Satriani
Ok, this is something that SOUNDS very simple, but actually isn't for undisciplined people. People like me in fact. I have never been a disciplined person, not at school, not even in music. Almost everything I know, and everything I play, has come from my ears and trying to play what I deemed at the time 'impossible to play music'. That being said, I am far better at TEACHING people to do things correctly, than I am at actually doing it myself. I cannot sit with a metronome for longer than 15 minutes doing an exercise without getting agitated, and eventually start noodling my way into a Satriani Cover very quickly ?
That being said, I AM very disciplined when I wanna learn a new song, because that is the whole purpose of learning all this theory. IT helps you get to where you want to get a lot quicker. I practice legato for hours and hours just running through one Satriani song, because if I Can't do it, I Can't play it, and that's just unacceptable to me. That is MY form of practicing. IF you are one of those blessed few who can sit down for 4 hour without getting up and running exercises with a metronome, I applaud you, and you will go very far.
If you are like me, and can't stay focused on an exercise, or perhaps some exercise that frustrates you, then listen closely....
While I may not 'practice' in the true sense of the word, as in a dedicated time each day, working on progress slowly, EVERY song I play presents a major challenge, and therefore I can play the way I do now. This is of course just my opinion, but if you struggle with disciplined approaches, learn LOTS of songs. Download a program called Amazing Slow Downer from Roni Music. It's free. You can slow the song down as much as you like, pitch remains unchanged, and you can even export as .mp3 or .wav. Even a small piece. If you're struggling with a particular solo, take just that piece you're struggling with (or less) and slow it down, export it, and have it on repeat on Media player or something. That's how I do it when I'm really struggling to catch notes with my ear that are whizzing by.
The one thing tho, is to start getting certain things down NATURALLY. You cannot, and should not be thinking about how to play something when you're at the stage of playing for people, or for your cat for that matter. Your thinking on stage should be devoted to what's for dinner after your gig. It takes many many years and many many many hours of playing/practicing so that thing just become second nature, and by the stage you want to start improvising on stage, your theory kicks in without you even knowing it.
glug
I am with you on this Satriani. I as well have no discipline in what you've just said. I never played with a metronome as well as i don't have a metronome and i have been playing for about 18 months. When i practice my scales i cannot practice them slow any more. My fingers have got a mind of there own and just speed up automatically, This is my own fault as i never started playing slow and gradually adding speed. Just wanted to play fast and now it's learning all over again at a slower speed. Never had the patience to learn a full song until 2 weeks ago when i found out my next door neibour plays guitar and he gave me a few guitar song books to learn. Not knowing how the guitar rhythms or song goes.
MiKeZilLA
Check the net out there are quite a few pc metronomes I've even seen a metronome/tuner for ya cell phone somewhere
@Satriani - Great set of lessons i think for us noobs this is one of the biggest challenges trying to find a way of practicing that fits in with the time we have available and our own playing preferences ? karma'ed
NorioDS
I'm like Meir with the lack of discipline thing and one thing he taught me was to practise the RIGHT things PROPERLY. That makes all the difference. Thanks to that, I play something and can normally pick up where I'm making a mistake and then practise that properly until it's just right.
To me, practising the right things properly can turn a 15 minute practise session into a really valuable piece of time!
Satriani
Yeah, that is really key. When you actually DO sit down to practice, even if it's 15 minutes per session, it's much more important to focus on things like correct finger placement, working out what fingerings are most natural and suit you best, and of course committing your ecercise to memory (muscle memory more importantly).
Norio, a few questions. What is this Karma thing? lol
NorioDS
Karma is just a way of people giving you credit for a good post. So if people like something you posted or just like you, in general, then they can give you karma.
You can't do anything special with it (yet) but that might change down the line.
Satriani
Okie dokes, got it. How do you give it to someone? I feel like such a genius asking these questions....
MiKeZilLA
The applaud "button" ?
Satriani
ahhhhh I see it now. Thanks ?
likotzeseasalt
Thanks Satriani for the info on the Amazing Slow Downer as well as the great lessons on song writing!!
I have always written songs but I have never put the music to it, that was my partners side of things. Now I want to do it for myself and your lessons have helped me tremendously!!
Keep up the good work man, because I am staying tuned to YOU! 8)
Satriani
Hehe, thanks man. Glad I'm helping ?
Attila
Norio wrote:
I'm like Meir with the lack of discipline thing and one thing he taught me was to practise the RIGHT things PROPERLY. That makes all the difference.
To me, practising the right things properly can turn a 15 minute practise session into a really valuable piece of time!
So Nori and Satriani,
What are the "Right things to do Properly" during a practice session, Most of us get the urge to tear off in another direction within 7 1/2 minutes into a practice session. give us a few pointers if you dont mind
Bane
Hmmm hope i'm not budging in here guys. Just thought i'd let you know how i work my practice sessions
1: As was mentioned before...Metronome! always, whether it's a simple click-cluck or a drum-track on guitar-pro it is vital the get your muscle memory working like a clock
2: Sounds like a pain but depending on your level do some valuable warm-ups before practicing for a few minutes (i do about 10 mins). speed doesnt matter. do them at a speed you are comfortable with...seriously. 3 simple but effective ones that i've found help even until this day whether before a prac or before a gig are these:
A: works all fingers, do along the entire fretboard if you want to increase your comfort all the way to the last fret. I do this alternate picking to warm my right hand up at the same time.
E------------------------------------------1-2-3-4--5-4-3-2-----------------------------------------------------------etc
B----------------------------------1-2-3-4------------------5-4-3-2---------------------------------------------------etc
G--------------------------1-2-3-4----------------------------------5-4-3-2-------------------------------------------etc
D------------------1-2-3-4--------------------------------------------------5-4-3-2-----------------------------------etc
A----------1-2-3-4------------------------------------------------------------------5-4-3-2------------------3-4-5-6--etc
E--1-2-3-4----------------------------------------------------------------------------------5-4-3-2--3-4-5-6----------etc
B: String orientation. Again works all fingers and help orientate your right hand to each string. I do this alternate picking but hey, your call.
E---------|---------|----------|-----------etc
B---------|-2-------|----------|-4---------etc
G-------4-|---3-----|-------6--|---5-------etc
D-----3---|-----4---|-----5----|-----6-----etc
A---2-----|-------5-|---4------|-------7---etc
E-1-------|---------|-3--------|------------etc
C: My favourite and a bit less monotonous. This can even help your string skipping ? Doesnt need to be at the 3rd fret, that's just where i chose to tab it. Instead of playing the notes on the A string you could move up a string and then another etc
OR
E------------------------------|-----------------------etc
B------------------------------|-----------------------etc
G------------------------------|-----------------------etc
D------------------------------|----5---6---3---4-----etc
A---5---6---3---4-and repeat--|-----------------------etc
E-3---4---5---6---and repeat--|--3---4---5---6-------etc
Anyhoo i find these effective so one doesn't need to sit and warmup forever. That being said, it will take some discipline to master certain methods or even songs. Sit down for 5 minutes and repeat what you are trying to learn. Then put the guitar down, have a glass of water or a cigarette and then back to practicing. This breaks the endless monotony. Also, as was said before, if you really REALLY don't feel like drilling yourself learn a song that you like. It's fun, rewarding and will still help you improve (unless it's a 3 chord song you can learn in 2 minutes). The last thing you want is to get bored and ruin the experience. As far as i'm concerned every session with your instrument should have you walk away with a smile, else you're doing something wrong. No point in being a virtuoso if you hate it. ?
DaFiz
I have a real problem with the timing on midi files. I play them back in Calewalk and play along but they're too precise and I want my own timing. I speed up or slow down with the mood I'm in, or delay just a fraction as I ponder the next chord change.
The midi file won't allow that, you must conform. :-\
arjunmenon
Great post, Satch!
This is something i keep telling my students on a daily basis:
1. Take the amount of free time you have in a day, that you can realistically dedicate to the guitar.
2. Divide that amount of time in equal parts. (Not more than 4 parts. i.e. 1 hour = 4 x 15 mins; 2 hours = 4 x 30 mins etc)
3. List 4 realistic goals that need to be acheived by the end of that practise session.
4. Use a metronome.
5. Warm-up properly (a la exercises listed by Bane).
6. Start slowly and focus on quality before quantity.
7. Understand rhythm by playing notes in various groupings (i.e. 1 note per beat, 2 notes, 3 notes, 4 notes, 5 notes etc)
8. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day.
9. Don't beat yourself up if you don't acheive all the goals you set out. Move the ones you haven't acheived on to the next practise schedule.
10. And don't push yourself to understand something that aren't grasping at all. It leads to frustration and depression.
Its like musical martial arts. You have to discipline yourself. Once the discipline is mastered, it is easier to build muscle memory.
Satch, you've been karma'd!
NorioDS
Attila wrote:So Nori and Satriani,
What are the "Right things to do Properly" during a practice session, Most of us get the urge to tear off in another direction within 7 1/2 minutes into a practice session. give us a few pointers if you dont mind
If I'm jamming with a track and I notice I slide too far or miss a note, I practise sliding for the next 5 minutes. Same thing goes for anything else. You need to be able to pick out what you suck at (that's the hard part) and then practise it until you suck less at it (that's the fairly monotonous part but it doesn't need to be, read on)
To make practising more interesting, you can borrow something from Joe Satriani. He learned this from one of
his teachers (Lenny Tristano, I think). All you do is ascend and descend a scale, without using boxes, and without worrying about timing. Using this exercise, you can actually get a little musical WHILE learning where each note is and where to go from there.
The same applies to slides, bends, etc. Do it in a way that ONE, focuses on perfecting technique but TWO, is a little free and allows you some musical expression.
A lot of the times, though, I'll pick out something that needs improvement and then I'll just DRILL that one technique till I nail it. Nothing wrong with that. You'll actually start enjoying it once you've seen the results it produces.
But the most important advice is to learn to listen to yourself enough to recognise where you suck (?) and then improve on that. I find recording myself helps a lot with that.
Bane
haha i suck at recording so if i did that i'd burn my guitar! but you are right. it makes sense. As norio and arjun have said, quality! make sure you get something smooth and clean before attempting a more difficult version or speeding it up. Had a friend once who decided he was going to be at my level in 3 months (after picking up his first guitar). It was terrible hearing a slipknot or creed or whatever song being smeered all over the fretboard. And the worst was, he was so desperate he didnt even realise how bad it sounded. Moral of the story, be patient!
And Norio is right. If there is a piece of a song you're struggling with, stop and run over that riff a couple of times. Or as was said play a scale that will help you with that riff, ascending and descending ?
And this is where Norio gets karma'd ?. It should be obvious but interestingly it isnt...TRUST YOUR EARS!!! ?
themanthatwalks
I believe 2 things (not just 2 things, just 2 that is applicable here ?)
1. If you can play something in time perfectly, you can play it "out of time"... but not the other way around. I believe that music is 70%-80% rhythm, the rest is melody. You can have an amazing solo with just 3 notes and various rhythm stuffies. Anyway so good timing is a must, thus metronome is a must. Or anything that keeps constant time. My friend practiced in his car and used the indicator light noise as metronome ?
2. I believe that if you can play something slow perfectly you can play it as fast as you like with practice. But if you start fast from the getgo you might have trouble getting it perfect. Have you ever tried practicing a scale at 40 (even 30 bpm). If you get that perfect your timing will become outstanding. By this I don't mean we should play like robots.. but its like music theory: If you understand the rules you know how to break them..
anyway hope this helps.
arjunmenon
+ with the man that walks.
I thought i was a weirdo, thinking up various time signature based on the click of the indicator light while driving. Thanks for proving me wrong. ?
themanthatwalks
Arjun Menon wrote:
+ with the man that walks.
I thought i was a weirdo, thinking up various time signature based on the click of the indicator light while driving. Thanks for proving me wrong. ?
? keep at it, That guy is a professional bassist now.
I say the above because I know it works, not because it is necessarily fun doing. yep I am also a struggling practitioner.. no wait.. ???
