Need Practice Routin-Help!

[777]

hey guys, ive got alot of spare time to devote to guitar but i just cant seem to get myself into a solid routine, my main concern is building up speed alternate picking wise

i was wondering what you guys do in the way of excersises(up and down neck), alternate picking is what i want to concentrate on but also i want to develop other things too

if you guys could recomend me a time to technique(eg-legato 20 mins, chords 10 mins etc) daily session that would be great,

thanks in advance guys

[distressed_romeo]

Make a list of everything you want to improve upon. Specific things; rather than just saying 'alternate picking', say 'The Paul Gilbert Lick' and 'scales in fours and threes' for example. After that, get warmed up properly (I usually spend 10-20 minutes doing stretches and simple exercises before I play), and work through your list, spending about 2-4 minutes on specific item before moving onto the next. Work through your list a few times, ideally for about half an hour to an hour at a time, take a break, and repeat the process later.
It's important to be aware of what's causing you problems and use your practice regime to remedy those glitches, hence the focus on specific rather than general things. You say you want to improve alternate picking...try and find the aspect of that technique that's slowing you down (probably string crossing or tensing up when you play) and practice it SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY in isolation. It'll probably be really boring and non-musical, but if you're patient you should see results fairly quickly.

Hope this helps.

[777]

thanks tht realy helps, ill get to work on it, also does anyone know if "speed mechanics for lead guitar" is a good book? thanks

[distressed_romeo]

I got Speed Mechanics in the mail yesterday! GET IT!!! It's a great aid in structuring a practice regime, and one I'm going to recommend to all my students.

[BCrowell]

Originally Posted by 777

thanks tht realy helps, ill get to work on it, also does anyone know if "speed mechanics for lead guitar" is a good book? thanks

Troy Stetina is fantastic! I've been working with this book for a while and it's certainly helped.

One thing to remember, when working to increase picking speed, you must work on:

A)Getting the left & right hand in perfect sync
B)Minimizing transition time
C)Keeping excessive and undesired tension away while you play.
D)Finger Independance

Troy's book has lots of exercises in these categories (except C, but he mentions the importance of it). Another GREAT guitar teach is Jamie Andreas & his book "Guitar Principles - for the practicing musician" An excellent book on practice technique and ridding yourself of undesired tension!!

[777]

tension isnt really a problem for me i just need to get the sync of both hands and the speed on most of the runs i try and fail to do, im thinking of either getting, speed mechanics or the rock discipline dvd, i wanted to know if one was better than the other

[Durero]

big +1 for Jamie Andrea's book!

btw the title is: Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar,
and he's a she

I love Paul Gilbert's first video for a great intro to fast alternate-picking but the awareness of tension presented in Jamie's book is absolutely crucial, and the only way to achieve true finger independence.

[Drew]

real quick;

1.) speed doesn't happen overnight, so don't expect it to.
2.) the key to building syncronization is, counterintuitively, isolating each handf and findig drills to practice just the motion of that hand. For example, in additon to 1-2-3-4 chromatic picking drills, practice those drills legato, and practice trem-picking against a metronome.
3.) metronomes are your friends.
4.) accuracy and ease ofmotion build speed, and not the other way around.
5.) speed's overrated, anyway. Look at David Gilmour.

[BCrowell]

Originally Posted by Durero

big +1 for Jamie Andrea's book!

btw the title is: Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar,
and he's a she
.

OMG Your kidding me right? I've seen plenty pics of Jamie, and always looked like a guy who enjoys poofy sweaters! I had no idea, never got the DVD to hear the voice... I never new! I've never even seen hints of, well, a top rack!! Looks like a dude to me!! Oh why oh why did Ney never tell me!!

Oh & +1 to what Drew posted!! Right On (especially on item 5)

[Durero]

yeah me too! I totally thought she was a guy - even after seeing pictures. It was only from exploring her sight and suddenly realizing that everyone who posts on her discussion forums was calling her 'she' that it dawned on me. The whole scenario reminds me of the old androgynous 'Pat' skits they used to do on Saturday Night Live.


to get back on topic, another +1 for the David Gilmore idea; or to put it another way: giving phrasing as much priority in your practice as technique & speed.

[distressed_romeo]

+1 again! Whenever people come to me for lessons, the first thing I do is get them to bend one note in tune with a decent vibrato, and you'd be amazed how few people can really do it, even if they've got a few years experience.