What's Your Practice Routine?

[SandyBarRanch]

I'm feeling like I need to tighten up my practice routine so I can get more out of my time, and I'm wondering how other mando players practice - Do you practice scales, arpeggios, modes, excercises etc? #Do you practice on a regular schedule or just when you can get to it? #

I tend to structure my practice around songs that I'm learning, rather than approaching it by scales, arpeggios, excersizes etc. # When I do practice scales & arpeggios my playing seems to go dead & brittle after a while, it becomes an intellectual excersize rather than emotional expression. #At the same time I know I would benefit a lot from expanding my knowledge of the fretboard and music theory. #I'm many miles from the closest town w/ instructors, so I do my learning on my own and play w/ people when I can. #I don't have a set schedule, but I'm thinking I should set one so that I'm more committed about it. #

So what's your practice routine?

[John Flynn]

I have tried "practice schedules" and "practice routines" over my 30 years of years of playing guitar and 12 years of playing mando: Scales, arpeggios, etudes, etc. Since I have the attention span and patience of a gnat, LOL, they have the effect of making me dislike playing, which is completely counter-productive, since I primarily play for enjoyment. Here is what works for me:

A year and a half ago, I discovered a genre of music I previously knew nothing about, but which I have now gotten completely absorbed in. It is 95% of what I listen to, I go to every jam I can, I am now in band that performs and I am taking lessons from one of the best players in the genre. I practice every free minute I have and it does not seem like work at all. I have to schedule non-practice time, so I will put the mando down occasionally and take care of my life!!! My attention span and patience are not challenged at all and it is pure enjoyment. Mostly in practice I am preparing for a gig or a lesson and that is what gets me fired up. But here is where the "discipline" comes in: The tunes I am learning are getting progressively more difficult and require advanced techniques to play. So I am very directive about my practice. I say to myself, "OK, in this session, I want to work with the metronome until I can play tune X at 120 BPM." Usually, with each new tune, I can play 80% of it at speed, but there is a phrase I get hung up on, usually because it is a new technique or a variation on a technique, for instance a particular cross-picking roll. So I will drill on that phrase/technique over and over until I get it. The great thing is that when I later encounter a similar technique in another new tune, I learn it much more quickly. This approach has gotten me more improvement and more enjoyment than I had experienced in all my other years of playing.

In my case, the musical genre was old-time, but it could be anything. I guess what I am suggesting is find music you are really passionate about and let yourself "go deep" into it. You will figure out the practice approach that works best for you out of the resulting intense motivation. Because in the end, it is not about "playing your mando." It is about "making your music." If you were a cabinet maker, you would be "practicing making great cabinets." You would not be "practicing sawing wood." Just MHO.

[Tennessee Jed]

I normally practice in the evening since I work from 7 AM till 5 PM. Sometimes I listen to CD's and play along. I burned some CD's with tunes that I know or am trying to learn. Other times I just play tunes or scales or riffs while I'm watching TV.

On weekends I usually play a little on a Saturday morning and again in the evening. On Sundays I usually play in the afternoon and again in the evening.

I don't have any formal training. I don't even know another person who plays the mandolin. I'm pretty much self taught with the help of some articles that I've read, some sites on the internet, and places like this forum. Most of the songs I play I have figured out myself so some of this practice time is experimenting and trying to figure out notes to songs that I like.

[peterbc]

I used to try to play a minimum of a half hour a day, and was able to do that every day except for maybe once a month. Now the idea of have a whole day without playing sounds rediculous, and so does only playing half an hour a day... I've become obsessed. I go to just about every jam I can, play with anyone who asks, and when no ones around, then I play. I don't schedule time, I just do it as much as I can. I'm don't have a strict routine that I follow. I'll practice scales (mostly closed, and especially odd keys like Bb, B, etc) for a bit, play some tunes, try to learn new ones, work on ones that I've had difficulty with, etc. Recently though I've thought that I should try to listen better to good mandolin recordings so I can steal their licks. I also try to play at least some with a metronome, both at high speed and low (try setting that thing to 40, a drummer friend of mine told me this and it's near impossible if you're not used to it...). Every once in a while I'll run into somethign that just seems impossible (like crosspicking, or this simultaneous walkdown/walkup in EMD...), but then I get obsessive about playing it and work on it until I get it.

So... No real structure for me, I just play as much as I can!

Peter

[ira]

too much noodling is my general routine unfortunately. (but it is lots of fun)

[luckylarue]

Butch Baldassari teaches a great practice regimen in four parts. #Phase 1 - work on scales and arpeggios - particularly unfamiliar keys like b flat or minor scales. #Chris Thile's dvd has nice scale and arpeggio exercises where the entire fretboard is utilized. #Although I don't practice scales everytime I play, they help me in learning where to go up the neck.
# # #Phase 2 - go over tunes you know well and can play in jams or with your group.
# # #Phase 3 - work on songs that you've been learning but don't quite have down yet to play out.
# # #Phase 4 - Spend a little time with tunes you want to learn or are just beginning to work on.

This system works great for me when I want some structure to my practice and when I have the time. #Of course it's important to freely jam or work on songs out of the bluegrass,old-time,acoustic realm as well. #It's fun to just improvise rhythms or melodies and see where it takes you. #

ciao - scott atchley

[jamesrenz]

Your practice should be constant, flexible, and your routine should not be rigidly set in stone. #When you work on fingerings to the songs you are learning, though, the scales, etudes, etc., that you have been studying will all pay off. #You have probably already found it becoming easier to analyze lines and progressions, and commit them to memory, the more you know about scales, arpeggios, and the like. #

Have the instrument in your hands whenever you can. #The more familiar you are with its nuances, the more you will be able to find the sounds your are searching for. #Sing, hum, or whistle the lines you are looking for on your instrument. #When you can't have the instrument in your hands, work on your music in your head. #You can learn an enormous amount by woodshedding and imagining the sounds that way, in your "inner ear," without the physical interference of the fingers, frets, etc. #In the end, you want to go for the sounds you are "hearing" yourself, and not simply rote repetitions. #

Work on fretboard knowledge, position playing, fingerings, etc., over time. #Consider the songs that you are learning as always evolving, not static. #If you get stuck on a song, learn something else while you are working on it. #If you get stuck on a phrase within a song, try to isolate the phrase and find out exactly what is causing the problem. #For example, try to figure out whether you are dealing with an issue of technique, or perhaps a rhythmic or melodic problem, or a problem with dynamics. #Read about musical ideas in general. #Your learning does not have to be mandolin-based. #Anything that you discover about music in general will ultimately help you on the mandolin or any other instrument you choose to play.

Finally, listen, listen, and listen to recordings and, if possible, to live performances. #Everytime you listen to a good recording, find something new about it. #Sometimes, when your practice and your skills seem to go flat, simply putting the instrument away and listening awhile to some new music can make all the difference.

[mad dawg]

I try to dedicate one practice day a week to practicing scales, chords, related exercises, and theory in general; one day a week to learning a tune by ear; and one day a week to learning a tune from notation. The rest of the week, anything goes.

[SandyBarRanch]

I Love this site.

Thanks for all of the feedback, it's just the kind of ideas I need to hear - all of it. -mandolinista

[mrbook]

I practice tunes or songs, rarely scales or exercises. In playing a fiddle tune for 10-20 minutes I come up with variations that, if I'm lucky, might come out when I play for an audience. If I come up with something I like with difficult fingering, I practice that part until I get it.

Once I went to a guitar workshop with Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Jack Lawrence, and Tony Rice, and when that question came up, they all seemed to say that practicing was really sitting down and playing songs. When asked what scales he used to warm up, Doc Watson laughed and said, "I just tune the guitar - and play."

Others do it other ways, and it works for them, but I keep working on new songs and improving the old ones.

[Fred_Murtz]

Guitar is my primary instrument. I have this one hour exercise in which I play over 400 two octave scale/arpeggio fingerings for all the modes & corresponding arpeggios of the major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales.

After doing my one hour workout, if I have any additional practice time, I work on writing, learning tunes, etc.

I rarely practice mandolin, but so much of the guitar work transitions over to the mando nicely. I do perform on mando a few times a month, but its 99% improvisation so I don't spend a lot of time learning tunes.

[Darin&Bea]

Hi, folks, I and my hubby are new to both here, and the mandolin. We are self-teaching, so need as much reference materials as possible. One thing I cannot seem to find is a set of scales and their fingerings, only chord fingerings. Also, need major help on finger exercises, as our left pinkies are weak, and we both have trouble on chords that are spread along the neck (For example, F major. Youch on the pinkie! Hee!)

If it helps, we purchased (yes, probably an el-cheapo) a Fender FM52E mandolin, medium gatorgrip .71 picks. The book is Mel Bay's chord book.

We're hoping, once we have what we need, to set up practice routines that fit our schedules. I am a full-time mom and Darin is an OTR truck driver.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Bea

[Coy Wylie]

Bea,

I would recommend three resources that have been very helpful to me:

Fretboard Roadmaps for mando: shows you scales and positions for all keys.

Steve Kaufman' Parking Lot Picker series: allows you to learn all the tunes on your own level and progresses with you.

Chris Thile Video: great technique & scale discussion.

I think all of these are available from homespuntapes.com

[Songbird]

I'd definitely recommend the Chris Thile video/dvd as well. It's helping me out so much just to watch him play, watch how he plays certain otes, the fingerings etc. Gives you a better perspective of how to play...well it for me anway, as I can't seem to find any tutors so I have to rely on as much materials as possible.

[Songbird]

How long should I start practising for? I've been playing for about 6 months but have never really done any scales til recently? How long should I start off with and when should I increase the time? I've just started doing ten minutes on one scale so hopefully the more I practice different scales the more I can use them.

[steve in tampa]

Stay out all night jamming at a bluegrass festival! Play with as many different folks as you can. I always feel that I've improved after a festival.

[Dru Lee Parsec]

I'll tell you what to avoid: Don't practice in front of the TV. Thats just noodleing. If you just want to play for fun that's totally fine, just don't call it practice.

More important than saying "This is my practice routine" is to just have a goal to accomplish in your practice session. Make this goal small and achievable such as "Learn the chords to one song", or "Learn this one cool run".

Practice with a metronome. It really helps.

The goal you pick can change on each practice session. You don't need to always practice scales for the first 10 minutes of each practice session. But it's reasonable to have as a goal "I'm going to learn this one scale today". See the difference?

For me, having a set practice routine kills the fun of playing. Just messing around playing the same stuff I always play doesn't make me better. So in between those extremes I've found that having a focused practice session with goals that change from day to day is good. I can learn a bluegrass guitar riff one day, a mandolin scale the next, work on a piece of a mandolin solo the next day, and play some classical guitar the day oafter that. All of those sessions improve my playing, but I'm not getting bored with the music because I'm mixing up my musical experience each day.

IMHO YMMV http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif