My practice routine . . .

  1. Lufbery
    Lufbery
    Hi all,

    For whatever it's worth, this is what I've been doing to practice. After going through the Mandolessons.com beginner series, I've been practicing that tune and the chords (G, C, and D), but I've also been working on chord transitions and adding chords to my repertoire.

    For instance, I've been practicing going from G to D7 (two finger to three finger) and back. This is not easy for me, but I'm getting better. I've also been practicing some scales.

    Finally, I practice some chords that are hard for me such as this version of Fmaj:



    And this version of A maj:



    I generally play until I get tired and start sounding bad. Usually a half hour to forty minutes right now.

    Thanks for reading,

    -Drew
  2. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    I think that is a great idea (adding F and A to your chord repertoire). With just those two extra chords, you expand your ability to chord along to major key tunes from just ones in the key of G to the keys of G, D, and C.

    I keep telling myself that I need to practice chords but I never do it. My transitions are very clumsy.
  3. Stacey Morris
    Stacey Morris
    It sounds to me like you have a good routine, Drew.

    I keep telling myself that I need to practice, period, but don't nearly enough. it is more fun just to noodle around for a few minutes picking out melodies or parts of them.
  4. kweroper
    kweroper
    I practice anywhere from 1 to 4 hours per day. I played the Bass and rhythm guitar for years before I picked up the Mandolin for the first time in March of this year. I am now hooked and can't seem to put the thing down. I just started doing the three octave scale routine that Sierra Hull has on youtube. I like that it gets me moving up and down the neck. I have lately been working on the blues / free style picking with fills and chord transitions. I love playing this thing and I guess I am trying to make up for getting such a late start in life with it.
  5. Lufbery
    Lufbery
    Thanks, everyone. I've only been playing for two months, and this is my first stringed instrument. Still, I feel like I have SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH to learn: strumming techniques, different keys, using more than the five frets nearest the nut -- and then there's stuff like hammer chords that I have heard of, but don't know what they are (yet). Slow and steady seems to be the key for me.
  6. Sue Rieter
    Sue Rieter
    Lufbery, I know what you mean. I started in March, and there is so much that I want to know, that sometimes it is hard not to be all over the place with practice. I also sometimes feel like my head is ahead of my fingers.
    Sue
  7. Reywas
    Reywas
    Figuring out what to practice is tricky!
    In the last couple of weeks, I've been doing a good job of playing for at least an hour a day (it took quite a while for my fingers to be ready for that), and now I have a pretty set routine. I play through all the fiddle tunes I've learned from mandolessons and practice on a new one (which has become longer and longer as I learn faster and faster-it takes me about two days to learn a new one now), then practice a more challenging piece (right now river flows in you-a simplified violin version), and then just practice the scales from Jazzmando until my fingertips give out. Now that I have a more steady system, I am improving quickly.
    I tried learning both chords and melody a bit at the start but decided to focus on just melody for now. Playing just chords is kind of dull when there's no one else to play with, and it also wears my fingers out quicker. Once I find someone else to play with, I hope to get more practice in on that front.
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