The more I practice scales with a flatpick, the better my fingerstyle playing gets

[815C]

OK, so I did a LOT of practicing from March - September of 2020. Probably averaged 10 hours a day of disciplined practice while I was out of work. I played a LOT of scales and arpeggios (with a flatpick), I played thru a lot of flatpicking tunes, and I played thru a lot of fingerstyle arrangements. Every day.

Then in October I got a consulting gig that was extremely demanding and my practicing went to almost nothing. What little time I had to play I spent on lap steel.

As of a couple weeks ago, I find myself with some time again and I've been practicing playing scales and arpeggios with a flatpick. No real fingerstyle playing to speak of since last September.

Yet, last night I played thru some of my more difficult fingerstyle arrangements and it felt like I'd been woodshedding on them for weeks. I was surprised at how well I was able to play them. I suppose the fingerstyle stuff I do on lap steel may have contributed, but my lap steel has eight strings and I use a thumb pick and two finger picks, whereas on guitar I either am either just a thumb pick or no picks for fingerstyle.

This experience reinforces my belief that playing scales and arpeggios is a musical EXERCISE which has many direct and indirect benefits. I equate playing scales & arpeggios to an NFL player working out on weights. The NFL guy doesn't take weights out onto the field during a game, but the fact that he has spent time in the weight room makes him a better football player. In the same sense, we don't play scales and arpeggio exercises when performing music, but the fact that we've done these exercises can make us better musicians.

[HOF dad]

Interesting......you didn't say so, but do you think the use of a pick helped with your fingerstyle?
I know, that doesn't make any sense but I only brought it up since you mentioned using a pick.
Otherwise, it's a motivator to get busy on some scales. That's one thing I've pretty much neglected.
10 hours a day.........you're an animal!

[12barBill]

I have always said playing scales (with a flatpick) are guitar pushups.

[rick-slo]

10 hours a day practice would be pretty effective on its own

[ceciltguitar]

Thanks for sharing this.

Some thoughts from different angles:

I don’t think that I could play 10 hours a day most every day now. I can remember playing 8 - 14 hours a day when I was about 20 years old. I could never do that more than 2 or 3 days in a row, and then I needed a day or 2 off.

I don’t get to play much these days because of my schedule and commitments. Most days I get 30 - 120 minutes, probably 1 hour is the mean.

I’m pretty sure that I could play 2 - 3 hours a day most days, and if I played over somewhere between 4 - 6 hours in one day then I would need to take the next day off.

If my hand and body muscles get too sore, too worn down, then my playing will regress unless I let them rest and recuperate.

———————-

Not exactly the same as as what the OP has brought up, but in a similar vein, I find that playing different tunes, playing different styles of music, and playing different guitars seems to help me improve. Well, at least I imagine that I’m improving. Playing different guitars, playing different tunes each day, seems to keep guitar playing fresher, less playing in physical and mental ruts, keeps the music more fresh and more musical, more surprising - in a good way - and more fun and refreshing.

[Italuke]

As a classical player in college decades ago, and then a longtime bassist, I can play much faster with my fingers than a pick. It's frustrating because I'm working on bluegrass flatpicking but I'm still faster with my fingers.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by 815C

…This experience reinforces my belief that playing scales and arpeggios is a musical EXERCISE which has many direct and indirect benefits.

…we don't play scales and arpeggio exercises when performing music, but the fact that we've done these exercises can make us better musicians.

Hi 815C…
I agree. Scales are the alphabet of music.

Playing scales, etudes, arpeggios etc are like doing word puzzles, and spelling bees, crossword puzzles, playing scrabble or boggle etc.

And in fact we do play scales, and arpeggios (at least I do). Sweet-Georgia-Brown's melody incorporates both of them. So does Somewhere-Over-The-Rainbow.

And when I improvise, I'm certainly incorporating aspects of the exercises. When I play backing guitar behind a soloist, I'm definitely including not only chordal content, but fragments of scales, arpeggios etc.

There are players who dismiss exercises, and that's their prerogative. There are people who ignore grammar too, and their posts on the internet are filled with misspelled words and improper phrasing.

[CopyCat]

Intriguing post. I wonder if the attention to precise left hand finger placement needed for clean flat picking has helped in any way. Or if your brain is making new connections due to the focus on flat picking. Or maybe that intense woodshedding paid off after you stepped away and it had time to sink in.

I’ve been playing a lot more also since the pandemic after dropping acoustic for many years. In the past I was fairly advanced but I have enjoyed returning to easier pieces and techniques and focusing on basics, including playing cleanly and consistently. I’m also working with a pick after previously playing mostly classical and finger style.

I feel like overall my playing is getting better and more consistent. I’m going to pay more attention to whether the flat pick seems to help overall with fingerpicking thanks to your post.