What does your guitar practice routine look like?

[pamosmusic]

There are lots of theoretical conversations about best practices and whatnot going on at the moment so I want to take it somewhere else ...

I'm not looking necessarily for general things you're working on (there's probably eight of those threads) but rather specific things you're working with on a regular basis and working out right now ... and why you're working on it

Here's mine ...

1. Scales in particular groupings in eighth note quintuplets and eighth note triplets. Right now the metronome clicks on one and three and I'm working mostly with scales straight up and down and groupings of two (intervals skips mostly) - but ideally I'll get the metronome clicking in different parts of the measure and I'll eventually be working with three and four note groups too (triads and seventh chord arpeggios). Idea is to work on time - subdivisions feel very different to me when the groove is in a different part of the measure and when the actual sequence of notes changes.

2. Triads - just playing triads all over the neck in time.

3. Voice leading with new 7th chord voicings - working on some weird 7th chords so I'm trying to get them into my ear with some voice leading exercises

4. Pulling vocabulary out of bebop heads - lately it's been "Crazeology" ... learned it in every position and now I'm trying to take fragments out and work them through diatonic keys and put them on tunes.

5. Working on putting triads into tunes. Upper-structures and such. Trying to coordinate with the triads I'm working on in #2. Right now it's major triads. Starting playing lines over a single chord change using on notes from the triad - then adding approaches one at a time - then doing another triad over the same change - then combining the two - then a third - then combining - etc.

I try to spend a lot of time with #5 but then with what I have left I cycle through the others spending ten or fifteen minutes at a time on each and going back through it over and over until I'm done.

What are we up to folks?

[MarkRhodes]

I just got Carol Kaye's "Guitar Sightreading Studies," so I'm working on that daily. I'm still in the first section, covering the basics. Taking my time with this because I tend to race past the "easy stuff" until I'm over my head and start flailing there for awhile (this often involves a detour called Changing My Picking...Again) before getting frustrated and moving on to something else... ;o)

I also play, at least 3 times a day, a ii-V-I exercise of Carol's that runs through all the keys. (D- G7/ C / C- F7b9 / Bb / Bb- Eb9 / Ab / Ab- Db- / Gb / and so on) (This exercise is at the back of the sightreading book but was also in previously obtained material of Carol's, so I've had it awhile but had set it aside for some time.)

Because I am recovering from a thumb sprain and a bout of tennis elbow, I've stopped doing any sort of exercise patterns (-such as Jimmy Bruno's five fingerings in 12 keys daily).

Chord melody for "I'm In The Mood for Love."

Some Herb Ellis lines for rhythm changes that I didn't get right the first time.

This (-June) is a holiday month for me. I play a couple hours daily, minimum, but the emphasis is on having fun and giving myself a mental break from a lot of hard work in recent months. Next month---who knows?

[pamosmusic]

I also play, at least 3 times a day, a ii-V-I exercise of Carol's that runs through all the keys. (D- G7/ C / C- F7b9 / Bb / Bb- Eb9 / Ab / Ab- Db- / Gb / and so on) (This exercise is at the back of the sightreading book but was also in previously obtained material of Carol's, so I've had it awhile but had set it aside for some time.)

Nice ... what do you get out of this? Is there something in particular you do it for or is it a comfort exercise? I have tons of comfort drills I fall back on a lot too.

[smokinguit]

Right now I'm working my way through Patterns for Jazz by Jerry Coker et al. At the moment, my focus is on playing triads, seventh chords, and extensions as arpeggios over chromatic, major 2nd, minor 3rd, and cycle progression all over the fretboard using all possible fingerings. The chords begin and end on the same root and last for either 2, 1, or 1/2 a bar for each exercise. This allows me to cover all keys. I find this to be a very efficient way to ingrain these arpeggios in your head. I spend 10 minutes on one arpeggio type (major, minor, min7, maj7, etc.) first thing in the morning and 10 more on another in the evening. I'm not learning these arpeggios, I'm just try to get what I know to an auto pilot level. This is definitely helping me with improvising.

I'm also doing ear training that I called "hear it, play it". I hear an arpeggio randomly generated (in all inversions for triads but only root position for sevenths and beyond) by a program then I interpret what type it is then play it on my guitar. This is another way of reinforcing the arpeggio shapes. So I'm killing two birds with one stone - reinforcing arpeggio shapes and what they sound like.

For scales, I work on different patterns from the book as a quick warm up. Scales is one of my strong point so this is something I do once in a while.

For timing, I simply transcribe and play along with records. Then I do it only with a metronome with emphasis on 2 and 4 increasing the speed gradually until I reach my breaking point.

As for licks I don't consciously try to learn them and put them in my playing. I just play, listen, and try my best to sound melodic and leave space. I find that they come out naturally from solos that you really dig. And I mean really.

[pamosmusic]

At the moment, my focus is on playing triads, seventh chords, and extensions as arpeggios over chromatic, major 2nd, minor 3rd, and cycle progression all over the fretboard using all possible fingerings.

Can you explain this a little? What do you get out of this - is there a reason why you do it rather than putting them over tunes? ** not an accusation - I very much like doing stuff like this before I put stuff over tunes. I'm just curious about why guys do what. The logic that goes into a practice routine. Do people doing the same thing do it for the same reason? that sort of thing.

[jordanklemons]

I have a few things I'm focused on right now.

1. Patterns within my scale positions. Specifically intervals right now. Ascending 4ths up and back each position. Then descending 4ths. Then up a 4th followed by down. Then down a 4th follow by up. In all positions.

2. I think you've heard me talking about my 4-note groupings (triad+1) per chord (derived from upper structure analysis). I usually pick one chord type and mess with these 4 note groupings in a bunch of different ways. Playing all the inversions of the 4 note groupings around the fretboard to get some new harmonic approaches for any given chord (this week has been 7b13#9 chords). Then I'll also practice these inversions always leaving out the 2nd to highest pitch, leaving me with small 3-note structures. These are great for pianistic sounding additions to my chord melody playing. They're not big and clunky, they're small and usually easy to quickly employ and add a nice colorful, harmonic depth to my playing. I also practice my 4 note groupings going every other note similar to what I said in #1 on the list. Up-Up. Down-Down. Up-Down. Down-Up. And I also practice them as arpeggios.

3. Bebop etudes. I've been writing a bunch of them over chord progressions from standards. Not very musical, so I would never use them for tunes. I write them with constant 8th notes the entire time from start to finish. Horn players would suffocate. But I incorporate a ton of guide tones, chromaticism, and approach notes. I see it as a concentrated dose of medicine. I write them and then practice playing them. Sometimes, if there's a particular phrase that I love I will extract it out and try and work it into my vocabulary. But mostly, I see this as a way to internalize the feeling of hitting the important chord tones on the strong beats and using chromatic movement in and around that.

4. Ear training. Too much to talk about.

5. Tunes. There's so much I do, it's hard to write out. I generally try and learn to play the melody within a scale position first. Then I put it in a different octave/position and try and play it there as well. Then I work out a solo guitar arrangement using lots of the stuff from #2 on the list. I try and play it a lot just to get things internalized. Before I practice blowing over the changes, I try to make sure I've spent some serious time practicing comping through the form, looking for different ways to be creative within the harmony. Then I'll work on blowing. Which I have a ton of different games and things I do for that. And as soon as I start to feel the slightest bit comfortable, I force myself to play it in a new key. After a couple choruses there, I force myself into another new key. I generally try at least 3 or 4 keys for any given tune. Usually I just pick them at random. But not just moving up or down in half steps. Usually it's more like a Major 3rd up or down. Or something like that.

6. Bach Violin Sonata no 1 in G minor. The fugue, 2nd movement.

7. Transcription. Not all that much time for it these days. But I try and do at least a little bit.

[pamosmusic]

5. Tunes. There's so much I do, it's hard to write out. I generally try and learn to play the melody within a scale position first. Then I put it in a different octave/position and try and play it there as well. Then I work out a solo guitar arrangement using lots of the stuff from #2 on the list. I try and play it a lot just to get things internalized. Before I practice blowing over the changes, I try to make sure I've spent some serious time practicing comping through the form, looking for different ways to be creative within the harmony. Then I'll work on blowing. Which I have a ton of different games and things I do for that. And as soon as I start to feel the slightest bit comfortable, I force myself to play it in a new key. After a couple choruses there, I force myself into another new key. I generally try at least 3 or 4 keys for any given tune. Usually I just pick them at random. But not just moving up or down in half steps. Usually it's more like a Major 3rd up or down. Or something like that.

Any comment on how you came to develop this sort of method for it? I've found that the way I work on tunes - for whatever reason - is something that is always super ingrained. I tend to make fewer changes in what I do with tunes and put a lot more thought into why I'm doing what I'm doing. The rest of the routine is usually more in flux ..

[smokinguit]

Can you explain this a little? What do you get out of this - is there a reason why you do it rather than putting them over tunes? ** not an accusation - I very much like doing stuff like this before I put stuff over tunes. I'm just curious about why guys do what. The logic that goes into a practice routine. Do people doing the same thing do it for the same reason? that sort of thing.

My main reason for doing what I'm doing is to strengthen my technique for playing arpeggios anywhere on the guitar when improvising and reading sheet music. The aim is to have a crystal clear map of the arpeggios in my mind (no thinking involve). I've made good progress since I've been doing things this way. My repertoire list consist of a lot of tunes. I try not to overthink too much when I'm playing them. I just play. I let my ears take me on a journey.

[mr. beaumont]

Very simple...tunes, writing etudes for tricky parts in tunes, playing those etudes, and back to the tune. Not a lot of time, so i try to maximize...if it isn't musical, it gets canned.

[pamosmusic]

My main reason for doing what I'm doing is to strengthen my technique for playing arpeggios anywhere on the guitar when improvising and reading sheet music. The aim is to have a crystal clear map of the arpeggios in my mind (no thinking involve). I've made good progress since I've been doing things this way. My repertoire list consist of a lot of tunes. I try not to overthink too much when I'm playing them. I just play. I let my ears take me on a journey.

Nice - what turned you on to this? Does this get at something that you find to be a weak spot? Did you get a lesson and have that pointed out? Did it come purely from self-assessment? Is it not a weak spot - an experiment instead maybe?

[pamosmusic]

Very simple...tunes, writing etudes for tricky parts in tunes, playing those etudes, and back to the tune. Not a lot of time, so i try to maximize...if it isn't musical, it gets canned.

Very cool ... how do you decide what to put in the etudes?

[jordanklemons]

Any comment on how you came to develop this sort of method for it? I've found that the way I work on tunes - for whatever reason - is something that is always super ingrained. I tend to make fewer changes in what I do with tunes and put a lot more thought into why I'm doing what I'm doing. The rest of the routine is usually more in flux ..

It's an ever evolving approach to learning them. One of the big things I always ask great players about when I'm able to poke and prod them), is what their approach to learning tunes is. Over time, I tried out all the things I heard them talking about, figured out which ones worked for me and pushed me and made sense, and then threw the stuff out that didn't work for me.

And different tunes I treat a little differently. There are things I might do for a bebop head that wouldn't work that well for something else and vice versa. It's just been a lot of trial and error.

But especially these last 2 years being in school and having so many heavy weight guys offering advice, my process for absorbing new standards has changed dramatically and is really in constant flux. I'd love to find a particular 'way' that I could apply to every tune...but so far nothing feels that 'right' for me. There are general things and games I play. But as far as the specifics, it's more like just an exploration.

[pamosmusic]

I'd love to find a particular 'way' that I could apply to every tune...but so far nothing feels that 'right' for me. There are general things and games I play. But as far as the specifics, it's more like just an exploration.

That's probably a good way to be ... I can be a bit rigid with my practice. Any ideas on how you go about making decisions on what to work on? On tunes or otherwise?

[jordanklemons]

Well I'm all about harmonic and melodic depth/integrity these days. So everything I do is based around trying to dig further into that.

I use all the Stefon Harris upper structure triad/ear training/quadrad stuff a lot for this. Both harmonically and melodically. And I also play a couple different games to work on improvising tunes in a more melodic way. There's a thread going on in the 'Improvisation' section here about that. Motivic development vs making the changes. It's got a short video I filmed of me playing one of my practice games.

I often find myself working on some physical technique or something and stop and ask myself why? My inner teenage guitarist wants so desperately to just be able to play so fast. But really, why? If my time and resources were unlimited, sure...I'd work on it. But at this point...I'd rather focus in on what's going to make me the most musical. My ear, my harmony, my melodic integrity, and my tune repertoire.

[MarkRhodes]

Nice ... what do you get out of this? Is there something in particular you do it for or is it a comfort exercise? I have tons of comfort drills I fall back on a lot too.

It has a few tricky (for me, anyway) phrases and a few fingering challenges, so I figure getting this down will benefit me with other lines to. Also, I like this exercise because it keeps making you go from major to minor on the same tonic. (D- G7/ C / C- F7 / Bb / Bb- Eb7 and so on. That's a common move in jazz and one I could use a little more work on.) I made a BIAB backing track, so I can play Carol's lines as head and then see what I can come up with on my own the next time 'round.

[henryrobinett]

For one of the few periods of my life I'm not practicing. It's weird but it seems to ok. Things are going on. Good things but things that are outside of music. I play sometimes and I haven't lost chops. Something's. I can't burn at fast tempos right now. Or I don't think I can. I'll be back and create a new practice routine in the next couple of weeks. Maybe I'll work on sight reading. Maybe I'll just write. Maybe I'll say f*** it all and do something else entirely. We'll see when I finally get this CD out there.

[pamosmusic]

It has a few tricky (for me, anyway) phrases and a few fingering challenges, so I figure getting this down will benefit me with other lines to. Also, I like this exercise because it keeps making you go from major to minor on the same tonic. (D- G7/ C / C- F7 / Bb / Bb- Eb7 and so on. That's a common move in jazz and one I could use a little more work on.) I made a BIAB backing track, so I can play Carol's lines as head and then see what I can come up with on my own the next time 'round.

Nice - may I ask why Carol Kaye resonates with you so much?

[smokinguit]

Nice - what turned you on to this? Does this get at something that you find to be a weak spot? Did you get a lesson and have that pointed out? Did it come purely from self-assessment? Is it not a weak spot - an experiment instead maybe?

Self-assessment I guess. I've come to realized that when you play you must have total command of the instrument and the things you hear, especially before you play it. Felt weakness with my ears and fretboard command. So I've been addressing that problem over the last year and now I'm beginning to feel the positive effects. Of course, I credit this also to working on Wes Montgomery's Gone With the Wind (a b***h to transcribe), Grant Green (6 tunes), Kenny Burrell (2 tunes), and Charlie Parker (4 tunes).

[pamosmusic]

Self-assessment I guess.

Ahhhh excellent ... that's what I'm going for here ...

I really want to know how we all self-assess and how it manifests in our practice

[pamosmusic]

For one of the few periods of my life I'm not practicing. It's weird but it seems to ok

Sometimes you need that ... when you go through a phase like this, how do you get back into practicing? How do you devise a new routine?

[jordanklemons]

I rarely go through 'periods' where I don't practice. But about 1 or 2 times a year I try and just take a week off. I think of it like a vacation. And I usually try and line them up with some type of trip or vacation. Just so I don't have to bring my guitar with me, and so I can just focus on relaxing and being a normal human being.

I almost always come back with really wonky technique, but between being forced to slow down (because of the technique issue) and feels really refreshed and antsy and anxious to play, I find that my ears and my connection with the MUSIC (as opposed to the fingerings or any of the physical guitar stuff) are way stronger...and while I can't burn fast tunes or pull of anything flashy...I find I play some of my best music during those times.

I also find after about a week of not having a guitar in my hands I just start to feel sad and weird like something's missing.

[henryrobinett]

Sometimes you need that ... when you go through a phase like this, how do you get back into practicing? How do you devise a new routine?

I've been playing guitar for about 46 years. After you've played that long tell me how much time you've taken off! Rarely have I not practiced, so I don't feel bad and don't feel on losing much.

The few times this has happened before -- maybe twice, I just get back in the horse. I love practicing so much that it's never hard. Just establishing the routine again. For me it's first thing in the morning - from about 7:30- 10:30.

Lately all I've been doing is playing. Not gigging. I haven't played a gig in a couple of months!!! As I said I've been doing other things. But teaching a lot. So I might go back to technical things to get my hands in shape. Then chord melody, reading, tunes. Genre and style stuff. I need to work on things in less comfortable with.

[Jehu]

But about 1 or 2 times a year I try and just take a week off. I think of it like a vacation. And I usually try and line them up with some type of trip or vacation. Just so I don't have to bring my guitar with me...

I call that "ukulele time".

[pamosmusic]

I've been playing guitar for about 46 years. After you've played that long tell me how much time you've taken off! Rarely have I not practiced, so I don't feel bad and don't feel on losing much.

I wasn't making a value judgement. I do that all the time actually. I take the occasional two days off from playing when I don't have much choice (usually - like with Jordan this coincides with a trip that makes it hard to bring the guitar)... but I've found it's pretty important for me to allow the ebbs and flows to happen. Recently I went through a phase for about a month where I was writing lots of music, writing words, reading a book (Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison in case you were curious) things like that and only practicing for an hour or so every day (maybe more on a weekend). By the time I finished the book and was wrapping up the new tune or two I was itching to be practicing more. Now for the past few weeks I've been practicing three or four hours on top of a full time job, going to sessions, and just got a lesson recently.

Letting myself do stuff like that is good for me actually.

[MarkRhodes]

Nice - may I ask why Carol Kaye resonates with you so much?

Well, she played bass on a lot of records I loved as a kid, so I regard her as an accomplished pro who not only knows her stuff but is creative. And funky. For "Hikky Burr" she said Quincy Jones had no chart for her and told her to just play in E minor.

Plus, she worked with Joe Pass and put out a Herb Ellis / Joe Pass duets recording. (She was also the original publisher of "The Guitar Style of Joe Pass.") And she's been teaching people (-many of whom became pros themselves) for a long time now. She seems to have it all covered in a old school way. I like that. Plus, she's still alive and responds to my emails. ;o)