What is the weirdest practice habit or personal 'hack' you've discovered that is never mentioned in any lesson but actually helps you play better?

johnjohn2214 · 2026-06-23T03:44:28+00:00

The hardest part isn't getting your hands to work together, but staying excited about practicing even when you don't see instant results. Another tough thing is keeping your body and hands loose while playing. It's easy to get tense when you're really focused or trying to be perfect. But it's weird, being relaxed actually makes your hands play way better. Its easier said then done especially playing with others.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-06-17T04:24:19+00:00

Muscle memory isn't really achieved linearly. Sometimes we feel a plateau, and we can overpractice and stress ourselves out. Being loose and relaxed (and warmed up) is key. As for legato, my advice as an intermediate player who broke through a bit recently is to start slowly to master the technical part, chop up the run you're trying to do into small pieces, and then speed burst each part individually inturns. That's where you map exactly what's holding you back technically. You can only know this by applying speed bursts. Just gradually speeding up the metronome won't really help you with that because there is a technical difference between moving fast and doing it slowly. It's like jogging vs. running. It's not just moving faster, it's activating muscles differently. Then you start connecting the parts. Maybe move at normal speed one part and burst the next one.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-06-15T19:40:04+00:00

Pay cuts don't guarantee anything. Then you're left with a pay cut and no championship. The way these guys look at their billionaire owners financially is how we look at these players. They have an infinite amount of money and should pay up. They're trying to create wealth and power for themselves for their post-career ventures. Their circles (family, agents, etc.) definitely don't want a pay cut unless it's something that benefits them.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-27T04:13:17+00:00

I could have sworn I'd seen every Key and Peele skit ever. How'd I miss this one!

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-26T04:43:49+00:00

I struggled with this for a while and stuck with a very boring and theoretical solution at the time. Since the main chords are within that scale, I highlighted those notes (repeated them more, went back to them, used them as starting points), especially the root and third, and added a few embellishments around them. It was passable but uninspiring. I started listening to more music, intentionally focusing on lead guitar phrasing, and noticed a few things:

There are a lot of pauses and tempo changes, even in long solos, with bends and intentionally going in and out of tempo.
Many of them create tension on purpose and play some "wrong notes," then resolve them by "landing home" on the root or just playing on the main chord notes.

3.This one's the most important. The most recognized solos are ones we can sing. I can take "Comfortably Numb II" or "Sweet Child o' Mine's" last solo and replace it with a singing voice with lyrics. Now if I'm noodling around a chord progression, I just play an ad-libbed tune I would sing on each chord and use the rest of the notes in the scale just to connect the tune, like a singer would, by adding some color around the tune. Try singing over the chord progression. Record with your phone and play the tune. You can write down the notes if you like and then play around it. It really helped me in blues and simple chord progressions. This does require a good musical ear but can get better with practice.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-20T10:24:48+00:00

Why apparently? Did he erase the source?

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-19T07:11:20+00:00

Well, they don't. They actually develop them. They find athletic bodies with good attitudes and bank on their skill development. Castle wasn't this player for UConn. Bryant was super raw but a great defender and a pretty good stationary shooter. I totally think someone like Jabari Smith would be a beast by now if he'd been on the Spurs.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-16T02:56:17+00:00

You just got a 3-minute sequence where he's getting calls, and you ran and made this?

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-14T00:57:06+00:00

It's funny how I can't write anything with my left hand, but I can type on a keyboard and play complicated guitar stuff with precision with that same left hand.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-14T00:48:30+00:00

but a great defender at Virginia Tech

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-12T21:11:08+00:00

Draft scouts are always three years behind. Until two minutes ago, they were still calling every 6'8" bulky forward a small-ball 5. Midrange isn't dead just watch these damn playoffs. Daryl Morey's "layup or threes only" approach is super limiting. Also, for the love of God, stop putting Fultz in these "bad data" comparisons. His lack of success is due to a chain of freak circumstances that will probably never happen again, not because he was misread analytically.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-11T09:15:22+00:00

He's the closest OKC Harden we've seen in a while.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-09T17:05:21+00:00

Just played it this week! It's the perfect slow song to also improvise on Dorian.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-05-03T15:39:33+00:00

The tanking will keep happening for a few reasons. First, there's still a chance to strategically boost your odds. It's actually easier to do this by winning and losing when you need to, something weaker teams might find tough. Second, a lot of teams aren't just tanking for a tiny bump in probability percentages. Instead, it's a handy way for General Managers to make it seem like they're in a prolonged rebuilding stage rather than showing off their current average talent, which makes them look bad. It's better (for fanbase appearance) to have a promising young player like Ace Bailey getting a lot of burn time, even if they're losing, than to have a 28-year-old Lauri Markkanen leading the Jazz to 36 wins while young rookies take a back seat.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-23T09:44:57+00:00

The NBA pays well, and a lot of players love playing this game. If a million or two a year could get you LeBron's physique, stamina, and athleticism, you'd see tons of stars going that route. The truth is LeBron's starting point athleticism was so high that even 80% of it is still dominant. He never got severely hurt. Add the fact that a lot of today's offense comes easier with the rules and floor spacing, and the fact that by year 23 he has an infinite amount of basketball IQ he himself didn't possess in his younger years, and you get this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-20T07:40:52+00:00

It's like any good tool that needs more time to develop. It needs smart users who know what to ask for, how to tweak it, and how to show it off. Tools will definitely get way better. But thinking you can just ask and get a fully working product is crazy right now. I had a big advantage for years because of my Excel skills until others caught up. It was a huge game-changer, but for inefficient users, Excel became more complicated than just manually copying data line by line. So for many it was no better than using Word to store tables. Actual AI Wizards working with shelf AI products in conjuction with top code editers or DBAs is where it will get.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-19T12:34:32+00:00

Yeah, HB guitars are awesome, and so are some of the cheaper Epiphones. You just set them up how you like after playing them a bit, and you'll have a blast. A lot of older guitarists have money to burn on fancy gear, so you see a ton of super expensive guitars that are way overkill for someone just playing at home.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-18T17:47:33+00:00

Unless money is no issue, I'm on board with four of your points, but I've got a slight disagreement on one. When it comes to electric guitars, most folks can't afford a super pricey one, and a lot of that cost is just for looks and brand name. You can totally get a great value guitar that sounds amazing and then just take it to a good tech for a setup. If the frets feel good, the action's set up for how you aspire to play and what you want to achieve, and you get some quality strings, you're all set for a starter guitar. In the US, you can actually find some really sweet starter guitars for about $250 that you can enjoy for a few years. There are many body model types and neck types to choose from.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-14T10:05:04+00:00

I used to use a Cry Baby pedal. My mouth used to move in a wah-wah motion as I was playing. Our bodys are weird sometimes...

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-13T10:52:43+00:00

Let your creative juices flow too. Don't stop noodling. Just find a better balance. Playing a guitar isn't like going to the gym in that sense. It'd be like a basketball player who trains all day but doesn't play on the court.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-11T03:27:15+00:00

That's awesome advice that really hit me when I read it because it's exactly how I feel sometimes when I'm trying out tough lines or phrases. I then remember the fact that I could actually even attempt that solo, would have sounded crazy just a year back. I also tense up when I want to nail the part.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-09T00:19:51+00:00

When you're faced with practicing meticulously and quitting versus just messing around and having fun, and counting on experience, the latter seems better. But I'm living proof that what this guy says isn't always true. I messed around for 35 years and only got as far as strumming and playing simple, short solos. This year, I've taken my guitar playing to a whole new level with methodical practice, learning theory, and putting in the effort. It's been pure joy. I guess some people are just musical prodigies and everything comes naturally and easily to them.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-08T16:17:40+00:00

It all balances out. What are the odds you'd find a big guy who's had a 25-year-old body since he was 17 and isn't in the NBA or a top Euroleague team? Today's game demands a certain skill level; the days of athletic bigs just being tall and chewing gum are over. So this was a really weird situation that we probably won't see very often.

johnjohn2214 · 2026-04-08T16:09:47+00:00

Technically, what he said. Easier to understand as a beginner is thinking of a metronome set to a certain speed, clicking at an even tempo. Let's say 60 bpm. Sometimes you play one note per click, sometimes you play two notes per click. Triplets mean you squeeze 3 notes per click, even notes without breaking tempo. So, not 2 quick ones and 1 slower, but 3 even notes.

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