Hi - Iām a beginner who finished grade 3 a few weeks ago. I decided I really want to be able to play basic songs well, and make them sound good, before I try and learn any more technique. So maybe Iām not really qualified to be giving any advice but wanted to share whatās working for meā¦
I went through a few iterations of trying to focus on song practice - focusing one or two songs until i get them āperfectā (doesnāt work, lose concentration, and get bored of the same song every day, and stop long before anywhere close to āperfectā). Then going to the other extreme - 7 songs a day, 5 minutes per song. Was interesting at the start - I like variety - and you can definitely make surprising progress with 5 minutes a day, but found I reached a plateau of being sort of able to play it but not close to a performance level.
10 mins practice a song you sort of know but not very well - Song A
5 mins focusing on a difficult part of Song A
15 mins on a new song you want to learn - Song B
3 x 5 mins each on songs you know already - Songs C, D, E
15 mins again on Song B
I went through the list of songs that have Justin lessons up to grade 3 and wrote down a few in category A, a lot in category B, and Iāve probably got only 3 songs I could say I know well for category C, D, E.
It really worked for me - the 10 and 15 minute sessions were just long enough to get proper practice on difficult details without boredom, the switch to songs I know already helped keep things fresh and the return to another 15 mins on the new song accelerated learning new songs from weeks to days. And I enjoy rotating songs out of Song B category into Song A for the future, and what was Song A (improver) becomes a Song C/D/E piece eventually etc.
Then I record what I play and realise how much worse it still all sounds in reality compared to what is in my head when Iām playingā¦
Hi Sajid,
As long as you keep practicing songs and recording yourself then youāll get there, and when you keep looking for technique when things go wrong and practice that that`s good ā¦ I myself have 100 + songs that I still have to finish (but I did finish a lot)ā¦ this is possible if you have enough time and do what you do well, then more and more āblocksā fall into place and you get a large framework,
And you finished grade 3 ā¦that is a lot frame
Greetings,Rogier
Glad you found it useful. I donāt personally sing at the moment - I have zero natural ability to hit notes though do intend to improve this by using some of the techniques in the course.
Regarding how to apply the article to singing - I think the general reason why the routine works for me is the combination of sufficient repetition with enough changing up to not lose concentration or motivation.
So I guess you could use the framework to split between different aspects of singing, but maybe that would get boring focusing all the time on one song. Maybe it would be better to still use the framework to cover a few different songs, but within the 15 mins practice time for the newest song, first few days/weeks may be on the guitar part, then use that time in later days for the lyrics and some combination etc.
Thank you for making that discussion. I can relate and Iāll start using that framework for my grade 3 song pratice. The article that you linked also seems interesting.
I set a timer when I start each section in the practice routine (I prefer my old wind-up mechanical kitchen timer than my phone for some reason).
The hour goes by quickly - when my timer dings, I often want to spend a few more minutes on each section of the routine. But it also keeps me more aware of my mental stateā¦
Am I bored? Am I frustrated? Is my mind wandering?
ā¦in a very useful way.
Highly recommend you try this approach if you are struggling to find a good practice routine!
(If thereās any interest, I can share a blank PDF template of the Song Kanban and Practice Routine)
@saj78@Tbushell Thanks to you both Sajid and Tom for the suggested song practice routines and related articles. I like the idea of having a defined improve, learn new, review and learn more new routine. Iāll be adding that to my daily practice routine as I slowly add more new songs to my Grade 1 consolidation while reviewing and improving older songs as I going into the upcoming Grades.
Hi Sajid,
This is a useful framework and mirrors some of what I had worked out for my ten grade 2 consolidation song practice sessions based on what I had learned from the grade 3 lesson practice suggestions. I found that I had to change the format depending on what I was practicing. Since I only had 50 minutes of practice, I would do 10x5min for practicing the rhythm pattern using muted strums, then increase to 10 min per song for playing rhythm with original music and increase to 25 min for really learning the songs and finally the whole practice session for recording. This new framework has some ideas Iāll try in the future.
Without setting a specific routine outline like this, Iāve found myself doing something very similar to this. I vary it up some. Some of my practice sessions focus more on the ādifficult partā aspect, or a specific technique, and some of my practice sessions lean more heavily towards just playing songs I already know. But the overall outline is very similar.
I also do not sing with my playing yet. Not that I canāt sing (though Iāve never had any training or instruction on vocals), but I donāt feel like Iāve got the coordination down and Iām investing a bit too much brain power into the āplaying guitarā part of the equation to add more elements just yet.
Thereās a local group in town that pushes people HARD to sing with their playing, even at a very beginner level. Iām not sure thatās necessarily the best pathway. The group playing sessions sound like absolute chaos and I think that one of the reasons for it is that the group is full of folks who are still playing at a fairly beginner level and have to think too much about the guitar playing in order to play well and sing at the same time. For me, itās absolutely an either/or question. I tried the group back in the spring and I couldnāt even play guitar with them. But I think in the next year Iām going to try the group out again. I really want to be able to play with my wife and to do small group jams, and if I can manage to play in that chaotic environment, I should be putting myself in a good position.
