2019 Practice and Getting Better

TeleMaster

Join a band and learn songs. 

munckee

I realised about a year ago that I didn't play songs all the way through and never to backing tracks so I wasn't learning them accurately. 

Signing up to jams on here has focussed me on learning a few songs to time and as a whole. 

It has changed my targets as playing with other people is the best thing about playing guitar for me which I had never done before. 

Im building up to playing an open mic night at some point and I feel like I have achieved more in 12 months than I did in the previous 20 years. 

grappagreen

It's been mentioned here but in my view the absolutely most important thing of all is to be clear on what it is you want to achieve! Only when you have this can you find the path to where you want to be.. Of course this changes as time moves on but that's fine and part of the journey.

A good practice regime is the one that supports you getting to your chosen goal(s) in the most optimal way. i.e. focuses on the skills, knowledge, material etc. that directly support that goal.

It's too easy to flitter from one thing to another and get bogged down in stuff that isn't really relevant.

One last point would be to make MUSIC a big part of what you do. A rough and ready rule would be to spend 20% of your practice time working on the 'craft' (scales, chords, notes, theory etc) and 80% on the 'Art' (playing songs, making music etc). We sometimes forget that the guitar is a musical instrument..

Si

Fuengi

munckee said:

I realised about a year ago that I didn't play songs all the way through and never to backing tracks so I wasn't learning them accurately. 

Signing up to jams on here has focussed me on learning a few songs to time and as a whole. 

It has changed my targets as playing with other people is the best thing about playing guitar for me which I had never done before. 

Im building up to playing an open mic night at some point and I feel like I have achieved more in 12 months than I did in the previous 20 years. 

We should try to do an open mic once a month, really enjoyed our little Sunday morning rehearsals.  

Snags

munckee said:

I realised about a year ago that I didn't play songs all the way through and never to backing tracks so I wasn't learning them accurately. 

Signing up to jams on here has focussed me on learning a few songs to time and as a whole. 

It has changed my targets as playing with other people is the best thing about playing guitar for me which I had never done before. 

Im building up to playing an open mic night at some point and I feel like I have achieved more in 12 months than I did in the previous 20 years. 

If you want to duet something off the cuff (there's a challenge) and have a stupidly late night into the bargain, I'm planning on going to a local open mic this Thursday. Have been meaning to do it for about a year now, and there's always been a reason why not. Not happening this week.

It's a pretty shit one (there are two, and I'm deliberately choosing the worst, so I'm at least in the middle ground ) so no pressure.

munckee

@snags while in theory I'd love to be your wingman anytime, I'm too old to drive 2 hours each way on a school night : )

@fuengi if @Danny1969 gets his going again we could go along, maybe even persuade the kids and we could all do a song together.

Snags

@munckee Ya big wuss. There's a spare bed. The dog probably won't eat you.

Danny1969

munckee said:

@snags while in theory I'd love to be your wingman anytime, I'm too old to drive 2 hours each way on a school night : )

@fuengi if @Danny1969 gets his going again we could go along, maybe even persuade the kids and we could all do a song together.

Yeah if they put the money back where it was I'll get back on it, shame I didn't think of inviting you earlier we had some good nights 

munckee

Snags said:

@munckee Ya big wuss. There's a spare bed. The dog probably won't eat you.

Something like that would be doable with a longer lead time chief.