how to organise content for daily guitar practise

[mooncef]

Okay so today i met a classical guitar teacher and i was just blown away , my years of guitar felt like nothing, this increased my awareness that even though i play everyday , something is missing , yeah putting like 3 hours a day is very good , but only when the content is well prepared.
so how do you guy prepare your daily work for an effective year of emprovement to reach a new milestone .

[dingusmingus]

Great topic--I always love to hear what and how others are practicing. Ultimately, though, you really have to find a system that works for you, and that means making one up. Though a good teacher may help.

I also really enjoyed this book, which was recommended here recently:
http://www.amazon.com/First-Learn-Pr.../dp/1457507757

I've started being more diligent about keeping a notebook and also setting medium-term goals. The notebook is key for me: when I'm working on a concept, I write down what I should work on the next time I revisit it (usually the next day.) It sounds very simple, but when I don't do that, I kind of start from scratch/lose my thread from day to day.

Personally, I try to do these things:
Ear Training (melody, harmony, and rhythm)
Some music theory
Scales, arpeggios, and work on picking
Comping
Vocabulary (my own lines, or something I transcribe, or from a book)
Learn tunes
Apply everything to a tune


I usually practice 3-4 hours a day, and most days I can get to most of these things.

[nick1994]

I don't know why topics like this seem to get very little attention, they are very interesting. So, we all need long, medium and short term goals to organize our practice. As dingusmingus said, Practice journals are great for keeping track of what you do and how your practice is going. I think consistency is key. Also being specific about what I'm going to do helps me avoid noodling or wasting time. Eg, "I'm going to practice reading, I will flip through the real book and read heads" vs "I'm going to practice reading for an hour, I'll spend 15 min reading through the tunes that start with the letter N in the real book, then I'll spend 15 min working on a Bach intervention, then I'll practice reading through charlie parker transcription and I'll spend the final 15 min on Galbraith comping transcriptions".
And so on...

[dingusmingus]

So, we all need long, medium and short term goals.

This is a great point. Do you have some goals Mooncef?

[smokinguit]

One point I think is very important is never practice things that you can do well, leave that for when you want to noodle around. When practicing I try to break things up a lot. Lets take for example ear training. When I first started I was learning intervals. I spent one whole week on just 2 (major and minor second ascending). I eventually learnt them all in just 12 weeks. Then I did the same thing with chords, scales, and progressions. One of my ear training routine right now is figuring out the progressions to bebop heads using my piano or guitar and doing the same thing with single line phrases. Start small and you will see big results sooner than you think.

[boatheelmusic]

FWIW, here's my daily plan:


Daily Practice Plan

In each daily key and for each position:

Over ii-V-I Progression:
Level 1 Major scale, with neighbor tones & enclosures
Level 2 With Diminished scale over V7
Level 3 With Melodic Minor scale over V7

Arpeggios & Inversions
Level 1 Diatonic Harmonized Progression
Level 2 With Diminished arp over V7


Break

Chords (for each chord group)
Level 1 Diatonic Harmonized Progression
Turnarounds (see next page)
Level 2 Extensions (9,11,13)
Level 3 Alterations (b5,#5,b9,#9)
Turnarounds w/TT subs (see next page)

Daily Keys:
Monday – C
Tuesday – F
Wednesday – Bb
Thursday – Eb
Friday – Ab
Weekends – Tunes (Chords, Chord Melody, Improvisation)

[Lzybdha]

I don't want to divert this thread from strictly daily preparation or dumb it down (unavoidable for me!), but as a complete novice I have to say I have had a very hard time finding a point of entry for practice and study. With all the great instructional content on this site and elsewhere (and maybe partly because of it) I don't know where to even start to come up with a plan for the next year. As "uncreative" as it sounds I would welcome a strict program because outside of that I feel like I do a lot of surfing around, but don't end up working on things that are laying a good foundation for future improvement.

Any input on good concrete goals for a novice player in their first year of study? (E.g., theory objectives, specific exercises, etc.)

[boatheelmusic]

Major scale in five positions down cold, and plenty of listening will help provide a strong foundation.

[Lzybdha]

That sounds like great advice.

Probably some other people may be too nice to give is located right on this site where there seems to be a book couldn't be more perfect for what I described as my problem!

30 Days To Better Jazz Guitar

Thanks for the help.

[scole]

Daily Keys:
Monday – C
Tuesday – F
Wednesday – Bb
Thursday – Eb
Friday – Ab

Thanks for sharing this. I think this idea/technique might help me with an issue I've been struggling with. Suddenly, I have a game plan when I was feeling overwhelmed.

[BigDee62]

FWIW, here's my daily plan:

That looks rather thorough, more than I've been able to budget the time for.

One question: melodic minor over V7, are you referring to the 7th mode of ascending melodic minor? So for a ii V I in e minor you might do ii1/2dim VAlt i69, where your V is B and the scale would be B C D Eb F G A B (the 7th mode of C melodic minor ascending).

Is that right or am I getting a little too creative? Asking because, at first glance I thought melodic minor over V7 seemed odd.

[dingusmingus]

That looks rather thorough, more than I've been able to budget the time for.

One question: melodic minor over V7, are you referring to the 7th mode of ascending melodic minor? So for a ii V I in e minor you might do ii1/2dim VAlt i69, where your V is B and the scale would be B C D Eb F G A B (the 7th mode of C melodic minor ascending).

Is that right or am I getting a little too creative? Asking because, at first glance I thought melodic minor over V7 seemed odd.

Yep, that's right. You can play melodic minor up a half step from your V to get all the altered tones. E.g, Ab melodic minor over G7(alt).

edit: I should add, although this mode of thinking got me started, I found it difficult to use in practice until I started to think of the notes as related to the underlying chord. Eg, on G7 alt, instead of Ab melodic minor, I have to think of 1, b9, #9, 3, b5, #5, 7. Anyway, that's far afield from this thread!

[boatheelmusic]

What Dingusmingus said.

This routine, once internalized, takes me about 1-1 1/2 hours per day, which seems reasonable to keep all this fresh.

I think the daily key change and doing all in each position are "key".

I've found that this regimen really helps me navigate key changes in tunes without flying all over the fretboard for favorite "grips".

[eddy b.]

In broad strokes the things to practice every day are: sight reading, chords/harmony, scales,arpeggios,lines,tunes,singing...always with a metronome where applicable and immersive listening. You know your weakest point, practice that the most.

[BigDee62]

Yep, that's right. You can play melodic minor up a half step from your V to get all the altered tones. E.g, Ab melodic minor over G7(alt).

Thx for the clarification. I was taught that as the Super Locrian, so I initially figure it out the way you describe but then I internalize as uniquely G to G. But I don't have it down in every key (yet).

[mooncef]

This is a great point. Do you have some goals Mooncef?

my goals are mastering the art of mixing slow and fast phrases with a good equilibrium of tension and release over whatever standard i pick , and never lose sight of the melody , refer to it , come back to it , tease it , comp , chord melody ... and being able to do all of that without getting intimidated by older players.

[mooncef]

today i decided to prepare a daily practise routine , so went with the idea above to practice each key a day .
and started with those drills :
each drill will take 10 mins in all 5 positions
major II V I using arpeggios targeting 3rds
major II V I using arpeggios targeting 5ths
major II V I using arpeggios targeting 7ths
major II V I using arpeggios altering 5(flattetening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 5(sharpening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th(sharpening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th(flattening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th and 5th (flattening )of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th and 5th (sharpening )of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios using 5# 9b of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios using 5b 9# of the dominant

and this is already taking an hour , while there are much more concepts to practice in the same key , like min II V I , and also using dimnished , and whole tone scales over the altered dominants , what do you think guys ? i would love it if we can all contribute to finding a method for all levels in this forum for everyday ,and avoid useless noodling which i guess most of us are guilty of

[dingusmingus]

today i decided to prepare a daily practise routine , so went with the idea above to practice each key a day .
and started with those drills :
each drill will take 10 mins in all 5 positions
major II V I using arpeggios targeting 3rds
major II V I using arpeggios targeting 5ths
major II V I using arpeggios targeting 7ths
major II V I using arpeggios altering 5(flattetening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 5(sharpening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th(sharpening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th(flattening) of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th and 5th (flattening )of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios altering 9th and 5th (sharpening )of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios using 5# 9b of the dominant
major II V I using arpeggios using 5b 9# of the dominant

and this is already taking an hour , while there are much more concepts to practice in the same key , like min II V I , and also using dimnished , and whole tone scales over the altered dominants , what do you think guys ? i would love it if we can all contribute to finding a method for all levels in this forum for everyday ,and avoid useless noodling which i guess most of us are guilty of

If that's working for you, go for it! For me, I would burn out if I tried to keep that up for more than a week or so. So, personally, I would do something like the II V I arpeggios targeting 3rds in several keys for at least a week. I would take maybe 15 minutes a day with it, before I moved on to other things that day (chords, licks, tunes, ear training). Once I felt I had really mastered it, I would move on to 5ths. And so on. That would mean taking a few months to get through all the material you've listed here. (Though each new exercise would be easier because it would build on the last.)

Again, that's just my approach. But I have gradually found that going deeper into a few things at a time has been more beneficial than covering a bit of everything at once.

[mooncef]

If that's working for you, go for it! For me, I would burn out if I tried to keep that up for more than a week or so. So, personally, I would do something like the II V I arpeggios targeting 3rds in several keys for at least a week. I would take maybe 15 minutes a day with it, before I moved on to other things that day (chords, licks, tunes, ear training). Once I felt I had really mastered it, I would move on to 5ths. And so on. That would mean taking a few months to get through all the material you've listed here. (Though each new exercise would be easier because it would build on the last.)

Again, that's just my approach. But I have gradually found that going deeper into a few things at a time has been more beneficial than covering a bit of everything at once.

waw man i totaly agree , i found out that's a bit too much while writing down the material so maybe i will break things up , like Maj and minor II V I , arpegiated targeting 3rds in two keys for like 30 mins , then work on new chord voicings like new shapes for the min, dom , maj .
i think fixing things up in numbers might end up playing against the love for what we do .
i completly agree the material listed for minor and major should take up a month.come to think of why not try to setup a method together ?

[matt.guitarteacher]

Btw, boatheelmusic, I've been doing the "daily key" thing for the last few weeks, and it's very helpful. I like the idea of not having to think, "which one did I do last time?"

Freeing... Thanks again.

[shanejohnson2002]

Right now I'm re-hashing my chord shapes. Each day I pick one string to use as my "root" string, and go over as many barre shapes as I can. Maj7, min7, dominant, half- and fully-diminished, etc. I used "root" in parenthesis because I also try to learn the inversion shapes as well, but with the lowest pitch on the same string. I'm less concerned with the actual pitch being played and more concerned with getting the shape, since it's moveable. I typically do this around the 5th-7th frets just for ease of learning.

Melodically, I spend time playing with standards backing tracks. Right now I'm still getting the basic melodies in my head / ear and under my fingers, with an occasional lick or passing tone thrown in.


Coming from behind after having not played jazz in many years, and I'm feeling the pain. But it's only going to help me get better.



So, short term goal: Improve performance / confidence with various barre positions and common melodies

Mid-term goal: Start learning chord-melody versions of some common standards

Long-term: Be able to lay down passable solos on the standards I'm studying.

[MarkRhodes]

I think the daily key change and doing all in each position are "key".

.

You got me doing that. I use a Steno pad to list things to work on for the week and make little boxes to 'dot' when I've done something. At first I wrote out the chords for each key but found myself confused about which one I was to do for a particular day. Now I do this: on the first day (for me, Sunday), I write out, say, A B- C#- D E7 F#- G#m7b5 but I don't do that for any other day. I just put the week's keys in descending order on the page
For example
A
D
G
C
F
Bb
Eb

Then, the key for each day is the top unfilled line. On Sunday, it was A. I filled that in. The next day would be D, so I'd fill that in at the start of the next day, but nothing further. The next day would be G, and I'll fill that in to start that day but nothing further.) So I always know which day I'm on. The following week will be Ab Db Gb B E A and D. The week after that will be G C F Bb Eb Ab Db and Gb. And so on. Nothing to it.

[mooncef]

You got me doing that. I use a Steno pad to list things to work on for the week and make little boxes to 'dot' when I've done something. At first I wrote out the chords for each key but found myself confused about which one I was to do for a particular day. Now I do this: on the first day (for me, Sunday), I write out, say, A B- C#- D E7 F#- G#m7b5 but I don't do that for any other day. I just put the week's keys in descending order on the page
For example
A
D
G
C
F
Bb
Eb

Then, the key for each day is the top unfilled line. On Sunday, it was A. I filled that in. The next day would be D, so I'd fill that in at the start of the next day, but nothing further. The next day would be G, and I'll fill that in to start that day but nothing further.) So I always know which day I'm on. The following week will be Ab Db Gb B E A and D. The week after that will be G C F Bb Eb Ab Db and Gb. And so on. Nothing to it.

what is the material in each key ?

[MarkRhodes]

what is the material in each key ?

Five positions of the major scale, with all the arpeggios in each successive position. Lately I'm focusing on voicings on the top four strings.

[dingusmingus]

i think fixing things up in numbers might end up playing against the love for what we do .

Yeah, everyone has to find their own balance. I actually like a fair bit of structure--for example, for a new scale approach, one week on each of five positions, then several weeks moving between positions, etc. So I like a formal framework--my point was just that trying to do too much in any particular practice session isn't great for me.

Other people like a more diffuse structure.

i completly agree the material listed for minor and major should take up a month.come to think of why not try to setup a method together ?

Best of luck, mooncef, but I'm actually working on other stuff right now, so I'm not looking to switch tracks. Again, that's why a practice approach seems to be so personal.

If you are looking for an overall structure, I think a teacher could be a great help. Alternately, the inexpensive ebook from forum member Matt Warnock looks like an excellent approach:

The Jazz Guitar Practice Guide


The most important thing is to get started: pick an approach and stick with it for a while. It sounds like you're already doing that!