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You don't need a strategy, or process for this- you either do the work or you don't.
Setting goals is a good and necessary thing though.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
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I was curious what others do if in the same situation. i imagine for you its about time management which is a challenge?
1. Always leaving a guitar out, so that it’s not an effort to pick up and play. Even an impromptu 5 mins here and there helps.
2. Lack of motivation for me often is related to boredom with what I’m learning. Put down your current practice pieces and try something different for a bit.
3. Having a goal is great, but also enjoy the moment when practicing. For me it is the best time of day, I can’t think about the stresses of life when I’m trying to play the guitar!
Learn a song or technique that interests you.
Prioritise your time to play, away from other distractions. If time is short, play every day even if just for 15 minutes (preferably longer) instead of one long session a week.
Find another musician to play with, better still join a band. Playing with others is a great way of improving your playing and forces you to learn more.
Ian
Lowering my expectations has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.
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What the structure is is up to you. Mine has two strands at the moment:
1. I’ve loved playing fingerstyle for many years, so I usually have at least one fingerstyle instrumental piece that I’m learning. For a particularly difficult piece I break out the trickier sections and make exercises out of them. I then make sure that I practice each exercise for a set time (usually 2 minutes) in each practice session. I make notes about what I’ve practiced, how it went, and what I intend to do next time. That way, the brain work is done and the next time I pick up the guitar I don’t need to think about what i am going to do. I just sit down, look in my notebook and get on with it.
2. I have to think even less for this one. I use the David Mead Guitar Gym app. As a self-taught player I realise that I taught myself some bad habits and illogical technique. I’ve found that the exercises in this app have really helped to tidy up my plectrum playing. So, if i can’t motivate myself to do anything else I fire up the app and randomly select an exercise from each of the nine categories. Takes about 20 minutes to do a session.
I think of it like exercise- you can have the best 'I am going to run a marathon in a year' plan but it is pointless if you hate running.
I have had times where I didn't want to practice.
I did it anyway, because I know where giving into wants (or don't wants) gets you.
It is really that simple- because a short term 'don't wanna' soon passes and if you do it enough you get into the habit.
It doesn't become a chore- it is just normal to do it.
Another analogy that works is cleaning teeth.
When I was a kid I didn't want to clean my teeth.... it was boooooring.
My parents made me, so I did it and I did it enough now that I don't think about whether I am going to be doing it or not.
It is just an automatic part of my day.
So is playing.
Time isn't so much of an issue- I don't have to leave the house to work and I'm disciplined.
I also don't do much else other than live in the studio.
I think those with day jobs and kids etc have a harder job keeping it balanced.
Carving up the time is really just down to what I feel like doing, what my playing goals are- after 30+ years of doing it I really only need an hour or so a day to keep my playing topped up on guitar and bass.
I don't actually advocate huge sessions- human brains learn better in 20-30 minute periods.
If I do 2-3 hours of playing a day I do it in 20-30 min lots interspersed with other stuff (domestic, studio maintenance, dicking around with synths etc).
My day looks a bit like this:
Play some guitar.
Go do something else
Play some bass,
Go do something else
Play some drums... etc
Eat something
Play piano for a while
etc...
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
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