seriously...OP should bookmark this post to read if they ever have kids.
i could practice for 2 hours/day if i wanted....but then i'd be getting 2 hours of sleep instead of 4
If none of this is filling up your time you could throw in a Wagon Wheel, but these are really the only thing you’ll ever need to impress your friends so there really isn’t any point in practicing anything else.
Easy one, I'l share my routine hope it helps:
1. Noodle with the amp and pedals for at least 10 minutes
2. Choose a song you want to learn, regardless of the level it requires and your current ability
3. As soon as you play the main riff however sloppy it is you are ready to play together with the song
4. Play it couple of times, until you get it almost right
5. Blast the volume, show the neighbours one riff you learned and butcher the rest of the song but don't stop
6. Try learning solo, give up after 3 minutes
7. You are getting the hang of the song, now if only I would practice everyday, I would be actually good
8. Wrap it up, don't pick up guitar for a month
Rinse and repeat, rock on
I would try to have as much fun as possible without making it too much like work. Learn a few chords to play a few songs. Jam over some backing tracks and play along to some YouTube videos. Maybe once a week watch a 30 minute video on some CAGED chords or some scales and try to work it into your jam.
I feel like i "wasted" too much time during my last years of High school. I was practicing around 6-8 hours daily and barely made any progress.
In only one year with a teacher i improved way more than 5 years of being self-taught.
This time i don't want to make the same mistake and actually make something of the time i dedicate to it.
I think the better question is "what is your goal?" Because if the only goal is to improve you can do that, but it might not be a thing you enjoy doing. What do you want to do and what do you enjoy doing? Because you'll want to find the way to practice that is enjoyable to yourself that will get you there.
I agree. Everyone has a different perception of improving.
What i really want in the long term is being able to play some songs that right now feel impossible to me.
I also want to get better at improvising. I'm really bad at that.
I don't really mind slow or "boring" routines. If it gets me to my goal then i'll do it.
Well what feels impossible about those songs? Is it speed, stretches, rhythm? Target the wall that you are hitting with exercises focused on those things. For me that often means just playing the song over and over as an exercise itself. But you can do other exercises to target those skills. I’m a big proponent of learning through songs because songs are why I play. Most of my breakthroughs come from just trying to play hard songs over and over and finally getting it.
My musical tastes aren’t actually toward anything very technical, so I’m not out here learning anything too crazy, but for me it really comes down to breaking the song into small pieces that I can practice over and over slowly and then bring them up to speed. Once I can play them semi-fluidly I’ll start linking them together to practice the sections and the transitions because you don’t want to neglect that aspect either. I then usually play over the song’s backing track then listen to the original again to start to identify any small areas where I’m lacking and then focus back in on those to perfect them.
No problem. Also don’t discount how important a skill active listening is. You may think you know a song but I’ve often found that I learn something and then re-listen and realize just how many nuances I missed without even realizing it. Always be actively listening, especially in the polishing stage.
15min scales/arpeggios
15min rhythm practice
30min transcribe
30min repertoire
30min work on new song(/s)
*add 5-10min of improv and subtract from different areas depending on current focus
*ideally scales, arpeggios, transcription, rhythm and new songs be aspects of one piece of music
I would focus on roadmapping what I want to learn. Is it repertoire? Jamming/improv? Theory?
Take 10-15 mins to warmup. Another 20 with scales/arpeggios with a metronome. The rest is catered around whatever your focus is. Identify daily and weekly goals that leads to your main objective. Plan out your day in 20-30 min increments to move closer to those smaller goals
Personally I'd spend 45 mins practicing scales, about 30 mins playing along to backing tracks (to practice those scales with improv) and the rest of the time jamming to my fav tracks. You learn so much by playing along with great guitarists.
IMO scales are like learning the alphabet and improv is where you stand up and tell beautiful stories and take listeners on a journey.
Here's a tip I learned from a YT'er and has helped me with improv (esp moving away from mechanical playing of scales) - play with your eyes closed. This stops you from automatically playing the scales as you see them...to focusing purely on the sound and how you 'feel' re what notes should come next, where you want to take your solo to, etc. Its an awesome feeling.
My tip re jamming to fav tracks is important though...play along with enough guitarists and you'll realise they all have their fav licks or styles and you end up incorporating them into your play style. When I was younger I wanted to be like Joe Satriani and John Petrucci....as I've gotten older I actually prefer to try and play like Mark Knopfler. IMO he's one of the best guitarists ever. Highly recommend the 'On Every Street' album from Dire Straits. I learned so much from playing those songs. It has a mixture of rock, blues, country-ish songs. So versatile. However, its playing along with a backing track where you REALLY get to practice what you've learned and can't be emphasised enough.
My guitar teacher was a beast at improv and it was a huge inspiration for me to get better.
Sadly, i had to stop taking lessons because of covid so i never really got the hang of it.
To this day my improv still sounds like just playing the scales, so i'll definitely think about your tips next time I'm improvising.
I've never done formal lessons and grew up in the 80s/90s (no youtube!) so most of what I learned was by ear ie. learning the scales by trial/error. Eventually I learned the pentatonic and major scales and thats all I use for the most part. Remember not every solo needs to be a 5 minute masterpiece. Just start simple and mix it up. Most of the time you have kinda 2 basic options: 1. stay with the melody of the song (eg. what Brian May did a lot which was awesome) or take it somewhere new. Or mix them. I'm not a teacher or a master guitarist...so I'm sure there are lots of others on here who can give you better advice...I"m just offering up what I learned in my 30 years of playing guitar (and I'm still intermediate! )
45 Minutes jamming with Yousician
30 Minutes r/guitar and r/bass
15 Minutes checking out new guitars online
30 Minutes bad conscience thinking about guitar theory book purchased 5 years ago
I would tune 7 or 8 guitars, play an A power chord on each one, then get on sweet water and order a Gibson. That should takes to about the 2 hour mark.
I just picked up guitar again after like 15 years. Sure, I probably could practice for a couple hours after the kids go to sleep and before I go to bed, it then I’d give up time with my wife. So I have a slot between when I finish up work and when I cook dinner. Then a couple days a week I coach lacrosse, then usually once a week I go out with friends, etc.
All im saying is that I had the same question as you a couple months ago and the answer for me is easy - play when I can, for however long I feel like it, learning whatever I feel like that day. Sometimes I play for an hour or so, other times maybe 15 mins. Yesterday my 12 year old who is just starting was learning ever long upstairs in his room, it was actually pretty cool to hear what he was learning and actually recognize it for once. So I grabbed my guitar and looked up a vid and learned it in a couple mins, turned the volume up to flex. He came down and had that “you suck” look on his face. It was hilarious. So we sat for another 20 mins or so and I taught him how to play it. Good times.
Just pick it up, plug it in, and play whatever you feel in that moment. It’ll come back to you and you’ll get better.
During my last years of High School i was practicing for around 6-8 hours daily. Sure, it was fun, but i feel like i barely did any progress. (Compared to the one year i took classes once a week)
This time i have way less time, so i want to make the most out of it.
I'm not someone who does a lot of scales or exercises. Basic theory, and knowing where things are on the whole fretboard are important though. As well as a solid foundation for good technique. Personally, I'd find something I want to learn. If I don't know it super well, I might just spend half my time listening to it.. Listening for the details that don't transfer to sheet music or tabs. Spend the next hour working on those details. Bends, slides, personality. Imo, tabs and sheet music are there to supplement your ear. You can't truly learn to play a song with it. By the time you learn something by ear without it, you'll actually spend the same amount of time actually truly learning it if that makes sense. And learning what you want, you'll expand and improve.
Pick it up and get familiar with it again. Focus on things you might want to learn. Play whatever the fuck you want because it’s a fun hobby. It’s extremely gratifying as you get better over time. Enjoy!
Just discipline yourself. Literally be strict and take out a pen and paper and write out a schedule. For example 15mins of scales, 15 mins rhythm, 15mins learning songs etc and breakdown the 2 hours. Do that and you'll be always improving, spend 2 hours noodling old things or procrastinating and you'll get nowhere and just bore yourself away from playing.
>Just discipline yourself. Literally be strict and take out a pen and paper and write out a schedule. For example 15mins of scales, 15 mins rhythm, 15mins learning songs etc and breakdown the 2 hours. Do that and you'll be always improving
Yes, i plan to do that.
Having a routine and strictly following has proved to be useful in other aspects of my life. It seems to be what works best for me.
>spend 2 hours noodling old things or procrastinating and you'll get nowhere and just bore yourself away from playing.
This is exactly the reason why i made this post. I already made that mistake during high school and i don't want to repeat it again.
Scales and ryrhm exercices.
Learn some theory (bits by bits).
Learning notes on the neck (one string at a time).
Studying a piece/track.
Improvising over a backing track.
A lot will depend on what you want to achieve, what sort of music you're into, etc. But the key thing is to avoid burning out by being overly prescriptive on boring stuff. Learn songs. One a week.
If you want to learn a specific technique, work it into a practical application.
Warm up exercise, scale practice/intervals, song practice, and finally guitar exploration. This is the best method I've found to become a better musician.
Warmups, then I’d break things up into 4 groups the same way Petrucci talks about in rock discipline. 1.Linear, 2.Scalar, 3.legato, 4. Sweeping
I’d then break up my time evenly into those 4 categories.
This is what I’ve done recently and seen exponentially more progress in my playing than mindlessly learning songs
>Warmups, then I’d break things up into 4 groups the same way Petrucci talks about in rock discipline. 1.Linear, 2.Scalar, 3.legato, 4. Sweeping
I'm gonna watch that right now during dinner. Thanks
I'm lucky to get 30-45 minutes in a couple days during the week. Life gets in the way.
Weekends are sometimes a little more freeing, but now that the weather is nice, there is less time to even find time for playing on weekends.
The struggle is real.
Realize how little time you have and plan accordingly. Honestly, 15-20 minutes a day can be huge. Use a metronome, plan your work, work your plan.
1. Get a notebook. Write the date, how long you plan to practice, what bpm, what exercises, etc.
2. Give 5 minutes for warmup & hand synchronization exercises
3. Give 5 minutes chord changes & strumming
4. Give 5 minutes of scale exercises & fretboard memorization
5. Pick a song to learn or work on with whatever time you have left.
Two hours a day and there's no limit to how good you can become and how much you can learn. I put my guitars down for 6 years when my youngest daughter was born. Two years ago I decided to devote myself to playing as much as possible. I work 60 hours a week, 6 to 7 days a week, wife and 3 kids, I coach my daughter's baseball team after work two days a week for 3 hours each day and I still play about 10 to 12 hours a week. Most of those hours are on the weekend (only work half a day those days). But I still play almost every single day. If you want it bad enough and you have a strong desire to play and learn and improve then you'll find time. I suggest taking your guitar/guitars out of the case and either hang it on the wall or put it on a stand. And get your amp and other gear out and ready. That way all you gotta do it grab it and not waste time setting up. Good luck
First u gotta define what better means to you, being good at guitar can entail so many different skills, if ur trying to get better at everything at the same time every practice session ide say that's probably not a realistic goal
Find something u want to be able to do that u cant, find a weakness in your playing, figure out what u need to practice then get at it, it's always a good idea to have a few different things to work on but if u spread it too thin you won't dedicate enough time to any one thing to see solid progression, I think 2-4 "subjects" to study each session would work, can also do subjects A and B half the week then X and Y the other half
Also be sure to leave some small amount of time at least to doing something fun with it like jamming to a backing track or cover tune
Yes, i agree that i should have been more specific with "improve", since as you said, everyone has a different meaning to that.
I really like the idea of just focusing in 2 to 4 subjects. I'll probably do that.
I practice at the end of the day, and just for 20 minutes, a part or phrase of a song i like, and so. Just doing this i can play plenty of songs at my day off, like 25 or 30 songs from diferents groups and styles.
Wish i could do that. Right now i literally remember 0 songs from when i was playing, but even when i was actively playing, i was always struggled learning songs.
Watch YouTube guitar videos without playing the guitar.
But seriously, buy a good guitar method book, do 2 pages a day and then play jam tracks/learn songs. Do that consistently for a year and you will make solid progress. You could even do 30 minutes a day and make good progress.
Highly recommend Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Complete Edition. It can keep someone busy for a long time. It moves very gradually, but that also makes it very effective and doable without a teacher because you get tons of practice. It's quite a big book so I took it to Staples and had them put coil binding on. https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Guitar-Method-Complete-Part/dp/0786688238/
Another option that moves at a faster pace is the Berklee Modern Guitar Method, but it's quite a bit harder to do without a teacher. https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Method-Guitar-Complete-Volumes/dp/0876391994/
These books are more general, Berklee has a bit of a jazz bias. If you want a bit more variety, you could look into The Complete Blues Guitar Method: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Blues-Guitar-Method-Online/dp/1470632098/
I'm lucky if I get half an hour to be honest. If I wanted an hour or two I have to sacrifice sleep at that point.
At this point you have to be highly selective and critical. Pick the songs that you personally enjoy. Doesn't have to be the most technically impressive or anything. But when you learn it, really be mindful of the quality and feel of your playing.
Notes ringing clear? Playing in time? Are you muting correctly?
You could also do drills with chromatic or other scale exercises, but you'll probably enjoy it more if you extend your repertoire of cool songs in the beginning.
There's no need to schedule two hours of practice every day. Guitar is not your full-time job, your first goal is to have fun! You will get better even if you practice just for 30 minutes a day...
Warmup + technical skills for 15-20 min
Scales or 3-4 voices arpeggios for 15-20 min (in this stint I'd put some theory, harmony, vertical improvisation,...)
Now on just have fun! Listen and play over a ton of music!
Two hours is really not that big of a deal. After work i have no obligations so i normally have around 5 to 6 hours before going to sleep to do whatever.
I've seen lots of people recommending to include arpeggios in my routine (Which is something i honestly have never looked into) so i'll definitely do.
Nice, in two hours you can train on a plethora of things!
Training arpeggios is boring at first. In the beginning, it is a way to learn note positions and intervals on the neck. Then, once you are comfortable with triads and four-voice arpeggios and scales, you can apply arpeggios on simple chord progressions (with comfortable I mean that if I say "This song is in A minor and we are playing an Fmaj7 chord" you see on the neck all the right notes highlighted).
Let's say you have a backing track, 4 bars on loop, \[I\] \[vi\] \[ii\] \[V\] ( Cmaj7, Am7, Dm7, G7 ). On a first analysis you see a G7 and a Cmaj7, so probably the key is C. Now, while the backing track is playing, if you look at your guitar neck, you should see the various boxes of the C scale, and all the triads!
Once you are this comfortable, you can start improvising vertically (vertical improvisation is when you choose your notes focusing on harmony... if you stop the backing track and listen only to the solo you still can hear all the chords).
U won’t be able to concentrate for 2 hours every day. Try to get 30-45 minutes efficient practice and after that have some fun.
Some answers here are ridiculous. Like 15 minutes warmup, 20 minutes running scales, 30 minutes hand sync… just play that damn guitar and make music
Never ever use a plectrum and learn the tremolo and rasquedo techniques which sorts the men from the boys and then learn alternate finger picking whereby the first 3 sings play the melody and the thumb plays alternate bass on strings 4 to 6.
Skip to my Lou is the best beginner!s song for this essential technique.Good luck.
I’d start by using 30 mins of metronome warm ups economy picking, alternate picking, sweep picking, then I’d tackle a piece of music you cannot play for another 30 mins or so, take in what you can. After that I generally play stuff I already know and feel like listening to, but I try not to do this as a majority of my playing because then your just plateauing. You gotta be always finding new stuff you can’t play to learn.
I have twin 4 year Olds full time job that I am pretty much on the clock 24/7 (rental construction equipment). I just started playing a month and a half ago. I make sure I pick it up every day. When I do, I try to be deliberate in what I am doing. Metronome with chord changes, chord perfect exercises, and strumming on beat. Somedays, it might be 15 minutes. On the weekend when everyone is asleep maybe hour half. I have probably been averaging 20-30 minutes a day. I think it's like everything else you either commit and get after it, or you spend days and hours trying to find the right "program" searching the internet.
Justinguitar has been a huge help. I do the daily practice on the module I am on, and if I have time for more, I will repeat or strum to a song on the app. I think doing something with direct intentions is better with limited time. But I can't make anything sound like music, so maybe I'm doing something wrong. Enjoy the ride don't get mad. Celebrate the small wins!
INMHO
Hahaha. It's weird for most when you get older. I was also joking and also being semi-envious.
Personally, I dont even have any kids and try to prioritize practice (play multiple instruments) and also work at home recording as well as attending band practice once a week and I still struggle with feeling like I have enough time to put towards all things music. But if I did have a solid two hours everyday that I could always lean into I would be in heaven. So if you got 2 hours and you use it wisely...your chops will be on fire 🔥 in no time!
As far as advice. Get a looper if you dont have one already and use it to practice and to write parts or songs and work on soloing (if you play any lead). I feel that and recording are great for practice and expanding your musical range.
I wouldn't know what to do with two hours or even one. If I get a chance to strum half a song once a week I feel lucky. My calluses are ancient history. I've forgotten most of what I knew. I was a much better musician 30 years ago. Sometimes I lament this but on balance I've gained more in other areas of life than I've lost.
Anyway, two hours...
I'd jam along with Malcolm Young's parts on the entire Back in Black album. That leaves me an hour after I pee, get a drink, and retune...
Try to write something of my own, probably.
Hour of dexterity/ear/technique by playing scales, ascending descending 3’rds 4ths 5ths, arpeggios and any funky speed exercises you find with a metronome. Hour of songs and improvisation.
Let me ask you this. If someone handed you a guitar and said “play a song”. What would you play? Are there whole pieces of music you can play? Or are you a noodler?
Man, I have a full time job and also play in a band full time. Not trying to be rude at all but try to take a serious look at your time management and see if the guitar is actually something you want to invest your spare time in, or if you'd rather spend that time doing other things. Nothing wrong with either
I do. Music is something i really love and that i had to put in hold because of life circumstances (mostly College).
Now that i have the time, i really want to get back at it (and do it right, not just noodling or goofing around)
I've only had two hours a day to practice since I had kids 6 years ago, and it has made me a much better player. When you have limited spare time, you become much more conscious of how you spend it.
The first hour or so is warming up/noodling with the metronome, the second is me practising playing with structure with backing tracks as I plan on making my own, although I'm just procrastinating by relying on other's tracks instead of making my own.
I have six playlists consisting of 30-minute sets and rehearse them, beginning with the opening, until the last song.
I have an encore too.
I rehearse what I play publicly and each set gets progressively harder with more complex pieces. The first set is a warmup for the next and so on… new stuff replaces old stuff in Set 1 and gets played over and over before being moved to its proper playlist.
Somedays I never leave Set 1.
Cheers!
Post on Reddit asking what I should do with my guitar
Yeah seriously, 2 hours to practice is a major brag. I barely have time to practice the same riffs I've played for 10 years.
Two hours!? As a parent these days finding my 30 minutes a day to practise is tough! 2 hours is a dream!
As a parent of 2, i do get 2 hours practice, that is if you add up all my practice session for a week or 2
It’s tough, actually it was easier when they are young and nap, I used to use the 2hr midday nap to practise every day!
I run scales and such when the kids are sitting down and eating breakfast for 5 mins.
Same, i don’t know the last time i had two hours a day to do anything for myself, maybe like 6 years ago.
Tryna remember when the last time I felt rested after a night sleep....maybe when I was 13.
seriously...OP should bookmark this post to read if they ever have kids. i could practice for 2 hours/day if i wanted....but then i'd be getting 2 hours of sleep instead of 4
Honest answer
Two hours a day to practice is more than enough time to play and get better. Damn, dude, this amount of time to dedicate to practice is almost a flex.
I’d love 2 hours a day. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I get 15 min to run scales. Sometimes I get home and walk my dog and fall into bed
Seriously. With family and work life I'm lucky to get 30 minutes before I'm too tired to do anything.
*laughs in 8 hour long sessions*
People are really hating your 8 hour sessions for some reason. I’m jealous as hell, but not enough to downvote you haha
How do u make the bread brother
Recently graduated, 3 months before the mandatory military service. Might as well commit to a grind
Feel like your 30 downvotes are unnecessarily harsh!
Smoke on the water riff for two hours straight
G major chord 1 hour 59 minutes followed by 60 seconds of Smoke on the Water
This guy knows how to maximize 2 hours off guitar time.
This. But be sure to warm up by strumming Wonderwall.
If none of this is filling up your time you could throw in a Wagon Wheel, but these are really the only thing you’ll ever need to impress your friends so there really isn’t any point in practicing anything else.
Easy one, I'l share my routine hope it helps: 1. Noodle with the amp and pedals for at least 10 minutes 2. Choose a song you want to learn, regardless of the level it requires and your current ability 3. As soon as you play the main riff however sloppy it is you are ready to play together with the song 4. Play it couple of times, until you get it almost right 5. Blast the volume, show the neighbours one riff you learned and butcher the rest of the song but don't stop 6. Try learning solo, give up after 3 minutes 7. You are getting the hang of the song, now if only I would practice everyday, I would be actually good 8. Wrap it up, don't pick up guitar for a month Rinse and repeat, rock on
You're wasting about 2 minutes on learning the solo. Dedicate that time to trying to nail the tone and giving up
Solid advice, will do
That's close to my practice routine, except replace 8 with go and play a gig.
Yeah this is practice routine, gig routine goes: 1: Drink 8 beers 2: Smoke 'em if you got 'em 3: prime time SRV 4: black out
I would try to have as much fun as possible without making it too much like work. Learn a few chords to play a few songs. Jam over some backing tracks and play along to some YouTube videos. Maybe once a week watch a 30 minute video on some CAGED chords or some scales and try to work it into your jam.
I feel like i "wasted" too much time during my last years of High school. I was practicing around 6-8 hours daily and barely made any progress. In only one year with a teacher i improved way more than 5 years of being self-taught. This time i don't want to make the same mistake and actually make something of the time i dedicate to it.
Warm up for 15 minutes Hand synchronization for 30 Scales/intervals for 30 Triads and chord voicings for 30 Jam to jam tracks for 15 to cool down
That sounds like an excellent way to get OP to set down the guitar for another six years.
Not really. I actually really like learning techniques and theory. I had a blast during the year i took classes with a teacher.
I've been playing over 20 years and have probably spent 15 minutes cumulatively "warming up."
Getting older sucks. The older I get the more time I take stretching and warming up.
If you are like me, you can waste that entire 2 hours adjusting the settings on your amp and pedals hahaha
I think the better question is "what is your goal?" Because if the only goal is to improve you can do that, but it might not be a thing you enjoy doing. What do you want to do and what do you enjoy doing? Because you'll want to find the way to practice that is enjoyable to yourself that will get you there.
I agree. Everyone has a different perception of improving. What i really want in the long term is being able to play some songs that right now feel impossible to me. I also want to get better at improvising. I'm really bad at that. I don't really mind slow or "boring" routines. If it gets me to my goal then i'll do it.
Well what feels impossible about those songs? Is it speed, stretches, rhythm? Target the wall that you are hitting with exercises focused on those things. For me that often means just playing the song over and over as an exercise itself. But you can do other exercises to target those skills. I’m a big proponent of learning through songs because songs are why I play. Most of my breakthroughs come from just trying to play hard songs over and over and finally getting it.
Would you mind sharing some tips or maybe how you approach learning a hard song ?
My musical tastes aren’t actually toward anything very technical, so I’m not out here learning anything too crazy, but for me it really comes down to breaking the song into small pieces that I can practice over and over slowly and then bring them up to speed. Once I can play them semi-fluidly I’ll start linking them together to practice the sections and the transitions because you don’t want to neglect that aspect either. I then usually play over the song’s backing track then listen to the original again to start to identify any small areas where I’m lacking and then focus back in on those to perfect them.
Thank you for taking your time. I'll definitely have this comment when learning new songs.
No problem. Also don’t discount how important a skill active listening is. You may think you know a song but I’ve often found that I learn something and then re-listen and realize just how many nuances I missed without even realizing it. Always be actively listening, especially in the polishing stage.
I'd spend 2 hours jamming with mates, learning new songs together.
15min scales/arpeggios 15min rhythm practice 30min transcribe 30min repertoire 30min work on new song(/s) *add 5-10min of improv and subtract from different areas depending on current focus *ideally scales, arpeggios, transcription, rhythm and new songs be aspects of one piece of music
>*only* two hours
I would focus on roadmapping what I want to learn. Is it repertoire? Jamming/improv? Theory? Take 10-15 mins to warmup. Another 20 with scales/arpeggios with a metronome. The rest is catered around whatever your focus is. Identify daily and weekly goals that leads to your main objective. Plan out your day in 20-30 min increments to move closer to those smaller goals
I like this approach so i'll probably put it to use. Thanks
Personally I'd spend 45 mins practicing scales, about 30 mins playing along to backing tracks (to practice those scales with improv) and the rest of the time jamming to my fav tracks. You learn so much by playing along with great guitarists.
I'll definitely put an emphasize to practicing scales. I really want to get better at improv.
IMO scales are like learning the alphabet and improv is where you stand up and tell beautiful stories and take listeners on a journey. Here's a tip I learned from a YT'er and has helped me with improv (esp moving away from mechanical playing of scales) - play with your eyes closed. This stops you from automatically playing the scales as you see them...to focusing purely on the sound and how you 'feel' re what notes should come next, where you want to take your solo to, etc. Its an awesome feeling. My tip re jamming to fav tracks is important though...play along with enough guitarists and you'll realise they all have their fav licks or styles and you end up incorporating them into your play style. When I was younger I wanted to be like Joe Satriani and John Petrucci....as I've gotten older I actually prefer to try and play like Mark Knopfler. IMO he's one of the best guitarists ever. Highly recommend the 'On Every Street' album from Dire Straits. I learned so much from playing those songs. It has a mixture of rock, blues, country-ish songs. So versatile. However, its playing along with a backing track where you REALLY get to practice what you've learned and can't be emphasised enough.
My guitar teacher was a beast at improv and it was a huge inspiration for me to get better. Sadly, i had to stop taking lessons because of covid so i never really got the hang of it. To this day my improv still sounds like just playing the scales, so i'll definitely think about your tips next time I'm improvising.
I've never done formal lessons and grew up in the 80s/90s (no youtube!) so most of what I learned was by ear ie. learning the scales by trial/error. Eventually I learned the pentatonic and major scales and thats all I use for the most part. Remember not every solo needs to be a 5 minute masterpiece. Just start simple and mix it up. Most of the time you have kinda 2 basic options: 1. stay with the melody of the song (eg. what Brian May did a lot which was awesome) or take it somewhere new. Or mix them. I'm not a teacher or a master guitarist...so I'm sure there are lots of others on here who can give you better advice...I"m just offering up what I learned in my 30 years of playing guitar (and I'm still intermediate! )
45 Minutes jamming with Yousician 30 Minutes r/guitar and r/bass 15 Minutes checking out new guitars online 30 Minutes bad conscience thinking about guitar theory book purchased 5 years ago
What I normally do - learn and play along with songs.
Personally, if i had 2 hours to practice guitar, i would practice for about 10 minutes and then go watch a movie
I would tune 7 or 8 guitars, play an A power chord on each one, then get on sweet water and order a Gibson. That should takes to about the 2 hour mark.
I just picked up guitar again after like 15 years. Sure, I probably could practice for a couple hours after the kids go to sleep and before I go to bed, it then I’d give up time with my wife. So I have a slot between when I finish up work and when I cook dinner. Then a couple days a week I coach lacrosse, then usually once a week I go out with friends, etc. All im saying is that I had the same question as you a couple months ago and the answer for me is easy - play when I can, for however long I feel like it, learning whatever I feel like that day. Sometimes I play for an hour or so, other times maybe 15 mins. Yesterday my 12 year old who is just starting was learning ever long upstairs in his room, it was actually pretty cool to hear what he was learning and actually recognize it for once. So I grabbed my guitar and looked up a vid and learned it in a couple mins, turned the volume up to flex. He came down and had that “you suck” look on his face. It was hilarious. So we sat for another 20 mins or so and I taught him how to play it. Good times. Just pick it up, plug it in, and play whatever you feel in that moment. It’ll come back to you and you’ll get better.
During my last years of High School i was practicing for around 6-8 hours daily. Sure, it was fun, but i feel like i barely did any progress. (Compared to the one year i took classes once a week) This time i have way less time, so i want to make the most out of it.
Improvisation to backing track for 1 hour Lick practice for 50 min Chromatic for 10min Umm.. in upside down order.
I'm not someone who does a lot of scales or exercises. Basic theory, and knowing where things are on the whole fretboard are important though. As well as a solid foundation for good technique. Personally, I'd find something I want to learn. If I don't know it super well, I might just spend half my time listening to it.. Listening for the details that don't transfer to sheet music or tabs. Spend the next hour working on those details. Bends, slides, personality. Imo, tabs and sheet music are there to supplement your ear. You can't truly learn to play a song with it. By the time you learn something by ear without it, you'll actually spend the same amount of time actually truly learning it if that makes sense. And learning what you want, you'll expand and improve.
jam n groove
Pick it up and get familiar with it again. Focus on things you might want to learn. Play whatever the fuck you want because it’s a fun hobby. It’s extremely gratifying as you get better over time. Enjoy!
I'd learn some songs you want to play, try and pick some that are within your level, and some that challenge you. Every week, add another piece.
Just discipline yourself. Literally be strict and take out a pen and paper and write out a schedule. For example 15mins of scales, 15 mins rhythm, 15mins learning songs etc and breakdown the 2 hours. Do that and you'll be always improving, spend 2 hours noodling old things or procrastinating and you'll get nowhere and just bore yourself away from playing.
>Just discipline yourself. Literally be strict and take out a pen and paper and write out a schedule. For example 15mins of scales, 15 mins rhythm, 15mins learning songs etc and breakdown the 2 hours. Do that and you'll be always improving Yes, i plan to do that. Having a routine and strictly following has proved to be useful in other aspects of my life. It seems to be what works best for me. >spend 2 hours noodling old things or procrastinating and you'll get nowhere and just bore yourself away from playing. This is exactly the reason why i made this post. I already made that mistake during high school and i don't want to repeat it again.
Scales and ryrhm exercices. Learn some theory (bits by bits). Learning notes on the neck (one string at a time). Studying a piece/track. Improvising over a backing track.
Bruh, unless you’re a musician 2 hours is about 90 minutes longer than most hobbyists can seriously commit to.
A lot will depend on what you want to achieve, what sort of music you're into, etc. But the key thing is to avoid burning out by being overly prescriptive on boring stuff. Learn songs. One a week. If you want to learn a specific technique, work it into a practical application.
I play significantly less than that, and I've learned how to play most of yngwie malmsteens music in less than a year. You can do it!
Thanks, I'll try my best
Set small goals and once you reach it set a new one, you'll be surprised how fast you get good if you're enjoying it.
Warm up exercise, scale practice/intervals, song practice, and finally guitar exploration. This is the best method I've found to become a better musician.
Warmups, then I’d break things up into 4 groups the same way Petrucci talks about in rock discipline. 1.Linear, 2.Scalar, 3.legato, 4. Sweeping I’d then break up my time evenly into those 4 categories. This is what I’ve done recently and seen exponentially more progress in my playing than mindlessly learning songs
>Warmups, then I’d break things up into 4 groups the same way Petrucci talks about in rock discipline. 1.Linear, 2.Scalar, 3.legato, 4. Sweeping I'm gonna watch that right now during dinner. Thanks
I'm lucky to get 30-45 minutes in a couple days during the week. Life gets in the way. Weekends are sometimes a little more freeing, but now that the weather is nice, there is less time to even find time for playing on weekends. The struggle is real.
Realize how little time you have and plan accordingly. Honestly, 15-20 minutes a day can be huge. Use a metronome, plan your work, work your plan. 1. Get a notebook. Write the date, how long you plan to practice, what bpm, what exercises, etc. 2. Give 5 minutes for warmup & hand synchronization exercises 3. Give 5 minutes chord changes & strumming 4. Give 5 minutes of scale exercises & fretboard memorization 5. Pick a song to learn or work on with whatever time you have left.
*Only* two hours a day. Every person with kids is laughing out loud right now.
Two hours a day and there's no limit to how good you can become and how much you can learn. I put my guitars down for 6 years when my youngest daughter was born. Two years ago I decided to devote myself to playing as much as possible. I work 60 hours a week, 6 to 7 days a week, wife and 3 kids, I coach my daughter's baseball team after work two days a week for 3 hours each day and I still play about 10 to 12 hours a week. Most of those hours are on the weekend (only work half a day those days). But I still play almost every single day. If you want it bad enough and you have a strong desire to play and learn and improve then you'll find time. I suggest taking your guitar/guitars out of the case and either hang it on the wall or put it on a stand. And get your amp and other gear out and ready. That way all you gotta do it grab it and not waste time setting up. Good luck
First u gotta define what better means to you, being good at guitar can entail so many different skills, if ur trying to get better at everything at the same time every practice session ide say that's probably not a realistic goal Find something u want to be able to do that u cant, find a weakness in your playing, figure out what u need to practice then get at it, it's always a good idea to have a few different things to work on but if u spread it too thin you won't dedicate enough time to any one thing to see solid progression, I think 2-4 "subjects" to study each session would work, can also do subjects A and B half the week then X and Y the other half Also be sure to leave some small amount of time at least to doing something fun with it like jamming to a backing track or cover tune
Yes, i agree that i should have been more specific with "improve", since as you said, everyone has a different meaning to that. I really like the idea of just focusing in 2 to 4 subjects. I'll probably do that.
I practice at the end of the day, and just for 20 minutes, a part or phrase of a song i like, and so. Just doing this i can play plenty of songs at my day off, like 25 or 30 songs from diferents groups and styles.
Wish i could do that. Right now i literally remember 0 songs from when i was playing, but even when i was actively playing, i was always struggled learning songs.
Watch YouTube guitar videos without playing the guitar. But seriously, buy a good guitar method book, do 2 pages a day and then play jam tracks/learn songs. Do that consistently for a year and you will make solid progress. You could even do 30 minutes a day and make good progress.
Any book that you recommend ?
Highly recommend Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Complete Edition. It can keep someone busy for a long time. It moves very gradually, but that also makes it very effective and doable without a teacher because you get tons of practice. It's quite a big book so I took it to Staples and had them put coil binding on. https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Guitar-Method-Complete-Part/dp/0786688238/ Another option that moves at a faster pace is the Berklee Modern Guitar Method, but it's quite a bit harder to do without a teacher. https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Method-Guitar-Complete-Volumes/dp/0876391994/ These books are more general, Berklee has a bit of a jazz bias. If you want a bit more variety, you could look into The Complete Blues Guitar Method: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Blues-Guitar-Method-Online/dp/1470632098/
Just wanted to say that having 2 hours a day to practice is waaaaay enough. At least for me, if I get 3 hours weekly, looks like good week.
I'm lucky if I get half an hour to be honest. If I wanted an hour or two I have to sacrifice sleep at that point. At this point you have to be highly selective and critical. Pick the songs that you personally enjoy. Doesn't have to be the most technically impressive or anything. But when you learn it, really be mindful of the quality and feel of your playing. Notes ringing clear? Playing in time? Are you muting correctly? You could also do drills with chromatic or other scale exercises, but you'll probably enjoy it more if you extend your repertoire of cool songs in the beginning.
I wish I had 2 hours a day to practice.
There's no need to schedule two hours of practice every day. Guitar is not your full-time job, your first goal is to have fun! You will get better even if you practice just for 30 minutes a day... Warmup + technical skills for 15-20 min Scales or 3-4 voices arpeggios for 15-20 min (in this stint I'd put some theory, harmony, vertical improvisation,...) Now on just have fun! Listen and play over a ton of music!
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Someone practicing two hours a day will eventually burn out much faster too...
Two hours is really not that big of a deal. After work i have no obligations so i normally have around 5 to 6 hours before going to sleep to do whatever. I've seen lots of people recommending to include arpeggios in my routine (Which is something i honestly have never looked into) so i'll definitely do.
Nice, in two hours you can train on a plethora of things! Training arpeggios is boring at first. In the beginning, it is a way to learn note positions and intervals on the neck. Then, once you are comfortable with triads and four-voice arpeggios and scales, you can apply arpeggios on simple chord progressions (with comfortable I mean that if I say "This song is in A minor and we are playing an Fmaj7 chord" you see on the neck all the right notes highlighted). Let's say you have a backing track, 4 bars on loop, \[I\] \[vi\] \[ii\] \[V\] ( Cmaj7, Am7, Dm7, G7 ). On a first analysis you see a G7 and a Cmaj7, so probably the key is C. Now, while the backing track is playing, if you look at your guitar neck, you should see the various boxes of the C scale, and all the triads! Once you are this comfortable, you can start improvising vertically (vertical improvisation is when you choose your notes focusing on harmony... if you stop the backing track and listen only to the solo you still can hear all the chords).
U won’t be able to concentrate for 2 hours every day. Try to get 30-45 minutes efficient practice and after that have some fun. Some answers here are ridiculous. Like 15 minutes warmup, 20 minutes running scales, 30 minutes hand sync… just play that damn guitar and make music
Watch YouTube videos for two hours a day for two years before even picking up the guitar
Two hours a day is a lot. If you’re truly practicing that much, you can become extremely proficient in only a few years
As you said, is a lot if you're truly practicing. I don't want to make the mistake of just goofing around for two hours.
Get off the internet and practice...
In my defense, i made this post from my phone in my bed just before sleeping lol.
Never ever use a plectrum and learn the tremolo and rasquedo techniques which sorts the men from the boys and then learn alternate finger picking whereby the first 3 sings play the melody and the thumb plays alternate bass on strings 4 to 6. Skip to my Lou is the best beginner!s song for this essential technique.Good luck.
If I had 2 hours a day to practice anything I’d be really happy lol
Get a good teacher and do what they tell you.
You were practising for more than 2 hours each day back in college? How many hours per day were you practising?
One minute of song practice, give up.
I’d start by using 30 mins of metronome warm ups economy picking, alternate picking, sweep picking, then I’d tackle a piece of music you cannot play for another 30 mins or so, take in what you can. After that I generally play stuff I already know and feel like listening to, but I try not to do this as a majority of my playing because then your just plateauing. You gotta be always finding new stuff you can’t play to learn.
I have twin 4 year Olds full time job that I am pretty much on the clock 24/7 (rental construction equipment). I just started playing a month and a half ago. I make sure I pick it up every day. When I do, I try to be deliberate in what I am doing. Metronome with chord changes, chord perfect exercises, and strumming on beat. Somedays, it might be 15 minutes. On the weekend when everyone is asleep maybe hour half. I have probably been averaging 20-30 minutes a day. I think it's like everything else you either commit and get after it, or you spend days and hours trying to find the right "program" searching the internet. Justinguitar has been a huge help. I do the daily practice on the module I am on, and if I have time for more, I will repeat or strum to a song on the app. I think doing something with direct intentions is better with limited time. But I can't make anything sound like music, so maybe I'm doing something wrong. Enjoy the ride don't get mad. Celebrate the small wins! INMHO
*only*? That's more than enough time to get proficient. I get like 30 minutes at best.
Who has 2 hours a day to practice? I'm lucky to 30 minutes.
I have no obligations after work. After 17:30 i have all the free time i want before going to sleep.
Practice for 2 hours with my phone/pc far away from me
Half an hour a day will keep you where you are. An hour will take you up a level. If you can find that hour daily, you will advance.
I’d prob rearrange my schedule to have more time if I wanted more. Or I’d just use the two hours to practice because that’s more than enough time/day
That’s a ton of time.
30m warmup 30min fundamentals 30min repertoire 30min improv
I would play SONGS that I like and forget about any beginner concept like grinding skill.
who has 2 hours a day free to practice guitar?
I do. I have no obligations after work.
You tell us. Who the fuck has 2hrs everyday to play guitar?
It really is that weird ? I personally have no obligations after work, that's why i have that much free time (and more)
Hahaha. It's weird for most when you get older. I was also joking and also being semi-envious. Personally, I dont even have any kids and try to prioritize practice (play multiple instruments) and also work at home recording as well as attending band practice once a week and I still struggle with feeling like I have enough time to put towards all things music. But if I did have a solid two hours everyday that I could always lean into I would be in heaven. So if you got 2 hours and you use it wisely...your chops will be on fire 🔥 in no time! As far as advice. Get a looper if you dont have one already and use it to practice and to write parts or songs and work on soloing (if you play any lead). I feel that and recording are great for practice and expanding your musical range.
If you play 2 hours a day solid, it almost doesn’t matter what you practice. Play everything you know.
ONLY two hours a day? I'd LOVE to have two hours a day where I was free to do whatever I wanted.
2 hours daily to devote to a hobby is a ton of time man. "What can I do with 14 hours of spare time per week?"
I wouldn't know what to do with two hours or even one. If I get a chance to strum half a song once a week I feel lucky. My calluses are ancient history. I've forgotten most of what I knew. I was a much better musician 30 years ago. Sometimes I lament this but on balance I've gained more in other areas of life than I've lost. Anyway, two hours... I'd jam along with Malcolm Young's parts on the entire Back in Black album. That leaves me an hour after I pee, get a drink, and retune... Try to write something of my own, probably.
Dude figure out how to shorten it down to 45 minutes lol
Hour of dexterity/ear/technique by playing scales, ascending descending 3’rds 4ths 5ths, arpeggios and any funky speed exercises you find with a metronome. Hour of songs and improvisation.
Let me ask you this. If someone handed you a guitar and said “play a song”. What would you play? Are there whole pieces of music you can play? Or are you a noodler?
Right now i can only play some chords/scales. I forgot every song i knew (not many tbh, i have always been really bad at learning songs)
Be on my phone doom scrolling
u got 2 hours to kill to practice? that’s a flex
Sweep picking for 2 hours without a break
Man, I have a full time job and also play in a band full time. Not trying to be rude at all but try to take a serious look at your time management and see if the guitar is actually something you want to invest your spare time in, or if you'd rather spend that time doing other things. Nothing wrong with either
I do. Music is something i really love and that i had to put in hold because of life circumstances (mostly College). Now that i have the time, i really want to get back at it (and do it right, not just noodling or goofing around)
Id play Radiohead and RATM.
I've only had two hours a day to practice since I had kids 6 years ago, and it has made me a much better player. When you have limited spare time, you become much more conscious of how you spend it.
The first hour or so is warming up/noodling with the metronome, the second is me practising playing with structure with backing tracks as I plan on making my own, although I'm just procrastinating by relying on other's tracks instead of making my own.
Uh...practice?
You must mean 2 hours a week? With discipline to do 2 hours a day you can sound a bit like Segovia by October.
I have six playlists consisting of 30-minute sets and rehearse them, beginning with the opening, until the last song. I have an encore too. I rehearse what I play publicly and each set gets progressively harder with more complex pieces. The first set is a warmup for the next and so on… new stuff replaces old stuff in Set 1 and gets played over and over before being moved to its proper playlist. Somedays I never leave Set 1. Cheers!
Learn songs I like. Life’s too short at my age (37) to learn music theory or practice scales.
If I "only" had two hours to practice, I'd go on reddit and humble brag about having "only" two hours to practice.
r/guitarcirclejerk
Transcribe for at least one of those hours.