Bring Them On Back Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I practice scales and get faster and faster at them until I can go through them pretty quickly, but it's pretty useless how fast I can do that because all I can do with it is go up and down in a pretty boring way, and I also can't just be playing some chords and then just out of the blue pull out 200bpm scales, it takes a couple of times going through it slower, then building it up. so how can i tell if I'm progressing much when it might seem like im doing well but then if i think of how i can actually apply it to a song I'm no better than when i started Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Death Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I practice scales and get faster and faster at them until I can go through them pretty quickly, but it's pretty useless how fast I can do that because all I can do with it is go up and down in a pretty boring way, and I also can't just be playing some chords and then just out of the blue pull out 200bpm scales, it takes a couple of times going through it slower, then building it up. so how can i tell if I'm progressing much when it might seem like im doing well but then if i think of how i can actually apply it to a song I'm no better than when i started A lot depends on how long you've been playing. Based on what you said in your post I would venture to say you've been at it for less than a year. Here's my advice... I've been playing for 31 years so I feel I have some qualifications... First... I think, unless your goal is to be the next Yngwie Malmsteen, that practicing scales is rather pointless. It's essential that you know all five positions of the Major and Minor Pentatonic scales and it's equally essential that you know all the Modes. However, just whizzing up and down the fret board isn't going to reveal anything about you, as a musician. The first 10 + years that I played, I practiced 8-12 hours a day. And it never seemed like work or practice. It was because I was totally in love with the guitar. Some days I would just work on things I knew I needed to get better at. If you work on your weaknesses until they are strength's, you'll get better in a hurry and be a more complete player. Other days I would work on ear training... just listening to records and playing along, figuring out riffs, leads, etc... There were days where all I would do is work on writing. I'd learn one new chord, then write a song using that chord. Even when I was just watching TV I'd have a guitar in my hands, and every time the music would start playing in the movie, I'd figure it out, solo over it, etc... Maybe the best thing I ever did was study Classical Guitar. In one year my playing improved exponentially. The thing is... you have to do stuff that is fun for you. Otherwise, you'll grow tired, bored, and your playing will become stale. Scales... speed is NOT the be all/end all for a guitarist. Sure, it's impressive. But guys like Hendrix - Page - Gilmour and tons others know how to play with taste. What you leave out is just as important, if not more... than what you play. It's fine to practice scales... maybe spend 20 minutes at first to warm up, doing that. But move on to other areas that you love and need improvement on. I've no idea how much time you have per day to practice, but the worst thing you can do is be that guy who can fly all over the neck but can't play rhythm or play in time with a drummer. Another important thing you must understand is it takes patience. Page didn't fall off a truck a rock legend. It has taken him years of playing, sometimes falling on his face, and getting back up and keeping at it. Another thing I am so glad I did was learn about alternate tunings, thanks in large part to Jimmy Page. Playing in DADGAD or CGCGCE can open up all sorts of new worlds for you. It forces you outside your box and forces you to try new chord shapes, etc... Hopefully this helps... patience, working on ALL aspects of playing... including chords, finger picking, rhythm, learning new things and working on them until you are perfectly comfortable, and on and on. Welcome to the world of guitar playing... it's a journey that will last a lifetime... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzep4life Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 A lot depends on how long you've been playing. Based on what you said in your post I would venture to say you've been at it for less than a year. Here's my advice... I've been playing for 31 years so I feel I have some qualifications... First... I think, unless your goal is to be the next Yngwie Malmsteen, that practicing scales is rather pointless. It's essential that you know all five positions of the Major and Minor Pentatonic scales and it's equally essential that you know all the Modes. However, just whizzing up and down the fret board isn't going to reveal anything about you, as a musician. The first 10 + years that I played, I practiced 8-12 hours a day. And it never seemed like work or practice. It was because I was totally in love with the guitar. Some days I would just work on things I knew I needed to get better at. If you work on your weaknesses until they are strength's, you'll get better in a hurry and be a more complete player. Other days I would work on ear training... just listening to records and playing along, figuring out riffs, leads, etc... There were days where all I would do is work on writing. I'd learn one new chord, then write a song using that chord. Even when I was just watching TV I'd have a guitar in my hands, and every time the music would start playing in the movie, I'd figure it out, solo over it, etc... Maybe the best thing I ever did was study Classical Guitar. In one year my playing improved exponentially. The thing is... you have to do stuff that is fun for you. Otherwise, you'll grow tired, bored, and your playing will become stale. Scales... speed is NOT the be all/end all for a guitarist. Sure, it's impressive. But guys like Hendrix - Page - Gilmour and tons others know how to play with taste. What you leave out is just as important, if not more... than what you play. It's fine to practice scales... maybe spend 20 minutes at first to warm up, doing that. But move on to other areas that you love and need improvement on. I've no idea how much time you have per day to practice, but the worst thing you can do is be that guy who can fly all over the neck but can't play rhythm or play in time with a drummer. Another important thing you must understand is it takes patience. Page didn't fall off a truck a rock legend. It has taken him years of playing, sometimes falling on his face, and getting back up and keeping at it. Another thing I am so glad I did was learn about alternate tunings, thanks in large part to Jimmy Page. Playing in DADGAD or CGCGCE can open up all sorts of new worlds for you. It forces you outside your box and forces you to try new chord shapes, etc... Hopefully this helps... patience, working on ALL aspects of playing... including chords, finger picking, rhythm, learning new things and working on them until you are perfectly comfortable, and on and on. Welcome to the world of guitar playing... it's a journey that will last a lifetime... Awesome post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Them On Back Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 Yeah I've been playing for 6 months. thanks for the post ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms_zeppelin94 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 A lot depends on how long you've been playing. Based on what you said in your post I would venture to say you've been at it for less than a year. Here's my advice... I've been playing for 31 years so I feel I have some qualifications... First... I think, unless your goal is to be the next Yngwie Malmsteen, that practicing scales is rather pointless. It's essential that you know all five positions of the Major and Minor Pentatonic scales and it's equally essential that you know all the Modes. However, just whizzing up and down the fret board isn't going to reveal anything about you, as a musician. The first 10 + years that I played, I practiced 8-12 hours a day. And it never seemed like work or practice. It was because I was totally in love with the guitar. Some days I would just work on things I knew I needed to get better at. If you work on your weaknesses until they are strength's, you'll get better in a hurry and be a more complete player. Other days I would work on ear training... just listening to records and playing along, figuring out riffs, leads, etc... There were days where all I would do is work on writing. I'd learn one new chord, then write a song using that chord. Even when I was just watching TV I'd have a guitar in my hands, and every time the music would start playing in the movie, I'd figure it out, solo over it, etc... Maybe the best thing I ever did was study Classical Guitar. In one year my playing improved exponentially. The thing is... you have to do stuff that is fun for you. Otherwise, you'll grow tired, bored, and your playing will become stale. Scales... speed is NOT the be all/end all for a guitarist. Sure, it's impressive. But guys like Hendrix - Page - Gilmour and tons others know how to play with taste. What you leave out is just as important, if not more... than what you play. It's fine to practice scales... maybe spend 20 minutes at first to warm up, doing that. But move on to other areas that you love and need improvement on. I've no idea how much time you have per day to practice, but the worst thing you can do is be that guy who can fly all over the neck but can't play rhythm or play in time with a drummer. Another important thing you must understand is it takes patience. Page didn't fall off a truck a rock legend. It has taken him years of playing, sometimes falling on his face, and getting back up and keeping at it. Another thing I am so glad I did was learn about alternate tunings, thanks in large part to Jimmy Page. Playing in DADGAD or CGCGCE can open up all sorts of new worlds for you. It forces you outside your box and forces you to try new chord shapes, etc... Hopefully this helps... patience, working on ALL aspects of playing... including chords, finger picking, rhythm, learning new things and working on them until you are perfectly comfortable, and on and on. Welcome to the world of guitar playing... it's a journey that will last a lifetime... Thanks Dr Death! I've been playing for almost a year, but not consistently Had to go back to school, blah blah...)I'm not horrible, and I'm still getting better. Over the summer, I learned all the barre chord forms, and that really helped. How did you manage to play 12 hrs a day for 10 years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Death Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Thanks Dr Death! I've been playing for almost a year, but not consistently Had to go back to school, blah blah...)I'm not horrible, and I'm still getting better. Over the summer, I learned all the barre chord forms, and that really helped. How did you manage to play 12 hrs a day for 10 years? Well it varied, as I said... 8-12 hours was pretty much the norm. I would get in at least an hour, sometimes two before school. Somebody always had a guitar around school, and when I was in 9-12th grade we had an outside area we could go to for lunch. This will probably blow you away, but they let us go outside to smoke. None of us were old enough to actually buy cigarette's, but the school knew a majority did, so we had a huge area we could hang out in and smoke or just hang out with friends outside. This was 1980-1983... So I could usually get an hour or close to an hour in at lunch. Get home, homework was done quickly, then I'd start playing about 4:30 or 5:00 and pretty much play until 10 or 11 PM. Weekends were spent with the guitar in my hands 24/7... or I guess 24/2... LOL I remember one Saturday, I guess I was 13 or 14, my mom told me breakfast was ready at 9:15 am. I was already playing something. Sitting on the edge of my bed. I was just so focused I got lost. Next thing I know she was telling me dinner was ready. It was 6:00 pm... My parents never really supported me playing guitar, but I think they figured out if I was at home practicing that meant I wasn't out getting in trouble. LOL After I had been playing for 3 years I was playing all the stuff I loved. Hendrix, Zep, Stones, Floyd, Bad Company, Who, Eagles etc... I went back to the artists who inspired the artists I loved and discovered the blues. Guys like Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Buddy Guy, BB King. After that I started studying Classical. My teacher was a guy named Douglas Niedt. You can google him to find out stuff about him. He studied with Andre Segovia when he was only 16. It was Doug who took my playing to a whole new level. Studying Classical required so much concentration and effort. Every week there was a huge amount of pressure to NOT show up unprepared. I think it's great to see some young people learning guitar. Just remember to have fun at it and constantly push yourself to get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Them On Back Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 Well it varied, as I said... 8-12 hours was pretty much the norm. I would get in at least an hour, sometimes two before school. Somebody always had a guitar around school, and when I was in 9-12th grade we had an outside area we could go to for lunch. This will probably blow you away, but they let us go outside to smoke. None of us were old enough to actually buy cigarette's, but the school knew a majority did, so we had a huge area we could hang out in and smoke or just hang out with friends outside. This was 1980-1983... So I could usually get an hour or close to an hour in at lunch. Get home, homework was done quickly, then I'd start playing about 4:30 or 5:00 and pretty much play until 10 or 11 PM. Weekends were spent with the guitar in my hands 24/7... or I guess 24/2... LOL I remember one Saturday, I guess I was 13 or 14, my mom told me breakfast was ready at 9:15 am. I was already playing something. Sitting on the edge of my bed. I was just so focused I got lost. Next thing I know she was telling me dinner was ready. It was 6:00 pm... My parents never really supported me playing guitar, but I think they figured out if I was at home practicing that meant I wasn't out getting in trouble. LOL After I had been playing for 3 years I was playing all the stuff I loved. Hendrix, Zep, Stones, Floyd, Bad Company, Who, Eagles etc... I went back to the artists who inspired the artists I loved and discovered the blues. Guys like Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Buddy Guy, BB King. After that I started studying Classical. My teacher was a guy named Douglas Niedt. You can google him to find out stuff about him. He studied with Andre Segovia when he was only 16. It was Doug who took my playing to a whole new level. Studying Classical required so much concentration and effort. Every week there was a huge amount of pressure to NOT show up unprepared. I think it's great to see some young people learning guitar. Just remember to have fun at it and constantly push yourself to get better. hmm my parents don't support me practicing much either but I don't have the thing about staying out of trouble coz regardless of guitar playing they expect me to stay out of it anyway and i cannot begin to imagine what'd happen if i did 'get into trouble.' i tried 8hrs a day anyway, they're patience wore thin... and we don't have a smoking area at school either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Death Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 hmm my parents don't support me practicing much either but I don't have the thing about staying out of trouble coz regardless of guitar playing they expect me to stay out of it anyway and i cannot begin to imagine what'd happen if i did 'get into trouble.' i tried 8hrs a day anyway, they're patience wore thin... and we don't have a smoking area at school either If their patience ran thin then I assume you have an electric? Just unplug. Play it acoustic. They won't hear, they won't be bothered, and you can practice all night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Them On Back Posted April 11, 2009 Author Share Posted April 11, 2009 If their patience ran thin then I assume you have an electric? Just unplug. Play it acoustic. They won't hear, they won't be bothered, and you can practice all night! yeah I do have an electric, but I almost always play unplugged as well, it shouldn't really bother them but they say that it's 'unhealthy' to sit there playing it all day, or that i should be doing homework instead.... small house so they can hear it even unplugged no matter where i am and where they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyPage1977 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Scales can be more interesting if you add some components to them. Play with a drum beat or a metronome. Start a C major scale at D, go d to d in the C major scale, it's become a D dorian, keep stepping up and learn your modes. Change your picking, hit each note twice, skip every other note, skip strings, play groups of four and step up.... Scales are an important link to discovering your own identity, but like the others have said not the only thing. Developing speed is not a terrible thing, it's a great thing. Competence is measured by accuracy, speed and content, but not necessarily in that order. Learning scales and modes, discovering the uses for them by integrating them into your playing is essential to becoming a competent guitarist. Jimmy Page is a great example of someone who knows his scales and modes. My advice is to not be fooled into not learning and practicing the academic side of music and the guitar...it's a foolish romantic idea that it just comes by playing indiscriminately, but you'll end up wasting years by not focusing on figuring out why the great guitarists that we look up to are great. Take lessons from a qualified teacher, it will speed up your learning process dramatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms_zeppelin94 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 yeah I do have an electric, but I almost always play unplugged as well, it shouldn't really bother them but they say that it's 'unhealthy' to sit there playing it all day, or that i should be doing homework instead.... small house so they can hear it even unplugged no matter where i am and where they are Wait till they go to bed, but get back into bed by morning so they think you were asleep all night Or, if you're all in the house, turn up the stereo loud enough to drown out your playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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