Effective practice . . . . . . some advice please

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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    viz said:
    Thou shalt not use a drum machine?
    Have I fallen foul of Moses again?
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    viz said:
    Thou shalt not use a drum machine?
    Have I fallen foul of Moses again?
    As I said on the other thread, metronomes are fast.
    Drum machines require more fiddly.

    I have a lot of options here in the studio- DFH, BFD, Logic Drummer, various drum plugins.
    They take time to pull up and get right.

    My metronome sits in my gigbag, takes 2 seconds to turn on and set up.
    The goal is to play, not fiddle about.
    YMMV of course.

    Anything that gets you playing though- be goal oriented.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited August 2013
    Monquixote: Afraid so! By the way: That vai clip is, yet again, an indication that he is a proper musician who really thinks carefully about his art. I respect the views of people who don't like his music, but surely everyone's got to admit he is a true musician in every sense. Thanks for posting!
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    edited August 2013 tFB Trader
    octatonic said:
    As I said on the other thread, metronomes are fast.
    Drum machines require more fiddly.

    I have a lot of options here in the studio- DFH, BFD, Logic Drummer, various drum plugins.
    They take time to pull up and get right.
    Rather usefully the Zoom G3 has one built in so it's only a button press away. 
    Moses be damned!
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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    @mike_l - thanks, a good suggestion, I may just need to get over the stage fright of playing in front of and with other musicians again.  I thought I had got over that years ago, now I'll have to break through it all over again   ;)
    All part of the learning curve though.

    I am currently in a musical vacuum with the exception of the community here at FretBoard.

    Is there anything going on around Cirencester, Swindon, Cheltenham area, or how do I find out about it?  Maybe I need to look further afield?
    I know you have jam nights etc from some of your posts, so I may just turn up if I am in Cambs some time.

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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    Wow, I just went to get supper, and all these conversations have materialised, thanks guys, I'll have a good look through.
    Looks like a good video, so maybe to that first. 
    :)

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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    @monquixote thanks for the backup on that.  I really need a tame drumist  and bassist, then we can get the groove thing going properly.  Sorry, oxymoron alert - did I really say "tame drumist"  ;)

    Does that make more sense @viz ?  Don't need any biblical retribution in my life  
    ;)

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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    That is A OK with us mate :)
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700

    @ChrisMusic ; turn up any time. It's about getting up and playing rather than being the next guitar god....

     

    I'll say I've felt very under-gunned when playing with the likes of @viz and @bigjon but still did it. Even if you just play rhythm guitar and don't worry about playing any leads..

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    Thank you for the invitation @mike_l, and the words of encouragement too.

    As you have implied, it's about getting up and doing it, about the experience, and having some fun with it too.
    It would be an inspiration to play with other musicians again. Good advice me-thinks.  :)

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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700
    @ChrisMusic  ; Remember its not a competition to play longest/fastest/most technical. 90% of the time I play lead it's from a minor pentatonic, the other 10% is jazz notes.... :)

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    edited August 2013
    @clare_bear - take a look at the video posted by SpaceCadet (half way down page 1).  It may be a bit high powered in the ambition stakes for you, but it is truly inspirational and motivational too.  I think it may help to watch through occasionally?

    There are some interesting videos on visualisation (nearer the beginning) posted by Catthan, both that and finger exercises to improve dexterity can be practiced away from the guitar in any spare moment, anywhere.  I truly believe that would help too.

    edit: posting correction

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261

    Effective practice = have a plan.. and an achieveable, yet challenging one

    if you have an hour for practice I'd be inclined to split it into 3 parts

    10 mins: technical warm up with scales, alternate picking
    40 mins: work on your current 'mission'
    this could be:
    - learning a riff, solo, song, set piece etc
    - experimentation with new musical ideas, fx / tones, writing a song / riff / solo
    - learning some new theory and experimenting with it to understand it's applications
    - learning / exploring a specific technique [tapping / sweeping / legato / bending / whammie tricks etc]
    - exploring different creative / note selection related ideas [using modes / medolic substitution / parallel modutation etc]
    10 mins: fun time: put an old favourite on [CD / iTunes etc], get the volume up, rock out and have a ball
    you must end on a high..

    never lose sight of the fact that music, exploring it, creating it, taking part in it has to be fun..
    I think the worse thing is imposing a practice reigime on yourself that is so intense, or such a mountain to climb
    that you fall out of love with playing
    you must avoid that..

    play every note as if it were your first
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  • I was told to split my practice time in 2: New stuff for learning, older stuff for consolidating

    examples of new stuff: scale/arpeggio patterns you still need the diagram for
    and of older stuff: scale/arpeggio patterns you can play with your eyes shut

    do the new stuff first.

    split new section into
    scales/arpeggios/chord_changes/riffs ie basic techniques. spend 2-3 min (use an egg timer) on each do not go over time,
    new tunes
    ... speed is not of the essence here, only accuracy. you are programming your motor system here not trying to make it run faster

    split old section similarly, but this section is for improving speed agility & fluency at things you can already do reliably even if you do them a bit slow. having programmed your motor system to work accurately, here is where you tune it

    finally - a wigout! have some fun and annoy the neighbours. reward yourself :)




    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    @jaygtr good call, yes it is all about enjoying the whole experience of music and being able to express yourself via the guitar (or what ever you play).

    The reward thing makes a lot of sense too.

    We play the guitar for the pleasure it gives us, and an avenue for expression.

    I read somewhere that someone thought that Guthrie Govan was maybe borderline autistic, and didn't really like engaging with the students after a clinic, but seems to prefer the guitar as his method of expression.  Whether there is any truth in that or not,  I recon a lot of guitarists and musos that I have met over the years are somewhat like that, maybe it is where some of the creativity comes from?

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261

    in all seriousness.. it's not unusual to find that high ability muso's have some form of autism.. it has a lot to do with the 'lock-in' you need to be able to apply that much focus on something [which in real-rife terms] is essentially meaningless / unimportant..

    I'm actually an Aspergers kid.. just like my dad and my oldest..

    music just happens to be one of it's better side-effects.. it gives us a positive 'thing' in which to channel ourselves..

    and music [for us] in addition to being a passion is also a bit of a safe harbour [somewhere to hide when our lil' worlds start going a bit wrong]

    play every note as if it were your first
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    Clarky said:

    I'm actually an Aspergers kid.. just like my dad and my oldest..

    music just happens to be one of it's better side-effects.. it gives us a positive 'thing' in which to channel ourselves..

    I was told I had/was Aspergers or ADHD when I was growing up- diagnosis differed depending on which doctor gave it.
    I didn't have any of the behaviour issues- I was just hyper focussed and had poor handwriting for my age (but did well at school).
    My folks didn't put much stock in it and just put it down to the fact that we moved all the time (I went to 13 schools- Dad was a cop).

    To this day I have no idea of what condition my condition is in, or even really what it is.
    I do know that I hyper focus really well and I notice that people give stuff up way earlier than I do.
    I can work for ages on a particular thing if I am interested in it.
    If I'm not then I can't do anything at all.

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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700
    Clarky said:

    and music [for us] in addition to being a passion is also a bit of a safe harbour [somewhere to hide when our lil' worlds start going a bit wrong]

    I don't got Asbergers, but still have music as my safe haven.


     

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    @Clarky  - I saw something a while back, I think it was with Oliver Sacks the neurologist, and the guy playing the piano was just phenomenal.

    We have so little understanding of the human condition, and what makes us "tick".

    Whether it is a side-effect or a gift may be open to conjecture, but we all need a safe haven sometimes, what ever our psychological / physiological makeup.

    Music is a fantastic outlet, whether listening or creating. It has the ability to heal, and to reach across all the boundaries of language and culture and communicate directly with the emotions.


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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    edited August 2013
    octatonic said:
    "To this day I have no idea of what condition my condition is in, or even really what it is. 
    I do know that I hyper focus really well and I notice that people give stuff up way earlier than I do. 
    I can work for ages on a particular thing if I am interested in it. 
    If I'm not then I can't do anything at all."

    What a great phrase "
    I have no idea what condition my condition is in", thanks @octatonic

    I have to say that I identify totally with all of that, sometimes it is a blessing, and sometimes not.

    edit: tried to sort quote formatting - to no avail

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