How important do you think it is to do this?

I can say personally that measuring my practice has been a key part of my learning. Lately I have been filling one out for both drums and guitar. If at times I feel that I am struggling or stuck I only have to look at my practice log to realise the amount of work that has come before reaching this point in time. It puts things in perspective.

Athletes measure their sprint times on the track, their BMI and a lot of other things in order to maximize their potential. As musicians, how many of you measure your practice?

I do it every day but I don't write it down although I am very aware of how long I am practicing. It's a good idea.

If you do try to measure....maybe do it in two week intervals?

That should be enough time to notice a very very slight change in your playing...maybe?

Thats good that you have that drive to log your hours...:)

But you know....just because you have a log of the hours you put in really doesn't mean that much unless you see numbers like...1000hrs...10,000hrs. That's when a very noticeable difference will be heard in your playing.

A technique such as scalpel picking will take two years to see whats what..then a tweek....then another year or two...then a lifetime to perfect.

I use the PB time standard......two years at 3 hours per day on a specific technique.
And thats bare bones.

Your log is GOOD....but don't let it fool you.
Some topics require more time than others.

Use a mirror and a video recorder to doc your weekly improvement...I think you will have better results than just writing down hours.
Good for you...:)

Somthing i'm gonna start doing to as find myself forgetting what i'd done or was doing the day before. i also get so into doing the module 1 and 2 exercises that i never seem to get to module three. should i be making sure i do. i Already know the five position major scales

Frakh

I agree with what you are saying, but I think it is important to break things up into smaller increments. It is not necessarily about logging your minutes/hours weekly and seeing whether you have improved. As you would know, sometimes it takes a lot longer to achieve certain goals eg. you cannot expect to go from benching 60kg to 100kg in a week at the gym.

I think measuring practice will assist you in forming good habits. I am aware that I am speaking to guys on this forum who already play for 4-5+ hours a day as a habit, and others who are somewhere below or even just starting but I still think the principle applies. We were taught by our parents to brush our teeth from a very young age...you might miss a day or two but you know it is something you must do otherwise your teeth will fall out. As students we want guitar practice to be the same thing (a good habit) and I think something like a log can be of great assistance.

The video recorder and mirror is also an excellent idea, and 2 weeks or more is probably a better time to set if you are purely looking for results...but if you are not practicing enough/at all then obviously you will be watching the same video every week. I think when measuring practice it should not be results based (particularly in the short term) but rather goal based...setting yourself a goal and achieving it through dedicated practice. No one ever climbed Mount Everest with one giant step...and for many of us our Everest is guitar virtuosity.

As Pebber says...a lack of effort gives you a lack of results.

Yeah...thats right.

I think its great that he has the drive to do that!
Not many will put that effort into what we love to do.

I hope in a year he is around to share his results.

Hardcore!

Delta....

If you find yourself with no time maybe try making it a 2 day goal
instead of trying to do it in one day?

I find myself better at one part of the modules than the other...so I dedicate more time on the parts that are lacking
and dedicate a smaller amount of time to the topics that I am better at.
Thats another pointer that may help.