[lddsdd]

Hey y'all, I have been trying to teach myself for about a year now. I have several books, CDs, DVDs. I seem to have settled on the Hal Leonard series and have gotten through the first of three books. My problem is that I don't have any set practice routine other than going page by page in this book. It seems like I should have a routine that includes more. Scales? Arpeggios? Chord progressions? Any tips from those who have a good system? Thanks...

Scott

[Giffy6]

What can you play? Can you make a bar chord? Get some fake books and learn some songs or go on tabrobot and find some songs to learn. I'm down to learning only songs I can sing to, that way they sound more complete when I play them for friends.

[lddsdd]

First, sorry for bad BBS etiquette. I noticed similar posts after I posted this. As far as what I can play, I'm sloooooowly getting better at changing open chords and I can read music. I can play barre chords but moving from an open chord to a barre chord is really a challenge so far. I'm trying to learn songs too. Chord melody and stuff I can sing to (although you really don't want to hear me sing).

[Cliff]

Well, I don't know about a system, but I think if you're working on something that is challenging you and you're enjoying it, then that's the system for you. I started out by just learning chords and singing songs. Then I learned some easy leads (when someone showed me, or I got some tablature).....Fast forward 30 years (with almost a 20 year break)....in May of '06 I got Kirk's book planetalk and now I can figure out songs and leads on my own. There's always a new level to goto once you've got a handle on the level you're at. Good luck.

[Chris C]

Hi Scott,

I've seen this question asked often - indeed, I've asked it myself on other forums.

But really, it's one of those "How long is a piece of string?" type questions. Ask 20 players and you'll get 20 different answers.

I've had people explain some highly detailed and elaborate routines that they follow. Some players keep logbooks with specified daily practice times and objectives, and have all their progress and goals mapped out with great precision. There others who simply do what their teacher tells them to do each week - for years on end. Others who follow books - some who go through faithfully page by page, but some who skip through just stopping at whatever catches their eye.

There are also many people who don't seem to use any kind of formal structure at all and who learn by listening to recorded music and slowly piecing together how it's done. Others learn by being shown a few things by friends, and building on that. And so on.

There are so many possibilities, and it really boils down to what keeps you motivated and interested. As Cliff said:

Originally Posted by Cliff

Well, I don't know about a system, but I think if you're working on something that is challenging you and you're enjoying it, then that's the system for you

In my case, the only goal with music is to keep having fun learning it. I don't think that the exact path, or precise details matter all that much, so long as you can find out what keeps it fresh and interesting to you. For me, it means constantly relating each new skill or theoretical discovery back to the business of having fun with sound.

So if I learn a new scale or chord, or whatever, the real enjoyment lies not just in practising it, but in finding out what I can then do with it and how it extends what I can play. So (even though I'm still pretty much a beginner, of less than 2 years standing) my daily 'practice' is mostly built around experimenting and improvising and finding out what I can actually DO with the new information I just read.

I'll try and come up with a better answer though.

Cheers,

Chris