practice time with an exercise

[bikescene]

When I practice an exercise, I usually have to stop and rest every so often, or I won't improve. This usually extends the amount of time that I stay on an exercise. If I spend too much time on one exercise, will it not do me any good to remain playing it at some point? I wonder if its natural to lose your concentration after too much repitition, or if I just have a short attention span.

 

[Stratboy151]

When I practice an exercise, I usually have to stop and rest every so often, or I won't improve. This usually extends the amount of time that I stay on an exercise. If I spend too much time on one exercise, will it not do me any good to remain playing it at some point? I wonder if its natural to lose your concentration after too much repitition, or if I just have a short attention span.

um yeah its hard to say. but i WILL say continue to practice it. sometimes i get frustrated when trying to do something i cant seem to do, but then all of a sudden, an hour, a day, a week later whatever, i can do it. it kinda sneaks up on you. just stick with it :As

 

[Stratboy151]

by the way would you like to share what the exercise is?

 

[bikescene]

It's an exercise from Jack Zucker's Sheets of Sound. It's an economy picking exercise with the pattern up, down, down, up, down, down, up, up for this:
e--------------------
B--------------------
G--------------------
D------------2-4-----
A-----2-3-5------3--
E-3-5----------------

Basically, I play through this exercise through each mode in the G major scale until it goes up to the 12th position. This type of economy picking shows up a lot in the book. I just started doing this a few days ago, and I'm trying to build some speed on it. I just spent about 30 minutes on it.

 

[Code001]

When I'm learning a hard riff, I find if I play it and then walk away, I get a better grasp of it than if I just play it over and over and over again. I don't improve if I keep practicing all the time, but my brain learns the pattern if I walk away and then come back later. Weird, huh?

 

[Digital Jams]

If I spend too much time yeah I do not know if it is a lack of concentration or the fingers just getting tired but I will all of a sudden get worse at it :?

 

[bikescene]

When I'm learning a hard riff, I find if I play it and then walk away, I get a better grasp of it than if I just play it over and over and over again. I don't improve if I keep practicing all the time, but my brain learns the pattern if I walk away and then come back later. Weird, huh?

If I spend too much time yeah I do not know if it is a lack of concentration or the fingers just getting tired but I will all of a sudden get worse at it :?

Yeah, that's how I feel about playing in general sometimes. I keep going at an exercise until I lose track of time.

I think my main problem with this exercise is the unorthodox fingerings that I have to use in order to move to the next mode of the exercise. I have to fret the last two notes with my index and middle fingers to jump to the next position.

 

[degenaro]

It's an exercise from Jack Zucker's Sheets of Sound. It's an economy picking exercise with the pattern up, down, down, up, down, down, up, up for this:
e--------------------
B--------------------
G--------------------
D------------2-4-----
A-----2-3-5------3--
E-3-5----------------

Basically, I play through this exercise through each mode in the G major scale until it goes up to the 12th position. This type of economy picking shows up a lot in the book. I just started doing this a few days ago, and I'm trying to build some speed on it. I just spent about 30 minutes on it.

That stuff is the prime candidate for doing in front of the TV...just get the actual muscle memory under your hands and then work on improving the speed.

 

[bikescene]

That stuff is the prime candidate for doing in front of the TV...just get the actual muscle memory under your hands and then work on improving the speed.

I remember reading your praise for the book. Was this the stuff you did when you were woodshedding intensely? There are some examples with large and unfamiliar stretches. IIRC, you've said that you don't alternate pick much anymore. Is that from SOS?

 

[degenaro]

I remember reading your praise for the book. Was this the stuff you did when you were woodshedding intensely? There are some examples with large and unfamiliar stretches. IIRC, you've said that you don't alternate pick much anymore. Is that from SOS?

Yup, that's how I got the stuff under my hands...and still do. When I'm not too lazy.
Alternate picking is something I always sucked at, that said SOS let me work around it, and in turn I actually kinda got my alernate picking together without paying attention. Kinda like a I was trying to get something up to speed, and use it rather than looking at the mechanics of doing it.

 

[Stratboy151]

Yup, that's how I got the stuff under my hands...and still do. When I'm not too lazy.
Alternate picking is something I always sucked at, that said SOS let me work around it, and in turn I actually kinda got my alernate picking together without paying attention. Kinda like a I was trying to get something up to speed, and use it rather than looking at the mechanics of doing it.

i bought SOS too, soley based on your clip of that coltrane lick or whatever it was. still trying to figure out wtf that was cause it doesnt sound like the exercise thats written! i know your doing some kinda top secret stuff there... :roll:

 

[CoachZ]

I got a question since this is kinda brought up. How do you guys suggest on going about learning a difficult/fast/technically challenging song (Dream Theater)? I know the metronome is key but how would you break it down without getting frustrated/distracted?

 

[degenaro]

i bought SOS too, soley based on your clip of that coltrane lick or whatever it was. still trying to figure out wtf that was cause it doesnt sound like the exercise thats written! i know your doing some kinda top secret stuff there... :roll:

Which Coltrane lick?

 

[Stratboy151]

Which Coltrane lick?

rhythm method and tranethang.