THEORY or TECHNIQUE: What To Practice First For Maximum Gains?

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[MusicTheoryForGuitar]

WORD TO THE WISE: This is the kind of video that some people will not watch because: "baa baa he's talking too much" but if you apply what I explain here to your daily practice (and it requires ZERO time and ZERO effort...) then you see a MASSIVE change in how fast you improve... and you're going to see it today.

[StefanGBucher]

This is sort of how I've always done it naturally, But it's going to really help doing it consciously, with full awareness of the why. Thank you, sir!

[jamesanderson]

Once I started doing this my practice sessions flowed so much better and made much more sense. Playing music requires technique; therefore specific techniques become relevant to the music you're playing. I'm really grateful for this channel and the lessons tommaso provides (currently doing master of the modes). This approach really does work.

[musicfromthegreatbeyond]

Finally someone gets it right!!! Thank you!

[jackschijven]

Makes totally sense. Also for improvisation that has to come from your mind.

[MetallicA]

Makes me feel good about myself, I've done this since I started playing music. Start off learning a new segment or two of a scale and as my fingers warm up I help solidify the scale to memory by playing licks and riffs and marking out little boxes to help me move around that particular pattern. When I'm good and warmed up I throw on a backing track and shred away over my newly learned scale. Helps me keep originality and visualize scales and patterns on my fretboard

[PerceivedWaves]

Exactly my problem! I found my self learning more when jump straight into theory or songs I want to learn instead of staying with warmups. Never thought about why. Just thought I am not suitable for the conventional wisdom. Thanks for explaining this. Will definitely try.

[richermorin]

i've been doing this for months and it really does work, it's really amazing to see your point on this subject as myself my guitar practice is finger independance workout the video you have on you channel, it warm up the mechanics of the finger then i do your learning the notes then the triads then i practice a masterpiece guitar song like the song of the golden dragon from estas tonnee then I start songwriting, this way it really give space for my fingers top get warm and my brain to express itself creatively every day. taught it would inspire you guys peace up thanks Tom great content

[tommyrocker]

I agree with all you said, well explained too. I tried out all sorts of methods and settled on this approach a while back, and the cool thing is that the early exercises or new scales you learn at the start of your session, they transition into the faster mindless stuff over time and that's how you'll integrate it into your playing. Then you sort of level up and move onto the next technique/scale and over time, that'll become mindless, and so on. Hope that made sense, but it's sound advice once again. Thanks Tommaso

[GrimScarFayn]

Here is a video suggestion. Maybe create a video that I can send to someone else in an attempt to convince them to learn theory? You could say something along the lines of "Hey, the person that send this to you, thinks you should learn some theory."

[richermorin]

the chords mastery programs is amazing I've got a lot of teachers in my life and base on my first experience in the chord mastery program Tommaso is a really easy to understand impossible to misunderstand teacher and he teaches you how you can become a master at the fretboard LITERALLY.if you want to write your own songs, go for it, what do you have to loose

[aureliolucifero]

Personalmente uso già questo metodo da mesi e devo essere sincero, mi ci trovo benissimo, quindi sono molto contento che questo metodo sia divulgato al grande pubblico :D

[GBlues]

That makes a lot of sense. I also know that most people tend to run for the hills when you mention theory. I think that when it comes to theory it should be taught as much as is possible without the student realizing they are being taught theory. You show them something new, and then explain how that would be used in a musical context. Briefly. Just what they need to know to be able to use that new scale, or chord or whatever, and they just pick it up and get it, because it’s small chunks that build upon each thing over time. They don’t need to know that they know about the circle of fifths, they just need to know it, just as an example.

[nates]

Any videos on melodic minor only? I know I know, there are videos on modes, but plain old melodic minor? Please :)

[kaganozmeric]

This approach makes quite sense. However there is a trap. Learning new things can be frustrating sometimes. So when you start your practice with new tasks you should always remind yourself to be patient and not to escape to "noodling" and spend some valuable practice time for nothing. So one should not try to gobble up large portions of theory but break it into bite-size pieces to conquer every day. Your videos are being quite helpful during my journey to become a more complete musician. Thanks!

[JereToikka]

This is a great tip. I don't remember the first time I heard this from Tom Hess though... It's been a while :)

Do you have suggestions on how to adapt this if I already have quite a solid grasp on most theory? 

Would fretboard knowledge and/or technique fundamentals be a good warmup? Anything else?

[EddieMetal]

"If you don't know where you want to go, any direction is ok for you"

I've been training speed for years and YES, I became a very fast "alternate picker", but chromatic scale is not music. To play scales UP and DOWN is not music.
My muscle memory was so addicted to perform always the same linear moves that I had terrible problems when trying to skip notes/strings or to think "out of the box".

If you study theory before you start to practice at the instrument you will begin to look for right places to put your fingers and perform something musical.

Practice guitar looking for something solid and based on music theory.

So many "technical" exercises are just a waste of time. Maybe just good for warm up...

Be fast at reaching the desired notes, not RANDOM NOTES!

[charleslee]

I have a third item; musical thoughts. I get riffs in my head down first, then try theory / technique, and then come back to refine riffs. If I do theory/technique first, it burns away the music in my brain...

[christopherheckman]

I would say that theory before technique is how *most* practices should go. However, every now and then, you should do "stress exercises", where you do it the wrong way (technique before theory). After all, if you want to be a professional, you have to handle situations where you get to a gig at the last minute, or are playing something new towards the end of the set, get a new idea, and then have to figure out how to use that idea while still remaining musical.

[d.l.loonabide]

All he is saying is give theese a chance.