Mike's Master Classes

Mindfulness Masterclass

The Joy of Practicing

Tom Lippincott·
5.0 (9 reviews)·BEGINNER·58 lessons·2h 20m of video

About this masterclass

"Practice makes perfect," so the saying goes.  However, many musicians view practice as a necessary but tedious and grueling task that's full of drudgery.  Or even worse, some musicians approach practicing with a sense of fearful urgency, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work that they must complete in order to reach their goal of being a "great" player. These same people are often uncertain how to organize their practice time, not sure what they should practice, or how much time they should to devote to each subject.  Even accomplished musicians can sometimes experience a lack of inspiration or feel unsure about how to structure a practice session. If any of this sounds familiar, then this class can help get your practicing back on track and assist you with achieving more fulfillment from your guitar practice sessions. Practicing should be approached with joyful anticipation and savored instead of undertaken with reluctance or dread.  The Joy of Practicing explores ideas and recommendations with an eye toward making practice enjoyable and productive rather than tiresome and dull.  The class covers a suggested practice routine broken down into nine categories with examples from each. While the list of items presented may not be perfect for everyone, students can use the guide as a starting point to build a custom practice plan tailored specifically for their own needs and goals.

The Joy of Practicing covers:

  • Ideas for making practice sessions more fun and approaching music and musical development with a positive attitude
  • Breakdown of three types of musicians with a discussion of the differences in goals for each
  • Discussion of technique practice with examples of right and left hand exercises, as well as scale and chord exercises to improve technical proficiency
  • Note-recognition exercises for help with learning note names on the neck, as well as reading notation and rhythmic notation reading exercises
  • Devoting separate practice time to rhythmic development, with multiple examples
  • Discussion of listening to music, both "actively" and "passively," and its importance in a musician's development
  • Step-by-step breakdown of suggested routine for learning a new tune accurately and thoroughly
  • Concise but complete list of what to practice to develop harmony, chords, and comping, with multiple examples
  • Exploration of single-note improvisation with examples of applying concepts of voice leading, guide tones, approach and target notes, chord tone versus chord scale approach, development of intervallic patterns, reharmonization techniques, and motivic development
  • Discussion of composition and its importance to musical development, with suggestions and tips
  • Running time: 126 minutes
  • Includes 25 pages of written examples and exercises
  • All musical examples from the video are provided in music notation, tablature, and chord grid form.
  • Each example performance in the video is titled and numbered for easy navigation.
  • MP3 backing tracks for written examples and solos

Lessons in this masterclass

Lessons

  • 1The Joy of Practicing2m 7s
  • 210 Three Octave Scales For Technique Practice - Ex 4A to 4J3m 37s
  • 3A Systematic Approach to Harmony2m 29s
  • 4Active Listening55s
  • 5Chordal Things - Ex 5 and Ex 62m 1s
  • 6Click on the and of 21m 49s
  • 7Closing Thoughts and Outro Performance2m 3s
  • 8Defining Practice1m 48s
  • 9Ear Training Exercises 1 to 42m 8s
  • 10Ear Training Exercises 5 to 72m 10s
  • 11Ex 1 - Eighth Note in 4/4 missing h in eighth1m 8s
  • 12Ex 1 - Left Hand Slurs and Variations1m 11s
  • 13Ex 1 - Note Row2m 3s
  • 14Ex 2 - 8th Note Triplets2m 35s
  • 15Ex 2 - Finger Independence2m 13s
  • 16Ex 2 - Note Row on High E String1m 32s
  • 17Ex 2a - Note Row in 5th Position1m 54s
  • 18Ex 3 - Eighth Note Reading13m 11s
  • 19Ex 3 - Giuliani Right Hand Study39s
  • 20Ex 3b Sixteenth Note Reading2m 30s
  • 21Giuliani Exercises1m 50s
  • 22Goals For the Hobbyist32s
  • 23Goals For the Professional1m 42s
  • 24Goals For the Semi-Professional1m
  • 25Harmony Ex 1 to 55m 36s
  • 26Harmony Ex 6 to 107m 30s
  • 27How Kenny Werner Practices51s
  • 28Improvisation Ex 1 and 22m 7s
  • 29Improvisation Ex 11 and 123m 32s
  • 30Improvisation Ex 3 and 41m 34s
  • 31Improvisation Ex 5 to 7A3m 20s
  • 32Improvisation Ex 82m 6s
  • 33Improvisation Ex 9 and 103m 35s
  • 34Intro Song1m 40s
  • 35Intro to Rhythm Practice39s
  • 36Introduction & About My Guitar (Tuning and Fanned Frets)2m 1s
  • 37My Practice List and Practice Time Organisation2m 23s
  • 38One Small Subject In Great Detail1m 53s
  • 39Practicing Guitar, Video Games, and Life2m 59s
  • 40Repertoire Ex 1 to 42m 48s
  • 41Repertoire Ex 10 - Chord Melody1m 24s
  • 42Repertoire Ex 5 and 62m 12s
  • 43Repertoire Ex 7 and 81m 34s
  • 44Repertoire Ex 9 - Alternate Changes and Color Tones1m 48s
  • 45Repertoire List Guidelines34s
  • 46Slow Scales and Meditation2m 1s
  • 47Staying Relaxed1m 24s
  • 48Stop Trying To Get Better42s
  • 49The Importance of Listening2m 30s
  • 50The Importance of Repertoire1m 46s
  • 51The Lifetime Master List and The Short Term Master List1m 30s
  • 52The Surprisingly Most Successful Way To Practice52s
  • 53Tom's Personal Approach to Composition4m 16s
  • 54Transcribe! Software Tutorial11m 23s
  • 55Two Approaches to Transcription3m 9s
  • 56Variations with Improvisation1m 50s
  • 57Warming Up Like Scott Tennant31s
  • 58Why Learn to Read1m 28s

Reviews & Ratings

5.0
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Roberto Barros
2/4/2018

Tom is genius.<br /> I bought this class. It's amazing!<br /> I have all your class and I recomend.<br /> All of best for you Tom!<br /> Roberto Barros from Brazil!

Andrew Hughes
3/22/2017

Very inspiring course on a subject that some find difficult to deal with. Tom's enthusiasm and love for the instrument are in abundance - offering practical advice and unique insight into the guitar and its nature. My go-to when I need a boost in my practice routine.

Moncef Fadal
12/23/2016

very complete lesson , and at the same time it's pretty open ended ! Tom shares his take on elements that should be adressed during practice brilliantly !

Jo S.
Verified Purchase
10/22/2016

This was my first Course at Mike's Masterclasses. The Content is very inspiring and huge amount of useful material. Tom is a great teacher. Meanwhile I own a few other courses from Tom Lippincott. They are all brilliant!. Jo Savin

Mark Nye
Verified Purchase
9/7/2016

This lesson is great for learning to create thorough practice sessions, the .pdf is invaluable as a jumpstart-checklist, with a few things I'd never thought of... Concision is a virtue with Mr. Lippingcott -great work! - Steve Nye

Marco Escobedo
5/19/2016

Tom Lippincott is a master! I have gone through the first 3 Modern Jazz guitar style classes, and he leaves no stone unturned. A masterful musician and educator with a delicate soul. His classes will take you to new heights with all of his insight. The Joy of Practicing is by far my favorite! I too have graduated to enjoying the process of practice, and was taken back to days when practice was fun! It still is! Thank you Tom for being alive! Your efforts will never be lost!

Levent Unal
12/8/2015

Tom is great and my favorite teacher. This is a very useful class which will open doors...Thanks, Tom for being such a great teacher! L

Carlos Fernandes
8/14/2015

The lesson is very complete! Covers a lot of material to be studied in long term! If you don't know how to structure your practice routine it is the best place to start. All the advice given about ear training and listening skills. Tom made a complete picture of what should be practiced according to your objectives!

james seaberry
Verified Purchase
5/9/2015

I have almost every one of Tom's classes, and I have NEVER regretted a single purchase. I have learned an astronomical amount of new, fresh, interesting, useable ideas from every one of his classes, and this one is no exception. Tremendous class.

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About the instructor

Tom Lippincott →
Eight- and six-string guitarist Tom Lippincott was born in New Jersey and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but has made South Florida his home since 1988. He has a bachelor's degree in jazz studies from the University of North Texas as well as a master's in jazz performance from the University of Miami. Tom teaches jazz guitar at Florida International University, Miami Dade College, and Broward College. He also teaches lessons in person and online, conducts clinics and workshops, and has jazz guitar courses available through Mike’s Master Classes. As a longtime contributor to the South Florida jazz community, Tom has played and recorded extensively with many of the area’s musicians and bands. He has also performed throughout the world as both sideman and leader and has performed and/or recorded with jazz luminaries John Stowell, Jonathan Kreisberg, Ben Monder, Dave Liebman, Don Friedman, and Ed Schuller. In addition to previous recordings such as his 2000 release Painting the Slow Train Brown, Tom has been featured as a performer and composer recently on David Fernandez’s Land, as well as the upcoming release from Rodolfo Zuniga’s band Surfaces with Strings featuring Camila Meza. Tom has a new album of original compositions, Twenty Years Later, available on his website at tomlippincott.com.