How do you approach your daily practice?

[snetzley]

My question has to do with the most effective way to approach practice.

I started playing again last fall after taking quite a long hiatus from playing. I came back to my guitar with a vengeance. My husband would say that's putting it mildly. Anyway, I found a wonderful instructor and have come quite a long way in these few short months.

However, I'm now starting to struggle with the best WAY to practice. I've got pieces in my repertoire that I "know" but need to keep playing and perfecting. Other pieces (usually a couple at a time) that I'm learning, and a growing list of pieces I want to learn. I work full time, but I work at home so my hours are flexible. Some days I spend an hour playing, others I might spend three hours off and on.

Being a bit of a methodical person, I like to have some sort of structure. I haven't been able to settle on what works best. Some days I just work on a new piece, using one or more of my "known" pieces as a warmup. Other days I might not touch the new stuff but just play through the things I know already. Still other days I just don't feel like playing classical and will fool around with blues riffs or flamenco strumming.

I want to continue to grow and improve and be able to play for people one day. I'm thinking my obviously scattered practice approach, or lack thereof, is not a good thing for continued, sustained progress. :)

I'd love to hear how you folks approach your practice time, especially if you're time is limited.

Sharon

[jbjovi]

hi, i work full time and it is difficult at times to find myself two hours of practise everyday. My teacher always used to say, half an hour practise everyday is always better than 3 hours practise once a week. Its good to have a habit of daily practise.

[jbjovi]

Personally I use etudes of Tarrega for warm up. Playing scales are also important too. I believe Scott Tenant's Pumping Nylon is mentioned many times in this forum. That book is truly a good book and there are recommended daily warmups.

[snetzley]

Hi jbjovi, or is just Jon? :)

Thanks for your replies. I've heard so much about the Pumping Nylon book that I'm going to have to order it. Haven't seen anything bad about it yet.

I agree totally with the "a little every day is better than a lot every once in awhile" idea. I usually wind up playing for a little while when Dave is preparing dinner. (He's the cook in the family.) He says what other cook gets personally serenaded every day. Great attitude, eh?

I do run through scales a few times a week. But perhaps I should just warm up my hands with them.

Anyway, great ideas. They really help!

Sharon

[adrian]

I have to agree with the recommendations of the "Pumping Nylon" series by Scott Tennant. My first introduction to it was when I studied with him briefly and I was very impressed. He's got a good sense of humor, so they're fun to work with, and his background interest in philosophy and Asian culture present fresh approaches to universal technical and musical problems.

And I'm not just saying that because we sell it here. :wink:

:arrow: Pumping Nylon (book + DVD) (http://www.guitarsalon.com/store.php?it=BOPUMTE-02932)
:arrow: Pumping Nylon (book) (http://www.guitarsalon.com/store.php?it=BOPUMSC-00410)
:arrow: Pumping Nylon (book in TABLATURE) (http://www.guitarsalon.com/store.php?it=BOPUMSC-00411)
:arrow: Pumping Nylon, Easy to Intermediate Repertoire (http://www.guitarsalon.com/store.php?it=BOPUMSC-00760)
:arrow: Pumping Nylon, Intermediate to Advanced Repertoire (http://www.guitarsalon.com/store.php?it=BOPUMTE-01355)
:arrow: and just out, Basic Classical Guitar Method, Book I (with CD) (http://www.guitarsalon.com/store.php?it=BOBASTE-03074)


Adrian, GSI

[Scott]

Having recently come back myself I wholeheartedly agree with the Pumping Nylon recommendation. Try Adair's piece and have fun with two lines all over the fretboard! Another thing my teacher has turned me on to that I have really enjoyed is Leo Brouwer's Estudios Sencillos (Simple Studies) -- he wrote them to fill a void he found himself and also as an alternative to classical era repertoire. Challenging stuff to work the technical aspects but also fun to play.

[snetzley]

You guys are awesome. Thanks. :lol:

I'm going to order the Pumping Nylon book with the DVD.

And, Scott, thanks for the hint about Brouwer's studies. I'll see if I can find them.

[Jonny Hotnuts]

As it has been the norm in my life I will take a different stance on the “rules of learning guitar”. And it has also been the norm that many people disagree with many aspects of my teachings. I will assume this will be the case here. As most classically trained guitarist have learned through structured regiment of practices that were strictly enforced by a instructor who’s intent was to draw lessons out for as long as someone was willing to pay for them. And so in turn now the student has the unquestioned belief that these “rules” should not be broken. And for anyone that disputes what I am saying this is fine. I let my playing be my only statement, and the disagreement usually ends at that point. I am not saying that others are wrong; merely there are other ways to look at things.

Before you ask yourself “how much should I practice” you should take a look at why you want to play in the first place, what are your goals.
I have never heard anyone say “my reasons for playing guitar was to sit and noodle for hours trying to learn scales, modes, notes and exercises that I don’t like and are not fun” or “even thought I don’t want to right now I have to practice because I have to”.
I have seen many young people quit because these things were forced on them. Practice should be fun, when it becomes work then it is time to do something else. So my answer to how much to practice is as long as you are enjoying what you are doing. If it is 8 hours or 8 minutes, let you be the judge.

I believe in its most basic form, playing guitar is made of only 2 things:

1. The physical; Having the ability and strength to finger the notes and cords
2. The mental; Knowing where the fingers should go and for how long.

Don’t get me wrong, exercises can be very helpful. They can definitely speed you up on the physical, but I also believe there are songs you can learn that give you the same benefit while learning something that you and others can enjoy. This I have found keeps things fun and makes you want to practice more.

Just suggestions, if you are a beginner try:
Romance de Amor, once mastered, you should be able to start working on sections of Preludio-Leyenda, - Isaac Albeniz.


Or just play what ever you enjoy playing. If it is exercises or songs, just remember it is all about having a good time.


(the long winded)

-JH

[snetzley]

Jonny, very well said and point taken.

About why I play: I play because I love playing. I love being able to make music that pleases me, my husband, my animals (they always come into the room when I play) and every once in awhile, an audience. I don't think I'll ever aspire to be a concert guitarist, but I love playing for other people so who knows what the future may hold. Actually I love playing with other people, too. So I'm working on several duets.

I'm not a beginner in terms of knowledge as I studied for a long time (to me) in my twenties and continued playing into my thirties. But at the time I was surrounded by excellent musicians and was very intimidated by their skill and never thought I was "any good." After quite a hiatus (I turned 50 this year), I picked up the guitar again ten months ago. As luck, or serendipity, or the Universe would have it, I found a wonderful instructor. He's an awesome guitarist, and a very kind and encouraging teacher.

John, my instructor, agrees with you I think. We work on theory and scales and such when need be, but mostly he simply encourages me to, as you say, play what I enjoy playing. So, looks like I will arm myself with exercises for days when I feel like doing them or need, perhaps, to work on a particular technique. Otherwise I will simply play to my heart's content and let the rest fall where it may.

Thank you for contributing your take on this issue. :P

Sharon

[rquinones27]

Sharon:
Did you get your practice problem solved by the suggestions given here, i.e. with the Pumping Nylon book or othewise? I am having the same problem you mentioned and don't know how to structure my practice time. I, too, am often either working on a piece or doing execises, etc, etc, but I feel like I need more structure on my practicing. Please tell me what have you done about it.
Robert

[snetzley]

Hi Roberto,

I just wrote a long and detailed response to you, and then I hit some stupid key (I don't know what) and it disappeared. :? I'll write it again later tonight. :)

Sharon

[rquinones27]

Thanks Sharon. I will look for your reply. In the meantime, if you use AOL Instant Messenger, my user name is "rquinones27". I'm usually online during the day at work. Login, send me a quick instant message, and I will give you my email address that way.

[Louie]

Hi All,
New to this forum, FANTASTIC
I've been playing obsessivly for 2 years and take lessons from a renowned classical teacher. I took lessons a long time ago and quit after 3 years (10 years old). The reson I quit was because to music I was learning did not "move" me.
Now at 42 I started again because my 8 year old daughter wanted to learn (we use the same teacher, our neighbor, by the way). The first thing he did was have me learn a song, one that moved me. Ever since then I have not been able to put my guitar down.

My point is this, a student MUST play and practice what they love to play and hear 99.99%of the time. If you want to enjoy and be great at anything you must love doing it. Therfore, I agree with my teacher, practice playing music and learn theory only when needed for another wonderful song.

I normally use scales for warming up before playing songs that moves me.

I hope this helps

Regards

Louie

[Rich W]

Warning: Very long (winded) post.

Hi, there. I'm very big on structure with purpose.

I've been playing nearly 40 years, and my practice has, needless to say, developed enormously in that time, but here's a nutshell take on it from my perspective.

First, you need to know just what to practice, how, and when; for that, you need a highly skilled teacher/performer to guide you. The "how" of practice is really important, because it has to be deliberate, with goals and thus an understanding of why you're doing what you're doing; in T'ai Chi we call it "mind intent."

I'm a fiend for technical exercises, and I've amassed mountains of them over the years, and I still cycle through many of them over periods of months to a couple of years.

Here's a little bit of what I used to do, and some of what I am doing currently:
I used to do melodic major and minor scales in single line, thirds, sixths, octaves, and tenths, alternating major with minor on successive days; now, I find I need only do the single line scales, sometimes slowly with vibrato (for left-hand pressure), sometimes at varying metronome speeds for control (e.g., 162 bpm with each note on the beat followed by playing the same scale twice at double that rate); and the octaves and sixths, again on alternate days, as triplets (e.g., for Emaj, octaves of E-F#-E F#-G#-F# G#-A-G#, etc.; similarly for sixths). There are great movable forms of these in Abloniz' "Eight Exercises for the Left Hand." I recommend the scales in thirds from Pascual Roch's great 3-volume guitar method (possibly now out of print).

I also do extended arpeggios from (I think) the ABSRM syllabus (they're on the eythorssen site, major, minor, 7th, and dim on different days.

I warm up with legato triplets across the fingerboard up to the 12th position (i.e., so your little finger is playing at the 15th fret), although stopping at the 9th is fine.

I spent several years doing the finger independence exercises from volume 3 of Abel Carlevaro's 4-volume method, but actually don't need to do them anymore.

Then I'll spend quite a bit of time working on music (and I mean working, as in taking it apart bit by bit and building it back up, measure by measure and phrase by phrase.

Anyway, the point of this "mighty wind" I've just blown is that what and how really depends on where you are, and you need a good teacher/diagnostician for that. You'll find that, as Iznaola points out in his "Kitharologus," over time you will start to replace some technical exercises, as you internalize the abilities they address, with more work on actual music.

One strong word of advice: I personally never even fantasize about practice without a metronome; it does wonders for everything from technical work to putting together a performance piece.

Rich W

[Perf_de_Castro]

Hi all! First time posting here, seems like quite an active forum!

I recall reading about a pracitice routine in an old issue of Classical Guitar
Magazine and it recommends the following steps (summed up, of course):

1) Start off with sight reading easy pieces or pieces below your technical level.

2) Read through the pieces currently being worked on. Focus on the difficult or sketchy passages first, before putting it all together.

3) Play through recently memorized pieces or old repertoire.

4) Work on some technical exercises or do some more sight reading

5) Just play, noodle, fool around or call it a day :)

These steps are arranged according to the usual attention span of an individual. The sight reading prepares the mind to focus on learning/working on new repertoire. The easy pieces also warm up your hands at the same time.

The steps then progress to things that keep guitar playing fun. Deal with the serious stuff first then when that's done, the fun begins! :D

Hope this helps!

PERF

[Gus]

I remember seeing a video about Segovia's practice routine, as told by his widow. He would get up...practice for 1 1/2 hours....then tea....another 1 1/2 hours then snooze.....or siesta.......after lunch another couple of hours..........etc. Well it certainly seemed to work for him , he was fantastic. But we have to work around our jobs and families and like many others we have to work to squeeze those 1/2 hours or 1 hour timeslots into our schedules. I often find that I start with the memory pieces that I want to maintain. They may not sound like much while my fingers are waking up...but when I get through them....then I'm ready to tackle a couple new pieces which I alternate between ...to prevent getting tired when a particularly nasty part is proving difficult. When I return to the nasty bit after a while it seems to have resolved itself in my mind and the fingers. I confess scales are important but with time at a minimum I use my practice set as warmup.
and SNETZLEY my wife listens to me at breakfast and before hitting the hay and says it's great the seranades.....even the people in the lunch room at work seem to enjoy it (used to practice in a stairwell, great accoustics)..We're lucky we have our "fans".

[nicco812]

Sharon,
I've read a lot of good responses to your question. I have another to offer. Another thought about practice involves motivation. Amateur guitarists who meet with other guitarists such as in your nearest guitar society, usually get a chance to perform his or her music in open recitals. Open recitals help guitarists overcome stage fright and develop musically in a very positive way. Trust me when I tell you that when you make it a goal to perform a piece in front of other guitarists, you will find the time to practice!

For those who are reading this post and are thinking, "I don't have a guitar society near me" my suggestion is START ONE! Meeting with other players, especially at your level, can be so inspiring.

[Jonny Hotnuts]

I hate saying "Me too" but nicco812 has a point.
Many of the songs I learned was because someone said I could not play that song, being extremely competitive I would learn it if it killed me, no matter if I had to play it a thousand times or more.

Basically when your tail is on the line, you can do amazing things.

I am joining the Portland Guitar Society next month for this very reason.

[snetzley]

What a wonderful bunch of responses to my original question. Very helpful stuff! All of your responses have helped me formulate a more reasonable approach than what I was doing, which was pretty scattered. Now I'm actually making more vertical progress.

I also want to let everyone know that I found a wonderful book titled "The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar" by Jamey Andreas. The web site is: www.guitarprinciples.com. For what it's worth,k I can't say enough good things about his approach.

Gus, yes it IS nice to have fans - even if they are a captive audience. :lol:

[Sean]

I've always created my own excerises from the pieces I'm working on. Like now, I'm working on Roland Dyens' Tango in Skai. It's a bit of a challenge, but I practice rough spots very slowly with a metronome. I've already seen results. Practicing scales, arpeggios, et. al. mindlessly will make you better at playing those items as you've practiced them; rarely in the literature of the guitar will you find a piece with a scale laid out exactly as Segovia placed them in his scale book. How many hours a day did Segovia work on scales again?
And by the way, I recently sold a large number of methods, excercise books, and related materials on ebay because of Scott Tennant's book. It is a great book.

sean

[M. Stephenson]

Being a working father, I have settled on the following routine:

Mornings +/- 45 mins:
· Do my right & left hand exercises
· Try to recall the pieces I am memorizing.

Evenings +/- 30-60 mins:
· Work on new pieces until I am brain dead.
· Randomly play thru my repertoire until I am almost asleep, taking time to work on the rough edges.

Weekends +/- 2 hours a day:
· I map out the fingering the pieces I am learning (I try to get a page or 1/2 page learned per a week)
· Work hard on the problem areas
· Do some recording. I have found recording to be very helpful even while I am learning a new piece. I listen to them then delete them.

I have heard many people say that we should not play when tired, but I have found that being sleepy while playing is a relaxing to end the day.

[d lagnua]

This is all great info and I've tried both approaches (i.e., the Pumping Nylon and Johnny's "Enjoyment" approach). They both work!! I think the bottom line is, pick which ever one works best for you. Personally, I like a little mix of the two approaches, with a very heavy pull toward the "Enjoyment" approach.

This method works for me (may not be the best for everyone...but it's worth a shot at least). The first step is to find a piece you like (an easy one like Romance) and play it SLOWLY! VERY SLOWLY!!! You want to make sure that you are doing everything correctly (i.e., hitting every note with proper finger positioning in both the left and right hand...and stay RELAXED! NO TENSION!). The key here is to learn to practice correctly. If you just try to "get through a piece," you may be missing a few notes here and there (making mistakes), playing with improper positioning, etc.... The more you practice playing in a particular way, the better you'll become at playing that way (that's true for improper practice too...e.g., making mistakes). If you just try to get through a piece and make that your everyday goal (mistakes notwithstanding), you'll get better at three things: 1) developing poor technique, 2) making mistakes, and 3) sounding mediocre (to yourself and to others).

I find that playing through a piece SLOWLY helps me "problem areas." These areas are the ones that deserve extra attention and extra practice (e.g., Pumping Nylon). You should practice these individual sections repeatedly (but slowly...remembering to stay relaxed) until you can play them without error. Once you can play through each problem area and through the entire piece wthout error, start brining up the tempo a bit.

And yes...i agree, a little practice every day is better than a lot in one sitting.

Hope my little add-ins helps!
-DL

[Jklotz]

This is a very timley question, as I had this discusion with my teacher 2 weeks ago. I also like to have some structure, so she mapped it out for me. I told here I could do 2 hours a day. Here is what she has me doing:

30 mins: Technique; slurs, chromatic octaves, Guilini 120 right hand studies (in pumping nylon book), segovia scales with all right hand varations, using metrodome.

15 mins: sight reading practice (easy pieces, don't repeat, go for accuracy before speed)

45 mins: working on new material

30 mins: playing old pieces. She also recomended I record myself and listen back for accuracy latter in the day.

Hope this helps!