I’m always curious how others approach learning this instrument and music in general.

For me in the past 35 years I’ve rarely practiced less than 2 hours per day (for me a necessary discipline). And I have always had ear training as part of my practice and repertoire building (remembering) so ...,,. Songs.

What do you guys do?

Brett

Greetings... I practice a regiment in the early mornings focusing on warm-up exercises, the Family, triad, and polychords, application of theory, learning notes on every string and learning songs. I am studying at the moment with SteveA which, is really helping me with harmony and melody. GregH is another of my main teachers. both these cats of different and unique ways of approach and technique.
I am into West African music, so I also try to learn some kora, Kamel ngoni patterns, playing in 7/8 and also studying djembe and hand drumming patterns for tapping.

about 1-2 hrs a day..more hrs on weekends/holidays

going through songs i know and expand my setlist

since i get bored easily by exercises , I try to find "exercise" that are actually songs , by learning more challenging songs which use more chord progression or use not "unusual" chords like aug/sus/dim etc..

I do as much as possible. Usually 2 hours a day and weekend 3 to 4 hours . If my wife is gone all day. Working on Bach prelude in c minor right now. Great exercise in diminished voicing in right hand. It’s all arpeggios but constantly changing . Working on jazz tunes and improvisation. Writing new stick tunes and hopefully getting to recording an album which is
one of the things I’m working towards. Also wanting to have three 45 minute sets of music ready so I can do a solo gig. I’ve got the number of songs down but not the songs themselves. So much work so little time.

Much of my practising is done in my head these days, as time does not permit legitimate practise - but I am always thinking about music and where the notes fall on the finger board[s].

Because of my love of gamelan and more experimental music, also raga... my discipline is probably very much different than most others here, as from a technical standpoint my playing is probably considered feeble if not pathetic at best.

My father is quite sick right now - so physical practising is completely off for the time being as I am spending extra time with my family - but typically I shoot for 30 to 45 minute intervals of straight playing, perhaps 3 - 4x a week, and simply see where that playing takes me.

I'm actually going to be off-line here for a bit so I can focus more on my family but I wanted to get this response out, as it's a good question and I myself am also interested in other musicians routines.

It's the same discipline on my side Brett. The only difference (maybe) is that I put my time on different instruments...guitar, bass, cello, piano and stick. Also working some recordings in my studio...well...it's more than 2 hours a day...lol. At the beginning ('69) I was crazy...about 10 to 12 hours a day...

Same routine monday to friday: Playing a one hour set, standing, like a regular gig. This means around 14 songs, different each day. This allows me to "keep" (not forget) the arrangements and lyrics of my 70 songs repertoire (I do not use a prompter and must remember lyrics in french, english, german and from this week on also italian).

During the week-end, it's either gigging or learning new songs.

If I gig during the week, I'll skip the songs I played during the gig when practicing the other days.

Wow, 2 hours a day is really good! I mean I would say in my prime I did more like hour and then break and hour or 2 so 3 total but NOT practice really>yikes.... Thats my trip now I am gonna re program my soul or mind to practice but be playing or improvising (well hopefully) and yet still learning and like doing chord progs in melodic minor properly. I need a hypnotist and a sensory tank and a waterproof stick floating in there with me and an amp in the water as well as above, for tonal variety. The reverb will be nice. Really though I aim for 30 mins EVERY day now. Remember thats after a life reset thing though it will build up!

Cheers, and why is practicing and focusing so hard ahhh!:? Anyone feel me on that its goofy.

I typically practice 30 minutes a day
and play whatever comes into my head.
I use the Stick as a way to relax and chill out.

At the moment I’m practicing late at night, for about an hour.

I don’t have a detailed schedule (although I’d want to), so sometimes I work on scales and chords, others on improvising and playing what I know, and other on learning new songs.


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