PC-102 • Decide What To Practice

[Indigo]

Lesson Link: http://justinguitar.com/en/PC-102-DecideWhatToPractice.php


Questions...

[brj]

I saw the two videos, pc-101 and pc-102. It was very interesting. But I am in need of some guidence.
My long term goal (3 years) is to create a Christian instrumental band. My medium term goal (1 year) is to play lead in our local praise and worship group.
What I need:
1) Technique. (Hammer on, pull off, slide ext)
2) improvisation
3) music theory
4) music reading
5) Transcribing
Am I on the right path? If not, please point mein the right direction.
Robbie

[stitch101]

Everything your need is on Justin's web site. Have you taken any of his free lessons?
He has free courses on all 5 point in your list and he also has books and DVDs.

[brj]

Yes, I have. I am aware of all that is availible. But I need to know if I am on the right path.

[stitch101]

How long have you been playing? If you have just started your goal of playing lead for your worship
group might be a little lofty. It can be done if you have lots of practice time and the songs the group
play are simple.

If you already have a good grasp of the guitar and work on your list it is very possible you can hit your
targets. Reading music is a plus but not necessary to hit your targets. So if you find it hard to learn/practice
every thing on your or don't have enough time you can spend less time on Reading Music and more time
on Transcribing  and Technique.

[bradt]

I haven't seen the video as t won't load for me. Looking at the list you have though, it looks a little vague.

Look at #1. if you break that down you still have rhythm, finger strength, finger independence, stretching exercises, picking technique, and loads of other stuff.

I think you are off to a good start by listing the skills you want, but you still need to go a step further and isolate how you can practice each of the elements involved in those skills.

[brj]

Thanks guyss. I have been playing on and of for about 20 years, but took the electric up on a serious level about 2 years ago. I am planning to look for a decent tutor early 2013.

[CambaNation]

Here's a question I've had on my mind for a while. My music taste is extremely varied. I enjoy many genre's that I'd like to become competent in. For example, I really enjoy jazz guitar like Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery. On the other hand, I'm a big blues and blues rock fanatic. I love all the 3 kings, Hendrix, SRV, Eddie Van Halen and all the british blues rock guys like Clapton and Jimmy Page and Brian May. Lately though, I've been listening a lot to more technical players like Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Guthrie Govan and Eric Johnson.

Though I practice a lot, I feel like my practice regiment lacks focus. Should I separate my practice schedule where I focus on a different music genre each day while still trying to improve my technique. Or should I stick for a while to one genre, say jazz, until I become competent enough and then move on to the other genre's I like?

I´d appreciate any feedback on this!

Cheers

[stitch101]

All the genres of music you have mentioned have the same foundation. Get the foundation down and
you'll find the technical parts easier to learn.

You didn't say how long or at what stage you play at. If your a beginner start with Justin's beginner
course if you are further along get your blues scales, chords and riffs under your fingers.
A little more info about your playing would help.

[CambaNation]

Hello stitch101. Sorry about that. My guitar bio so far 

I have been playing regularly for 4 years with no fix practice schedule. In the beginning I learned my basic chords (majors, minors, 7th extensions, inversions), bought Justin's Practical Music Theory I and II, learned the blues scale, major scale, and worked regularly on my hammer ons and pull offs. I had an obsession with David Gilmour during my first 2 years of playing so I had plenty of practice with bends.

Then I got all into Hendrix. Learned the rhythm guitar parts on at least 15 of his songs and plenty of solo work too. I formed a band where I have performed some Hendrix and SRV songs live (most notably Lenny and Voodoo Chile the long version). We play mostly latin-based music, funk, and reggae now, but at home I'm all about playing the genre's I mentioned.

Trying to emulate some more technical players in the last 3 months, I found that my alternate picking technique is severely lacking. I also learned that they use techniques like economy picking and hybrid picking. These are completely new to me, yet I would like to develop them to play along to the music of technical players that I like. However I find practicing these techniques take up most of the time I have to play guitar and end up neglecting other things I would like to learn like a better understanding of jazz, chords, and basically just expanding my guitar repertoire.

[stitch101]

You've covered a lot of ground in four years. That's a good thing
Sounds like you have a good foundation to build on and your falling into the same trap I find myself in
to often. In one of the videos Justin say "The more you know the more you know you don't know."
This is so true. I find myself fixated on something I want to learn and by the end of the week I've gone
full circle and I'm learning something I need to know so I can learn what I want to know.

Watching these videos on Practicing has made me rethink what I practice and how I practice.  It's only
been a couple of week that Justin has started these practice videos and I'm still trying to list the thing
I Need to know so I can play the thinks I Want to. I think that the big hurtle all of us need to get over. Knowing the difference between Need and want

I'm not into Jazz yet so I can't help you with the need to know part but Justin does have a course called
Jazzing up your blues and he has a Jazz course so that might be a good place to start.

[CambaNation]

It's only been a couple of week that Justin has started these practice videos and I'm still trying to list the thing I Need to know so I can play the thinks I Want to. I think that the big hurtle all of us need to get over. Knowing the difference between Need and want

Tell me about it! Some of the players I mentioned have an incredible understanding of rhythm and harmony that I think is probably due to their experience playing hundreds of tunes in all the major genres (blues, jazz, R&B, funk, prog rock, classical and more). Then there's the technical side of things that just takes thousand of hours of practice to master. Too bad I have to study for school and work at the same time  Maybe I can find a way to not leave the house for like a year like clapton did and just breathe and eat music all day long

[rpreisendanz]

Question on what to practice.  My Big Goal is to be one of the best songwriter/singers.  I have written a number of songs and recorded them on Studio One and my 8 track. It has been gigantic fun! I want to keep heading in this direction and I have come up with the following mini-goals:

1. Learn all the notes on guitar, well.
2. Study other song writers/singers I like.
3. Practice vocals.
4. Listen to as many other songs I can.
5. Do the one hour practice as recommended by Justin.

Any suggestions and/or affirmations would be appreciated.

[MFguitar]

Hi Justin,

my first post here. I have been playing for about one and half year. I did your beginner course but i didn't set any goal.... I just jump from one thing to other but i see no progress. Nothing is different except i can play scales better but that is not what i like to do.. That was big mistake. I love Rolling Stones and they were the reason that i bought guitar... Now i have a goal to play 10 Rolling Stones songs and later all 50 that are on GRRR! album.
First ten would be -

1.Angie
2.Paint it black
3.Wild Horses
4. Satisfaction
5. Start me up
6. Beast of burden
7. Fool to cry
8.Brown sugar
9. Sympathy for the devil
10. Ruby tuesday

What would you suggest to practice or which lessons should i take from your website? I really struggle and don't know what to do to achieve my goal.

Thanks for help

[mouser9169]

Do want to play rhythm, lead, or both?

In any case, find out what techniques the Stones used - practice those chords (the way they played them) and the chord changes. Then, if you want to learn their lead - study their riffs (see my sig). After a while, it should start to come together for you.

Pick a song to start with and learn it completely - rhythm and lead. Then move to another, and another. Once you've gotten a few under your belt the rest should come easier.

[shadowscott007]

So I finally figured this one out.  I had a hard time here.  I really didn't know what I want to do.  Now I do.  Had to think hard.

What do I want to do?  Well I want to play with other people.  I would like to play in front of people again.  I don't have the vocal.chops to do the acoustic vocal open mike night.  So...

I think I need to be able to learn songs fast.  So...

I can pick up things fast jamming or at the possible genesis of a new band.  That is how the first jam session I went to at a church went.  I did not burst into flame as I feared might happen.  All kinda modern pop rock worship music.  They had cheat sheets with lyric with changes written over it.  Three acoustic three electric and bass plus me.  Lots of cool progressions.  All songs i've never heard before.  I got invited back and I.caught on to some of the tunes pretty fast... a couple I just didn't feel and I'd miss changes sometimes so I played less.

I want to handle that situation better.  So...

1 - Put on a CD I like or make one.  Start it.  As it plays find tonal center, find major or minor, jam pentatonic, find the right two notes to add, play in relevent diatonic scale, probaby minor (add 2 and b6) or major (add 4 and 7) but could be any mode.  Dorian - add 2 and 6 - to pent minor.  Lydian - add #4 and 7 to pent major.  Unless it's bluesy or blues based... then well all that other crap might not matter.

Jam.

Work out easy riffs and rhythms...

2 - Buy one of Justin's set of jam tracks.  Shopping now.  Thinking PR-022 really useful play along tracks.  Get that and do the exact same thing as above.

My practice will be jamming through a set or two of songs picking them up as I go.  Some will pick up easy some will pick up hard.

Shadow

[Nicolás Delgado]

Hi, today I made a practice routine but I don't know if it's the right one for me.

The routine that I created is:

*Technique: (20 Min)
   - Finger gym -->5 Min
   - Minimum movement --> 10 Min
   - Scale Picking --> 5 Min

*Knowledge: (35 Min)
   - Theory --> 20 Min
   - Notes on the guitar --> 5 Min
   - Scales --> 10 Min

*Transcribing: (1 Hr)
   - Chords --> 15 Min
   - Plucking --> 15 Min
   - Fingerstyle --> 30 Min

*Repertoire: (30 Min)
   - BBQ --> 15 Min
   - Fingerstyle --> 15 Min

*Improvisation: (20 Min)
   - Scales --> 10 Min
   - Melodic percussive fingerstyle --> 10 Min

My long term goal (5 years) is to have a youtube channel with at least 10 songs created by me, and my short term goal (1 Year) is to at least create 1 song. But the problem is that I want to create progressive fingerstyle songs (Candy rat).
Am I on the right path or I need to change somethings?

Thanks

[Drubbing]

I think you should build your practice schedule around your 1 year goal. Then break that down to the first 6 months.

What you put in your practice schedule is going to change, depending on how you progress. Not sure anyone else can tell you what should go in it.

[GuitarGirl2013]

How do I know what my goal should be?

[Cal]

How do I know what my goal should be?

Go to PC-101 • Set Goals. 

[HHT20]

is it advisable to practice two genres in the same practice schedule? for example I am learning the blues. but i also would like to learn jazz. so do i first finish all the lessons on the blues and then move to jazz or can i do it simultaneously?

[justinguitar]

I'd work on your blues first hht, cos jazz is a load harder and will require many of the techniques you'll learn in the blues...  you'll enjoy the jazz up your blues series if you are ready for that!!

[Nozzer]

Basically want to be able to do AC/DC - pref Angus, with a bit of Malcolm thrown in.
I guess I am not the first. Anybody got a practice routine?
have You Shook Me All night Long ok-ish now, but much more to attend to to get the Back In Black album done, then the earlier stuff. Simple ain't easy.

I've been going for lessons for c 1 Year now, but am struggling to put time in to practice. Plus tutor not that into AC/DC - except for Thunderstruck - not one of my favs. Prefer Powerage stuff.

Tutor thinks I need work on stopping the notes from clashing - muting strings that are not being played during solos etc. Guess he is right. Is there specific lesson on this/practice routine to help?

[Drubbing]

 I think you've just got to break down to the things that AC/DC tend to rely on. I'm learning a number of their tunes and while many of the chords are simple, they're often changes really quickly, and/or a little different to the standard ones - they often drop a note off here and there. This seems to be important to get the sorts of sounds they play. But that requires practice to learn these alterations and get your speed up. I've been plugging away at the intro to back in black for months; it's not simple to do it fast, rhythmically and clean every single time.

Then there's rhythm. Highway to hell is all on the rhythm of the chords, and muting them out to quick stops. THe only way to practice this is practice strumming chords and muting, and making up your own rhythms, so that you get used to doing it.

[shadowscott007]

Malcom is the cake, Angus is the icing.  Angus is awesome great lead player love him.  But Malcom supplies the groove and an awesome groove at that.  Malcom makes Angus better.  Learn all the parts.

Shado