Re: Short practice session
- From: "RickH" <passport@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 8 Nov 2005 13:28:58 -0800
Keith Freeman wrote:
> I do the bulk of my practising at weekends, when I have at it for several
> hours at a stretch and have the time to do a bit of everything -
> sightreading, maintenance (existing repertoire), figuring out patterns,
> learning new tunes, you name it.
>
> What I really need to do is to get into the habit of picking up the
> guitar for 20 minutes on the other days. But what should I do during
> those short sessions? Vary it from day to day, sightreading one day,
> maintenance the next etc.?
>
> All suggestions welcome!
>
> -Keith
>
> Music samples, tips, Portable Changes at
> http://home.wanadoo.nl/keith.freeman/
>
> E-mail: keith DOT freeman AT wanadoo DOT nl
Before I head off to work in the morning I fit in about 60 minutes
while my 8 year old son and wife get ready for scool in the kitchen.
In this time I play what I call my current "1 hour set list", that is,
the songs I have been working on lately, from memory. This is a
"rolling list" of the current songs that I do totally from memory for 1
hour (always about 15 to20 songs). The old ones roll off and I play
them less frequently as they pretty much stay in memory. IOW I use
this morning time always for memory repertoir practice of the last 20
songs I arranged, and I rool off and add 1 or 2 new tunes a week.
After work/dinner I'll spend some time working up the arrangement for
"next new song", which depending on difficulty or how picky I get takes
anywhere from 2 to seven days to get on paper or sketched out in
memory. Then this new song gets added to my rolling 1 hour play list
and an older song gets rolled off. Additionally I throw on the
headphones and jam or read to Aebersold tracks at this time too. The
sightreading is inherent to arranging the next tune as I abhor TAB and
prefer std notation, and I've always liked to read.
As for scales/arps and other exercises I spend no more than 5 to 10
minutes on these and do it as quick warm up morning and evening.
On the weekends I too have a lot more time, this is when I fire up
various tube amps in the basement and practice more like I am on a job.
I'll do louder play-along jams, I also re-play my entire reperatoire
from memory on the weekend. I try to get to a local jam once or twice
a week but now that my wife is back in night school I usually have to
be at home with my son. I generally dont use the weekend for
arranging/study work, I prefer letting loose and just playing with as
much attitude expression as I can muster, I see the weekend as the time
to get your mojo workin.
I would say that 20 minutes of something that stretches your knowledge,
even if it means less playing, is better than 20 minutes of scales. If
you know you only have 20 minutes during the week then I would say use
that time to develop new things that will stretch you, then wail on the
weekends trying to apply all the 20 minute academic stuff from weeks
past.
Rick
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Short practice session
- From: Derek
- Re: Short practice session
- References:
- Short practice session
- From: Keith Freeman
- Short practice session
- Prev by Date: Re: JazzGuitarResources.com site Updateed (489 guitarists and 209 luthiers)
- Next by Date: Re: Short practice session
- Previous by thread: Re: Short practice session
- Next by thread: Re: Short practice session
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
