Practice regimens for...Music

[Gil]

I was just lamenting the fact, in another thread, that I don't feel the "muse" to practice anymore.
I've been playing guitar again for the last 12 years or so.
Lately, the last 2 years or so, I just don't make the time to practice and play.

A lot of it it that my fingers start to ache after I play for just a few minutes.
(But I can play for an hour or more on Sunday at church.)

I'm working on using a "lighter" touch to extend my playing time, without sacrificing my tone. But I learned on a guitar with a "mile-high" action. And I'm learning that old habits are very hard to break.

Anyone else out there having problems making the time to practice?
Or am I the only "slacker" in the bunch?

 

[xcsti]

Anyone else out there having problems making the time to practice?
Or am I the only "slacker" in the bunch?

I've gone through periods like that. Two years ago I started playing sparsly and the past year I barely touched my bass (partly because I left it home when I went to college). When I came back home I instantly felt drawn to it. Maybe you need an extended leave to turn it into something you enjoy and not a burden.

 

[Gil]

The axe isn't the burden. My life is the burden!

I've started a new job in March, and when the choice to play the guitar or play the PS2 comes up I've been choosing the PS2.

I have plenty of stuff that I want to learn, I just need to get motivated to actually pick up the guitar instead of my wireless DS2.

 

[James2097]

The axe isn't the burden. My life is the burden!

I've started a new job in March, and when the choice to play the guitar or play the PS2 comes up I've been choosing the PS2.

I have plenty of stuff that I want to learn, I just need to get motivated to actually pick up the guitar instead of my wireless DS2.

You can't force inspiration! If you force a really dull kinda practice regime it'll just make guitar seem too much like hard work! Just jam on it nice and loud, you'll stumble across things that inspire you to do it more... the fun of playing guitar feeds on itself, it gets more and more fun the more you pick it up. If you don't pick it up, then you don't even give it the chance to surprise and inspire you. Also, you could just be bored with the sound of it, maybe go do some retail therapy on the guitar pedal thing - different sounds can inspire totally different things - it could break you out of your usual patterns etc. Maybe try some wacky tunings, etc etc.

Or go to a concert where there's awesome guitar - that'll garauntee you'll pick the guitar up as soon as you get home!! 👍
I definately did that after the Steve Vai concert!! (you feel a bit crap compared though, but loaded with new tricks to try~!)

Maybe you are just really tired? You never feel like concentrating on guitar when you've just finished work etc... Hence the PS2 sittin' on the couch option is easy... Make sure you have a really good sleep, go to see an awesome guitar player, then play guitar all weekend!! That would be the ultimate!

 

[Solid Lifters]

I haven''t played much since having two boys. They love it, but I can't play at the volume I would like to. Plus, they often need constant looking after. I have a four-year-old and he'll go to school full time soon. Then, maybe I'll have time for myself alone to play the way I would like to. Other than that, I'm just waiting.

I still play, but since I'm farting in and out all the time, I can't usually get anything done. I need to spend a few hours playing before I start writing my own stuff. But with looking after the two boys, it's kind of impossible to do that.

I do get inspired to play when I hear a new guitar amp, or see a new guitar I think I would like to own. I also get inspired after wathcing a really good guitarist. But that doens't happern very often. I've pretty much have seen everything and everybody.

But what turns me off is old, malfunctioning equipment. It still works, but for some reason, the jack will short out or buzz and crack. Then I have to get up and go fix it. Ten minutes later, it will do it again. Right now, I need a new power amp, speaker attentuator, a new mulit effects processor, hush unit and sonic maximizer. All of this stuff sort of works, except the speaker attenuator and hush unit, but it doesn't work reliably. I just bought a new combo amp, even though I have one somewhere around here, for recording into my computer. But, I don't care for the amp, which is now owned by my oldest, and the mic input and mic adapter for the PC is busted! Today's equipment just doesn't last or thrill me anymore.

All I need to get back in it is time, effort, patience and money, and I don't have any of it. For example, I spent two hours this morning trying to get the action on my EBMMEVH guitar to lower by applying some relief. I can't use that much, because the second, third, fourth and fifth fret are heavily dimpled and would fret out if I used to much. So, the height of my action is uneven, and the bridge is lower as far as it can go. There is no otther way to lower the action near the higher frets. So, I have to get a grind or polish by a pro since I don't have a 10 inch radius sanding block. But, I plucked away for about a hour anyway, but then tossed it aside. Typical BS that prevents me from enjoying myself.

 

[Gil]

Every now and again, when I have a crappy day, I come up with some great chord progressions.
The last song I wrote (with help from my 17-year old for lyrics) came that way.
I was at the guitar for some "therapy" and came up with this neat little D-Dsus-D2-D progression that sounds really cool finger-picked. I actually made up two chords for it and taught it to my son. The song is half his, after all.

I still love to play. I just don't feel like a "musician" anymore, if that makes sense.
I feel like a guy who goes to work every day, makes a difference, cause, thankfully, my job allows me to make a difference in the lives of a passel of folks every day.
Then I make music, occasionally, in my spare time. My fingers aren't as nimble, and my voice isn't quite as sweet as it once was...

Maybe that's the price of getting old.

 

[James2097]

All I need to get back in it is time, effort, patience and money, and I don't have any of it. For example, I spent two hours this morning trying to get the action on my EBMMEVH guitar to lower by applying some relief. I can't use that much, because the second, third, fourth and fifth fret are heavily dimpled and would fret out if I used to much. So, the height of my action is uneven, and the bridge is lower as far as it can go. There is no otther way to lower the action near the higher frets. So, I have to get a grind or polish by a pro since I don't have a 10 inch radius sanding block. But, I plucked away for about a hour anyway, but then tossed it aside. Typical BS that prevents me from enjoying myself.

I would assume that guitar would have played great from the factory when you got it... what have you done to it?! Dimpled as in just worn, or dimpled as in actually sticking up higher than they should? Get a pro to look at it straight away. That sounds really wrong for such a quality instrument! Hopefully just a refret is required (I wouldn't want to grind the frets down too much at all) and there's nothing hugely wrong with the neck...

Frets wearing badly is just one of those realities of playing guitar... very annoying I must admit! Its very hard to setup my strat's whammy bar how I'd like it (very nearly 2 semi-tones of upwards movement) while maintaining a low enough action to play fast, but also without buzzing with heavily worn frets, as I like bending up very high with a curvy strat fingerboard radius... this all can't happen within the bounds of the physical limitations of the instrument, so you do the best you can...

I'm actually leaning towards a higher action than in the past anyway, once you get used to it you can still play very fast, but you never buzz when playing hard or during big bends. I like the clarity of the sound... it gets a better tone (along with slightly chunkier strings - I have 10s that go progressively thicker (compared to a standard light gauge set) down to quite a thick bottom E, this strangely helps the whammy stay in tune really well). Its all trial and error, but I think I've found what works best with that particular guitar...

 

[Solid Lifters]

I would assume that guitar would have played great from the factory when you got it...

No, it was not set up properly by EB. This was one of their 94 EVH guitars that wasn't built like it should have. That's one of the reasons why Ed left a year later. The input wasn't wired correctly, the nut was loose, the bridge was too high, the intonation was way off and the tremolo spring tension was too soft. EB did a lousy job setting it up.

what have you done to it?!

Playing the hell out of it. Wouldn't you?

Dimpled as in just worn, or dimpled as in actually sticking up higher than they should?

Dimpled as in played the hell out of it and now I've got string dimples in the fret wire. You know, the normal wear and tear stuff.

Get a pro to look at it straight away. That sounds really wrong for such a quality instrument! Hopefully just a refret is required (I wouldn't want to grind the frets down too much at all) and there's nothing hugely wrong with the neck...

No, no pro. Just the manufacturer. Ernie Ball does not authorize anybody to work on their guitars. Plus, I want to get the guitar in as much original condition as posible despite playing the hell out of it. So, I don't want a complete refret. A grind and polish should take care of it for now. Next would be a total refret. No, the neck is in good shape. The relief is set where it has to be, which of course makes the neck bow like a u shape. I have to, or I wont be able to play it. The bow is noticable when lookinng down the neck, but you can't really feel it or see it otherwise.

I'm actually leaning towards a higher action than in the past anyway, once you get used to it you can still play very fast, but you never buzz when playing hard or during big bends. I like the clarity of the sound... it gets a better tone (along with slightly chunkier strings - I have 10s that go progressively thicker (compared to a standard light gauge set) down to quite a thick bottom E, this strangely helps the whammy stay in tune really well). Its all trial and error, but I think I've found what works best with that particular guitar...

I play with a higher action these days. I do more blusey string bends than normal. However, I still love doing speed runs with a lower action, too. I cover up the fret buzz by increasing overdrive-distortion. It covers up a lot of the noise.

 

[James2097]

@Solid Lifters

Oh that sounds not too bad - just normal fret wear then...
You painted a picture of a neck set-up from hell before (as in the guitar was close to unplayable)! Not so bad then, guitars are meant to have a slightly noticeable bow to the neck- a bit of room for the strings to vibrate (esp. the low E string) and also for general buzz alleviation... its not supposed to be PERFECTLY straight as an arrow...

There is a fine line between a note buzzing slightly and one deciding to completely choke and stop... I would really advise against using distortion to try and cover up any buzzes (in reality your sustain is hurt even if the buzz isn't evident in the sound), it would hardly inspire confidence in a gig situation! A slight climate change and your notes start choking badly! And what if you want to play something with slightly less than really heavy distortion?

I'd definately give it some reasonable leeway in terms of keeping the action high enough so it never buzzes... given temperature/humidity changes etc. Fret shave time eh...

Sorry to hear EB set it up so badly! They were all easy fix problems though, its still a quality axe anyhow!