Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

Great blog.

I think that what should also be mentioned are the injuries that can occur from mindless, repetitive and non-musical practicing. Tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome are constant sources of irritation for working players and need to be avoided or managed properly.

Focal dystonia is an even scarier possibility. GP published an article about Liona Boyd grappling with this devastating condition. Read this for a scary heads-up:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_dystonia

Practice with intent! Manage your time intelligently. Develop useful musical skills and avoid preventable injury.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

Well said Matt! All these things should be a means to an end and the end should be creating music and expressing one's self.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

Agreed with one major exception. Your experience was that of someone attending a 'masters class' and for those who have already put in their time and know the neck well, this is good advice. However, when I was trying to go from what I can only call a 'hack' guitarist to a guitar player that people would stop and listen to, I think the time I spent playing the major, minor, melodic minor, and harmonic scales, up and down the neck (circle of fifths) was invaluable to the fluidity my fingers (which most people would wrongly assume I was endowed with since birth) have today. That said, I also found a new rut and despite having super fast scales under my fingers, I didn't feel like I was able to create anything artistic. When I decided to learn SRV's "Crossfire" note for note though.. it opened my eyes to how Stevie would bend to notes BETWEEN the notes and countless other nuances that playing scales would have never shown me. So, yes, there should come a time in a guitar players life where they stop mindlessly playing excercises and start learning songs. The next step is there. Thanks for the good article!!

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

Perhaps you're confusing preparation with execution. We're all athletes from our shoulders to our fingertips. Exercise is not the performance. Exercise prepares the athlete FOR performance. All the years working on Hanon fingerings on the keyboard were NOT a total waste of time for Diana Krall. Imagine how many repetitions of technique a world-class tennis player perfects, a karate black belt practices, a master billiards player repeats, a pro baseball player swings. Wax on, wax off, Daniel-san It all depends on what your goals are. You'd like to play a song. That's cool. Play songs. I'd like to master this instrument so I have the technique and freedom to play anything that comes to mind. Woodshed whatever works for you.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

When I teach, especially with newer students, to do the reps. Its all about building strength. In my opinion, playing guitar is like running a marathon. You don't start by running twenty miles, you have to work up to. Scales, exercises, arpeggios, granted on their own are not always musical. But I would argue that you never know when some exercise or practice routine, or scale is going to payoff. Saying your not going to practice a certain way or thing just because at that moment you don't know any songs to use it with. And lots of times if I master something obscure or maybe mundane, I will turn it around and write it into a song I am working on. You just never know when a little lick, or practice diddy, or inverted arpeggio will lead. Want proof, try Sweet Child Of Mine. Slash wrote that as something to practice and Izzy went, "Hey, what was that?" You never know... So don't be quick to dismiss anything.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

I hate practicing scales. They remind me of math too perfect and boring when played in order without background music. When I started to use background music I began to enjoy playing scales because as I memorized them I could play around with them in the context of the song and that for me was fun. So, I learned scales by playing them with a song. I could never memorize all those scales without the background music. I agree that you shouldn't practice something you will never actually use, but how do you know if you'll never use it?

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

I'll have to strongly disagree with Matt's approach. As Dee implies, playing guitar is a physical, athletic endeavor. To do your best in a sport, you do things that will help you physically perform better on the field, such as lifting weights, running laps, doing sit-ups, etc. According to Matt, why would I do that? I never lift a barbell on the field of play! Because it builds up your strength and endurance. Why do I stretch my legs? I don't do that the game! Again, it's to improve your performance and prevent injury.

I have developed a whole bunch of warm-ups and finger exercises for myself, not unlike the exercise Matt mentions in his article. No, I don't do these by rote in a song. But that's not the point. The point is to get my fingers to be able to play things that are NOT what I usually play. Then when I need to play something new, my fingers can do it more easily. If you build your dexterity and stamina, then when you're ready to apply it to something new, you can do it.

How can I possibly know what I'll use in a song that I don't know yet? Sure, maybe I know that I won't use that entire exercise I practiced, but I might use a piece of it. Or I might use something similar to it. But if my fingers are not prepared to do it, then it will be more difficult for me to execute.

Another thing that no one ever mentions is, if you're doing "mindless" exercises, if you're not worrying about the "proper" notes being played, then you can concentrate on other aspects of your technique, such as note production (the quality of the notes being played), and, above all for me, relaxing while playing. Learning to relax is the BEST technique for quickly improving one's playing. But it's very difficult to relax if you're worrying about hitting wrong notes or staying in key.

People, do yourself a favor, keep doing those exercises. As long as you warm up well, pay attention to your own body and pain and stop when something hurts, and do different ones for improving different aspects of your playing, you shouldn't get injured. In fact, doing this should help keep you from injury.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

I never practice.....ever!! I only play music. I actually play the piano more at home than the guitar. I've had tons of success with this approach. On my way to play a festival this afternoon.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

That 1234 cromatic exercise is crap.
I didn't use it when I was learning.
But did add it to my practice around 10 -15 years ago when my chops were fairly developed.
I gave it a shot for a period of time and came to the conclusion that it wasn't improving my chops at all and it had little to do with music.
These days I warm up first with a cromatic scale or two and then shift to usefull scales and arpeggios. Once I'm half warmed up then I work on actual chop building pieces such as Paganini's 15th caprice or Malimsteens Triology suite.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

I agree with Matt and Lyle. I've found I stick with a lick or chord or whatever a lot harder if it's something that interests me...

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

Don't dismiss "mindless" exercises played in front of the TV. By putting your mind in "automatic mode" with respect to the practicing in this way; it helps to build speed, fluidity, and a cleaner more relaxed playing style. Many great guitarists have said they improved big time by absent mindedly noodling and doing exercises while focusing their attention elsewhere and, for me, this might be one of the best things about TV.

Re: Matt Blackett on Practicing

I don't know how many years Mr. Blackett has on the guitar, but for those of us with 45+ years, our hands need something with which to warm up. And no, not sitting in front of the TV, mindlessly running up and down scales… for pete's sake, if the guitar is boring you enough that you have to watch the TV, I'd suggest just putting it down and spending all of your valuable time in front of the tube.

Either that, or pick up the trombone ;)