How do you practice?

[Ashley Willis]

When you want to learn a specific style or technique, do you try to learn exercises or learn songs/parts of songs that use the style/technique? I typically like to learn songs/parts of songs that use a certain technique and practice that part until I get somewhat better at it. What works better for you?

 

[Kat the metalhead]

At the moment I’m practicing soloing and building up speed , so what I do is I practice scales with a metronome until I build up speed and I’ll also practice parts of solos from songs or parts of a song I struggle with and also use a metronome until I’m happy or reach full speed of the song. Right now I’m working on sweet child o mine and bel air by malice Mizer

 

[Ashley Willis]

At the moment I’m practicing soloing and building up speed , so what I do is I practice scales with a metronome until I build up speed and I’ll also practice parts of solos from songs or parts of a song I struggle with and also use a metronome until I’m happy or reach full speed of the song. Right now I’m working on sweet child o mine and bel air by malice Mizer

Getting sweet child o mine up to speed and keeping it clean and accurate is not easy!

 

[Kat the metalhead]

Getting sweet child o mine up to speed and keeping it clean and accurate is not easy!

It really isn’t lol

 

[Jesse Salmons]

Usually when it comes to a new style or technique i find a base level example of the technique, the easiest form and learn it and get it up to speed and use that as my building block. Step by step, adding the rest of the technique or style as i get more familiar with it until it becomes second nature.

 

[Lindsey]

Usually when I want to learn or improve a certain technique it’s because it’s in a song I want to play.
I practice with a metronome and use exercises/scale run throughs mixed with parts of the songs.

 

[idssdi]

I like to learn songs because it immediately gives you insight on how to apply the technique in your soloing. I always try to analyze what's going on when I learn a solo, the parts I really like anyway. For example I learned sweeping by learning some of Syn's solos and I would just go 'aah you sweep arpeggios''
So I could use them on my own and not randomly do it all over the place

 

[Nocturne]

I start with a song and practice the technique to play this specific song, but when I do, I do exercises until I'm comfortable with the technique. So I do both exercises and song. I think that keeping a song in mind with the technique you are learning in it is important because it gives you a goal.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

Lately I open up with my gminor arpeggios to warm up a little. Then I get right into it. Everything else I do is practiced in the improv. My warm up is usually to 180 bpm single beat notes. I speed it up in the videos though so you hear my progression. The sweeps are still a little sloppy going up. But they are getting cleaner coming down. I definitely have some favourites but I try to use as many as possible. There are countless patterns in every position.

 

[idssdi]

I like to learn songs because it immediately gives you insight on how to apply the technique in your soloing. I always try to analyze what's going on when I learn a solo, the parts I really like anyway. For example I learned sweeping by learning some of Syn's solos and I would just go 'aah you sweep arpeggios''
So I could use them on my own and not randomly do it all over the place

I forgot to mention, I practice with my amp turned off

 

[Ashley Willis]

I forgot to mention, I practice with my amp turned off

I do as well.