Top 10 Practice Tips: Stick to the Plan (8 of 10)

"If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail" as they say. By "they" I mean about a zillion people. But some attribute this exact quote to Harvey MacKay.

Some of my guitar students have expressed to me the frustration of not improving after hours of work on a song, technique or exercise. In some, very few cases, these frustrations are due to what physical trainers call "the hump". Getting over it takes discipline and resolve. What one is doing is maxing out his or her physical capacity to perform.

But I don't think the "getting over the hump" theory is what prevents most people - and most guitarists - from improving.

I think the real challenge - the real hurdle - is a lack of planning - or not knowing how to plan - in order to succeed. Developing a plan isn't always easy - especially for young players - but with a little practice, everyone can improve his skills on guitar.

There are two things I want to touch on here as we really get in to what a "guitar playing improvement plan" can look like:

1. Continue to practice everything you've learned.

This is hard to do, but for anyone who has played for more than about a year, you really need about an hour of playing five days a week in order to continue improving. Half of that time ought to be practicing what you already know. The remaining 30 minutes ought to be skills you're developing. Yes, I'm talking 60 minutes a day. That's five hours of guitar a week. (Cut back on Call of Duty, please.)

Here's one suggestion for your 30-minute daily reviews:

Day 1: Pentatonic scales and exercises
Day 2: Bar chords and inversions
Day 3: Major and natural minor scales and exercises
Day 4: Arpeggios (major, minor, augmented, half- and fully-diminished 7th chords)
Day 5: Harmonic and melodic minor scales and exercises

2. In order to pass "the hump", athletes and musicians have to increase their capacity by focusing on their weakest links.

For me, this applies really well to rock climbing. It's simple: if I focus only on the types of climbs that I'm good at and like to do, I'll never be a great all-around climber. If I'm a great slab climber and I choose not to work on finger strength on over-hanging routes, I'll never be able to climb over-hanging routes.

On guitar, maybe you hate scales because you suck at alternate picking. Well, you'll never be able to play those quick lead/solo lines well. Want to learn that Jimmy Page solo in "Black Dog"? Not gonna happen without some serious practice on your weaknesses. You know where this is headed...

So how do you know where you're playing is weakest?

Time to eat humble pie, folks. You need to play with people who are better than you. They don't have to be guitarists - just better musicians.

Let this be duly recorded:

If you are in a band and you don't think to yourself at every rehearsal "What a privilege! I get to play with musicians who are better than me every week", then you need to quit and find a new band.

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Top 10 Practice Tips: Build on the Basics (7 of 10)

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It's important to stay sharp on the basics. My first guitar teacher, Jack Hammond, once told me that, in order to maintain my current skill level, I needed to practice at least 30 minutes a day. Those 30 minutes would be filled with the basics: scales, chords, arpeggios, right-hand technique, and sight-reading. Now, that was a long time ago, and I would certainly say today that I have to practice much more than that - daily - to maintain my skill level - probably closer to somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes plus.

When I say "the basics," here's exactly what I mean:

• Major and minor pentatonics
• 7-Tone major and natural minor scales
• Harmonic, melodic, and jazz melodic minor scales
• One-Octave mixolydian and dorian box patterns
• At least one diminished scale with all box patterns
• Major and minor arpeggios
• Major and minor inversions, including drop-2 and -3 voicings
• Maj7, dom7, and min7 chord inversions, including drop-2 and -3 voicings
• Sight-reading in both rock (or jazz) and classical styles
• Strumming patterns practice and finger-picking methods

Why are the basics so important? Simple: they're the building blocks for everything else you'll learn on guitar. Without them, a guitar would just be a wooden stick with a few strings, attached to a hollow box. These techniques get you in the door, if you will - get you invited to the party. When somebody is serious when he or she says "I play guitar", this is what the person is talking about. These are the skills the person is talking about.

Top 10 Practice Tips: Take a Break (6 of 10)

I've been around classical musicians at college conservatories long enough to know the number one way to derail a quickly progressing music career: practicing too much. That's right. I've said it. But it's not exactly what you think. The real issue is not how much one practices, but for how long one practices without taking a break. The rule of thumb that I follow myself, and that I have been instructed to follow by my own college professors was five minutes off for every 35 minutes of practicing - no matter what.

It's important to remember, too, that I'm not just talking about rehearsing, because we all know that at least a third of the time in rehearsal we guitarists probably aren't playing. In a jazz big band setting, for example, guitarists are lucky to play 50% of the time. What I'm talking about with the 5:35 is 35 minutes of sustained practice: scales, chords, arpeggios, finger-picking technique, etc.

Don't over-do it, and don't think you're invincible. I've seen a ton of string players lose weeks of playing time because they aren't following a strict diet of break-taking during rigorous practice sessions.

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Top 10 Practice Tips: Sing While You Play (5 of 10)

I've heard it said that if you can't sing it, you can't play it. And when it comes to improvisation, I think this is a true statement. By vocalizing the pitches you want to play - before you play them - you train your ears and fingers to work together. The more you practice scales - and the more you sing them while you play them - the better you'll get at soloing. Probably one of the coolest artists I've ever heard using this technique is John Pizzarelli. Check him out.

Top 10 Practice Tips: Use a Metronome (4 of 10)

I may take some heat for saying this, but I think it's a true statement: 90% of all drummers' timing sucks. They can't play to a metronome. They can't play to a click. They may not even own a metronome. And that, of course, is exactly why they can't play in tempo. Okay, granted, music is supposed to "flow" a bit, and that is definitely evident in almost all classic rock (think Zeppelin). But no matter, as a musician, your job is to be able to keep it together - at whatever tempo - no matter what your instrument.

For the guitarist, I try to play with a metronome for everything: scales, chords, sight-reading, and even rehearsing my own music - especially for sessions. I challenge my students to have better timing that 98% of the musicians out there. The remaining 2%? Well, they better be drummers.

Top 10 Practice Tips: Listen... and Learn (3 of 10)

You've heard it said that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Well, I'm "hear" to tell you that you will sound like what you listen to. Seriously.

I'm not just talking about that average, mediocre, undisciplined, unambitious, lazy musician, listening to his favorite bands. I'm not talking about visualizing the success you want to achieve in your life. That stuff doesn't work for musicians.

If you listen - truly listen - and try to imitate the artists you want to play like, eventually - eventually - you will begin to sound like that artist. Learn a lick. Learn a riff. Sing that catchy, unforgettable melody. Try to get your amp tones right, too - and your vocal tone. Just try.

You need to be a musician listening to music - not just an ordinary person listening to music. Listen for that progression, that interval, that string bend, that energy, passion, and quality that makes your favorite recording artist so unique, then learn how to do it.

Top 10 Practice Tips: Take it Slowly (2 of 10)

Probably the number one mistake that young guitarists make is playing too fast when first learning a new exercise, scale, or song. By playing too fast too soon, the player is, essentially, trying to circumvent the laws of music:

First comes technique, then accuracy, then speed. For as long as there have been musicians, that's been the sequence for mastery of an instrument. As several of my old teachers have said to me, "If you can't play it slowly, you can't play it at all." And if you can't play it slowly, you certainly can't play it fast. It makes sense to me.

Set that metronome on the slow side, make sure you can play that sheet music accurately and with perfect technique, then speed it up - slowly. And just in case you think I'm running low of wise sayings, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Top 10 Practice Tips: Be Comfortable (1 of 10)

This is the first post in a series (probably non-consecutive) about "best practice" methods for practicing guitar (well, any instrument, actually). Sometimes it won't be possible to follow all of these tips, but they're definitely things that all players - young and old - should keep in mind if they're serious about improving their skills on a given instrument.

TIP #1: BE COMFORTABLE

Where you practice matters. If you're not in a place where you can fully focus on the single task of practicing, your session will be counter-productive; or, at best, just a waste of time.

Find a place free of distractions: from people, from extra noises, and from cell phones!

Find a chair that you're comfortable sitting in. A little cushion helps, but sometimes that's not possible. Remember, you're probably going to be practicing for a long time, so the last thing you want is a sore butt at the end of it - literally. Also important is the height of the seat, which should create a right angle from your thigh to your calf, when your foot is flat on the floor.

Find a room with good lighting. I realize that most schools use fluorescent lights - especially in classrooms. If there is any way to avoid them, do it. I used to keep a small, incandescent music stand light in my locker, and whenever I hit a practice room, I'd flip off the lights and plug in my own. It's easier on the eyes, set the mood, and allowed me to practice longer.

Finally, have a drink nearby. Set it on a chair beside you, or on a near table. Put it somewhere you can get to without stretching, reaching, or bending. (You're less likely to drink it if you have to move to get it.) Staying well-hydrated keeps your focus where it should be - on the music.

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