How do you like to practice.

[rnav2174]

Just curious about other's approaches to practicing.

[Steamrollin Stan]

Good one Nav, your back, I have picked on certain 'riffs' etc, but don't focus on the hardcore muscle memory things i should be doing, but its the way i just do what i can, but i do know if i focus for about a total of 5-10 hrs on a riff it becomes sort of second nature, problem is i get bored and just ramble on with whatever, like i'm doing nowl

Sometimes its good to let fly when the mood get in.

[Eric Stahl]

As the mood and acoustics strike. Often playing along with the stereo and TV - jumping around randomly, from song to song, style to style.

-Eric

[Rick]

The pros say to have a bit of structure to your practice.   5 minutes of scales, 5 minutes of theory, 10 minutes working on a new song challenge, 10 minutes just playing for fun doing whatever.

I made up the time amounts, expand it if you have more time.

Me?   I have not been practicing any, I've been playing with the slide guitar, but I do plan on getting back into it pretty soon.

[Eric Stahl]

Rick, The question was how do you *like* to practice 

[Rick]

That's what I "like", it's just not what I do.     

 

[rnav2174]

Just finished about a 4 hour practice session using a WH12 Golden Butterfly and Garageband on my MacBook Pro playing to a lot of Stevie , Marvin and Michael . Half of the session was dedicated to the Smooth Jazz and Big Band streams in iTunes. With my effects set to about 10% Echo -30% Reverb , a good set of ear phones and my eyes closed , it felt as though I was on a big stage playing with these guys for real . Cool fantasy. I also managed to slip in a little time on the For Our Love Bt. Well that was my session for the day. 

This session was the other day, trying to come up with some new runs for Ribbon. Didn't care about the mess ups, just kept on rolling forward and back around to go at them again. That's one of the ways I practice.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSoER-m17_k&feature=youtu.be

[Steamrollin Stan]

Nav Baby, I listened to most of this, you seem to have a good set up with gear etc, I reckon the blues shuffle boogie thing is hibernating and should be exploited..LOUD!!!!.

[Gorfalamu]

How I like to practice; headphones, microphone, player and recorder.  Set everything in motion and hammer away at riffs and licks until it all comes together and sounds great. Best done with copious amounts of coffee after midnight.

How I really practice; band practice every Friday night, set up gear, work through everyone's parts and hammer away at it until it sounds great. Try desperately to remember all that when we get on stage.

Various combinations of one and two above.

[rnav2174]

Stan, actually this set up is very basic just a cheap Amp and equally cheap Karaoke mic. I really need a better set up , I'm still a newbie when it comes to putting it all together. That's what I get for spending most of my time on my laptop. Thanks

Gorfalamu, the first part of your response is pretty much the way I like to approach my practice sessions too with the exception of using GarageBand on my iDevices for my recording and playback. Thanks

[Eric Stahl]

Dancing through the living room in boxers while playing along with the satellite radio Big Band/Swing channel is another fun way to practice 

[rnav2174]

Dancing through the living room in boxers while playing along with the satellite radio Big Band/Swing channel is another fun way to practice 

That's got to be one of the best ways to practice. I play to a lot of Smooth Jazz but I also like jumping over to the Blues , Big Band / Swing and the old 1920's streams too. Brazilian and Latin jazz are two other streams I love experimenting with on occasion after I'm all Smooth Jazzed out. Thanks

[Grampz]

I don't
I just play some back tracks and honk along.
Now this may last 4 hours or more a day but I don't consider this practice. If I did it would become more like a job and the FUN would be gone. 

[Brown Ale Guy]

I used to practice just by trying to play along with something or trying to record something and I really "like" to learn to play a song until I could play it halfway decent. I never used to practice scales or really play riffs to develop muscle memory. I used to hate that concept even. But what I learned is that it works! Now I LIKE to practice with scales and new riffs and play them over and over and over. Different scales. Different positions. Different keys. Try to make the overblows and overdraws seem a little smoother and sound better. Scales on diatonic. Scales on chrom. It works killing time during commutes (not recommended in 20 degree below zero like this morning when I slid on the black ice off the freeway into the ditch, save that tirade for later.) When your face remembers the scales and riffs, then when you go to play a song, they flow without having to work so hard or think so much.