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How much do you practice?


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Hey guys. Since I'm a fairly new player, I'm wondering how much you more experienced players practiced when you were starting out, and what you focused on. My immediate goals are to become a competent enough rhthym guitarist such that I could find a band or other work as a guitar player. Beyond that I'd like to become a competent lead player as well. I don't want to just noodle in my music room forever, I actually want to acquire skills that I can put to work.

 

I have teacher who is very good. Right now I am working on basics; rhythm playing, reading music, getting a decent sound. My lessons usually focus on something pretty specific, which I then go practice for a week until my next lesson. I try to practice for at least 1/2 hour everyday, but usually I practice more than once per day for a total of up to 2hrs. Sometime I feel like I am not progressing very well, and it gets frustrating. I play the same songs over and over again, and they start to come together, but very slowly. I've only really been focused on guitar for about four months, so I guess I can't expect too much.

 

Anyway, what this long winded post is asking is How long did it take you to get "good"? And by good I mean having the skill and confidence to say "Yeah, I'm a guitar player, lets jam" and then be able to put your skills to good use in a band environment.

 

It depends on my state of mind, if I am happy practically 2 hs or more and if I am sad maybe 1/2

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  • 3 months later...
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I'm retired, so I manage to get in about two hours + - usually broken up into 30-45 minute segments. I spend at least 30 minutes on technique stuff; at least an hour on the current stuff I am working on with my jazz teacher and then about 30 minutes on stuff with my band. A friend of mine told me (and I think he was quoting Miles Davis): the difference between a really great player and a very good one is that the former practices 4 hours minimum; the latter 2 hours. If I am working on a new performance piece, I will spend more time until I get it to a level I am comfortable with.

 

For me, practicing is work, plain and simple. I'm fairly disciplined, so I can usually get it done - but it is still hard work. Some days, I just don't feel like doing it but usually manage to get it done. Its all about putting in the time. Kudos to the players that do more than two hours. For me, practicing is also a mental exercise, especially when I am tacking complex pieces that involve chord substitutions. I play a lot of classical stuff (albeit poorly) and just figuring out how to finger some of that stuff is daunting, but fun in a challenging sort of way. You know, there are some days when I sit down to practice and I get this vibe from my guitar that says: You may be up to it today, but I'm not! Sounds weird but true.

 

Best advice: be consistent, go slowly - don't try to make yourself work harder than you are capable. Most important: Have fun with it. Playing guitar for me is a never ending challenge - I approach it as a student, always willing to try to learn new things or figuring out a way to do old things in a new way. Every time to start a new piece of music, I get a rush, similar to what I had as a kid first learning the instrument.

 

I started formal lesson when I was around ten and played until I was in my 20s. I gave it up but always kept coming back to it. One day I realized that I was a "Recovering Musician." That I needed to play that instrument as much as I needed to breathe and eat food. The guitar for me, is food for my soul. I just hope that on my last day on earth I manage to get my practicing in! And I told my wife and kids that I am taking with 89 ES 175 with me to the big gig in the sky!

 

So, my friend, "practice hard each day and you will get better. But its all about the journey and not the destination.

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  • 2 months later...

I try to make room for at least an hour practice/playing every day. Sometimes its less, but nearly everyday a little strumming, singing, scale practicing and very often way more. I have problems with sleeping at playing is a great way of removing stress so its therapeutical as well as fun. I have my guitars on guitar stands in my living room (its the only art I have) so I can pick one when I fill like it. With to daughters, a jobb and training for an Ironman again my day is more or less packed. No time for TV :-)

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kindly differentiate Practicing from Playing :)

 

Playing involves entertainment.

 

Practicing involves playing with the expressed intent to learn or improve.

 

I try to practice at least one hour a day, and play for another hour, if not, more.

 

Hopefully, we learn every time we play, but IMO, we learn more quickly if we practice with a plan or a goal around a regimented schedule.

 

I noticed Duane posted in another thread that gigging guitarists and studio guys only tend to practice hard parts to pieces they are set to perform. I don't pretend to be a good guitarist, but I've known many good ones. They don't tend to practice scales, but many will play variations to warm up. When I've asked them if they practice, they often tell me not enough. As you progress, your routine changes. But there is always an area that needs work, and there are always new things to learn. And even seasoned pros will cop a lesson from time to time.

 

I was hanging out with Hiram Bullock on a New Years Eve back around 1978. His limo driver was late getting him to a gig. He had him on the phone and he was flying over some scales unplugged just to warm up. The more excuses he got from the driver, the faster he played. And he was focused on his conversation. It was awesome!

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  • 1 year later...

keep in mind that when you practice you put a strain on the frets. If you over practice you'll need to have a leveling and re crown. It's hard to find a tech that can do this right. If you practice too much you will find that the guitar won't intonate properly. If you look closely you'll notice the frets begin to flatten out. This will create the pitch to be sharp on some frets and OK in others. It sounds great brand new but that's the issue. You'll have to buy a new guitar.

 

I'm mostly an acoustic player, I practice/play one to two hours a day (I keep the electric guitar sessions for an hour at night 2 or 3 times a week, with headphones, while plugged on a Boss Multi-Effects). I've started playing 3 years ago, but found a real passion in doing my own fretboard work (leveling and recrowning...and polishing the frets to a mirror shine!) about 6 months ago. I've leveled and re-crowned the frets of 4 guitars so far, and I'm proud of the final results. If changing strings is a chore, then doing your own fretwork won't be for you. Some people will have a real desire to learn how to do guitar repairs and modifications. If you're curious and you do a thorough check of the fretboard every time you change the strings, you will notice things. Like little dents on the frets. You may think the strings got digged into the frets by the Capo, but it didn't... It is normal wear, to some extent!

 

Practice makes perfect, no? How can you play or improve yourself if you don't practice?

 

Nobody told me and there is not a single tutorial for beginners I've watched where they make you practice your fretting touch. As an example, position your fingers for an open C chord as you normally do. Strum. Now, let your fingers rest lightly on top to mute the strings and strum it to compare the sound. Then, while strumming, start to apply pressure bit by bit on the strings until the C chord sounds perfect. You will notice that you don't have to press the strings all the way down to reach the wood of the fretboard, acoustic guitar or not! This is what you have to learn to control and be conscious about: the pressure you apply on the strings. This will help in developing "precision". Remember that a low action setup is suited for beginners and intermediates.

 

As for frets that begin to flatten, THIS IS NORMAL. Most guitars have nickel frets, which is a softer metal compared to stainless. That's why some player will eventually have a total re-fret done with stainless fret wires. Fret-leveling, crowning and polishing should be done once a year for a Professional player, but two to three times for a beginner's first year. Re-fretting is part of a Luthier's job description and it is considered as a "normal task". The real guitar practice that is needed and most won't do is the fretting touch by trying to discover your strength and be more conscious about the pressure of your fretting fingers over the strings/chords.

 

I've never heard anyone having to buy a new guitar because of "over-practicing". There's no such thing! A guitar needs care and requires regular maintenance, period.

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  • 7 months later...

Since 1st Feb 2016 (when I took up the guitar as an older beginner), I practice on average about 2.5 hours a day, but only rhythm guitar, lead guitar is a bit too hard for me.

 

That said, I am having loads of fun, plus I have learned how to play over 35 AC/DC songs.

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