guitar practice routine_ 5 must have's _ thebestguitarlessons

26/3/2015 GuitarPracticeRoutine:5MustHave's|TheBestGuitarLessons

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Mynewerstudentsoftenaskmehowtheycangetreallygood,reallyfast.Practiceroutine,Itellthem.Ifyoureallywanttolearnandprogressasaguitarplayer,youshouldhaveastructuredpracticeroutine.Thispostwillshowyouhowtopracticeguitarregardlessofyourskilllevel.

Note:Thislesson'saimistohelpyoubuildaveryeffectivepracticeroutine,notteachtheexercises.Seetheadditionallinksthroughoutthelessonforthat.Theyareloadedwithexercisesforyoutoimplementwiththeseroutines.

Ifyouwanttodevelopintoagreatguitarplayer,youwillneedtoaddstructuretoyourroutine.Apracticeroutineshouldbealmostlikeadailyschedule:brokenintoblocks,withprescribedtimesforeachsection.Theamountoftimeyougiveeachsectionlargelydependsonyourskilllevelandgoals.

Forexample,anewguitarplayershouldbespendingmuchlesstimeonhiswarmupthananexperiencedplayer.However,thebeginnershouldspendsignificantlymoretimeonskillstrainingthananexperiencedguitarist.

Everythingisrelativeandifyouhaveanyconfusiononthis,pleaseletmeknowandaskinthecommentssectionsattheendofthislesson.Alright,let'sgetintoit!

Theidealguitarpracticeroutineincludes:

WarmUp EarTraining MusicTheory



Skills/Technique HavingSomeDamnFun!!!

Let'sBegin!

1.WarmUp

Whatisawarmup,really?Whatshouldaneffectivewarmupaccomplish?Thinkaboutthosequestionsforamoment.

Imagine:You'relearningasong,you'replayingalongwithit,everythingisgoingwellthensuddenlythetempopicksup.Youknowwhat'scomingnextbutyourfingersjustcan'tseemtomakethenexttransitionquicklyorcleanlyenough.Youalmostnailit,butyou'rejustafractionofasecondofffromperfection.

Thisannoyinglittleproblemiseasilyfixedwithaproperwarmup.Whiletheamountoftimevariesbyskill,everyguitarplayershouldhavethefollowingincludedintheirwarmuproutineregardlessofexperience:

A.Chords&Transitioning

Asabeginneryoulearntheopen,"cowboy"chords.Transitioningwithinthesechordsiscriticaltoyourdevelopmentasaplayer.Don'tneglectthese,getthemdown!Forallyouveteransmuttering"Bah!I'vebeenplayingchordsfor20years,Idon'tneedtopracticethem."

Wrong!HowsmoothlycanyoutransitionfromanopenCtoG,7thpositionthenbackdowntoA2ndpositionwhilekeepingintime?Find



somenewchords,practicethem.Keepbuildingyourarsenal,cuzyou'renevertoogoodformorechords.Trustme....Andyes,Ipulledthatprogressionoutmy@ss,couldyatell?

BasicGuitarChordsBeginnersNeedtoPractice

ChordProgressionGenerator

GuitarChordFinder

HowtoEasilyTransitionBetweenChords

B.DexterityExercises

Thisisthe"bigsecret"tofixingthatannoyingproblemImentionedbefore.RememberwhenItoldyoutothinkaboutthosequestions?Comeupwithareasonableanswer?

Aneffectivewarmupshouldreallyaccomplishonlytwothings:getthebloodflowinginyourhands,andloosenupyourfingers.Youwillbeactivatingwhatevermusclememoryyouhavebuiltupduringthistime,aswell.Makingiteasierforyoutoplaywithoutstaringatyourhandswhentherealpracticingbegins.Dexterityexercisesbuildstrengthandcoordinationinyourfingersmakingiteasiertoplaylongerandfaster.

SeeMyLessonOn:BuildingDexterityInYourWarmUpsforTABs,techniquesandmore

C.RightHand/LeftHandSynchronizingExercises

Theseexerciseswillgetyoufromplaying"AlltheSmallThings"toplaying"Eruption"fasterthananything.Byaddingsynchronizationexercisestoyourguitarpracticeroutineyouwillbeimprovingyouroverallaccuracyandspeedeveryday.Withinjustacoupleweeksyouwilleliminatethatannoying"Pickbeforeyoufret"problem,causingallthoseuglydeadnotesinyoursongs.Addtheseexercisesnow,andthankmelater.

CheckOutThisLessononHandSynchronization!



LikeWhatYouSaw?Get25%OffJamPlayLessonsHere!

2.Don'tLetYourEarGotoWaste

Thebestguitarpracticeroutinesalways..always,always,alwaysincludeeartraining.DidIdrivethatpointhomewellenough?Someofusareluckyenoughtohaveaninherentlygoodearformusic.MyfriendSteveneverpracticestheoryoreartrainingandhasjustbeenluckyenoughtohavetheblessingofagoodear.Hecanhearasongandjustfigureitoutinamatterofhours.

Doyouseehowheisstillheldback,though?Ifyoutrainyoureardaily,youwillquicklygettothepointwhereyoucanhearandlearnasonginanhour.Additionally,bydevelopingyourear,youwillplaywithothermusiciansmuchbetter.Nomoreaskingwhatkeyorlisteningtothesong,lookingconstipated.Justtrainyoureardailyandyouwon'tregretit.CompanieslikeJamPlayandEarMasterbothofferpaidsolutionstoeartraining.Ihaverecommendedbothproductstomanyofmystudents.Theearisaterriblethingtokeepcrappy.Trustme.

Moreoneartraining:

GuitarWorldSteveVaiInterview(Motivational)

About.comEarTraining/TranscribingLesson



JamPlayEarTrainingTools(Paid)

EarMasterEarTrainingSoftware(Paid)

3.UnderstandingandBreakingMusicTheory

Theoryisanothercomponentthatsimplymakesyouamuchbettermusician.Byunderstandinghowthemusicyoucreateactuallyworks,youempoweryourselftocreatecrazyamountsofcreativeworks.

Verydifferentfromourcountrieslaws,onceyoulearnthelawsofmusictheoryyouarefreetobreakanyofthem!Itiscalledtheoryforareason.You'remeanttobuildanunderstandingandthenexplorewhatyou'velearned.Pushtheboundaries,trysomethingthatseemscrazy.Learnthenotesonthefretboard.Practicewithametronome.Learnchordformulas,scaleformulas,whatahalfstepvswholestepis,etc..Allofitisinvaluableforanymusician.

CheckOutThisHelpfulLessononMusicTheoryandGuitar!

LikeWhatYouSaw?Get25%OffJamPlayLessonsHere!



Moreonmusictheoryandapplyingittoguitar:

Circleof5ths

MemorizeFretboardNotesin1Week!

EarMasterEarTrainingSoftware(Paid)

Intervals,MusicalAlphabetandScales

4.HoneYourSkills

Thisisthesectionmostguitaristsfallunderwhentheyclaimto"practice2hoursaday".WhatIoftenfindmystudentsaredoingwhentheytellmethisisjustworkingonparticularskillssuchastrills,hammerons,twohandtapping,sweeppicking,etc.forhoursonend.

Thisisnotpracticing,asIhopeyoucanseebynow.Ifnot,gobackandstartreadingthisarticleoveragainfromthebeginning.Cuzyou'veclearlymissedsomethings.

However,skillsareanimportantpartofanypracticeroutine.Irecommendyoupracticeandhoneyourskillsfor2050%ofyourpracticetime,dependingonskilllevel.AndfortheloveofGod,useametronome.

5.HaveFun!



Yes,that'smeonthebottomright.Enjoyinganicedayoutonthelake

Finally,thebestpart!YoumaybesurprisedtolearnthisbutthispartIactuallybelievetobethemostimportantpartofanypracticeroutine.Afterall,youarelearningguitarbecauseonedayyouheardoneandsaid"Hey,that'scool."Guitarisahobbybecauseitisfun.Rememberthat.

Yes,excellencealwaysrequireshardworkbutwithoutfunyouwillneverreallyachieveexcellence.99%ofthepeoplewhojustsitlikedronesandpracticeexerciseafterexercise,neverreallygetthefullexperience.Theyalsoquitmoreoftenthannot.

Youneedtobeenjoyingyourselfguitarisnotachore.Keepsongsandlearningthemattoppriorityforallpracticesessions,butalwaysdoitlast.

WhatdoImeanbythis?Ifyou'veonlygot20minutesorsotopracticejustwarmupandworkonasong.However,ifyou'vegot45minutes,warmuprealquick,spend15minutesoneartraining,skills,whatever,andspendyourlast20orsominutesonlearningasong.

WrappingThingsUp

Ifyou'retakingnotesorsomethingandneedareminder,the5thingsyourguitarpracticeroutineneedsare:

WarmUp EarTraining MusicTheory Skills/Technique



HavingSomeDamnFun!!!

TimeSpentBySkillLevel

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

WarmUp10%

EarTraining10%

MusicTheory10%

Skills45%

Fun25%

WarmUp10%

EarTraining15%

MusicTheory15%

Skills35%

Fun25%

WarmUp10%

EarTraining20%

MusicTheory10%

Skills35%

Fun25%

1HourTotal



6MinutesWarmUp

6MinutesEarTraining

6MinutesMusicTheory

27MinutesSkillsTraining

15MinutesFun

1HourTotal

6MinutesWarmUp

9MinutesEarTraining

9MinutesMusicTheory


15MinutesFun

1HourTotal

6MinutesWarmUp

12MinutesEarTraining

6MinutesMusicTheory


15MinutesFun

Ihopethislessonhashelpedyoudevelopasolidpracticeroutine.Remember,astructuredpracticeroutineisthekeytobecomingagreatguitarplayerquickly.

Asaspecialtreatforstickingitoutthislong,here'saspecialtreatforyou.AsonglessonfromtheboysoveratJamPlay.IhopeyouliketheGooGooDolls!

LearnHowtoPlayIrisbytheGooGooDolls!



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IfyouhaveanyquestionsorifIskippedoversomethingpleaseletmeknowinthecommentsboxbelow.I'llgetbacktoyouwithin24hours,usuallymuchquicker.

Tagged:beginningguitar19Comments2

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AstrophelTDeath. 4monthsagoYouhavethebestPracticeSchedulelessonthatIhaveseensofar.Ihavebeenplayingforalongtime,i'mselftaughtIneverreallygotintopracticeroutineIusedtojustdoit.IhavefallenoutalittlebitwithmyimprovementsoIamsohappywiththis,itis

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alittlebitwithmyimprovementsoIamsohappywiththis,itisgivingmeinspirationagain.Thanks.

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Dev 4monthsagoMod >AstrophelTDeath.Thankyouverymuchforthegreatcomment!I'mgladyoufoundthisguidehelpful.I'mgladyoufoundinspirationinthisbecauseyourstoryhappenstothebestofus,myselfincluded.Oneoftheeasiestwaystogetcaughtinarutistojustfiddlearoundaimlesslyontheguitar.I'mnotsayingit'sabadthingtodothat.Howeverplayingwithoutapurposeoragoalevencangetaguitarplayerverydiscouragedveryfast.Goodluckwithyourplayingandfeelfreetodropbyifyouneedanyhelporjustwanttoshareprogress!

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AstrophelTDeath. 4monthsago>DevIactuallydohaveaquestionifyouhaveanytime.Inthisguideyousayforintermediatetodevote6minutestowarmup,andyoulistthreethingstofocusoninthatwarmuptime,IlookedattheDexteritylesson,andi'mwonderingofallthosethingsintheDexteritylessonshouldIonlyfocusoneaspectperpracticesessionortrytodothemall.AnexampleitsaystopracticeeachpickingpatternshouldIonlyfocusononepickingpatternpersessionorallofthem.ThisismyproblemIhavewithpracticingisthatIalwaystrytodoeverythingandIendupjustdoingsomethingelsebecauseitconfusesme.Iwanttomakesurei'mgettingthemostoutofeachpracticesession.Ifyoucanhelpmeletmeknow.Thanks.

1

Dev 4monthsago

Mod >AstrophelTDeath.

HeyAstrophel,

Thankyouforreachingout.Itreallydependsonhowwellyoucanexecutethepickingpatterns.Haveyouwatchedthevideolessonatthebeginningofthepost?Thereareexceptionstoeveryruleandinthiscaseyoucouldstudythatvideoasan

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seemore

thiscaseyoucouldstudythatvideoasanentirepracticesessionifneeded.Whileitisimportanttogetthemostoutofeverypracticesession,you'llfindsometechniquesorsongsmuchhardertomasterthanothersandwillneedtodevotemoretimetothose.Whenyouarefirstbeginningtolearnguitarit'sperfectlyalrighttospendawholedayononetechnique.It'sjustimportanttorecognizewhenyoutrulyhaveitdowntomoveon

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AstrophelTDeath. 4monthsago>DevIagreethankyouverymuch.Idecidedtoadoptthispracticeroutinetoday.Thispracticeroutinewasverywellexplainedandeasytocomprehend,Iwillcomebackandaskforhelpifi'mconfused.Iappreciatetheinvitation,andIcan'twaittotrythisout.Thanks.

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Angus 7monthsagoThankyoufirstofallfortheexcellentguidance.Question:Part4.Honingyourskillsisn'tcleartome.Whatareyouactuallyrecommendingwepracticeinthatsectionofourpracticeschedule?Forexample...asarelativelynewbeginnner...?

1

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Dev 7monthsagoMod >AngusHiAngus,thankyouverymuchforthecomment!

Honingyourskillsiswhereyoupracticethetechnicalstuff.Soyou'vewarmedup,practicedyourtheory/eartrainingthenyouworkonwhatevertechniquesyou'vebeenlearningorpracticing.Forexamplehammerons&pulloffs,bends,trills,etc.Doesthatmakesense?

Thanksagainforthecomment.Greatquestion!

Jehoyakim 7monthsago

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Jehoyakim 7monthsagoOneofthebestwebsitesonhowtoscheduleyourguitarpracticeroutine.Thanksforthevideostoo.

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Dev 7monthsagoMod >JehoyakimI'mgladyoufoundmyguidehelpful,thankyouforthepositivefeedback!

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TiffanyOlson ayearagoYouhaveabeautifulsiteDeven!GuitarisactuallyoneofthosethingsthatI'vealwayslongedtolearn,buthavenotputthetimeoreffortintoit.Ihaveaguitarthatmyfriendsboughtmeformy25thbirthdayknowingthatIwantedtolearntoplay.I'malmost34nowandhavenotlearnedtoplay!:(IfIeverfindthedriveandtimeI'llmostdefinitelybevisitingyoursitefirst!!Thanks!:)

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Dev ayearagoMod >TiffanyOlsonHiTiffany!Thankyousomuchforthekindwords.Thegiftofaguitarisanamazinggesture,inmyopinion.Myfirstguitarwasahandmedowngiftfrommystepfather.AnoldLesPaulknockoff..ManIwishIkeptthatthing..Anyway,Ihopesomedayyou'llgettodustheroffandseewhatyoubothcando!

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LawrenceGregory ayearagoHeyDev,Justtoletyouknowthati'vebeenfollowingthisstructuredguitarroutineanditsworkingwondersformyguitarpractice:)

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Dev ayearagoMod >LawrenceGregoryHeyLawrence,thanksforcommenting!I'mhappytohearstructuringyourpracticeroutinehashelpedyouout!Feelfreetoletmeknowifyouhaveanyquestionsdowntheroad.

JamesWD ayearagogreatinfohere.MysonhasbeenexpressinginterestinlearninghowtoplayandIhavepassedyoursitealongtohimnowthathe

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isactuallyworkingonit.ThisisalsoanitemonmybucketlistandwithinfolikethisIjustmightactuallygetaroundtoit.

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Dev ayearagoMod >JamesWDHiJames,thanksforthecommentandthekindwords.I'mgladyoulikedthelessonandIhopeyoursonfindsithelpful.Lethimknowifhehasanyquestionshecanpostithereorusethecontactpagetoreachmedirectly.

Bestoflucktobothofyou!(AndIdohopeyougetaroundtolearningaswell:D)

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RegisterMeNow ayearagoHeyDev,

Thatisquiteacomprehensivepracticeregiment.Iloveit.IhavebeenplayingguitarforsometimenowandIdon'tthinkI'veeverseensomethingascompleteasthis.Ialsolikehowyouspecifiedaboutwhatisandisn'tpractice.Nicejob!

BestRegards,Jim

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Dev ayearagoMod >RegisterMeNowHeyJim!IappreciateyourfeedbackandI'mgladyoulikedthelesson.IamalsoVERYhappytoseethatyoupickeduponthat.OneofthemainpointsIwantedtodrivehomewiththislessonisthedifferencebetweenpracticingandsomethingthatshouldbeaPARTofapracticeroutine.Itisveryrewardingformetoseethatthislessonaccomplishedthat.Thanksagainforyourfeedbackandgoodluck!

RegisterMeNow ayearago>DevHeyDev,

Iusedtoteachbothpianoandguitar.Iwouldalwaysencouragemystudents(especiallynewerones)topracticejustfifteenminutesadaybutdoitconsistentlyratherthantrytocrankouttwohoursoneortwodaysandgettiredandfrustrated

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hoursoneortwodaysandgettiredandfrustratedtryingtokeepupwiththatschedule.ButIwouldalsotrytomakethosefifteenminutesworthwhileasfaraswhattheypracticedwithinthatfifteenminutetimespan.Andinmanywaysthatiswhatyoubringtothetablewiththispost.

Butyoualsopointedouttohavefuninthattimetoo.AndbynomeansdoIwanttoimplythatI'magainstthatbecauseifyouarenothavingfunwhileplayingmusic,what'sthepoint?Butit'sadelicatebalanceinthataspeoplestarttogetbetterattheirmusiccraft,theytendtokeeprepeatingthenewtechniquesthattheyjustbrokethroughonlearning.Musicisoftenaseriesofplateauswhereyoucanstuckonthatachievementforwaytoolongthantheywantedto.

BestRegards,

Jim Share

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