Setting up a serious practice regimen.

[Michael_]

Looking to get the most out of an hour or so a day.

Things I need to work on the most:

Ear training - hearing intervals, chords, progressions.

Sight reading - downright bad at this, rhythmically and melodically.

Theory - used to be pretty ok at this but I've forgotten most of what I knew.

Songwriting/creativity

Things I'm okay at:

Chops

Jamming with other people (I have a Boss DR-3 I use to work on this alone)

Soloing over easy progressions

I've never had a set practice routing before but I hear it's very helpful. Any advice on how I should set this up?

[Steve Haynie]

You could write up a schedule and stick to it. Pick days for certain exercises and combine them for some days. You could also dedicate a week to one aspect then move to another like chapters in a book. Later on those chapters can be revisited.

[veatch]

Back in the 90's, i had an "oppressive" job where i put in about 90 to 100 hours per week. I learned a lot, and it was good to be employed, but i was in the same position of how do i keep sharp on the guitar with so little time to practice.

I put together a "plan", and stuck to it for about two weeks. By then, i wasn't looking forward to playing and was pretty much bored.

I then simply made a list of the guitarists that i liked, and started working through CDs. If it took 1 week or 3 months to get through the CD, that's what i stuck to. That was a lot more fun, and i learned a lot of usable chops while working on ear training and improvising over songs for the fun of it. I stuck with that for quite a while.

Point being, whatever you do, keep it fun, or it may not help any more than just having something to do.

Hope that helps. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

[Feynman]

My standard answer is 'find a good teacher,' one who explains concepts well, demonstrates efficient technique, notices your weaknesses and strengths and adapts to them, etc. Find someone experienced in theory and practice, and someone you like. I generally check with the local university music dept for good professional guidance.

When time is pressed for me, I will scale back to one lesson a month - an hour or two, and I try to get enough homework to hold me until the next session. I've found most teachers pretty understanding of a busy adult schedule, and I *think* I get a lot out of it, more than I would if I tried to come up with a structure on my own. Even at once a month, progress is steady (but slow).

Of course, everyone is different, but I feel like having a good instructor makes all the difference in the world for me.