Practice Plan & Project Goals

     To get the most out of practice sessions, you have to practice smart. Anders Ericsson, the worlds leading expert on expertise (coined the term "10-years, or 100,000 hours") identifies two key elements of a deliberate practice routine:

A. Constant self evaluation

B. Focus on weakness, not strengths

Sample Practice Log

     With Ericsson's theory of deliberate practice in mind, I combined an article from NoTreble titled Efficient 20 Min Practice, and The Most Important Bass Lesson I Ever Teach, from Scott's Bass Lessons. This will be my starting point, and as the project progresses I may adjust it a bit. 

Here is the basic outline I'll be using during this project:

1.) 5-Min warmup (scales, etc.) using a metronome

2.) Work what I already know focusing on my weakness 
     - Trying different fingerings, or rhythms
     - Log metronome settings

3.) Work on new things
     - Start slow
     - Break things down into small bits, then build upon them
     - Aim for accuracy 

"Noodling = Death. In other words, FOCUS. The time is only as good as you make it, and it should be set up as a challenge. Practice should always be ambitious (yet feasible) and difficult – your goal is to dominate it. There is always something to be said for freely playing and creating new melodies and ideas, if you want to devote 10 minutes of your practice to that it is fine, do not let it bleed in to your other focused sections." ~Evan Kepner, NoTreble  

Goals:
     - Learn something new each day
     - Learn sight reading

     - Improve my timing
     - Become more comfortable with the fretboard

     - Learn different positions to play each song
     - Improve melody/harmony skills

     Lastly, I made this quick reference guide to visualize the fretboard and to help work out lines and such:

Stay tuned & in tune~