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Message
Question for/about Pro/Semi Pro Guitarists.
Posted on 9/9/23 at 12:07 am
Posted on 9/9/23 at 12:07 am
What is your typical daily/weekly/other routine as far as “practicing” or playing?
I understand the question may be vague but the intent is a glimpse into goals, standards, norms, etc., other advice.
Watered down: are you guys playing most days, every day, minimal, etc?
I understand the question may be vague but the intent is a glimpse into goals, standards, norms, etc., other advice.
Watered down: are you guys playing most days, every day, minimal, etc?
This post was edited on 9/9/23 at 12:12 am
4
Posted on 9/9/23 at 12:20 am to Havoc
I’m just semi-pro, and when I do perform on guitar, I’m usually a rhythm guy. However, I am a songwriter. I should play for a minimum of 30 minutes per day. I probably average close to that, though I don’t actually play every day. I rehearse with my bands on average a little more than once per week.
I don’t practice the way that I should, however. I should spend significantly more time practicing scales to a metronome as well as learning cover songs than I do. However, I have no patience or discipline, so I usually spend 90% of my time trying to write songs.
The reality is no one gives a shite about original music except the artist, but it’s the only thing I care about in my entire life which I have near complete control over. I am working on multiple projects right now that are all very different in style, tone, and genre. One is a very ambitious concept album that I doubt I will ever finish or bring to life to my satisfaction.
I don’t practice the way that I should, however. I should spend significantly more time practicing scales to a metronome as well as learning cover songs than I do. However, I have no patience or discipline, so I usually spend 90% of my time trying to write songs.
The reality is no one gives a shite about original music except the artist, but it’s the only thing I care about in my entire life which I have near complete control over. I am working on multiple projects right now that are all very different in style, tone, and genre. One is a very ambitious concept album that I doubt I will ever finish or bring to life to my satisfaction.
This post was edited on 9/9/23 at 12:31 am
Posted on 9/9/23 at 4:38 am to Havoc
I don't know that I qualify as even semi pro, I've only done 2 paid gigs in the last 3 years. I jam with friends pretty often though.
I do write and record quite a bit, and I put time in on that.
I have a guitar (usually acoustic) in my hand at least 2 hours a day, every day. Sometimes a lot more.
I concentrate on playing and learning in the keys of A major, A minor ,E major, E minor, G major and D major, because those are the keys that suit my voice and it's easy to transpose anything.
I spend some time on scales, probably not as much time as I should. Mostly just work on the same handful of songs over and over. I enjoy it though. I have some decent guitars now that are great players, practice doesn't seem like a chore the way it used to be.
If I were out doing covers, I know I would have to do things differently.
One piece of advice I will give, that almost nobody takes: Find a good tech and get your guitars right. It makes all the difference in the world when it comes to practicing.
I do write and record quite a bit, and I put time in on that.
I have a guitar (usually acoustic) in my hand at least 2 hours a day, every day. Sometimes a lot more.
I concentrate on playing and learning in the keys of A major, A minor ,E major, E minor, G major and D major, because those are the keys that suit my voice and it's easy to transpose anything.
I spend some time on scales, probably not as much time as I should. Mostly just work on the same handful of songs over and over. I enjoy it though. I have some decent guitars now that are great players, practice doesn't seem like a chore the way it used to be.
If I were out doing covers, I know I would have to do things differently.
One piece of advice I will give, that almost nobody takes: Find a good tech and get your guitars right. It makes all the difference in the world when it comes to practicing.
This post was edited on 9/9/23 at 5:21 am
Posted on 9/9/23 at 9:26 am to auggie
I pick up the bass at least once a day, for the most part. I just work on learning songs and 80% of the time it’s not the ones I’m supposed to be working on. Squirrel!
Posted on 9/9/23 at 11:43 am to wareaglepete
If you are a pro or semi pro, you are going to pick up your guitar daily doing something "work" related regardless of whether you want to or not.
Sitting down and learning scales and modes is great if you want to figure out how to fill a multi-hour regimen of practice, or if you need to build the physical strength and endurance you need to play for several hours live. But it's not that practical, kind of like taking a foreign language class, learning a lot of words and having no grasp on the conversational element of said language and thus no application for it.
If you want to get fluent with particular scales or modes, find songs you want or need to know that utilize said scales or modes. Learn those songs instead. THEN revisit their scales and modes and use them to craft applicable and tasteful improvs. Kind of like using a thesaurus to make written word a little more interesting or entertaining for readers.
The added bonus of that approach is you will gradually become a walking jukebox. Nice residual considering in today's world the dates and the $$$ is in cover and tribute bands.
Sitting down and learning scales and modes is great if you want to figure out how to fill a multi-hour regimen of practice, or if you need to build the physical strength and endurance you need to play for several hours live. But it's not that practical, kind of like taking a foreign language class, learning a lot of words and having no grasp on the conversational element of said language and thus no application for it.
If you want to get fluent with particular scales or modes, find songs you want or need to know that utilize said scales or modes. Learn those songs instead. THEN revisit their scales and modes and use them to craft applicable and tasteful improvs. Kind of like using a thesaurus to make written word a little more interesting or entertaining for readers.
The added bonus of that approach is you will gradually become a walking jukebox. Nice residual considering in today's world the dates and the $$$ is in cover and tribute bands.
Posted on 9/9/23 at 3:32 pm to TheFretShack
I'm one or two levels below semi-pro and I have acoustic guitars in the house and a small studio with my electric gear and pick one up as much as I can.
I was told practicing 10 minutes a day is much better than one hour a week so I took that path years ago. Once or twice a week (weekends mostly*) I jam to Grateful Dead and other backing tracks trying to polish my skills. There are some great song lesson on YouTube as well.
*Just finished 1.5 hours of Scarlet Begonias/Fire on the Mountain backing tracks and then playing over a live set just playing inversions of the two main chords and lead noodling while witching a game on the TV.
I was told practicing 10 minutes a day is much better than one hour a week so I took that path years ago. Once or twice a week (weekends mostly*) I jam to Grateful Dead and other backing tracks trying to polish my skills. There are some great song lesson on YouTube as well.
*Just finished 1.5 hours of Scarlet Begonias/Fire on the Mountain backing tracks and then playing over a live set just playing inversions of the two main chords and lead noodling while witching a game on the TV.
Posted on 9/9/23 at 8:19 pm to Crow Pie
“10 minutes a day” is a good rule for anybody. In a rut? It keeps the guitar in your hands. Enjoying yourself? You’ll play an hour before you look at a clock again.
Posted on 9/10/23 at 9:24 am to LSU alum wannabe
Not to derail, no where near semi pro, just played since I was young and get deep into it 100% for a year or two, put it down a year or so then something makes me pick it back up.
But for semi-pro/pro's do you spend a lot time focusing on "theory" or did you learn that early on and the main scales and modes and have just progressed to where you can improvise up and down the fretboard as needed. At one point or another I think I knew/know (as it comes back quick) way too many scales but as mentioned, knowing them is not really useful without knowing how to use them.
TLDR: Are you shredders still focusing on theory, or learning new elements of theory, or are you sticking with a few styles you have mastered and improvising from there? Sorry theory has always thrown me for a loop and I don't have any natural talent musically or the coveted "ear".
But for semi-pro/pro's do you spend a lot time focusing on "theory" or did you learn that early on and the main scales and modes and have just progressed to where you can improvise up and down the fretboard as needed. At one point or another I think I knew/know (as it comes back quick) way too many scales but as mentioned, knowing them is not really useful without knowing how to use them.
TLDR: Are you shredders still focusing on theory, or learning new elements of theory, or are you sticking with a few styles you have mastered and improvising from there? Sorry theory has always thrown me for a loop and I don't have any natural talent musically or the coveted "ear".
Posted on 9/10/23 at 10:15 am to BorrisMart
I knew theory long before I picked up a guitar because I started learning piano at a young age and came from a classical music background.
On guitar, the first things I learned were the basic chord shapes (E, D, G, C, A), then pentatonic scale (which I already knew about), then 12 bar blues, then major scales, then bar chords, and finally box technique for soloing in major.
I am NOT a shredder, but I can get by when needed to play leads based off of what I know. If I ever wanted to take the time to become a shredder, I know exactly how I would do so, and that is practicing box technique in different scales and modes with a metronome. The idea of learning and practicing scales isn’t for your conscious brain to apply them, but for your muscle memory, ears, and unconscious brain. What you are doing is training your ear on what sounds right in a given situation and giving your fingers the muscle memory to produce that sound without actively thinking about it in the moment. By getting faster and faster at playing through your scales and modes at different positions on the neck (boxes), your fingers will begin to naturally know where to go in a song.
If you are actively thinking about each note in an improvised solo before you play it, you will suck. You have to trust your ear and muscle memory to know where to go. You might have a rough idea of a few spots to hit along the way, but the muscle memory should fill in the rest.
On guitar, the first things I learned were the basic chord shapes (E, D, G, C, A), then pentatonic scale (which I already knew about), then 12 bar blues, then major scales, then bar chords, and finally box technique for soloing in major.
I am NOT a shredder, but I can get by when needed to play leads based off of what I know. If I ever wanted to take the time to become a shredder, I know exactly how I would do so, and that is practicing box technique in different scales and modes with a metronome. The idea of learning and practicing scales isn’t for your conscious brain to apply them, but for your muscle memory, ears, and unconscious brain. What you are doing is training your ear on what sounds right in a given situation and giving your fingers the muscle memory to produce that sound without actively thinking about it in the moment. By getting faster and faster at playing through your scales and modes at different positions on the neck (boxes), your fingers will begin to naturally know where to go in a song.
If you are actively thinking about each note in an improvised solo before you play it, you will suck. You have to trust your ear and muscle memory to know where to go. You might have a rough idea of a few spots to hit along the way, but the muscle memory should fill in the rest.
This post was edited on 9/10/23 at 10:17 am
Posted on 9/10/23 at 4:16 pm to kingbob
quote:
kingbob
Thank you. Yeah I think that is where I went wrong the last time I got into it a few years ago, I had always known the minor and major pentatnic with all positions but our to any real context its just notes. I guess I need to focus more on combining the positions and/or adding some major notes into the minor.
Posted on 9/10/23 at 4:49 pm to Havoc
I play until the black candles I lit are burned down, and the door is then closed.
This post was edited on 9/10/23 at 4:50 pm
Posted on 9/11/23 at 2:46 pm to Havoc
TLDR: I of course will do the typical scales every now and again....but the most exponential growth I found in my playing is when I transcribe other peoples tunes. Don't just look at the tabs and get close. Really dig in an learn someone's solos, riffs, lead lines, etc.
Long answer: When I first learned guitar, I went to a few lessons and the guy taught me how to read tabs (by teaching me Detroit Rock City by KISS) and from there, I just got tab books of albums I liked and learned how to read them and play them. That led me to be an intermediate level guitar player. But a few years ago, me and some buddies decided to make a 90s country cover band, and by default of being closest to the "best" guitar player in the band...I was handed a lot of solos that I wasn't really in the skill range of. But....if you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly. I wanted to do it right. So I set out to really learn the solos. Issue being there's not a lot of accurate tabs for some of these country tabs. Most people looking for tabs are looking for Metallica and Tool and on and on.
So I set out to learn those solos by ear. Youtube has an amazing ability to slow down videos and not alter the pitch of the audio. I used this a ton. My playing jumped up tremendously from going through these exercises and trying to lean Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Brent Mason, etc etc lines. Blue notes, major/minor key scale swaps, deep dive into the number system, etc. Long answer, but that's what keeps me going now....trying to figure something out and not just "looking at the manual".
Long answer: When I first learned guitar, I went to a few lessons and the guy taught me how to read tabs (by teaching me Detroit Rock City by KISS) and from there, I just got tab books of albums I liked and learned how to read them and play them. That led me to be an intermediate level guitar player. But a few years ago, me and some buddies decided to make a 90s country cover band, and by default of being closest to the "best" guitar player in the band...I was handed a lot of solos that I wasn't really in the skill range of. But....if you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly. I wanted to do it right. So I set out to really learn the solos. Issue being there's not a lot of accurate tabs for some of these country tabs. Most people looking for tabs are looking for Metallica and Tool and on and on.
So I set out to learn those solos by ear. Youtube has an amazing ability to slow down videos and not alter the pitch of the audio. I used this a ton. My playing jumped up tremendously from going through these exercises and trying to lean Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Brent Mason, etc etc lines. Blue notes, major/minor key scale swaps, deep dive into the number system, etc. Long answer, but that's what keeps me going now....trying to figure something out and not just "looking at the manual".
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