How do you make practice more interesting ?

JohnnyReggae

Gave myself a shock the other day when I checked my Profile on the site to realise that I registered almost a year ago. In the last year I've not progressed much at all, or for the last few years for that matter, and can still only play riffs from a few songs and always find it difficult to remember riffs I've practiced and played a number of times before. A quick reference (loading up guitar Pro with the track) usually jogs the memory a little and off I go again.

Now my practice routine is ......... Well none......

I have no practice routine, and my guitar playing usually only comprises trying to play pieces of songs or jamming my own improvised stuff to a metronome/drum beat. When I do pickup the guitar and start practicing some scale I get bored very quickly.... usually around 5 to 10 minutes if that. Don't get me wrong I have improved somewhat over the last year, it is however not much in much in the grander scale of things.

So my question is..... how do make practicing interesting so that boredom doesn't set in ? It's always more fun to play riffs from other songs, particularly when I don't have time everyday to pick up the guitar. At the moment the guitar is not my main source of entertainment so to speak ... my unicycle is.

DonovanB

unicycle? sheesh...

anyway, I like this practice schedule, but its very hard to stick to.
http://www.myguitarsolo.com/schedule.htm

Set yourself a goal? try learn something new I guess. although I'm suffering at the moment as well with boredom.

evolucian

well... the only way to make practicing fun... is to make music.

So if you want to learn a scale, then do so... for two minutes. Immediately following that (by which time you will have learned the interval structure or in some cases just the "shape", although the first approach is so much better), then you start writing with it. You start creating lines from it.

If you learned the shape of it in box format... then the other cool thing is to make chord shapes out of it. Then Create a backing using those shapes and then create lines over that backing using the same scale. Instead of playing it note for note ascending and descending... rather play it in intervals of thirds, 5ths or 6ths. This way you can create.

I hope this helps you.

guitarboy2828

evolucian wrote: well... the only way to make practicing fun... is to make music.

So if you want to learn a scale, then do so... for two minutes. Immediately following that (by which time you will have learned the interval structure or in some cases just the "shape", although the first approach is so much better), then you start writing with it. You start creating lines from it.

If you learned the shape of it in box format... then the other cool thing is to make chord shapes out of it. Then Create a backing using those shapes and then create lines over that backing using the same scale. Instead of playing it note for note ascending and descending... rather play it in intervals of thirds, 5ths or 6ths. This way you can create.

I hope this helps you.

+1 What I'll often do is practice a scale or mode and then find some backing tracks (links on the forum to backing track sites) and then practice using it.

Another thing you can do is learn licks and then practice them over chords.. Get a loop station or a recorder, record a couple chords and then play over it with your riff. I end up jamming more than practicing, but at least I'm playing right? ?

PeteM

It's a mind/attitude thing. Playing scales does not have to be boring. Playing scales is playing music and music is about expression. Your guitar has to become part of your body, part of your soul. And no matter what you play, whether it's scales or a complex riff, you have to feel it - make it swing - otherwise it becomes a chore. This is what I try to instill in my pupils.

aja

play your guitar and ride your unicycle at the same time!

PeteM

Yea - very nice site Don - thanks

guitarboy2828

At first I thought that link Don gave was awesome.. Until I realized I don't have 4 hours to practice a day! ☹ I think for most of us that aren't professional guitarists who practice all day.. These kinda practice routines can be a little tough.. ☹

At this point in time I'm trying to learn a song a week.. This week I am learning John Mayer "Slow dancing".. It's got a nice intro, cool different chordal licks..
Next week I want to try something more challenging, either a Paul Gilbert song or a Vinnie Moore song.. I think this way I learn licks, scales, when they sound good over what and it gets me playing faster and it's cool to be able to play songs! ? That's just my lil attempt to practice harder right now! ?

DonovanB

guitarboy2828 wrote: Until I realized I don't have 4 hours to practice a day! ☹ I think for most of us that aren't professional guitarists who practice all day.. These kinda practice routines can be a little tough.. ☹

I know, I don't either. I divided it up into an hour session but I left out certain parts.

I worked it out like this
Scales 4 min
Licks 4min
Essential Licks 4 min
Tabs 7min
Improvisation 11min
Play along 11min
Ear Training 4min
Theory 7min
Record 11min

I record a lot anyway and even used to record the whole hour of practice until I ran out of hard drive space so now I measure myself every now and then. So thats 11 minutes to put elsewhere. Lick, essential licks and playing along end up being the same thing so I put 10 minutes into that and have another 9 to use.

Basically it's a guide for you to set your own practice routine. I am a little bored with mine now so I am busy changing it a bit, that David Mead book and the Guide to Improv that Evolucion put me onto are helping a bit.

That site has some very good resources though, great scale diagrams and hundreds of licks to learn.

singemonkey

I used to pretty much practise as you describe and I'm also easily bored. I still don't have a set practise routine, but now I practise a fair amount of time per week.

One thing that I'm really interested in is developing repertoire. Take a song that you really like the guitar playing on and - here's the critical part - not one that's way too difficult for you (you'll just get disheartened). Then learn the whole thing. Everything. Solos, fingerpicking, everything. The very best way is to listen along on a program like the free to download VLC player that lets you slow the track down. If you learn like this, you'll get the nuances as well as just the notes. But otherwise, use tab but have the song to listen along to.

The point is that I'm learning 3 or four tracks pretty heavily - trying to be able to play them smoothly through at full speed with all the expression. When I'm sick of working on one, I switch to another. Sometimes I'll even take a short break in between by playing some riff or something that I'm not really working on per se. I'm also working on one or two arrangements for a project I'm doing with a friend.

If you have variety - but not too much variety - you can keep the boredom at bay until you hit the zone. That's where you can play three hours straight, not just noodling around but actually practising, without feeling it. By setting the goal of learning these tunes right through, you don't learn a riff here or there, but complete songs that give you a big pay off as you get each bit right. You go, "Damn! I couldn't even make it through this section without messing up last week. Now I can."

The scales also become more interesting to practise if you've got some context for them. But the fact that you're asking about this, also says that you're ready to take your guitar playing seriously.

Once you start to see this progress - within the easy to see context of a single track - the motivation gets huge.

JohnnyReggae

aja wrote: play your guitar and ride your unicycle at the same time!

hahahaha ... I suppose I could try ? I can already juggle while riding my unicycle, so guitar sounds like the next logical step ?

Thanks for all the replies guys, I really appreciate it. Did a quick check on the forum last night saw some of the replies which prompted me to at least try do something interesting with a scale. Watched a YouTube instruction video on the Pentatonic Minor, which is one I do actually know. In fact the only scale which I have practiced a fair amount is the Blues Pentatonic Minor scale. Played around a bit with that, and tried some bending which made things a little more interesting. Did what I thought was some cool stuff ? Not sure if my wife would agree though. After playing the same notes over and over again I'm sure she was wishing that my strings would snap ?

Donovan Banks wrote:unicycle? sheesh...

anyway, I like this practice schedule, but its very hard to stick to.
http://www.myguitarsolo.com/schedule.htm

Set yourself a goal? try learn something new I guess. although I'm suffering at the moment as well with boredom.

? That's quite a schedule. I try learn new riffs and pieces when I can. My problem is remembering everything, but I suppose more practice will help.

JohnnyReggae

singemonkey wrote: I used to pretty much practise as you describe and I'm also easily bored. I still don't have a set practise routine, but now I practise a fair amount of time per week.

One thing that I'm really interested in is developing repertoire. Take a song that you really like the guitar playing on and - here's the critical part - not one that's way too difficult for you (you'll just get disheartened). Then learn the whole thing. Everything. Solos, fingerpicking, everything. The very best way is to listen along on a program like the free to download VLC player that lets you slow the track down. If you learn like this, you'll get the nuances as well as just the notes. But otherwise, use tab but have the song to listen along to.

The point is that I'm learning 3 or four tracks pretty heavily - trying to be able to play them smoothly through at full speed with all the expression. When I'm sick of working on one, I switch to another. Sometimes I'll even take a short break in between by playing some riff or something that I'm not really working on per se. I'm also working on one or two arrangements for a project I'm doing with a friend.

If you have variety - but not too much variety - you can keep the boredom at bay until you hit the zone. That's where you can play three hours straight, not just noodling around but actually practising, without feeling it. By setting the goal of learning these tunes right through, you don't learn a riff here or there, but complete songs that give you a big pay off as you get each bit right. You go, "Damn! I couldn't even make it through this section without messing up last week. Now I can."

The scales also become more interesting to practise if you've got some context for them. But the fact that you're asking about this, also says that you're ready to take your guitar playing seriously.

Once you start to see this progress - within the easy to see context of a single track - the motivation gets huge.

I have a few tracks that I can play all the pieces to. For the most part they are relatively easy.... not to much meedly meedly on the tiny strings ? I use Guitar Pro to play with, and is the one tool that has helped my playing immensely particularly with regards to timing and it's easy enough to control. I don't mind the midi sounds.

I do enjoy playing the tracks that I can play, but again playing them over and over again and some boredom sets in. Switching to something a little more complex usually results in some frustration when not being able to do it as easily.

Some of the things I can play.... Metallica, Bolt Thrower, Six Feet Under, Nirvana, RATM ... but only the easier tracks ? and of course a few Slayer riffs ... ?

Going to try put a lot more effort into scales and trying to make them interesting with some improv with them...