DAMN my fingers HURT!!!! :)

**edhalen** · 02.01.07, 07:50 PM

It's been far too long and I'm getting back into playing. Havin a great time. Thanks to the Guitar Port I don't have to set my rig up to play. A zillion different sounds and some lessons too. Fun stuff.

But redeveloping the callouses hurts like a BITCH!!! I'd forgotten about the pain!!!

AT · 02.02.07, 02:35 AM

It's a good kind of pain! I hope you're enjoying your return to the instrument.

I play for at least an hour every day. Every now and then I find myself playing for extended periods of time--on long rehearsal days or in the studio. Wednesday I went from teaching in the afternoon (five hours), to band practice (two hours), to recording a part for our new album (two hours). I felt it a little the next day! (Again... a good kind of pain.)

**Duck** · 02.02.07, 10:08 AM

I wish I could practice more than an hour a night. I'd play on and off all day if I could!

Hey, when you guys practice, what do you generally do?

I usually work on scales for about 10-20 minutes to warm up the fingers, and then I work on whatever songs and technique I'm trying to master. Still, it is no set regimen. Perhaps I should be a little more strict.

AT · 02.02.07, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by Duck

I wish I could practice more than an hour a night. I'd play on and off all day if I could!

Hey, when you guys practice, what do you generally do?

I usually work on scales for about 10-20 minutes to warm up the fingers, and then I work on whatever songs and technique I'm trying to master. Still, it is no set regimen. Perhaps I should be a little more strict.

My practice hasn't been very disciplined of late. These days I just play what I feel, when I feel it. So at this point I'd call the guitar more of a tool for writing and performing. But when there is something to work on I'll run some basic technique exercises up and down the neck, jam out some "fun" songs that are good warm-ups (VH's "Panama," "Without You," and "5150" are sometimes those songs), and get to work on whatever it is I need to practice/learn. I always start slow and work up to faster tempos. If I catch myself having any trouble at all, I'll pause and go back to basic exercises to get the coordination happening (picking is the most common culprit).

I've been through a handful of what I would call "dense" practice phases in my playing career--eras where I'd put in extremely focused practice for 2-8 hours a day. While those eras were great for advancing playing, one distinct thing I remember is that in order to be at the top of my game I would need to warm up for at least an hour. Nowadays, 10 minutes at the most!

**edhalen** · 02.02.07, 03:17 PM

I've always ever been just a 3-finger blues style player. I've never been into scales that much either. I've really only learned by playing different riffs and improvising quite a bit.

I think I'd like to mix in some structured practice. I think that would consist of:

1. Work on technique - scales that will work both the picking and all 4 fingers rather than just using 3.
2. learn more of the theory behind the music.

Those 2 things along with just some improvisation jamming to keep it fun should do the trick.

Can any of you recommend any good practice material that I could use for any of this?

Thanks

**Duck** · 02.02.07, 09:27 PM

Hmm, well for music theory in general, I have recently had recommended to me the following for a very easy, yet complete guide to theory.

http://www.amazon.com/Edlys-Music-Th.../dp/0966161602

**Axxman300** · 02.02.07, 10:03 PM

I play accoustic a couple nights a week, running scales and playing songs from my old set ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

Then when I get to the electric I do the same thing.

I also work on the various exercises in whatever guitar magazines I've brought home. Just go page by page and do each one at least once until I hear something I like and then I spend the rest of the session goofing around with it.

I also try to learn a new song once a month, last month I got TAB for "Wind Cries Mary" by Hendrix in a magazine and I sat down and learned it. It feels nice to put new music into my brain and have it come out my fingers.

**WinterlessIceness** · 02.03.07, 04:00 PM

My fingers hurt alot, since I'm heavily into abusing pinky and octave chord. I don't have to practice scales coz many covers I play and some originals have basically the same structure, I must say that Bullet for my Valentine songs helped to improve the 'smoothness' of my playing - that's when I've been getting the most pain from, by learning their stuff.