concentrating to learning

tommy79 · #1 July 29th, 2007

I know your suppose to practice at least 15 minutes every day but when Im get done driving 10-11 hours a day Im so tired all I want to do Is to eat and take a shower how am I to practice at least 15 minutes a day Arent you suppose to concentrate to learn what your trying to learn. One other question will the sun or the heat ruin a finish on a guitar It has a glossy finish on it. Sometimes I cant run the a.c. when im at a customer because of the hazards.Yes I drive a eighteen wheeler for a living.

mattz196 · #2 July 30th, 2007

IMHO 15 Minutes is not very long to practice/play daily, I would certainly aim for longer , I would sugggest that even if you not at full concentration any time spent playing is better than not playing at all.
Direct sun and high temps coud have serious effects on your whole guitar not just its finish .
Matt

allthumbs · #3 July 30th, 2007

Get a cheapy guitar for your truck and keep your good guitar at home.

tomg123 · #4 July 30th, 2007

I heard that, i drive for a living too, but i try too get
30 min before and after work. Some days i skip, but
at least 5 days a week i play

AX7221 · #5 July 30th, 2007

15 minutes a day is fine, more than 15 minutes is even more fine and less than 15 minutes is fine too!

I hear people looking for numbers as in minutes a day but it can't be done. Its something a lot of people ask b/c no one wants to go about doing something the wrong way. However much time you're spending you aren't going about it wrong! Like if there was an ideal number that was the best amount of time to spend per day then if you add 10 minutes to the number that would be a better amount of time to spend.

Technically speaking the only way to get a number would be to decide on how much better to get in how much time, but who's going to do that!

I just thought of a quote that applies in a way (it's by Samuel Butler): All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it. That's the way I look at guitar, it's not like a task that I have to fulfill, I just play it by ear, sometimes I play more, and sometimes a play less, I enjoy it.

The amount of time depends on how fast you want to get better. Also, some of my playing is wicked boring like drills and I get better fast, but some of my playing is just fiddlin' around which I get better more slowly. (which as a huge level of difficultly to picking a number)

fireblade · #6 July 30th, 2007

Gotta agree with Allthumbs. I have my encore (cheapo) at work, my strat hanging by the bed, my tw45 in the lounge, (it matches the decor apparently) & my SG hangs in the loo. It helps to just be able to pick up & play when you have a free moment.

Ellenback1 · #7 July 30th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireblade

Gotta agree with Allthumbs. I have my encore (cheapo) at work, my strat hanging by the bed, my tw45 in the lounge, (it matches the decor apparently) & my SG hangs in the loo. It helps to just be able to pick up & play when you have a free moment.

It hangs in the loo...??? Ok, I'm NOT going to ask...most people have magazines in there. LOL

scotty_b · #8 July 30th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommy79

how am I to practice at least 15 minutes a day

One thing I have learnt over the past few years is that we do what we really want, and will find a way to do that, whilst letting other things go. It can be for many reasons, and we may have the very best of intentions, but things get over-looked that are not as important to us as other things. At one stage in my life I made the choice to practice 10-12 hours a day. It meant I gave up a lot of other things in my life, but that was the cost of the decision I chose. Any choice comes at a cost - time, money, socialising, etc. If you really want to play for 15 minutes, think about how you can incorporate that into your life, or what else you may be able to give up to allow you to play.