Practice Diaries x3
I’ve always kept a diary of what I’m practising.
Sometimes it’s been in a computer file, sometimes in a notebook.
I like to think of three types of practice diaries:
Journal - this is after the fact - recording what was practised (including details like tempo, song sections worked on, how I feel about my practice that day, maybe some indication of what to work on next). This is great if you miss some days practising and what to pick up where you left off, or if you just want to look back over the last few months or years.
Practice Plan - this is a list of what you are going to work on over the next month (it’s also worth having a longer “laundry” list that contains everything you ever want to work on - this feeds into your month plan over time). If you have tons of stuff, you could divide the month into “A” and “B” lists, which you alternate on a daily basis.
Music Notes - this is a manuscript book where you jot down licks, musical concepts, exercises etc. Michael Brecker was famous for his versions of this, and guitarist Carl Verheyen has numerous “lick books” he’s filled up over the years.
Have I missed anything? How do you keep records of what you practise?