Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

How much do you practice?


Recommended Posts

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.

Hour a day at least. Time is an issue but I never regret practicing when I did. Fuel to the fire, you will be unstoppable

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 80
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Hi,

 

If you are yet to work as a "professional", you'll get more out of 1 hour of playing with other people than you will practicing for 4 hours at home.

 

You'll get more out of being on stage with the band for 45 minutes than if you spend 4 hours with them in the rehearsal room.

 

Dont get me wrong, you need to practice on a regular basis, both on your own and with a group. You also need to "practice with a purpose". Its when you are suddenly there in front of other people, you soon find out where your playing suddenly falls apart.

 

My suggestion, for what its worth....

 

Practice on a regular basis at home. Also play in your head, when you haven't got anything else to think about. Try it. It helps.

 

Get along to some jam nights and open mic nights. Try to play with musicians that are better than you, they will push you.

 

You can spend hours perfecting every little neuance in your playing, but if no one ever hears it, then whats the point. Get out there and make mistakes....oh yeah, and learn from them......and most importantly, have fun

 

Good Luck

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

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.

 

the question really is 'what and how do I practice?' rather than 'how long?'

 

'Being able to put skills to good use in a band environment'....depends on the band, on the genre, how much experience you and the band has, ecc ecc

 

If you jam with a jazz or fusion band it requires more knowledge than in a blues or rock band.

 

If you practice really well and effectively ,in a couple of years you can be a good rock guitarist who plays covers that aren't too difficult

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

i've been back at it for a few weeks now, starting from scratch.

as of now i am doing 1 1/2 hours every other day, this is 1 1/2 straight i will ad, not broken into smaller time lots. as my fingers toughen i figure with in the next few days i will be able to go an hour every day, that is the goal anyways.

i am spending my time learning chords and doing pentatonic scales work, it is going well, and am learning to go from chord to chord with a little more speed and precision each time, imo the movement is the hard part, i'm getting good finger/fret placement, but the move from one to another is a large curve for me, but it is coming. i find the pentatonic scale to be very good at helping me find the strings with the pick.

 

it is the small improvements in sound and comfort that keep me moving forward, i'm having a blast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I wish that when I first started playing guitar I was as disciplined as I am now. Here's some things that I've learned throughout the years...

 

—The clock doesn't know anything. Don't necessarily give yourself time as a goal. Music is the goal.

 

—Have very specific goals when you are practicing. Otherwise, you'll spend too much time not making progress.

 

—Make sure that your instructor is teaching you how to effectively practice, not just how to play something. I stress this point constantly with my students. The reason why this is so important is that if you are only learning to play songs, you are not necessarily learning to play the guitar.

 

—If possible, try to spread out your practice during the day. Try working on your technique in the morning, and then repertoire in the afternoon/evening. Trying to do everything at one can be a little overwhelming sometimes.

 

—Learn a piece of music before you play it. ??? Yep. Study the music. If you're working on a specific song, how much can you learn about the song without playing your guitar? There might be written music or TAB. YouTube videos. You can listen to find the meter and form of the piece. Can you hum/sing/vocalize with the chord progressions and melody? Knowing the music before you even start to play it will greatly increase your progress.

 

I hope you find some of these points helpful!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

If you're working or busy studying you really have to make time and don't let opportunities to pick up the guitar pass by. Try keeping the guitarout of the case and easily accessable is one way avoid 'the out of sight uot of mind' syndrome and pick it up even for 5 minutes whenever you would otherwise watch tv/internet ect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's very important to think about what your goals are. If you're trying to become a virtuoso guitarist then yes, you need to practice 3-4 + hours a day. However, there are so many other things to focus on in music as well - rehearsing with a band, writing songs, composing, learning how to market your music, learning how to record and produce your own music. For me practicing guitar is just the tip of the iceberg. When I was younger and in music school I spent 4-5 hrs a day with the guitar, now I'm a little burnt out on practicing. (I still do it) But these days I'm more interested in writing good songs, getting good gigs, and saying more by playing less.

 

One last thing I will add is that I think you get a lot more out of playing with musicians who are better than you than you do from practicing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I'm 61 and retired. I've been at this about 1 1/2 years. Being retired, I plunk any time I have time. I keep my git on a stand in my music room. this amounts to at least an hour per day. The problem I have is practicing the RIGHT things. I get "squirled" and wind up reverting to playing things I know and enjoy. I need to reel myself in to practicing things I Don't know and enjoy. But, I'm having a riot with this git thing. I have NO aspirations to play outside my own home for myself. Just KEEP IT FUN, Dean

 

 

10-4 on this...am also retired and have the time, and keep git right by desk/computer.

Pick it up and pluck away all too often, but keep doing the same stuff, not venturing out into much new...of course I'm still trying to get the other stuff "right".

Old dogs and new tricks or something like that...

 

[thumbup]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

avatar1.jpg

I've been working to get a min 30min a day, but some days I get none or some I get an hr. A lot has to do with my 9 to 5 job. :(

WOw amazing.

You did great.

I am a lazy bone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I saw an interview with a well-known guitar player whyo said he practices 8 hours a day - 365 days a year. How do they do it? I could never accomplish that & also know I will never be a very good guitar player either unless I do something close to that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...

I am 63 years old and have been back at the guitar for about 10 months now, I practice 1-2 hours a day. Before I used to watch the TV from about 8pm to 10pm and mindless shows that gave nothing to me. Now I go down in the playroom and pick up my guitar and practice for that time. I get a lot more satisfaction from the practice time than I ever did from watching TV. On the weekends there is always something to be done from the "Honey do list " but I still manage to find an hour a day somewhere to sit and relax while I practice I try to work on scales, a warm up and a couple of songs to give me an interesting break up of my time spent. the amount of time you practice will be determined by the other things in your life. My son has two young children and obviously doesn't have the same freedom that I do so he might put in a few hours a week, at most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

im 21 been playing as a hobbie player sinse early high school i took it fairly seriously during high school playing up to 4 hours a day as i mainly did music for the 4 years i was there and i played in most of the bands at school.but really played anytime i got a chance most nights i would pick a good 8 songs that im into and just play until boredom has dissapeared. then after i left high school i played less because of work somtimes missing out on playing at all. but got to play abit on weekends just for fun. the past 3 years ive hooked onto it opening doors that had not yet been opened until 3 years ago. getting in 15-20min most days, the past 6 months ive been getting into slide more and jamming in bands and stuff gettign it back. practising for 20-40mins a few times a week. so really just for fun over the time ive been playing but im hoping that when this band gets going it will become more than just a hobbie [thumbup]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am 63 years old and have been back at the guitar for about 10 months now, I practice 1-2 hours a day. Before I used to watch the TV from about 8pm to 10pm and mindless shows that gave nothing to me. Now I go down in the playroom and pick up my guitar and practice for that time. I get a lot more satisfaction from the practice time than I ever did from watching TV.

 

 

Excellent point. About the tv. What a waste of mind numbing time.

 

I am 64 years old and have been back at the guitar for about 10 months now. I practice 2-3 hours per day but the goal is always a minimum of two.

 

I am learning guitar with the Gibson Learn and Master Guitar course. Each morning I get up before my wife, make coffee and then practice for one hour with headphones as to not wake her. Each evening from 9 to 10 I go upstairs and practice for one hour while she watches tv. These two practice times are not negotiable.

 

Each day I try to throw in an hour of fun guitar playing. Trying to learn a song from Learn and Master Song Hits or anything else fun. This hour doesn't always happen but I try and squeeze it in when possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I find I learn more playing along with a band so I bought a gdec amp (boooo fender!)

 

I play every day for at least 10 minutes (sometimes up to 2 hours depending on work commitments) - Hasn't got boring yet after 20 years!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...