Play time vs. Practice time

[roadbiker]

Kind of curious to find out how much time you spend playing songs vs. doing exercises and practicing technique. For example, I am using the Guitar Aerobics book and spend about 15 minutes on that. I also excercise using the spider pattern and practice major and minor scales, plus a a lot of fingerstyle excercises to develop coordination. But doing that gets boring, and my ambition is to get better at playing music, not scales and doiongexcercises, which I consider a means to the end. I try to get 50:50 time in between practicing and playing, which in effect is also practicing. You have to practice playing a song to get good at playing it, and once I have it mastered I get a great sense of accomplishment. Now I am embarking on my own music.

So how much time do you spend playing songs vs. practicing?

Jim

[S MS Picker]

Playing songs = 85%  Practicing those songs =15%
Steve

[Scriptor]

I've been playing guitar for a long time so I approach it for expression and enjoyment ... the way I "practice" is picking out challenging songs that I want to learn and I am always working on original instrumentals in various stages of completion ... so I'd go with Steve's percentages of 85/15

With the other instruments I've picked up in the last few years, I do more practicing ... trying new techniques and playing songs that will cause me to work on these things ... for these it's more like 60/40.

[flaggerphil]

What is this "practice" you speak of?

 

[sachi]

I'm kinda clumsy. So for me, just about everything is practice!

[SMan]

I just play for enjoyment.  I'm in my happy place. 

[BlackCats]

I'm new at guitar so all my song playing takes practice practice practice. I have no plans to learn scales, etc.

[DennisG]

This is probably my undoing as a guitar player, but I just like to keep it fun -- and playing scales just isn't fun to me.  When I learn a new technique or chord, it's always in the context of a new song.

[lmacmil]

If I could force myself into more practice time, I'd probably be a better player.  As it is, I'm solidly mediocre and spend 90% of my time playing songs for fun or practicing songs for upcoming open mic appearances.

[Iplay2]

I seem to spend most of my time learning new songs for church, learning new songs to play with my gig partner, or playing the ones I know so I don't forget them.  I don't get to spend much time at all really practicing to make myself better. 

[CodeBlueEMT]

 Play time.

[markallen]

I'm kinda clumsy. So for me, just about everything is practice!

Me too!! 

[cigarfan]

Within the last 12 months things have changed. Prior to that, most practice was not for technique. It was new songs. 90% songs I knew and 10% songs I was learning.

Over the last year (trying to learn finger-style) it's really been about 50% technique and 50% playing for fun. The technique stuff is really starting to kick in. Sometimes it felt like I may not be cut out for finger-style but with a little persistence things, they are a changing.