Learning and playing 2 musical genres (eg classical guitar and jazz guitar)

[Tricky Fish]

For those that are learning and playing multiple genres of music (eg classical guitar and flamenco guitar, or classical guitar and jazz guitar):

How do you manage your practice time?

Is it possible to make good progress is two genres of music simultaneously?

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Tricky Fish

For those that are learning and playing multiple genres of music (eg classical guitar and flamenco guitar, or classical guitar and jazz guitar):

How do you manage your practice time?

Is it possible to make good progress is two genres of music simultaneously?

I don't "manage my practice time", I never have. I just play what I want, when I want. If I want to play (or learn) a classical piece, I'll do that. If I want to play (or learn) a jazz tune, I'll do that. Likewise for rock, blues, folk, whatever. That's the way I've used my practice time ever since I was a beginner. I'm a "guitarist". I play "guitar". Genre is a secondary consideration. (In fact I also play bass, banjo, mandolin, keyboard, and one or two other things, so really I'm a "musician". I play what instrument I want, as well as what tunes I want.)

Of course, if you have limited practice time, and want to progress as fast as possible, then naturally if you split your time between different styles you won't get as good at any one of them as quickly as you would if you devoted your whole time to it.

At the same time, whatever you play is benefitting you technically. The more you play classical guitar, the better your overall technique is getting, which will affect your jazz (or anything else) too. And vice versa.

Obviously, certain techniques are only applicable in one genre. You wouldn't use a pick when playing classical or flamenco, so you need to work with rock, blues or jazz (and ideally steel strings) to improve your pick technique. Likewise, fingerstyle techniques commonly apply only to classical and folk/blues (and those are two different tecniques in themselves). (My personal experience there is that my flatpicking technique is not as good as it might be because I mostly play fingerstyle. I haven't devoted as much time to flatpicking, mainly because like fingerpicking more. It's not a problem.)
But an important point is that the fret hand is getting the same kind of workout in all those styles. (More in classical, obviously, but an appreciable amount in any genre.)

In short: play what you want, when you want, for any reason you want to. (It might be for technical practice, or you like the tune, or someone asks you, or you just feel like noodling, and so on...)
Practise for as long as you're enjoying it. When it starts to get boring, either practise something else, or just stop practising altogether. You don't get any benefit from practising when you're not enjoying it.

[Mandobart]

I play some genres that have a lot of overlap - bluegrass, country, old time, Americana. These are where I spend most of my playing time and effort as these are the genres I personally enjoy the most.

I also play and enjoy classical, jazz, Irish trad, Nordic folk, gypsy jazz and swing. I play fiddle and mandolin/mandolin family instruments as well as guitar.

What genre and instrument I play/practice currently depends on my mood, but in the past it might be influenced by upcoming gigs or festivals.

IMO cross training on multiple genres (and multiple instruments) yields a synergy that helps me improve more than if I just focused on one genre and instrument.

I don't follow any strict formula or regimen for dividing practice or playing time.

[Gordon Currie]

For something like classical and (fingerstyle) jazz, there is a lot of crossover. Time spent on one helps the other.

If you're starting out with one or another, there are foundational skills that you'll need to acquire. That is the appropriate place to focus and apportion your practice time.

So yes it is definitely possible. And if you feel adventurous someday, you can even mix the styles.

[_Mike_]

The YouTube algorithm fed me this the other day:

https://youtu.be/YNuWtwOkgfo


However, I am firmly in the “play what makes you happy” camp.

[JParrilla]

I am currently working through a classical guitar method book, as well as learning to play fingerstyle/celtic guitar.

My actual practice sessions are really based around classical since I have a method book and a bunch of technique work. My fingerstyle/celtic work is really based around just learning pieces. There are some celtic specific techniques but I usually learn them via pieces. Almost all of the stuff I learn in the classical method apply to my other genres so everything seems to go together really well. Also I am learning to read music for guitar for the first time after using tabs for over a decade... so I think that is going to open up a world of new music for me.

Overall I think its fine to do this. I would build your stricter 'practice sessions' around whichever thing is the most structured. For me its classical since it involves stricter form, ergonomics, reading, theory, etc. Then when I go to play my steel strings, its much more free form.. learning pieces and improvising. This is working really well for me

[sam.spoons]

Me too, you say you are an amateur which, by definition, means you are doing it for your own enjoyment. I'm learning to play gypsy jazz but also play electric blues/rock and folk/Americana styles and sing. I find that playing different styles mean I play more as a change of style can be as good as taking a rest from playing. The upshot is that my physical chops improve in proportion to the total time spent playing and my GJ or blues specific techniques in proportion to the time spent in the specific genre (though there is much crossover so that last is probably understated).

Like most of the other posters in this thread I don't have a disciplined practice routine (I'd probably be better if I did but might enjoy my playing a little less) and just play what takes my fancy at the time.

[nightchef]

As others have suggested, a lot depends on how ambitious you are to really master a particular genre, vs. diving into it for enjoyment and overall musical development.

I started playing around with classical guitar when I’d already been playing guitar in rock/folk styles for a long time. I enjoy it tremendously and have gotten a little better at it, even to the point of being able to do some duo gigs for wedding ceremonies etc. with a flute player friend of mine. But there’s a hard limit to how good I’ll ever get at it, because I play classical guitar like a fingerstyle folk guitarist. “Real” classical playing involves a specific and (to me) eccentric set of techniques, particularly for the right hand, that I’m too set in my ways (and, TBH, not motivated enough) to tackle. And that’s OK with me. If I wanted to get serious about it, I’d probably feel like I needed to drop everything else, at least for a while, to focus intensively on developing that unfamiliar and difficult technique. As it is, it’s just a fun sideline.

[JParrilla]

Originally Posted by nightchef

As others have suggested, a lot depends on how ambitious you are to really master a particular genre, vs. diving into it for enjoyment and overall musical development.

I started playing around with classical guitar when I’d already been playing guitar in rock/folk styles for a long time. I enjoy it tremendously and have gotten a little better at it, even to the point of being able to do some duo gigs for wedding ceremonies etc. with a flute player friend of mine. But there’s a hard limit to how good I’ll ever get at it, because I play classical guitar like a fingerstyle folk guitarist. “Real” classical playing involves a specific and (to me) eccentric set of techniques, particularly for the right hand, that I’m too set in my ways (and, TBH, not motivated enough) to tackle. And that’s OK with me. If I wanted to get serious about it, I’d probably feel like I needed to drop everything else, at least for a while, to focus intensively on developing that unfamiliar and difficult technique. As it is, it’s just a fun sideline.

Out of curiosity, without derailing this. Which techniques in particular are you referring to. I am in a similar situation and hoping not to stunt my classical progress with certain bad habits.

[nightchef]

Originally Posted by JParrilla

Out of curiosity, without derailing this. Which techniques in particular are you referring to. I am in a similar situation and hoping not to stunt my classical progress with certain bad habits.

Things like the rest stroke/free stroke distinction, which is fundamental to classical technique as I understand it, and completely foreign to the way I play. I’ve tried learning rest stroke and it’s like a fish trying to ride a bicycle. Also things about hand/finger position—for instance, most classical instruction I’ve seen tells you to keep the thumb further up on the string, in relation to the rest of the fingers, than is natural to me. I tend to play with my thumb opposite my index finger. And there’s more of an emphasis on using the whole finger from the base of the knuckle, where I tend to play from just the top two joints.

[JParrilla]

Originally Posted by nightchef

Things like the rest stroke/free stroke distinction, which is fundamental to classical technique as I understand it, and completely foreign to the way I play. I’ve tried learning rest stroke and it’s like a fish trying to ride a bicycle. Also things about hand/finger position—for instance, most classical instruction I’ve seen tells you to keep the thumb further up on the string, in relation to the rest of the fingers, than is natural to me. I tend to play with my thumb opposite my index finger. And there’s more of an emphasis on using the whole finger from the base of the knuckle, where I tend to play from just the top two joints.

Rest strokes have been killing me as well I feel like im getting stuck on strings.. its very odd. Im going to have to master those things I guess. Luckily I havent played fingerstyle very long so I dont have too many habits

[SprintBob]

I play fingerstyle +95% of the time because I love it. I’d really like to spend more time working on my flatpicking skills (I enjoy flatpicking) but right now I’m really addicted to solo fingerstyle playing. My New Yearl’s resolution needs to be to spend at least 30 minutes a playing session doing some flatpicking. Oh, and I have a mandolin.........................