What Are You Practicing To Learn Right Now?

[faintofheart]

Are you practicing new scales? Learning new chords? Sight-reading? Modes? Sweep Picking/Shred? Classical? Appregios? Speed/Accuracy? Rhythm? etc?

Just let us know what you're practicing/learning and how you go about it?

I'm working on trying to get some Jazz into my guitar vocabulary and I'm trying to master the modes. So I'm running through modes and praying that my University Library has a book with a good section on Chord Theory that is entirely unrelated to guitar first so that I can work with that later on the fretboard.

What about you?

PS: if you know any good theory books... let me know please

[typo]

i am working on fluency of chord/lead mixes (think hendrix fluency), so a combination of speed and accuracy exercises. other than that i'm working on my little finger strength, accuracy and dexterity

for fluency i use scales, and chord change exercises focusing first on accuracy, then speed, then both combined. i then have a number of pieces i play once warmed up (including some hendrix lol)

fir little fingers I start with scales developing accuracy, and then speed then both combined. i then do some string bends, starting at the 9th fret, on the high E string, work down the neck towards the nut, then the same on the B, and so on across the strings. Lastly I do a set of hammer on/pull off exercises usually with my first finger on fret 7, little finger on fret 10. I then work up the neck towards the bridge. This pushes the accuracy and strength.

[Steve]

I'm working on A minor.

[typo]

i'm back working on scales to expand my repertoire. apart from that i've been working on finding more linking riffs between chords. eg between a, Am and D in a n open voicing, or A on 5th to E on 7th.

[Alistair]

I'm learning songs for our band Box Of Goats and trying to improve my finger-picking

[Steve]

I'm still on A minor.

[thelevellers]

ooh! I picked up a new one the other day... It was a thingy... You know, this one *demonstrates*. A major seventh! That's it!

Right now I'm trying to learn how NOT to play guitar, so I can get on with some Uni work

Rohan

[Rudi]

I don’t honestly know. I’ve been playing along to the TV. Adverts, incidental music, theme tunes etc. I don’t normally watch TV, but I’ve just discovered ‘Dave’. When there is no music, I just carry on from the last thing I heard.

[thelevellers]

Wow, that sounds like fun... Wish I could pick out keys better so I could try that

[TimmyMayes]

When searching for an ear training program I came across a guy who has around 50 books on many aspects of music. Many of his books are used as official text books for the Berkley School of music in New York, I think its THE school for Jazz guitar. He focuses on jazz it seems but he has books on ear training and general thoery too. I picked up his book on ear training and the New York Guitar Method Book one. Its a comprehensive book. I have jsut gotten into it. He goes into lots of chords, scales etc. And its not just hey here is the scale. Its a workbook so you have to fill out tons of pages with scales on both fretboard diagrams and musical staffs. Whats really cool is that he isn't one of those people that tries to teach you by patterns. He is very against it and focuses instead on you learning all of the notes.

Whats really cool is I had some questions on the content on his books and where I should start so I sent him an email. And I got a response within an hour, and this was at like 6pm Pacific time. He recommended me 4 books to start and didn't just say buy these and start here. He explained why I should use each and told me after I got them to email him and he would give me a training schedule. Which he did. Its been busy around the holidays so i havne't really thrown myself fully into it but I am quite excited.

Haha that probably sounds like an infomercial but its really just an extremely satisfied customer. The full on text won't be super cheap but I think it will be quite comprehensive. I am really sold on his ear training method and ideology. And his level of customer service really is unparrallelled.

Any who here is a link if you are interested.

Muse-eek

Cheers,

Timothy

[Alistair]

I'm re-learning all the songs I messed up at last night's gig. Including one I wrote!

[Nick]

I'm working on more fluency, more creativity and more solid lines in my bass playing. Also started experimenting with slapping for a tune someone wants to play (you can't beat a good slapper). Also aiming to be able to play fluently in any key on the bass. Little finger also needs strengthening!

On guitar I am trying to play smoothly an instrumental thing that I wrote which I find really hard to play. It's in an odd tuning (CGDGAD) and I'll post it here sometime over Christmas as I'm interested to know if it stands up as a tune/piece by itself or if it needs words.

Teaching myself to play mandolin as well for a bit of a change.

Next project is to experiment more with DADGAD and double dropped D tuning for accompanying session tunes.

Then in February...

[typo]

nick, do you use specific exercise to strengthen your little finger?

[Nick]

nick, do you use specific exercise to strengthen your little finger?

Not really apart from I play more scales with 'proper' fingering than I used to. Perhaps like a lot of people I'm self taught and have developed all sorts of bad habits over the years. Most of the music I play is fingerstyle stuff but have a legacy of not using all my left hand fingers properly when playing - especially if I do single string stuff (though I have never been a lead guitarist apart from odd jams here and there). So part of my effort at the moment is to 'unlearn' bad habits and replace them with better but I still have a tendency to use my first three left hand fingers at certain times rather than the fourth.

On the bass it notices more with the larger stretches and greater pressure involved so it's just a thing of practice.

The unfortunate thing from my end is that age is starting to catch up with my fingers. Years ago I was bitten by our dog on the main joint of the first finger of my left hand which has left a bit of stiffness in it and the little finger on my left hand is a bit sore on the joint so I may be getting a hint of arthritis which is a bit of a piss off.

Taking up the mandolin though has been good as it is very different and because I had no preconceptions. I have started off playing scales and tunes and can probably already play faster on it that I can on the guitar. But even on the mandolin I'm battling against not using my little finger, but it's easier as I have less to unlearn!

Edited December 24, 2007 by Nick

[Alistair]

You never told me you had a dog!

[Nick]

You never told me you had a dog!

It was a lot of years ago and belonged to my parents. It mistook my finger for the bone I was holding and closed it's back teeth onto it before it realised it was me... Makes me wince to remember it. I'll show you the scar on Wednesday!

(We had various dogs and a cat. No rodents. Some newts in the pond in the garden. No tropical birds. Hope that fills in the pet situation)

Edited December 24, 2007 by Nick

[Alistair]

What else are you holding bacK?

[Nightwolf]

Watch out for the Newts Nick, they are a nasty bunch

When I practice the Bass I intentionally use my left pinky, but then when I play it just hangs. I do feel that using it makes my whole hand stronger. I also use my right pinky to pick/pluck when I practice, I also try to use the bottom three fingers instead of the top three and usually run a Steve Harris cadence until my forearm lights on fire. Like I said, even if I don't use it when I "really" play, it makes my whole hand/forearm stronger.

[Nick]

Watch out for the Newts Nick, they are a nasty bunch

When I practice the Bass I intentionally use my left pinky, but then when I play it just hangs. I do feel that using it makes my whole hand stronger. I also use my right pinky to pick/pluck when I practice, I also try to use the bottom three fingers instead of the top three and usually run a Steve Harris cadence until my forearm lights on fire. Like I said, even if I don't use it when I "really" play, it makes my whole hand/forearm stronger.

I was just practising the bass part of one of Alistair's songs and realise that I do need to use it quite a lot in this - it's a good work out to keep it going for 4 minutes!

-----------------------------------------------------------------6-5-3-----------------

---------------------6-4-3------------------------------------------------6-4-3-------

-----3-4-6-4-3---------------6-4-3----------3-4-6-4-3--------------------------6---

-4----------------4-------------------6-4------------------4--------------------------

from Ten Things I Want to Do Before I Die - Alistair McIntosh

Edited December 24, 2007 by Nick

[thelevellers]

That looks like fun! I might have to have a play at that when I get home! lol... Love fun bass lines...

However top of my list for practising at the moment is a simple matter of finger strength so that I can actually fret barre chords on my (shiny new) 12-string... Oh, and so i redevelop my guitar callouses, as they've been disappearing over this holiday

Rohan