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Just curious as to how "anal" some of you great musicians are as far as your practicing goes?

Being that I'm basically a lead guitarist for cover bands, I first practice all my finger excersises (tons of different ones for all different finger patterns), scales (all different ways and modes), arpeggios (Long and Short), Pentatonics, Chromatics, etc on my Acoustic for almost 2 hurs a day before I touch the electric and then I warm up by not playing exact leads before I perfect the new songs for whatever band I'm currently in... I don't care if I screw up when "practicing" as I just try to let my fingers become as limber as possible before I get serious and learn/play the exact tunes for whatever project I'm in at the moment. I pick a song...any song and screw around with it just for the fukkovit... no adhering to perfection, just really warming up!

I find this method extremely helpful right before gigs and rehearsals and my leads come out smooth and effortlessly when the serious time is here:

Here is an example of just "twiddling" to a song to loosen up..as you can see, I try and implement chromatics, pents, scales, arps, hammers, etc..:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RypuErfP7Tc

My practice routines used to be pretty disciplined - for over a year, I didn't go a night w/o practicing for at least 3 hours a night. These days, I've loosened up a little so that I can focus on becoming proficient in home-recording. Because of that, I might go 2 days without actually "practicing", per se - instead focusing on tracking guitars, vocal ideas, and programming drums. Then I'll feel guilty and spend a few nights back in metrinome-land, though I use backing tracks instead of a metrinome these days.

I don't generally practice. I just jam some stuff out. If I am interested in something, I'll pick out the theory of the song/solo. I may work on some things here and there, mechanics mainly. Not saying that I don't need to practice more, but I am pretty comfortable with what I am doing.

I'm working on sight reading and incorporating new picking and such into my playing, but I don't play out or with a band, so not a lot of reasons to bust my butt.

I wouldn't suggest that people learning not to practice, but I taught for many, many years. That's more practice than you'll ever know. I learned more in my first 2 years teaching, than I will probably ever learn combined. People asking questions makes you think, "Crap, I need to know this inside out and backwards!".

I kinda always take a break on weekends by only practicing the physical stuff on the acoustic and staying off the electric... I find myself more productive on Mondays when I pick it up again... that's until I get back into the regimen of rehearsing or gigging with my new project in a couple of weeks on weekends again and then I'm back to doing it all 7 days a week!

Lot's of incredible guitarists in the clubs out here that blow me away 6 ways from Sunday so I have to be competitive as far as being a "shredder" as if the crowd likes it and you draw all the time, you cand always command at least $100.00 per person a night for only 2 sets.... if not more and being that I'm doing this for extra income (hence the reason for the cover bands) to supplement my income, I would consider my pracicing a benefit in the long run to pay da bills!

Oh...BTW.. I also taught for many years waay back but found it very frustrating and not to my liking as after a while my students would cancel as is expected after a while and you don't get paid if they don't show up... Got sick of setting aside my precious time on weekends for teaching only to get last minute cancellations. Can't scold them or punish them by saying that they have to pay anyway as one place I worked for did, because you eventually, if not instantly lose them! Just got sick and tired of teaching and that's not fair to those who really want to learn!

A lot of people equate fast playing to being a good player. I say let the melody speak for itself. I love to shred, but these days, a lot of shredders ditch melody, theory, and technique for speed. They sound good for a 20 second solo, but then after that it sounds like a whole lot of the same.

I hear ya... I just do that to limber up da digits.... I'm a cover band lead guitarist so my job is to replicate the leads exactly as the song suggests... as far as speed, I can definitely "shred" a million mph but t the same time, I love to play a nice slow blues, hence the reason for my love of Les Pauls..I find you can hold a nice long note for practically forever as opposed to some of my other axes. The only one that comes close for the sustain factor is my PRS...

DeLauney wrote:A lot of people equate fast playing to being a good player. I say let the melody speak for itself. I love to shred, but these days, a lot of shredders ditch melody, theory, and technique for speed. They sound good for a 20 second solo, but then after that it sounds like a whole lot of the same.

I'll be controversial! But music controversy is much better than political controversy!

IMO, being able to play fast is a good and reliable indication that a player is good.

The opposite is not necessarily true - you can be slow, and good.

I define good as being able to control your instrument. This ability demonstrates time devoted to achieving control - control being the ability to stay in tune, prevent unwanted notes from ringing out and consistently hitting intended notes either by fretting or bending.

What notes are played is just personal preference.

I've seen people play really fast, and really in contol, but in the wrong key. You can practice scales and arps all day and be able to play the 90 mph, yet have no clue how to use them. You can play fast and melodic, it just takes a lot of work to pull it off, good cerebral playing.

DeLauney wrote:I've seen people play really fast, and really in contol, but in the wrong key.

Kinda like Jazz players

That's where my degree in music came into play Learning how to implement them when I'm improvising on my own stuff...but like I said, I get paid to play covers and I must do them well because I've been hired by multiple bands playing tons of clubs all over NY... I'm old school and if you can't handle the basic scales, arpeggio's, finger patterns, etc... to start with then you're definitely limiting yourself as a lead guitarist..that's what I do..I don't write. I DON'T RECORD.. I play lead guitar and get paid for it so I know how to approach my craft and how to prepare myself for the job! I play fast, I play slow, I swing the axe, I play with my teeth ..I have it down and it comes with a show ... For a 52 year old playing in a club full of 20-30-40 year olds, I must be doin' something right!

Oh..on a side note, I've played with members of: Stevie Vai, Dokken,Good Rats and Dream Theater just to name a few... and No, I don't do this for a living to say the least.... I do it for a little extra cash on an occasional weekend... I'm actually a 9-5 working stiff! No visions ever of being a rock star and like I said, there are tons of guitarists in my neck-o- the woods that blow me away!

It's 7:40 PM and still 104 degrees.
Probably 120 degrees in my shop.

Practice will have to wait.

Ahhhh....Central air in both my house and my work place!

Crip2nite wrote:Just curious as to how "anal" some of you great musicians are as far as your practicing goes?

Being that I'm basically a lead guitarist for cover bands, I first practice all my finger excersises (tons of different ones for all different finger patterns), scales (all different ways and modes), arpeggios (Long and Short), Pentatonics, Chromatics, etc on my Acoustic for almost 2 hurs a day before I touch the electric and then I warm up by not playing exact leads before I perfect the new songs for whatever band I'm currently in... I don't care if I screw up when "practicing" as I just try to let my fingers become as limber as possible before I get serious and learn/play the exact tunes for whatever project I'm in at the moment. I pick a song...any song and screw around with it just for the fukkovit... no adhering to perfection, just really warming up!

I find this method extremely helpful right before gigs and rehearsals and my leads come out smooth and effortlessly when the serious time is here:

Here is an example of just "twiddling" to a song to loosen up..as you can see, I try and implement chromatics, pents, scales, arps, hammers, etc..:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RypuErfP7Tc

Me personally, I'm not a shredder,..not a guitar "athlete" per se. I just try to figure out song and structure and my practice comes erratically... I have spent as little as a 1/2 hour and as much as an all-nighter... to get what I need done (It depends on what I'm trying to accomplish).

Now on the rare occasion that I have performed for an audience in a public venue, I always pulled it off without a hitch and the audience always fed back very positive...

Re Anal: I am a fooking bastard about recording. I strive to be precise and clean...in the earliest takes. But, I will do a take a bazillion times if that is what it takes to get it right that 1 time.

I can see where you , as a lead player, have to know the gamut of scales and have the full dexterity to execute them. Myself as a Rythym player, am not necessarily under that degree of pressure. My pressure really would come with figuring out how to invent some phrase that accommodates a good shredding...

Actually reading everyone's comments are refreshing. Classical musicians can be a tad uppity and believe that rockers don't practice. But they do practice. IMHO, you should be able to play slow and fast with the as much skill that you can. It is much harder to play slowly because you have to play evenly, neatly and rhytmically. Playing slowly takes more concentration but it strengthens the fingers and the ears . This is an excellent way to practice because it works both aspects of playing. I do not practice everyday. Actually I take a break once or twice a week where I do not play anything.I practice, classical , jazz and rock music depending on what I have going for the week. I warm up with scales.

If I have a project going covers or originals I always try to be focused on what the musicians involved are trying to do! It is my opinion ALL GREAT musicians are ANAL RETENTIVE LOL (I wish I was One). My regimen starts with a song list. This lets me know how organized the group is. It also gives me a starting point. From there I ask for a recording of the songs I am expected to learn and which parts and in which key the songs on the list are to be played. These days if they are covers I have learned that I am expected to download them from i tunes. I spend 99% of my time learning covers not by choice but by necessity. As soon as I get home I start learning or going over the tunes for the band a.s.a.p.
The band I am playing in rehearses usually about 1 time a month but wants to learn 4 songs a month. because of this I feel I need to run thru the songs 1 time a week, currently about 60 songs. The bottom line is I prefer to practice 2 hours a day on average. I don't like to take a break. I prefer to stay ahead of everyone else. I do practice the modes at least once a week. I also have been setting in with bands from time to time usaully Jazzers. I like to devote an hour a week to prepare for this.

I have learned how disciplined you are as a musician depends on which instrument you play LOL. Unfortunately if you are a guitar player you are the one that is going to spend the most TIME developing a DISCIPLINED practice regimen. The bottem line is I spend about 15 hours a week in personal practice and learning. This is in addition to rehearsing with the band and performing at gigs or preparing to play a gig.