who wants to join a friendly 14 day practice challenge?

Hi guys,

would anybody like to join a friendly 14 day practice challenge? Anyone can join! Just try to practice 14 days in a row even if it's a little bit a day. Maybe set some goals if you like.

The only requirement is that as you practice post your progress, triumphs and troubles here. The whole point is to support each other throughout the process and have fun.

My goals:
- practice 14 days in a row, hopefully starting tonight
- start one new fingerpicking piece
- record a song and post it

Who's in?

[usb_chord]

I'm in...

My goals are...

- "practice 14 days in a row, hopefully starting tonight"
- record my Carole King "It's Too Late" arrangement
- update this thread more often with practice troubles and triumphs
- Continue to develop improvisation chops
- Transcribe Wes Montegomery solo from "Yesterdays"
- Start Berklee online jazz improv course and decide if it's something I want to stick with

Originally Posted by usb_chord

I'm in...

My goals are...

- "practice 14 days in a row, hopefully starting tonight"
- record my Carole King "It's Too Late" arrangement
- update this thread more often with practice troubles and triumphs
- Continue to develop improvisation chops
- Transcribe Wes Montegomery solo from "Yesterdays"
- Start Berklee online jazz improv course and decide if it's something I want to stick with

Now that's a list of goals! Happy to have you aboard.

[Earwitness]

Okay, I'll do it.
I'm sure I'll practice every day, anyway, but the challenge for me will be willingness to post myself playing on here...

What I'll try to do is to actually finish and be satisfied with my first two simple fingerstyle songs that aren't of my own creation, and thus require me actually to play what I'm supposed to play, and not just what happens to be easy for me and sound good.

The songs: Freight Train (as I discussed on another thread), which I'm already at about 95% on, and Skip to My Lou (the first song in my Happy Traum book, which I got for Christmas).

The challenges are, first, alt bass thumb with generally independent melody; second, odd syncopations in Skip/Lou, which are different in every measure; and third, getting comfortable with the G chord form with the ring finger on the E string--a very useful step forward for me, but still not nearly up to par with my middle finger G.

I've played these silly little 30-second songs about a billion times now, so it's time to finalize and move on. 14 days ought to do it.

Originally Posted by Earwitness

Okay, I'll do it.
I'm sure I'll practice every day, anyway, but the challenge for me will be willingness to post myself playing on here...

What I'll try to do is to actually finish and be satisfied with my first two simple fingerstyle songs that aren't of my own creation, and thus require me actually to play what I'm supposed to play, and not just what happens to be easy for me and sound good.

The songs: Freight Train (as I discussed on another thread), which I'm already at about 95% on, and Skip to My Lou (the first song in my Happy Traum book, which I got for Christmas).

The challenges are, first, alt bass thumb with generally independent melody; second, odd syncopations in Skip/Lou, which are different in every measure; and third, getting comfortable with the G chord form with the ring finger on the E string--a very useful step forward for me, but still not nearly up to par with my middle finger G.

I've played these silly little 30-second songs about a billion times now, so it's time to finalize and move on. 14 days ought to do it.

Great! Welcome aboard.

[Staredge]

I'm in. Just started picking up the guitar. Been playing bass off and on for a couple of years. My goals are to just play 14 days straight. Working on cleaning up my chord fingerings on songs I've learned, and to continue to learn new ones. Next 14 day challenge, I'll learn a solo to one of them.

Originally Posted by Staredge

I'm in. Just started picking up the guitar. Been playing bass off and on for a couple of years. My goals are to just play 14 days straight. Working on cleaning up my chord fingerings on songs I've learned, and to continue to learn new ones. Next 14 day challenge, I'll learn a solo to one of them.

Glad you are joining in!

[creamburmese]

I'll join - this would help me overcome my fear of appearing foolish - I practice every day already, but as a beginner (10 months playing) I have not recorded anything (and I'm pretty sure no-one else would want to hear it!) However in the interests of documenting progress I'd really like to record something so that in the future it will encourage me as I see improvement. I got some basic recording stuff for Christmas but haven't taken the plunge to try to set it up yet … so that's my goal - figure out how to set it up and record something as a baseline….

Originally Posted by creamburmese

I'll join - this would help me overcome my fear of appearing foolish - I practice every day already, but as a beginner (10 months playing) I have not recorded anything (and I'm pretty sure no-one else would want to hear it!) However in the interests of documenting progress I'd really like to record something so that in the future it will encourage me as I see improvement. I got some basic recording stuff for Christmas but haven't taken the plunge to try to set it up yet … so that's my goal - figure out how to set it up and record something as a baseline….

Great! Glad you've joined.

[DuRsT]

I'll definitely be practicing every day for the next 14 days (and foreseeable future), but I will be focusing on finishing learning one song instead of knowing parts of 10 ten songs lol

[Tony Done]

Good idea, I'll try to stick with it. I do practice, after a fashion, every day, but I should focus on something specific. I can think of two that have just attracted my interest, hybrid picking and brush strokes on lapsteel. I think I'll hedge my bets and work on both for now.

[Fruitloop]

All right I'm in! I just finished a 7 hour practice session, I've been on a guitar rush lately so I'll be playing every day for sure.
As for goals I think it'll go towards ear training/transcribing mostly.

- Finish transcribing the prelude from lute suite 4 by Bach (halfway there)
- Start transcribing preludes by Tarrega (these)
- Learn second half of Capricho Arabe
- Finish fingerstyle arrangement of Somebody I Used To Know

[AX17609]

I practice every day, anyway, so that's not much of a challenge. But over the next 14 days, I'm going to try to record something, even though I hate doing it.

[tcloud]

I'm in. I've been really bad with my practice schedule over the last couple of months and need to re-establish a habit.

- Practice strumming patterns
- Work on a fingerstyle piece I've been neglecting.
- Finish learning a classical piece I've been working on.
- Practice my classical technique exercises.

[Trevor B.]

Hey Doug,
From a fellow citizen of the Great White North (Mississauga, Ontario) I accept your challenge. I'm pretty consistent in my practice habits but will specify some goals.
1) Finally polish up my own arrangement of Luis Bonfa's Mañha de Carnaval.
2) Record it on both a nylon string guitar and a steel string guitar.
3) Upload one version to youtube and the other to SoundCloud.
4) Share links on this thread.
I look forward to sharing the experience with everyone who is up to the challenge!