I have a day job and I'm constantly trying to get better at guitar. I read through these forums and see comments saying it takes 2 years of mastery on certain skills before you should attempt to practice scales "follow the modules" - things like this. I don't want to rush the process but wonder if there is a way to maximize time maybe some have found useful. I squeeze my stressball to work on left hand strength and I study the theory lessons pb has - but is there any other exercises or work that can be done away from guitar that helps you get better? Thanks in advance.

I'm in the same boat as you. Here are a few of things that I do while driving or while stationary but without a guitar in hand:
-On Pebber's you-tube channel, in the Isometrics_Part_1A at 6:10 he mentions some things that you can do while driving.
-Since I play left-handed, I can use drive-time to practice trills on the gear-shift, but this could be done on the steering wheel.
-I use my cell phone as a guitar neck to practice spider exercises. I learned several of the more difficult ones this way.
-I carry picks in my computer bag and will practice the scalpel movement pretty much anywhere.
-I've got a small practice guitar that can fit in a carry-on bag so I can practice at night when on the road in a hotel room. Put a metronome app on your cell and practice anything to that even if it's just learning how to tap to odd-time signatures like 5's, 7's, etc.
-I listen to the radio in the car and will figure out and finger the chord progression as I hear it. I don't have perfect pitch so I may be fingering the wrong chords, but it does help me develop my ear which is always useful. Or I'll try to finger or sing the bass line.
-I will attempt to sing intervals so that I build into my head how a maj 7th or a #5 or other intervals sound so that I can recognize them on the fly.

Eggman

I noticed that if I spend more than a couple days away from it...I start having dreams where I think I am practicing all night long...Sometimes I have catch myselfself trilling on my pillow and It takes me a momement to realize that I am not playing a guitar.

So I guess my answer is for you to think about how boss you will get as soon as you can sprint home from work to practice and start making some sarod diddies.

also for anyone who cannot yet INSTANTANEOUSLY recognize intervals be they ascending descending or harmonic...get yer booty onto musictheory.net and use the free trainer to get that problem dealt with ASSSAAAP (-: Because the less you have to think about while you are training, the easier it will be for you to (now get this, because this is some black magic, back of the bayou, voodoo, Pebber Brown, Shaolin, frAkH, Bucketfoot, Guitar Secret I am going to revealing...ENJOY WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE PRACTICING!


Because then! you will have no choice, because you are compelled to develop it to very high level.

I always used a Grip Master when I was away from the guitar. It always worked really well for me. The red one. Medium tension.

http://www.amazon.com/Gripmaster-Exercis...r/dp/B0006GCBL4

Has anyone tried shredneck? It looks like it could be pretty useful, way more portable than travel guitars

Thanks for the info! The travel guitar idea is really good. That i will definitely look into.

will do. Thanks.

This may sound silly but its helped me a lot especially when I play in a live setting: I have Aebersold's Vol. 24 "Major and Minor" cds. I put them in my cd player and try to sing the scales out while I drive to work (1/2 hr there and 1/2 back = 1 hour of practice time!).

I've really noticed a difference when I play with other people. I don't get lost as easy and when I do I'm able to find my way back much quicker. Sometimes after when someone takes a solo I can figure out the last few notes that they played and can replay them when I take the next solo.

I've also notice that when I listen to singers now I have a greater appreciation for what they can do. To stay in pitch with your guitar is one thing but to sing the phrases out without your guitar is another. I don't know how George Benson does it.... :D

I'm on Eb minor singing the Eb dorian scale. It's fun. Give it a try.

Great advice John. In music school you have to take sight singing classes. It helps your ear so very much. That's basically what you are doing as you are driving to work. Good idea! Also, love the avatar! That's my pick!!!! I never leave home without it!

doesn't sound silly at all. I actually have a desk job so I can't just sing out - I guess I could but my co-workers would probably think I'm nuts. What I do have is this app on my android called perfect ear 2. It's free and it basically has a keyboard with the grand staff above it and you can do interval training. The app plays different intervals ascending and descinding and you have to pick the correct interval and it grades the whole process. Something else I have to be careful with though because I have to hear the intervals and cell phone use is frowned upon - but it's a great app and I've seen others like it.

Hey...sorry to bother but I have a question for you since I have seen you are left handed guitar player. Now I have a bit of story to say, hope you wont mind...if so, sorry in advance. I play guitar since 1993 (I was 13 years old back then). Anyway thought I write with my left hand, I do everything else as a right handed people do, so when I started playing, I started to play as right handed. Nowadays I am facing following: my left hand can alternate pick with no exercise at all faster than my right hand after all these years? However-it is not black/white world in my case...cause I never used to sit down and make hard picking exercises...i used to "get away" with hammer-on/pull offs and no picking...sort of Mark Knopfler techniques...and currently I am trying to change that...right now I am at 100bpms (after hours of warming up) but I cannot see progress beyond. Did you ever try to pick with other hand? Does anyone have any advice? I mean, I take care of all those things...you know...the thickness of pick, angle, economy of movement, but it seems I just cant brake that barrier so far. I do spider exercises for 3 months now, but progress is way to slow...from 85-95 and than I need to use tension to hold the speed but I know it is not correct approach... Do you have any advice? What happens when you try to pick with your right hand?

Quote: robbyzimmet wrote in post #13

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Hey...sorry to bother but I have a question for you since I have seen you are left handed guitar player. Now I have a bit of story to say, hope you wont mind...if so, sorry in advance. I play guitar since 1993 (I was 13 years old back then). Anyway thought I write with my left hand, I do everything else as a right handed people do, so when I started playing, I started to play as right handed. Nowadays I am facing following: my left hand can alternate pick with no exercise at all faster than my right hand after all these years? However-it is not black/white world in my case...cause I never used to sit down and make hard picking exercises...i used to "get away" with hammer-on/pull offs and no picking...sort of Mark Knopfler techniques...and currently I am trying to change that...right now I am at 100bpms (after hours of warming up) but I cannot see progress beyond. Did you ever try to pick with other hand? Does anyone have any advice? I mean, I take care of all those things...you know...the thickness of pick, angle, economy of movement, but it seems I just cant brake that barrier so far. I do spider exercises for 3 months now, but progress is way to slow...from 85-95 and than I need to use tension to hold the speed but I know it is not correct approach... Do you have any advice? What happens when you try to pick with your right hand?

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