Practise Tips 4: utilising downtime

Everyone gets busy from time to time so how do we maintain practise while still managing to live our busy lives?

In my opinion the key is to utilise downtime. For example; if you need to travel somewhere then maybe the train is a good option? You could play your guitar and run something like scales, arpeggios, chord shapes etc while on the train. These are things that might be impossible on the bus and most definitely impossible while driving a car. Ha.

Another thing you could try is to leave your guitar on a stand while at home, rather than in the case. That way if you have 5-10 minutes downtime to spare while waiting for someone to arrive you could quickly grab that guitar and practise something. Anything. And the guitar is staring at you all the time saying... PLAY ME!

I consider listening to music to be an integral part of my practise. When I say listening, I mean really listening: not just having music on in the background when cleaning up etc. I often try to grab a few minutes here and there to listen to tunes. iPhones make this a breeze these days. If I can find 5-10 minutes spare that could potentially be 1-2 tunes I could absorb. At the moment I am trying to fill my ears with the new Scott Henderson record - Vibe Station. It's excellent. Check it out here. 

Another idea that might work is to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to practise. I remember hearing that Frank Gamble used to do this. For some people this works. For me, not so much. I am most definitely a night person. So, I do the same thing but at the opposite end of the day.


All these small moments during the day add up. It is totally possible for most people to find an hour per day if made up of little 5-10 minute segments. The real question is, how badly do you want it?


The reality of my life is I have to utilise downtime. People think that being a professional musician I just sits round practising all day then do gigs at night - I wish: this is most definitely not the case. I do get to play the guitar a lot. More than most people ever do and I feel fortune for this.

Sometimes practise just doesn't happen for a variety of reasons. If this is the case and you can honestly say that you are utilising your downtime effectively, then maybe you really do not have the time to be a musician. Thats ok, it's not for everyone. Or maybe you don't have the motivation. What to do then? Maybe listening to new music might help? ...or going out to check out bands might help (you should do this anyway!!). Jamming with other musicians might help? Having a practise buddy might help, in the same way people pair up to exercise? All worth a try.

There is a great video of Steve Vai talking about how to be successful on YouTube. It is a bit cheesy in style, but the message is good and applicable to this. Check it out here. The key point in this video is how Vai talks about making time to focus on your goal. Vai talks about how you first have to decide what you want to do then make time to do that. I would say if you want to be a musician then practise is a necessity, so why not make it a priority in your life - if you can.

I wish you all the best for your practise. Let me know how it's going!

Keep in touch:

Website: www.nickgranville.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

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Practise Tips 2 - Priorities.

When considering what to practise it is very important to consider what is important. Many good practise sessions are ruined by noodling, so a way to avoid this is to practise the important things first. You guitar players know what I am taking about, and I am sure other instrumentalists do the same from time to time.

So, think about this: what do all great musicians have in common? I would say they all play with great rhythm and they all have great sound, among other things. No two people play rhythm the same, nor have the same sound, but these musical elements are clear and definable in every great player in my opinion. Think of Brian May or Miles Davis as salient example. These two musicians, while very different, both illustrate the power of good rhythm and sound.

So for me I put these two elements first on my practise schedule. The longer I practise the more likely I am to noodle (which isn't totally bad - it is still playing after all) and the more likely I am to be less focused so whatever is first on my list gets the best chance of being done effectively.

... and while I am at it, you should definitely have a practise list. This helps you to use your time effectively but also makes you to think before you practise. Maybe it's just me, but if I can do three hours of practise and get certain things down that would normally take four hours then that allows free time for other things (either work or fun). I like to think of it as working smarter not harder.

Maybe a big priority for you is reading music? If so, that should be first on your list.

Your list really is an individual thing, as you probably know your own playing best and what you need to work on... and be honest! You are not doing yourself any favours if you tell yourself you are a good reader (for example) when in reality you are not. I know this is tough, but it is the best way to get better. Try recording yourself then asking the tough questions.

So, make a list of things you want to practise and consider what is most important to you; put these first.

Keep in touch:

Website: www.nickgranville.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nickgranvillemusic

... and you can download my latest album for free if you want from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home

Do you have the four T's every great musician has mastered?

I often think about the great musicians and what it is that they do differently from the rest. In many cases there is no one answer that explains what the greats do. However, some musical elements are universally mastered by the greats. When teaching students (either individually or in workshops) I often talk about the 4 T's (tone, time, taste and technique) and these are the musical elements I consider to be universally mastered by the greats.

1. Tone. If the tone is great the music captures our attention. If the tone is bad, then nothing works - it just sounds bad. B.B.King is an excellent example of the power of great tone. He plays the guitar with minimal notes with a huge tone which draws the listener in. It is incredibly powerful and moving.

There is no one universal great tone, rather every musician has to work out their tone to suit the music and to express what they want to say. Think of the tone of a few great jazz guitarists for example and you will realise just how different they can be (I am mentioning guitarists because I am one, but these things are the same for all musicians). Comparing John Scofield with Mike Stern or Pat Metheny or Jim Hall for example and you will see that all are worthy of being called great jazz guitarists, yet none of them produce a tone that is even remotely similar.

2. Time. This is a very close second for me. Time, timing and rhythm all fall under the category of time. Every great player has his or her way of feeling and playing the time and being able to project that to the listener. A few years ago I heard guitarist Pat Metheny and was blown away with the sheer power of his time and groove. It was an eye opener to say the least. A few years ago I got to play with guitarist John Scofield (Sco) in a duo format while on tour. Sco's time was so strong that there was never any doubt as to where the time was and it was super solid, yet he had the freedom to completely manipulate where he placed notes to great effect. Again, this was an eye opener.

3. Taste. Taste is subjective, but every great player applies their own taste to the music they play and it influences their decision making; whether they know it consciously or not. We choose instruments based on our tastes, we choose musicians to work with based on our tastes, we create tones based on our tastes etc, etc. So when people like what we are doing, it is often our tastes that they are agreeing with. When musicians get to a certain level there is no such thing as better or worse. No one can say Pat Metheny is better than John Scofield for example; that is a matter of taste. People who like Metheny better are basically saying they like his style of playing better - that they agree with his taste.

4. Technique. If we produce a sound then there is a technique required to doing this. All the great musicians have their technique worked out and developed to the level required to create the music. Great technique does not necessarily mean being able to play fast, unless that is what the music requires: for example, if someone is wanting to be a bebop player then the ability to play fast is very important. Any way you look at it though, having great technique and chops is an incredibly valuable asset. I work a lot on my technique, especially the ways in which I use the guitar pick, and the use of hammer-on's / pull off's (guitar techniques) and more. I do this because I want to be free to play what I want, when I want and not have technique get in the way.

So, when considering what to practise and how to do it, I keep these points in mind. I recommend the same approach to students and try to keep them focused on this. I  hope this helps on your musical journey.

Keep in touch:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nickgranvillemusic

... and you can download my latest album from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home