To add to what fssharp said, I also like to spend some time working on rhythm/breathing. Jon's chugging workshop CD had some tips. I'll practice a train rhythm...starting slowly and gradually building up. It takes some discipline not to just jump in and play as quickly as you can! But keeping a steady, solid rhythm is what I try to do.
Here is (roughly) what Dennis Gruenling recommends for practice, as described at Jam Camp. I've been trying to do this.
1/3 = just listen to harp CD's (yes, listening is practice too, but work at it = active listening). 1/3 = practice technique (clean scales, "kah" articulation, runs, tongue blocking, clean on-pitch bends, vibrato, etc). 1/3 = jamming to tracks or CD's and havin' fun. So a 20/20/20 min hour long session is recommended, but I'm more in the 10/10/10 min or 5/5/5 min mode right now. Equaly important is to do SOMETHING with the harp at least 5 min EVERY day to stay connected. Also - record your practices !! You may be practicing things you shouldn't and forget the things you should (sorry, an old Corky Siegel reference snuck in there). Go to a Jam Camp and hear Dennis explain it and you'll be psyched! I am tweaking my practice routine at the moment but could go over each third in more detail if you would like, but I think you get the idea....main thing is make it FUN and do it every day. fssharp
Hi Sudsy I practice in different ways, just to keep from getting bored, but the most productive practice sessions are when I record myself and try to keep improving on the latest recorded track.
Get your free copy of Audacity software, for example, then load in one of Jon's backing tracks like his 12-bar blues in A or E and play along using your own interpretation. Download someone else's interpretation like mine or fssharp and see if you can improve on it.
Break out of a rut by loading a CD track of your favorite blues artist into Audacity and then record yourself playing along with it. See if you can keep getting closer to the original. You will learn new riffs and new ways of expressing yourself that way. You won't be able to do the complicated stuff at first but you will learn to do simplified versions that still sound pretty good.
