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Most Fun Practicing in a Long Time…
Filed Under (Practice Session, Random Thought) by Frank on 25-04-2008
Tagged Under : BestPractice, Practice
Yesterday, I was practicing playing guitar… and I don’t know why but for some reason I had the most fun practicing in a long time.
Don’t get me wrong, I do — most of the time — enjoy practicing guitar. That is the point after all… To relax!
However, lately practicing hasn’t been as fun as it use to be. It is possible that I’m not focusing and moving myself forward enough. One must keep moving forward or (1) you will not learn anything new and (2) you bore yourself.
I’m at the boring-myself stage… Though there is probably a lot more I could have learned had I pushed a little harder.
I need to sit down and establish a practice routine for each day that I practice. I think Joe from “From The Woodshed” has done things similar to that… Though, he dedicates a lot more time for his practice…
What was I doing yesterday to have so much fun? Well, I started work
ing through a book I bought called: 10 Minute Guitar Workout by David Mead.
The book presents a technique for practicing where you practice certain things (chord changes, scales, etc) for 2 minutes each. There a total of 5 exercises for each day. The goal is to complete x amount of sets within the two minutes. After so many days, you proceed to the next “sets” goal until eventually you proceed to the next set of exercises.
Now I just started with the book, so I can not say whether it is working or not. I can tell you that the tasks are a bit different from what I have been doing and it is (most importantly) a little more focused than what I’ve been doing… Which is why I think it was a bit more fun.
Additionally, the book came with a CD which I was playing with. I used the BestPractice software to slow the tracks down. This allowed me to play the exercises at different tempos with the CD, which allowed me to mix things up a bit.
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Hey Frank, the book sounds interesting. I’ll check it out next time I’m near a music store.
Another blogger (The Axe Victim” put onto a novel called “Guitar Man” by Will Hodgkinson. I’d actually recommend it for you as an inspirational piece. Where I’m trying to get out there in the space of a year, he decided to try and do it in 6 months… yes, 6 months. It’s funny and has so many ‘I’ve been there’ moments that it’ll help keep you going.
Never give up. Like you’ve done, if you feel you’re getting stuck in a rut, shake things up.
Kenski’s last blog post..Action Plan Update… 247 Days & Counting
Hey Kenski,
Thank you for the recommendation. I will go check it out… In fact, I already have. I look forward to reading it.
I checked it out on Google Book Search, they have a preview available. You indicated that you already have the book so this is for readers passing by: http://books.google.com/books?id=zuYx5pgX28wC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0
Learning anything this complicated, I know, is hard. This isn’t like playing a video game where you can get “good” at it in a few weeks… You need to put in the time, as it were.
Thank you for the advice, suggestion and your general words of encouragement.
Frank’s last blog post..Jaws Theme
Oh, and the Jaws theme was fun too!
(See link below)
Frank’s last blog post..Jaws Theme
I too have this practise book. I think it is what I need, but there is just one snag. I have owned this book for a year and have thus far never taken the advice printed in this book and followed what it has said I should do - simply because it seems so ‘nanny’ that it disturbs me!
I think that some people need the focus or guidance as it were… Where as other people want to be laissez faire about their practice time.
For myself, it works out best if I’m a bit more focused. Not all the time but most of the time. I simply get more out of the time spent…
Frank’s last blog post..Jaws Theme