How to Practice – Part 3
Individual Practice
Get your gear ready. This may mean your guitar, a tuner, a music stand (if you plan to read), your stick bag, an audio player, etc. Never expect the practice studio or others to carry gear for you. This will instill a discipline which would come in handy.
Always warm-up. This is similar to an exercise routine. During practice you are actually exercising your fingers, lips, limbs, foot, or even your vocal chords. Muscles do not function well unless they are warmed-up, that is, unless blood flow is optimal. If you do not warm up, chances are that you may experience strains and cramps, which often cuts short your practice or may even result in a long term physical damage, limiting your capabilities for the rest of your life. Warm-ups are not limited to practices. Warm-ups are in fact essential prior to a performance. Hence, make it a habit to do warm-ups – always.
Tune your instrument. It is always essential to tune your instrument prior to practicing. This will help in playing with the optimal pressure on your notes. Also, it will train your ears to listen to a standard pitch. A tuner today do not cost much. So it is always advisable to carry a tuner, and tune your instrument.
Run your scales. After warm-ups which may or may not include scales, it is essential to run your scales, from the basic to advanced, depending on your proficiency level. Generally, a minimum of all major and minor scales (ascending and decending; about two octaves) and arpegios, if it is a melodic instrument. For percussions, fundamental strokes or drum scales apply. This is because, no matter what piece of music that you may be practicing, you will surely have to use scales and arpegios, which is the basis of any piece of music.
It is important to stress the importance of a metronome at this stage. Scales and arpegios must be practiced against a steady tempo. Usually, it is better to start slow at about 60 b.p.m. (beats per minute) and work upwards. This will ensure that you have enough time to review yourself and will improve accuracy in playing which will be of help when playing in a band or an ensemble. Again, digital metronomes do not cost much either.
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June 25th, 2006 at 23:33
hey, can i have the tabs for your betrayal.. thats pure good stuff… same standard as steve vai!! joe satriani!! yngwei malmsteen!! pleassse?? when i heard it, i immediately fell in love..