Many of us who are into guitar noodlery have heard of the Steve Vai 10 hour guitar workout.
Most of us have also been somewhat awestruck by the fact that the little Italian virtusos, as Zappa once called Vai, actually managed to practise 10 hours a day.
How many people can truly say they practise that much? I can't, although I did try it once, which almost lead me to the insane asylum.
A ten hour practise routine can really do your head in.
So how can we mere mortals benefit from such a workout? The workout is full of really useful stuff.
It starts out with some picking exercises.
These are meant to build up speed and the coordination between your left and right hands.
These include the regular four and three notes per string things, but some of the patterns can be a bit of a challenge for the mind.
That should be a good thing, although I know it can be a bit frustrating at times (I know it was for me).
It also has some two notes per string exercises, partly to make you stretch a bit to increase your reach (watch out for injuries on this one).
Next there's some sweep picking stuff.
These also get a bit complicated, but don't be deterred.
They're worth it.
Then there's some stuff to help you with string skipping, and so on.
There's plenty of material there.
I suggest you have a look for yourself.
It's good for everyone, from beginner to advanced.
So the problem with the workout is not what's in it.
The problem is its length.
But if you scale down the length you can get some great results with the workout.
So scale it down and make it the *insert your name here* 3 hour workout, or whatever suits you.
The point is that you should practise every day.
Or if you can't manage that then do 5 hour sessions every other day.
That would also help.
This way you keep your sanity and still get to play loads of guitar, becoming much, much better in the process.
You also get to keep your social life (I've heard that people have these, although my experience here is limited).
Besides, if you spent 10 hours a day practising, you would never have read this, and you consequently you would have missed out on so much fun.