Week 29: choose the third, and learn it

Week twenty-nine of a 32-week guitar practice path: picking the third piece of the set for contrast, then learning it by ear.

Week
29 of 32
Days
7
Played as
blues or rock

One piece is an achievement. Three in a row is a different thing, and part of the difference is architecture: which order, which keys, and what the middle one is for. Open with the one you are surest of, because nerves peak at the start and confidence pays for everything after it. Put the slow one or the odd one in the middle. Close with the best ending. And choose the third for contrast — three good pieces that all sound the same make the last one land worse than it deserves.

The rest of the week learns it, using the same method for the third time: map the form, the head or riff by ear in two-bar chunks, then its changes played through with the record. It should be markedly faster than it was in week 18, and that speed is the real output of the second half of the path — more durable than any one of the three pieces.

Blues treatment

Choose a third piece for contrast, then learn its head and its changes

Your choice of keysShuffle · ♩=92The third piece

A set is one shape made of three pieces rather than three pieces in a row. Choose the third for contrast — slower, another key, a different feel — because three good pieces at the same tempo in the same key is one long piece with two joins in it. Open with the one you are surest of, since nerves peak at the start; put the slow one or the odd one in the middle; close with the best ending.

Then learn it, the same way you learned the other two: map the form, then the head by ear in two-bar chunks, then its changes played through with the record. This is the third time round the method and it should be visibly faster than the first — which is the actual output of weeks 17 to 20, and worth more than any one of the three pieces.

The daily session · ~26 min

  1. Warm upHands, then both pieces you have4 min
  2. Pick the third, and set the orderContrast, then open and close5 min
  3. Map it fastThe method, third time round6 min
  4. The head, two bars at a timeBy ear, no tab6 min
  5. Jam, its changes and the set on paperChords, then three openings5 min

Check yourself

Reference

Rock treatment

Choose a third song for contrast, then learn its riff and its chords

Your choice of keysStraight · ♩=108The third song

A set is one shape made of three songs rather than three songs in a row. Choose the third for contrast — slower, another key, clean rather than driven — because three at the same tempo with the same tone is one long song with two joins in it. Open with the one you are surest of, since nerves peak at the start; put the slow one or the odd one in the middle; close with the biggest ending.

Then learn it, the same way you learned the other two: map the sections, then the riff by ear in two-bar chunks, then its chords played through with the record. This is the third time round the method and it should be visibly faster than the first — which is the actual output of weeks 17 to 20, and worth more than any one of the three songs.

The daily session · ~26 min

  1. Warm upHands, then both songs you have4 min
  2. Pick the third, and set the orderContrast, then open and close5 min
  3. Map it fastThe method, third time round6 min
  4. The riff, two bars at a timeBy ear, no tab6 min
  5. Jam, its chords and the set on paperRoots, then three riffs5 min

Check yourself

Reference

How the week runs

Whichever accent you pick, the material stays the same for all 7 days and the tempo and intent move. Day one takes it slowly, day two chases clean notes, day three brings it to target tempo and into the jam, day four pushes past comfortable, and day five drops back to tempo to record and listen. Days six and seven are yours.

You can switch accent any day without losing your place — it is the same week either way, so week 29 means the same thing in both.

Start today's sessionSee the whole path