Can someone suggest a practice regime?

SNAKEBITE

I know this is a big ask but I was wondering if anyone has a practice/warm up regime they could suggest to me.

I was after something to run through as a warm up that incorporates exercises which cover "basic techniques". Something that I can start slowly and build up speed on. Something that I can "monitor" over a period of time and monitor my improvement.

Is there something I can download (PDF?) or print off that I can go through every time I practice?

Many Thanks.

mike_l

Warm ups

Simple 1-2-3-4 across all 6 strings

or 1-2-3-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-3-2-1 etc across all 6 strings

then 1-3-4-2-1-3-4-2 etc across all 6 strings

then 1-2-4-3-1-2-4-3 etc across all 6 strings

then 1-4-2-3-1-4-2-3 etc across all 6 strings

then

5-6-7-8 (low E)  then diagonally across the strings 8(E) - 7(A) - 6(D) - 5(G) then 5-6-7-8(G) then diagonal 8(G) 7(D) 6(A) 5(E) etc

should get you started.

*Edit*  do it picked once, then legato (hammer on/ pull offs etc)

viz

Look at Steve Vai's 3-hour workout. Try to avoid his 10-hour workout! And even for the 3-hour one, you only need to do bits of it. It's really good.

octatonic

It largely depends on where you are now, what you already know and what you want to do.

Do you want to be a jazzer, or a shredder, or a bluesman, or something else?

There is no one routine that will work for you better than something else and anything I give you will not be tailored to your needs.

Give us a bit more information here and I'll see what I can come up with.

Really you want a one-on-one with someone.

If you are in London then I can help if you are prepared to come here (W3).

viz

Look at Steve Vai's 3-hour workout. Try to avoid his 10-hour workout! And even for the 3-hour one, you only need to do bits of it. It's really good.

close2u

It's that man again:

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PC-501-BeginnersPractice.php

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PC-502-IntermediatePractice.php

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TE-000-Technique.php

SNAKEBITE

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I like a really structured approach to things, I find if I wing it then things get missed or not done properly enough. The same with getting things and picking bits out of them, I just pick the bits I like!

As to where I am now well, I have been playing for a number of years but have only just started taking lessons and have started to study for the grade 2.

Whilst going through the book I have found some things easy and some things quite hard. I want to practice my technique and the warm up has to include the required techniques I will be using.

SNAKEBITE

viz said:

Look at Steve Vai's 3-hour workout. Try to avoid his 10-hour workout! And even for the 3-hour one, you only need to do bits of it. It's really good.

Thanks for the tip.

I have googled it but can only find a 10 hour and a 30 hour (divided up into 3 10 hour workouts).

Am I missing something? Do you have a link?

Thank you.

mike_l

John Petrucci's Rock Discipline is good.

If you're wanting to be a shredderist, then the Troy Stetina series are good, especially Speed Mecanics.

SNAKEBITE

Sorry missed the bit about my "goals"

Right then, I do not want to be a shredist, although I believe if I can work up a bit of speed then playing anything slower is going to be easier. "Train hard, fight easy" sort of thing.

Music wise I come from a Rock 'n' Roll, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, ska, blues area. Although I realise I'm going to have to build up to a few of those areas.

octatonic

SNAKEBITE said:

Sorry missed the bit about my "goals"

Right then, I do not want to be a shredist, although I believe if I can work up a bit of speed then playing anything slower is going to be easier. "Train hard, fight easy" sort of thing.

Music wise I come from a Rock 'n' Roll, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, ska, blues area. Although I realise I'm going to have to build up to a few of those areas.

Normally my response is to learn the major scale, modes, harmony and then get transcribing.

Given the genres you want to play in I would say it is even more important.

There is a lot of jazz theory contained within and the best way to get to grips with it is to transcribe a lot of songs and play them often.

Ideally you want to be transcribing every day.

When I say transcribe I don't mean just cop licks from a recording.

Learn how to write it down on paper (dots preferable, but tab at a push) and think about how it is put together.

A lot of rock players that try to cross over to these genres don't do this and their lead playing is a bit too much of 'dorian wank', which doesn't really work.

SNAKEBITE

Thanks a lot for the help.

I agree that a lot of players just cannot pull this off, I recently saw Jeff Beck on youtube playing his rockabilly set and was blown away by his versatility.

In reality I think I need to learn the Major/modes scales before I do anything.

Part of what I really need to learn is ear training, I am useless at it and therefore transcribing is near impossible at the moment

"Dorian wank" I am saving this and will bring it out at an appropriate moment

.

octatonic

SNAKEBITE said:

Thanks a lot for the help.

I agree that a lot of players just cannot pull this off, I recently saw Jeff Beck on youtube playing his rockabilly set and was blown away by his versatility.

In reality I think I need to learn the Major/modes scales before I do anything.

Part of what I really need to learn is ear training, I am useless at it and therefore transcribing is near impossible at the moment

"Dorian wank" I am saving this and will bring it out at an appropriate moment

.

No worries.

Be careful with modes and rockabilly.

Really you want to be thinking in in terms of arpeggios- mostly triadic and dominant.

Check out Jim Heath's playing- I'm sure you know him- but there is a lot of good stuff in there.

Also Cousin Harley- Paul Pigat's playing is absolutely amazing and has all the good bit chin' harmonic stuff you need to be copping.

close2u

SNAKEBITE said:

As to where I am now well, I have been playing for a number of years but have only just started taking lessons and have started to study for the grade 2.

Whilst going through the book I have found some things easy and some things quite hard. I want to practice my technique and the warm up has to include the required techniques I will be using.

Go through this

http://justinguitar.com/en/IM-000-IntermediateMethod.php

Don't skip bits ... but if you already have those skills do it more quickly.

SNAKEBITE said:

Music wise I come from a Rock 'n' Roll, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, ska, blues area. Although I realise I'm going to have to build up to a few of those areas.

All based on similar foundations ... 12-bar blues.

So use these:

http://justinguitar.com/en/BL-000-Blues.php

http://justinguitar.com/en/AR-000-Arpeggios.php

 

SNAKEBITE said:

In reality I think I need to learn the Major/modes scales before I do anything.

Major Scale (see link below) and Minor Pentatonic (see blues link above) are all you need for a good while.

http://justinguitar.com/en/PR-005-MasterMajorScale.php

Modes can wait until your skill / experience / knowledge expands.

 

 

SNAKEBITE said:

Part of what I really need to learn is ear training, I am useless at it and therefore transcribing is near impossible at the moment

.

http://justinguitar.com/en/AU-000-AuralTraining.php

http://justinguitar.com/en/TR-000-Transcribing.php

 

That will keep you busy for many months to come.

 

SNAKEBITE

Thank you for that.

viz

SNAKEBITE said:

viz said:

Look at Steve Vai's 3-hour workout. Try to avoid his 10-hour workout! And even for the 3-hour one, you only need to do bits of it. It's really good.

Thanks for the tip.

I have googled it but can only find a 10 hour and a 30 hour (divided up into 3 10 hour workouts).

Am I missing something? Do you have a link?

Thank you.

ah sorry, you're right. It's 10 and 30, not 3 and 10. I got confused because I can complete the 10 hour one in 3 hours. Not.

Jaycee

Justinguitars sit is excellent, you have the pdf's and videos to help you.

I think however that the most important part is not giving up after a few months and trying something else.

Start off well within your comfort zone working on technique and quality of tone.  Set yourself a target of 120 bpm (as an example) start at 60bpm and work your way up in 10's 70, 80 90, etc for each exercise.  When you complete a section give yourself a test of playing it through 3 times without any mistakes if you fail return to a speed where you can play it and start from there.

The "teacher" side of you must be the boss, if the "player" ignores the "teacher"  things will only get harder and take longer or not be accomplished at all.   Players who do this have shelves full of books but have never completed one.

thomasross20

Honestly, I just pulled bits and bobs from a bunch of sources... can't say I ever did a workout in full from one person or another. But I used to (and still do, I guess) analyse my technique to the nth degree.

My best advice? Learn songs you love (that are challenging) from start to finish. Then join a band and play live.