Making up your own exercises - does anyone do it?

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In the past few weeks, some of my doodlings in between “real” practice items seem to have turned into small practice items themselves. For example, in between scale practices I started to play around with this figure:

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It can start on any note, this is just an example. I found it can be used to practice keeping time and also the coordination of the fretting and picking hands. Like scale practice but with “my own” melody. Although after a time I get a feeling similar to when I repeat the same word so many times it loses its meaning and becomes just a sequence of sounds.

Also, depending on the tempo and the phrasing, it can be turned into a sort of loop, and the order of the notes can be changed, too.

Do you also come up with routines of yours when practicing? I may have only invented the wheel again, but it’s an interesting finding nonetheless.

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Noodling around on your guitar is a good way to explore on your own. Sometimes you learn more by noodling than in a lesson. Listen to what your playing then figure out what key your playing in and see if you can play it over different backing tracks at different tempos.

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I use something like this for exercises at various frets, up and down the strings:
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Yes I come up with my own practice items all the time. Although usually based around excerpts of songs I want to play where my skills aren’t there yet

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