Troy Nelson's "Guitar Aerobics"

[Barnaby]

At the moment, I am way too busy to get to a teacher so, along with the normal practice I do, I'm taking 15 minutes out of every day to do this book. If you don't know it, it has a series of exercises of which a different one is played each day. You start out at a slow tempo, then build up, going through roughly 8 sets of 10 reps each. By the time the exercise is done, it's pretty well internalized. Each day works a different skillset, like arpeggio playing, alternate picking, bending, sweeping, but the exercises build up from week to week. For example, sweeping starts with a simple pattern that gets more complex over the first couple of months.

It's far from the only thing I do when I practice, but it's useful. In fact, I did the book two years ago and it really pulled my playing up a couple of notches (from "dreadful" to "mediocre", perhaps!). This time, I'm videoing my journey as I go through it again in an attempt to keep myself motivated. I hope nobody minds if I just put some vids here!

Week One!

 

[Barnaby]

Here's Week Two.

 

[Redfish]

Very cool. Keep it up and I'll try to stick with you.

 

[frankv]

Yes, I have that book and work my way through it..but not at the books time table

 

[Barnaby]

Very cool. Keep it up and I'll try to stick with you.

I was hoping someone might say that! OK - that definitely makes me want to keep at it.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Good groundwork here.

 

[Barnaby]

Good groundwork here.

Thanks - and nice to hear from you. One of my favourite MLP people!

 

[Stinky Kitty]

Heading to Amazon.. I *need* some discipline.

Thanks!

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Thanks - and nice to hear from you. One of my favourite MLP people!

It's good to actually hear you, brotha. Get a better sense of knowing someone, yannow?

 

[Barnaby]

Heading to Amazon.. I *need* some discipline.

Thanks!

Play ze pentatonik scale in ze first position...NOW!!!

 

[Eddie 70]

I have that one and his other one, Fretboard Freedom. Both have the weekly exercises. I made my way through about 6 weeks in each book. I bought them both at the same time when I was first getting started and it was pretty tough. I have a tiny bit more skill now. It may be time to dig them back out again and see where I am at.

 

[Barnaby]

I have that one and his other one, Fretboard Freedom. Both have the weekly exercises. I made my way through about 6 weeks in each book. I bought them both at the same time when I was first getting started and it was pretty tough. I have a tiny bit more skill now. It may be time to dig them back out again and see where I am at.

I've got Fretboard Freedom as well - I plan to go through it after finishing this one again. It does give a pretty solid foundation, although I have always found certain types of exercise much harder. Thus, in a week (even towards the end of the book), there will be some pretty easy things, and others that are almost unplayable. It's a good workout and also, as you suggest, a pretty decent way to get an idea of what you can and can't do on the guitar.

 

[TheWelder]

I have that book and I've tried to work my way through it but I think the most I've ever been able to do is seven weeks. I find it very repetitive and boring. That said, it is a great way to build speed, endurance, and improve your technique...if you can stick with it that is.

 

[Barnaby]

I have that book and I've tried to work my way through it but I think the most I've ever been able to do is seven weeks. I find it very repetitive and boring. That said, it is a great way to build speed, endurance, and improve your technique...if you can stick with it that is.

I know exactly what you mean but am kind of lucky in that respect, in that I trained as a classical musician (obviously not on the guitar) from childhood. I'm one of those guys who will happily do an hour or more of scales every day. When I was studying in Vienna, I had to do eight hours a day, most of which was technical work. At least these are only 15 minutes each, and repetitive and boring exercises are my comfort zone!

That being said, my guitar playing is probably also repetitive and boring...

 

[Eddie 70]

I know exactly what you mean but am kind of lucky in that respect, in that I trained as a classical musician (obviously not on the guitar) from childhood. I'm one of those guys who will happily do an hour or more of scales every day. When I was studying in Vienna, I had to do eight hours a day, most of which was technical work. At least these are only 15 minutes each, and repetitive and boring exercises are my comfort zone!

That being said, my guitar playing is probably also repetitive and boring...

8 hours a day!! Wow. If I had a guitar when I was younger and could spend that much time with one, I could only how fast your fingers are. I see guys fingers making shapes I don't think my hands will ever make. 15 minutes of Troy Nelson is a cake walk now.

 

[Barnaby]

8 hours a day!! Wow. If I had a guitar when I was younger and could spend that much time with one, I could only how fast your fingers are. I see guys fingers making shapes I don't think my hands will ever make. 15 minutes of Troy Nelson is a cake walk now.

Ah, but it was 8 hours a day as a woodwind player, not a guitarist for me. Performing was my job for 23 years...and I still miss it every day.

The biggest problem I face on the guitar is that I know I'll never get close to the level I reached as a classical musician. Therefore, I'm always going to feel that my guitar playing is rubbish, even if I actually get objectively decent at it.

I'm sure you're being modest about your own technique and can play up a storm.

 

[Stoli]

Barnaby, Eddie, and others who have worked with both books, which would you say works best? I consider myself a novice player and mostly just work on rhythm type things and have more than enough to work on with a class I am taking at the local community college for the time being but I could see something like this being of value to work on through the Summer for a few minutes a day mixed with just mostly trying to learn to play songs that I like.

I have worked at trying to learn notes on fretboard and navigating to play chords all over the neck. I would say that I am not good at it yet but can navigate a little off the low E and A string for roots to move chord shapes around. I do not have the other roots burned in to easily navigate chrods built off of the other strings.

 

[Barnaby]

Week Three is up...someone asked me whether it was me playing the opening music. Indeed it is - although the alternate picking is okay(ish), sweeps are pretty messy. It's kind of a perfect example of why I need to go through this book again!

 

[Barnaby]

Barnaby, Eddie, and others who have worked with both books, which would you say works best? I consider myself a novice player and mostly just work on rhythm type things and have more than enough to work on with a class I am taking at the local community college for the time being but I could see something like this being of value to work on through the Summer for a few minutes a day mixed with just mostly trying to learn to play songs that I like.

I have worked at trying to learn notes on fretboard and navigating to play chords all over the neck. I would say that I am not good at it yet but can navigate a little off the low E and A string for roots to move chord shapes around. I do not have the other roots burned in to easily navigate chrods built off of the other strings.

Personally, I think Guitar Aerobics is a good way to build core skills and Fretboard Freedom a strong follow-up which develops reading and harmonic knowledge and perhaps fits in a bit more with the skills you have been working on.

Both are definitely worth a look.

 

[Freddy G]

At the moment, I am way too busy to get to a teacher so, along with the normal practice I do, I'm taking 15 minutes out of every day to do this book. If you don't know it, it has a series of exercises of which a different one is played each day. You start out at a slow tempo, then build up, going through roughly 8 sets of 10 reps each. By the time the exercise is done, it's pretty well internalized. Each day works a different skillset, like arpeggio playing, alternate picking, bending, sweeping, but the exercises build up from week to week. For example, sweeping starts with a simple pattern that gets more complex over the first couple of months.

It's far from the only thing I do when I practice, but it's useful. In fact, I did the book two years ago and it really pulled my playing up a couple of notches (from "dreadful" to "mediocre", perhaps!). This time, I'm videoing my journey as I go through it again in an attempt to keep myself motivated. I hope nobody minds if I just put some vids here!

Week One!

I looked at your first video and played along with you....just as I started to think...ah....all this is just too easy, I ran into one exercise that flummoxed my fingers! So yeah...this will be a nice practice routine for me...I'm in!