Am i practicing the right way?

I am playing my guitar without any specific agenda. I play cords for a little while then notes then scales and back to cords again. over and over, is thish the proper way to learn? I feel as if I am missing something or doing something the wrong way.

Hi
it depends which are your aims and what do you want to do with the guitar. I practice like you because I just play to have fun. If you are more serious and want to play with other people I would reccomend something else to practice.

Just my idea.
Regards
Carmine

What Carmine said... but I would suggest you set goals... short term and long term. Maybe there's a specific song you'd like to eventually be able to play, or a finger picking pattern you want to learn.. its just good to have an idea of where you want to go with your guitar playing, so set some goals and that will give you direction.

One thing I'd really recommend is giving yourself some creative time with the guitar every day. Practicing chords and scales are great, but you also need to process that information so that it becomes a reflex or instinct rather than a deliberate thought process. So take time every day to just make music, using what you already know, no matter how simple or limited it may seem. You can make a song with two chords. You can create a melodic solo with just a few well placed notes. You can come up with your own riff using just one or two strings. Experiment, & have fun. This will probably inspire you, and cause you to redefine your goals, set news, and the journey continues. It sure helps avoid "practice without purpose" rutts! :)

THANK YOU VERY much for your resopnse. your ideas are very helpful and will carry me thru this award stage. Thanks for your time to respond.
KINZ

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I also agree with Carmine. I am rather 'undisciplined' myself. :) I've really only focused on learning songs, but learning them correctly requires I master various techniques along the way.

To me this is more fun (and more productive in my perception) than being machine-accurate with blistering speed over scales & modes. Those things come naturally as you work on your songs. (not that I am in any way machine accurate or blistering! :eek: but progress in that direction takes place almost no matter what else I do. ie: All of your efforts will contribute to your abilities.)

The thing is to make sure it stays fun. Unless you are somehow enslaved to a music career, if it stops being fun, then you will probably quit. I'll check my speed adn accuracy with a few runs, scales & whatever, but I don't spend a lot of time on them. I picked up a guitar to play, not exercise! :)

This is something that has always bugged me. I've always felt I needed something to just practice instead of just playing songs. Last night I found this link on Pebber Browns website. Gives a lot of good tips on what you should be practicing. A lot of it is just the basics, but that's what it takes to get good. I suggest watching the video and following along as best you can. It's boring but you'll get the idea of what hes trying to teach you as far as practicing goes.

Putting this in another similar thread as well.

Daily Practice routine:
http://www.pbguitarstudio.com/DailyPractice.html

I started off learning chords and stuff but find it too boring. I am playing for my own enjoyment so I see no point in doing boring stuff. I'm focusing on fingerpicking. I figure I'll learn chords as I encounter them in lessons or on you tube videos.

I once wrote something about practice schedules long time ago. But the information is still accurate and might help you to solve your issue :

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=9745

Originally Posted by: tommiekinzI am playing my guitar without any specific agenda. I play cords for a little while then notes then scales and back to cords again. over and over, is thish the proper way to learn? I feel as if I am missing something or doing something the wrong way.

Focus on application. Learn songs that are made up of the chords and scales you know. Or even better, write your own stuff with the knowledge you have.

Originally Posted by: SierramoonI started off learning chords and stuff but find it too boring. I am playing for my own enjoyment so I see no point in doing boring stuff. I'm focusing on fingerpicking. I figure I'll learn chords as I encounter them in lessons or on you tube videos.

Partially it's true if you only play for your own enjoyment. But one thing that makes you enjoy more is to get it done correctly and quickly right? This is just a suggestion to get it done quickly and correctly. I have this audio software which I use to slow down music so I could hear the correct notes or chords. As we listen to music both voice and music have the same volume but we only need to hear the instruments playing. This software can help you a lot. I was once a bad guitar player but now I would say I learn a lot from this software which I used when practicing.

And best of all you should have patience and be focus on what you are doing and enjoy as always. Hope this will help and motivate you to continue playing your guitar.

Originally Posted by: songsurgeon3Partially it's true if you only play for your own enjoyment. But one thing that makes you enjoy more is to get it done correctly and quickly right? This is just a suggestion to get it done quickly and correctly. I have this audio software which I use to slow down music so I could hear the correct notes or chords. As we listen to music both voice and music have the same volume but we only need to hear the instruments playing. This software can help you a lot. I was once a bad guitar player but now I would say I learn a lot from this software which I used when practicing.

And best of all you should have patience and be focus on what you are doing and enjoy as always. Hope this will help and motivate you to continue playing your guitar.

it sounds like an ad for me. We are helping each other using this site, I hope you would like to do the same, not placing your products.

Carmine

Originally Posted by: songsurgeon3But one thing that makes you enjoy more is to get it done correctly and quickly right? This is just a suggestion to get it done quickly and correctly. I have this audio software which I use blah blah blah...

What a lame ass segue into an informercial post to try and sell software. "Registered User" status.. no surprise there. Gee, thanks songsturgeon3.

Sierramoon, there's nothing wrong with that approach at all, I sometimes do that myself. The only key thing that I learned the hard way is that as you encounter new chords, maybe some changes or fingerpicking patterns that may be tricky, its important to divide & conquer. So I make sure I have the chords down pat, the changes smooth, and the fingerpicking mechanics correct before I try to bring them all together to actually "make music" or play a song. I used to try and push through, learning all at the same time, figuring that my chords would get smoother with time. I found it took a lot longer to get the chords down.

Christopher covers this idea of getting the chords down first before you make music really clearly in GF1, and its sage advice.

Oh, and I also make sure I wash my hands before I play. I use Dove soap. I find Dove soap leaves my skin feeling 32% more revitalized than the leading brand, and leaves a fresh scent on my guitar after practice. Yes, Dove soap works very well for me and I would recommend it to friends, family members and any guitarists looking for an extra fresh session.
http://www.dove.us/

I think Guitar & Drum Trainer by Renegade Minds is half the price, anyway.

Ha ha, solicitors beware! :D

My hands are scrubbing in it...
http://www.colgate.com/app/Palmolive/US/EN/HomePage.cwsp

Hello Everyone!
I am new to Guitar Tricks and this is my 1st post.
I am not "new" as far as guitar playing goes, but I am new to taking lessons.
I've been playing for personal enjoyment for many yrs, I simply love everything about guitars.
I worked for Fender for a short period, and have built my own electric Guitars, and I have a nice Carvin acoustic.
I finally decided to take lessons out of simple frustration, lol!
After signing up, I decided to find a starting place.. ( I'm not a beginner, but where am I actually??) and immediately got myself lost!
I've found I'm having difficulty categorizing exactly what I know, and what I don't know (the "don't know" list is far longer than the "Know" list, lol!)
So, what I've decided to do is to go through each lesson, from the beginning, page by page, and find/work on the stuff I should know.
I think the best advice for someone new to the guitar would be to learn the basics well, you'll go father and have more fun with a strong foundation under you.
Meanwhile... I'm still practicing! ~ Puck