Making time to play

[jazznylon]

One could do finger exercises as long as you have a spare hand available.

5:50 - 6:50 is a point of interest since you can do these with one hand. Of course this won't replace the time you have on the instrument but its better than nothing I suppose.

[RJVB]

Actually ... making time to practise by ourselves, OK, but ... playing?

[frabarmus]

Actually ... making time to practise by ourselves, OK, but ... playing?

Playing (a tune) by ourselves at home (without an audience) is actually plausible during a practice session...
if you have an audience (even just one person/family member) then practice upgrades to performance, I suppose...

[RJVB]

Playing (a tune) by ourselves at home

Sure, we can also record a 2nd part/backing track and play (it) with ourselves

[frabarmus]

I have a little pedal board for my practice sessions that includes a looper and a freeze ...very precious tools for both practice and performance with/for myself...

[Liarspoker]

This is a great thread.

Maybe we should document out practise sessions this week so that we can post them here in a week's time.

I bet that if you document your practise sessions this week you'll practise more, your practise/playing goals will become clear and there'll be less wasted time.

Fwiw I started documenting my practise sessions from this morning (but I'll hide them from my wife ).

[Kirk Garrett]

Documenting practice sessions is a good idea.

So far, I’ve definitely learned that I could be making better use of those unexpected or stolen 15 minute periods of time.

[AllanAllen]

Last night

Freddie Freeloader
Blue Bossa
Take the A Train
In a Sentimental Mood
Misy
Linus and Lucy

Metronome exercises 160bpm:
Spider drills
Scales around the circle
ii V I arpeggios in the 5 positions

I'd say this was about an hour, I stopped early because my wife was watching Trains Planes and Automobiles.

After the movie

Lets get lost
Mack the knife
Blue Bossa

So far today I've listened to 12 versions of Emily since my drummer asked if we could play it at the next gig.

[pamosmusic]

I do most of my lesson planning Sunday evenings so I didn’t get playing until about 10:00. Been working on some scale sequences and running some lines I like through scales and stuff. Did that in Ab and Eb. Then ate a bowl of cereal and went to bed.

[jazznylon]

This is a great thread.

Maybe we should document out practise sessions this week so that we can post them here in a week's time.

I bet that if you document your practise sessions this week you'll practise more, your practise/playing goals will become clear and there'll be less wasted time.

Fwiw I started documenting my practise sessions from this morning (but I'll hide them from my wife ).

Someone should probably make a thread about this. Would video recordings be acceptable?

[pauln]

Actually ... making time to practise by ourselves, OK, but ... playing?

Hear the rest of the band in your mind's ear and play along with it.

[AllanAllen]

Rehearsal called for Saturday, tonight I practiced songs for that project.

Petite Fleur
Tico Tico
Lazy River
Lullaby of Birdland
Aint Misbehavin
Carioca
Hello Dolly
Mo Better Blues
Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps
Shadow Of Your Smile

No technical drills tonight.

[Average Joe]

Spent last night's practice going over some big band arrangements for tonight's practice with said band. I'm sure the pros on the board could read them cold, I'm still at a level where I feel more comfortable running through them and working out any tricky grip sequences in advance.

This morning: I have a solo in Cute, and there's a descending set of chords in the second half where I feel I'm not melodic enough. Worked on that.

[Sean65]

Start a meditation practice. With time and regularity you will find, as the mind traffic in your head slows, that we have more than enough time for everything and we learn to use it more wisely.

i have 25 hours in each day.

[frabarmus]

Start a meditation practice. With time and regularity you will find, as the mind traffic in your head slows, that we have more than enough time for everything and we learn to use it more wisely.

i have 25 hours in each day.

I've meditated (silently repeating a mantra in my mind), on and off, sometimes keeping at it for a year or more, twice a day for 20/30 minutes.
I have to say (from my experience) that practicing guitar (or composing, or making music) with laser-like focus and concentration is like meditating... especially at night, or when you're alone...

I remember, years ago, a post on Facebook, on Bobby Broom's page, where Bobby was saying that he once lamented not having time to meditate because of music... and his meditation teacher replied: "Bobby, you do meditate when you play guitar!".

[Liarspoker]

I use this a lot.

Vai.com - The Official Steve Vai Website

[frabarmus]

My meditation teacher often said: "Don't fight (or resent) the noise in your mind, don't resist thoughts and distractions but, rather, accept them, then kiss them goodbye, let them go and gently return to the task at hand..." (silently repeating the mantra in that case, but easily applies to any creative activity).

[AllanAllen]

Spent last night's practice going over some big band arrangements for tonight's practice with said band. I'm sure the pros on the board could read them cold, I'm still at a level where I feel more comfortable running through them and working out any tricky grip sequences in advance.

This morning: I have a solo in Cute, and there's a descending set of chords in the second half where I feel I'm not melodic enough. Worked on that.

When you play through a chart do you play it the same every time? Every turnround?

A chart I have has a B section ending on 2 bars Fmaj7 and 2 bars A7b9, but I think it's sounds better to just hang on the F and drop the V of the next chord (D-). As it's written, it's too busy with piano, bass and my guitar. I don't have strong enough ears to tell you what I don't like when we play it, but usually if I drop out of the turnarounds or hold the tonic chord it sounds better.

I'd really like to get into a big band and just laser focus on rhythm. Memorize someone else's charts instead of making all my own stuff up over lead sheets. Grass is always greener I guess.

[fep]

I have a lot of time to practice but seldom do. It feels like I hit a lack of improvement wall years ago and that makes it hard to be motivated.

[Kirk Garrett]

I have a lot of time to practice but seldom do. It feels like I hit a lack of improvement wall years ago and that makes it hard to be motivated.

I had the same problem with practicing (studying) the French language. The solution was to stop memorizing stuff and just take in more French content that is 1) enjoyable and 2) just above my level of understanding. Often it’s well above (too fast.) And stop worrying about getting things right. Let it soak in over time.

I suspect the same could be true for you with playing songs. I myself still require practice (arpeggios, triads, etc.) and notice improvement when I do, so I’m not yet at a plateau stage. Probably because I skip around too much.

[Average Joe]

When you play through a chart do you play it the same every time? Every turnround?

A chart I have has a B section ending on 2 bars Fmaj7 and 2 bars A7b9, but I think it's sounds better to just hang on the F and drop the V of the next chord (D-). As it's written, it's too busy with piano, bass and my guitar. I don't have strong enough ears to tell you what I don't like when we play it, but usually if I drop out of the turnarounds or hold the tonic chord it sounds better.

I'd really like to get into a big band and just laser focus on rhythm. Memorize someone else's charts instead of making all my own stuff up over lead sheets. Grass is always greener I guess.

I'm probably guilty of not being sufficiently creative with the parts. Some of it is being an intermediary amateur, some of it is being swamped with material - too many tunes and not enough time to get inside them. There is a constant nagging sense of just barely hanging on. So, to some extend yes I do play things the same. At least until I get sufficiently inside the arrangement to feel secure enough to mix it up. Once I feel that I am, I do mix it up.

As far as voicings go, I don't think I've ever heard a complaint over simplifying chords, so I'd be tempted to just play thirds and sevens over it. As long as I lock in with the drum and bass I find I can get away with a lot as far as voicings go

[mr. beaumont]

Man, I just take every chance I get.

I'm lucky to have a job where I can stash a guitar to get a few minutes in at lunch.

Actually, my favorite practice time right now is like 10-15 minutes in my classroom after the students have left for the day. It's the quietest "quiet" in my life.

[jameslovestal]

Man, I just take every chance I get.

I'm lucky to have a job where I can stash a guitar to get a few minutes in at lunch.

Actually, my favorite practice time right now is like 10-15 minutes in my classroom after the students have left for the day. It's the quietest "quiet" in my life.

Over 25 years ago I was talking lessons from a former GIT student (Matt Van Doran a fine guitar player), and I had a mandatory hour lunch (as an IT guy). Well, I took the sheets and charts with me and an acoustic guitar (with high action and 13ths) and just played off those charts for 30 minutes each day. Pure practice time that went by fast (oh, no I need to get back to work!), that really helped my development. (especially when playing my ES-175 with great action).

[AllanAllen]

I'm probably guilty of not being sufficiently creative with the parts. Some of it is being an intermediary amateur, some of it is being swamped with material - too many tunes and not enough time to get inside them. There is a constant nagging sense of just barely hanging on. So, to some extend yes I do play things the same. At least until I get sufficiently inside the arrangement to feel secure enough to mix it up. Once I feel that I am, I do mix it up.

As far as voicings go, I don't think I've ever heard a complaint over simplifying chords, so I'd be tempted to just play thirds and sevens over it. As long as I lock in with the drum and bass I find I can get away with a lot as far as voicings go

Thanks, after going to a bunch of jams, I get the feeling that less really is more at my stage, and a plain triad is better than a misplaced 9th.

[Easy2grasp]

If I can noodle for 4-5 minutes while my morning tea is brewing - the tea usually gets too strong and cold. The main thing I need to work on...is just taking it off the wall and being happy just to move my fingers around for just a minute or three. But what usually happens is I can't stop playing. Which is good, but bad when there are other responsibilities and obligations that I am shirking and inconveniencing others in the household even as a retiree.

My wife and I care for 2-3 preschool grandkids during the day because we love them and it saves their folks a ton of money. It is temporary because they grow up fast, but it is what it is for now. So what often happens is I glance at one of my guitars on the wall and convince myself that I better not pull it down. Just be happy it is there waiting for me. But the mornings are golden for playing, and evenings I am tired and old. So I already get up at 5:30 AM. I guess I could bump it back to 5:00AM, but that schedule really confuses the dogs and they end up outside and barking by the neighbour's bedroom while I am taking a dump. I hate it when that happens.


'65 Epi HR, '53 Gretsch 6030,
and Billy Bean's modified '64 ES-175
(humbucker moved, 25 1/2 scale neck, all kinds of repaired cracks from an accident at home)