Starting Tomorrow: Two Hours a Day Practice Minimum Until Fall Semester

but wait... which 2 hours are the best for metal?

 

I’ve recently re-discovered the benefits of practice. My kids have started in music (9yo Trumpet, 12yo drums) and after giving them the practice lecture, I realised that I rarely practice anymore. I quickly learn songs for the gig but never push myself to get better.

I’ve been doing an hour a night this week. Working on Dean Town by Vulfpeck. I’ve wanted to play it since the first time I heard it, but couldn’t do it in the first 10 minutes so gave up….just like my kids have been doing.

Actually practicing, forcing myself to do something I can’t do and sounding horrible to begin with, and I am getting pretty close. From notation as well, no TABs. Yay for me and practicing.

 

Have a reasonable goal and work to reach it. Two hours without a goal is time wasted. A reasonable goal reached in 25 minutes is gold.
Imagine your boss gave you a task to do. You work on it but don't finish. The boss is pissed and asked why you didn't get your job done. You know what you'll hear if your answer is, 'well, I worked on it for two hours. Isn't that enough?".
Plan your work, work your plan. If your goal is too large to meet in 2 hours, you need to more towards baby steps. If your goal can be met in 10 minutes you need to be a little more ambitious. It the goal that needs attention, not the clock.

 

I found that early morning practice works great (4-6 am, 5-7 am). Of course this depends on your work schedule, family time needs, etc.

 

If you are going to do this kind of schedule, you should really keep a practice log. That way you can track what you are working on as well as your time/progress. It will become apparent very quickly where your time goes.

 

Ambitious. I wish you the best of success!

 

I need to start disciplining myself to practice more again, too. I tend to practice a lot when I have new material to learn, but that's self limiting in the sense that I'm only working on songs because someone else wants me to, and that's not necessarily going to challenge me to build better chops. But when I have a quiet spell, like I'm having at the moment, I tend to slack more than I should on practice.

 

I do two hours a day, every day and try to do it at the same time.
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
I need the structure of a regular routine.
I play a few of the tunes my band is currently playing that potentially could give me trouble if I leave them for too long.
I work on my parts for songs we are planning to incorporate in to our sets.
I work on stuff for myself that I am interested in that I find really challenging just to push myself.
Currently that is some RUSH tunes...
YYZ, Closer To The Heart, Cygnus IX.

 

Good for you, Doc. I’m trying to muster the will to make the same commitment as we speak. I’ve been lazily slogging through the same old crap interspersed with new crap, trying to manifest chops as if they come out of thin air. No more. From here on in, it’s shedding like I was 19 again. You’ve inspired me!

 

Two! Hours! To miiiiiiidnight...