissed off at myself due to my limited catalog of completed songs . . . then put the guitar down and hope tomorrow will be a better day. That regimentation usually takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
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06-14-2015 10:02 AM
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-First, I review some arps and scales that are giving me problems (I'm reviewing -b5 ATM). I admit that I skip this part more often than not...
-I work on a study by Barry Greene where he shows you how to play the chords to "There will never be..." in 5 positions. The goal is to expand my chord vocabulary. This is working really well, as I'm reaching my goal and I can see that the new shapes I'm learning are all related to shapes I already know, even when they seem unusual at first. This is helping my fretboard knowledge a lot.
-I work on particular progressions that are giving me problems. ATM, it's the A-b5/D7alt/Eb major and the extended turnaround of "There will never be". Instead of attacking it from the theoretical angle, I sing some lines while playing the progression and then play them back on my guitar. This is working really well and I'm glad I've found this simple method to tackle unusual progressions
-I improvise on the tune I'm working on, at a very slow tempo. The goal here is to train myself to listen to my inner voice and play what I hear. This might be the most important and most difficult part of my routine.
-I finish with transcribing, which is for me a fun a light hearted activity. No headaches, just listen, sing and play ! I'm currently working on Freddie Hubbard's solo on Birdlike. A real gem, and a encyclopedia of bop language.
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Who was the lesson with Pete?
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Right now my practice time is used for learning tunes and arrangements of tunes for whatever gigs I have that evening or next day. I always use my timeguru app, and for me learning a tune means being able to sing melody and lyrics while comping/walking bass line. I find by doing this playing the melody is a snap. For some of my gigs it means learning a very specific guitar part from a CD or itunes. These are usually old school funk and r&b tunes. I also have recently been spending a lot of time playing blues, making an authentic blues solo ain't as easy as it seems. I've been spending time with Big Mama Thornton. On my jazz gigs I'm trying to blend Wes, Ed Bickert and myself. A few more decades and I will have this jazz thing down cold.
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What have you noticed since you've been doing this?
Originally Posted by Nabil B
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I can create interesting lines and apply the language I've been working on. Now I have to keep practicing to be able to do that at a "normal" tempo... Originally Posted by pamosmusic
I have two roadblocks at the moment :
-I'm relying too much on the fingerboard to begin the lines... For example, instead of visualizing the 3rd of a particular chord on beats 1 or 3, I'd like to be able to hear it first then find it on the guitar.
-I need time to figure out how to play what I'm hearing. I'll hear a particular line, then think about how it lays out on the fingerboard. Most of the time I have a general idea of how it's played, but there are great chances that I will make a mistake and play an unwanted note. This is something I'd like to sort out.Last edited by Nabil B; 06-14-2015 at 04:16 PM.
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Very abstract stuff. A genuine practice problem. This stuff fascinates me. How do you distill something abstract and intangible into something you can practice? Originally Posted by Nabil B
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Why is that abstract? That's sounds like what I've always done.
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This is an important question... Sometimes I notice some kind of progress (for example, I found myself naturally using lines from a Dexter Gordon solo I transcribed) and I have no idea how I acheived it, because I didn't specifically work on it. I guess some things naturally work themselves out... Originally Posted by pamosmusic
Now to address the two problems I brought up in a less abstract way :
- Relying on the fingerboard for content : I noticed that I do that when I have no idea of what to play. This is where the problem originates from, so to get rid I have to be more creative and more inspired. Again, abstract stuff ! But from what I can tell, playing slow (even without any kind of tempo, giving myself all the time I need to create the lines) really allows me to let my creativity come through.
- Making mistakes : I think this can be addressed by repeating the lines that are giving me problems till I can play them cold. Emily Remler said that when she heard something and couldn't play it right, she would stop the backing track and repeat the line 10 or 20 times. Seems like a simple, no BS way of dealing with it.Last edited by Nabil B; 06-15-2015 at 01:47 AM.
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What am I missing? What's abstract?
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How to practice "playing what you're hearing" and how to evaluate that you're "relying on the fretboard" rather than the ear for finding lines ... As opposed to working on arpeggio patterns for fluency - which is a more concrete goal. An abstract goal is not a bad thing - in fact they're often the most challenging and important to deal with. That's why I'm interested in knowing how someone translates a goal like that into a practice routine. What do you work on? What is something you do all the time to work on a thing like that?
Last edited by pamosmusic; 06-15-2015 at 08:43 AM.
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I like that ... The first suggestion is one I remember from my classical lessons. Playing really challenging Bach stuff would require endless repetitions. My teacher required me to slow it down and play it from memory at eighth note 50 or something absurdly slow like that. The muscle memory is tempo sensitive to an extent so playing that slowly would take it out of the equation and make me work only from aural memory. Originally Posted by Nabil B
The second one is not even reconciling the fact that it's a bit of an abstract problem. Just being brutally honest with yourself about what you think you're hearing and making yourself play it. That's also important - I like both of these a lot. Thanks!
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I worked on the entire fretboard scales and especially arpeggios, triads and 7ths, fitting inside those scale patterns. I practiced certain progressions that were logical. All keys, all places. I did this incessantly for years until I just had it cold.
I also practiced playing through jazz tunes very, very slowly. I did it so I could hear every nuance I wanted to and phrase the way a wanted to. I knew where all of the notes were because of my fretboard work. Then when I sped the tune up I could play with fluency.
I never did much transcribing or playing by ear without a foundation. I rely on knowing where the 3rds and notes are. That assists my ear in locating what I'm hearing. I know what the intervals sound like so I can accurately guess-- because I know where the notes are located on the fretboard through the scale patterns, arps, neighbors and extensions. Then when I think like Rollins or Dexter or Coltrane or Chick I have some knowledge of where to get those sounds and concepts on the fretboard.
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Is that abstract practice? I don't get it.
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I get all the practice that I need on the bandstand.
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I usually get three sessions (early, lunchtime, late), totaling 3-4 hours. The past few weeks I've been working on
* Practicing all drop 2s, all string sets, including scales with diminished chords.
* Reading from a reading book I like
* A few melodic minor exercises from Bert Ligon's Technique book
* An arpeggio exercise I made up, which goes up and down diatonic seventh chords in all positions on the neck.
* Relearning tunes by making simple chord melodies. (These are tunes I learned before--now my understanding is better and I can see the harmony and melody relate.)
* Transcribing Wes "Blue N Boogie" from Crowded House
* extracting vocab from that transcription and putting it over tunes
* Soloing over tunes, concentrating especially on timing, groove, and rhythmic interest.
* My new tune for a few weeks has been "Invitation." I'm about ready to start a new one.
Fun thread!
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For me, what is abstract about practicing things like creativity and language is that they are things that are less tangible than scales, chords, technique... It's easy to make exercises and drills to learn the theoretical elements of music, it's just about memorizing and building muscle memory. But learning to speak the jazz language, learning to be more creative are things that are more complicated to grasp and in my experience these elements are often overlooked by jazz educators. They tend to concentrate on the theory stuff too much... Maybe "abstract" is not the proper word here, even though I totally get why pamomusic used it. "Intangible" might describe it better. Originally Posted by henryrobinett
Last edited by Nabil B; 06-15-2015 at 01:03 PM.
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Truthfully there's nothing abstract about that - that's not what I was saying. I was talking about his goals - not his actual practice. Practice, by its very nature, is concrete. We do things in a prescribed manner to improve our playing in one way or another. Music on the other hand is, by its nature, abstract. It's subjective - taste - hard to define using words. Here's a definition of 'abstract' that I like:
"existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence."
So - while I stand by my use of that particular word - I think that "intangible" is also a good word to use. So - why do I find this interesting?
Practice is a very concrete thing. There are actions. We can describe what we do in detail. Write it down. Someone can watch us do it and understand. It's not subjective. We either do this or we don't do that. Our goals are often very abstract. The constant problem we have with designing our practice is how to translate these musical things that are subjective and abstract and intangible into concrete practice. Here's an example.
The first thing I put in my little practice routine had to do with playing different subdivisions:
1 - Hmmm ... something's missing in my playing. I run out of ideas too soon and don't feel like I can push the band past a certain point. Very abstract. You may not know what I mean. Maybe you do but you don't hear that problem when you listen to me. I do though.
2. I think a part of that is that I really need to have more rhythmic flexibility in my playing. Still pretty abstract but we're getting into more tangible territory.
3. What are the elements of this so called "rhythmic flexibility?" - Technique (so that I can physically play things with good time) - Actual time - Being able to handle more subdivisions
4. How can I work on those things - I can work on scales and patterns for my technique - I can do some interesting metronome exercises for time (can I play this pattern and this subdivision with the tempo here? how about with the metronome clicking on this part of the measure?) - I can work on subdivisions by playing different note groupings through the scale using those different subdivisions. Get more complicated until I can feel the time no matter what notes I'm playing
5. Work on all that and figure out the weak spots and combine them into a couple exercises that I can apply in a lot of creative ways
voila --- I have #1 on my practice routine.
I'm interested in this "abstract" vs "concrete" thing because I want to know how people get from the idea or the self-assessment all the way down to an actual thing they practice. It's interesting to me.Last edited by pamosmusic; 06-15-2015 at 03:38 PM.
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For years, my practice sessions always used to start with Leavitt's "Modern Method For Guitar". I figured that reading/playing scales/arps, whatever, provided a good warm up for the hands, and forced me to focus. I continued to put the reading/ book study at the start of the session for years, but recently I've found that I cannot get "in the zone" mentally by using this approach. Now, unless I start a session with "blowing" I find that I'm not really getting creative. My practice is now a lot less disciplined, but I find that "improvising" practice has given much deeper musical results in my playing.
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1. chromatic across all strings 60 bmp 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 notes per beat, alt picking 30mins to 1 hour
2. spider exercises for 10 mins ,ladders exercises 2,3,4 finger combo's for 20 mins.
3. Trills on all fingers till i cant anymore 20 to 40 mins,
STOP!!!!!!
shake out and self massage my hands , ice water and hot water if needed. go paint !! in the studio for a hour.
4. paint skys in watercolor all 4 directions 30 mins
5. Look over weeks work(paintings) as i listen to something groovy !
6. Stalk and catch a dozen trout on Dry fly!!! before lunch time ! make a sketch or 2
7.come home ! eat
8. jam time !!! country set ! 85,100,120,220 bmp diff feels working all my triads and and double stops all over the neck.
then my chops trying to do my best chicken picken and blowing i can do !!!
9. Blues time !!!
10 song set. all different feels close my eyes let errrr rip. LOve those blues....
10. Nap time ! 2 hours 2 sleeps are better then 1
11. working in the Art studio till dinner. if i eat lol Now no matter where i'm at in my house or studio, i'm never further the 10 feet from a guitar.....STRUM mindlessly as i looking to my paintings !!! day dreaming and painting them in my head..... What next to paint and how.
12. scale practice time !!! major,minor,harm min, altered/mel min. NEW !!! got 4 of the 5 pattren going pretty good!!!and in mussel memory .. that dammmmm last pattern.
13. sequences 2nds,3rd,4th,5th,6,th, 30 mins. Rather then going thru all the scales. I 've broken things down to 12 common patterns my fingers are always making in my scales. and i've sequenced those. So where ever i find my self!!! i'm playing 1 of those fingerings and flow naturally in to what ever sequence im hearing at the moment.
14. Arp's Maj,min,min7b5,dom 1st finger and 4th starts try to stay focused !!! lol 30 mins
15. Jam time ! working my alt scales. or minor vamping...
16. More flyfishing !!! the evening hatch is on !!!!!!!
17. Roll in after dark !!! make sure my WIFE Know she's the most amazing woman on the planet !!!
18. Jam more !!! practice any tunes im learning !!! learning a few standards . So i can learn to play like reg !!! and you all !!!!!. READ THESE FOURMS and paint till I pass out !!!
19. WAKE UP And REPEAT
Fished over 300 days last year, Completed 400 watercolor paintings. its after 2 am HERE NOW!! Got a Gin and tonic in hand!! and i'm still strumming and painting. Will be up and on the river !! and painting the sunrise in just a few hours. and i cant wait to play my Guitar tomorrow. and start all over again. This is my crazy life !!! i'm so lucky to live.... Its actually pretty sad I spend some much time playing and practicing like i do. As i do nothing with my music...other than play for myself....and my own desire to master it. and the language of music. Im really enjoying reading on all your practice habits. As i'm obsessed with all things guitar
and getting to be the best i can be.
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Damn man. Living the life! I know that was part humor but I like that you included all your non guitar time as part of the practice. I didn't duscover how important all that time was until I ran myself into the ground a few times in college.
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Ya, finding time to do everything is really important. especially if you want to get good at several things in one's life.I try my best every day ,to do do all 3 things. sometimes life takes over and steals the days. But Then i just shut the phone off, and escape back to the river , where you better be willing to walk to find me lol Again i love listening to how you guys break your practice down.
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If I have 2 hours, something like:
1 hour: improvisation practice - playing tunes, playing the instrument.
A lot of Barry Harris stuff ATM
Other things:
Slow improv (60-80 bpm)
Chord practice (random voicing type through the tune)
Sing + play
FOr the past year or so I've been very careful to repeat as little as possible (aside from practicing written material.) So for the BH stuff I try and keep mixing up positions, keys and where I am starting scales etc. The aim is to develop as much flexibility as I can, rather than getting too ingrained. Easier said than done. Licks happen whether I like it or not. I don't mind too much.
Trying to do as much of this as I can with attention to my breathing and body tension.
1 hour: general musicianship (75% of this can be away from the instrument)
Ear training exercises - pitch recognition, not intervallic so much. Sight singing.
Reading - Louis Bellson, assorted bits of music.
Various Rhythm stuff - working on the Okazaki M-base rhythmic counterpoint stuff ATM. Good fun. Also Mike Longo DVD #2 exercises.
Plus other stuff - learning rep for a gig etc, as required. Quite often gig preperation can be used as material for other areas. If I need to transcribe a tune for a gig, for example, that's ear training.
If I have more time, similar proportions.
Other activities - listening to music (usually in the car), playing gigs, attending gigs, rehearsing, playing with friends. I'd say this is equal if not greater in importance to my practice regime.
Seems to work quite well. Fairly flexible. As time moves on the material changes (for example, I'm not transcribing much ATM) but the structure remains more or less the same.Last edited by christianm77; 06-30-2015 at 09:22 PM.
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