Free Practice Routine Templates

Structured practice sessions for guitar, bass, piano, and drums

Why Use a Practice Routine?

Random practice = random results. Structured practice = consistent progress.

A good practice routine ensures you:

Use these templates as a starting point, then customize based on your goals. Pair with PracticeLoop to slow down difficult sections and build speed progressively.

15 min Quick Guitar Session

Warm-up (3 min)

  • Chromatic exercises (1-2-3-4 all strings)
  • Spider exercises for finger independence

Technique (5 min)

  • Scales: 1 scale pattern (e.g., A minor pentatonic)
  • Alternate picking drills

Song Practice (7 min)

  • 1 difficult section from current song
  • Use PracticeLoop: start at 50% speed, build to 100%

30 min Standard Guitar Practice

Warm-up (5 min)

  • Finger stretches and fretboard exercises
  • Chromatic scale (all strings, up and down)
  • Open chord transitions (G-C-D-Em)

Technique (10 min)

  • Scales: 2-3 positions of same scale (connect the dots)
  • Barre chords: F, Fm, B, Bm progressions
  • Picking technique: downstrokes, alternate picking, economy picking

Song Practice (12 min)

  • Rhythm sections at full speed (e.g., verse/chorus)
  • Lead sections at reduced speed (e.g., solo at 65%)
  • Loop difficult bars 5-10 times before moving on

Improvisation (3 min)

  • Jam over backing track in 1 key
  • Focus on phrasing, not speed

60 min Deep Guitar Practice

Warm-up (10 min)

  • Finger stretches and wrist rotations
  • Chromatic exercises across all strings
  • Open chord progressions with rhythm variations
  • Fretboard visualization: find all C notes, all E notes

Technique Deep Dive (20 min)

  • Scales: 5 positions of major/minor scale, connected
  • Arpeggios: major, minor, dominant 7th shapes
  • Barre chord workout: 12-bar blues progression
  • Picking drills: metronome at 80 BPM, increase by 5
  • String bending: full bends, half bends, pre-bends

Song Practice (20 min)

  • Song 1: Full playthrough, mark problem areas
  • Song 2: Isolate 2-3 difficult sections, loop at 50-75% speed
  • Progressive training: start at 50%, add 5% every 3 reps
  • Record yourself: listen back for timing/tone issues

Ear Training (5 min)

  • Learn a riff by ear (no tabs)
  • Identify intervals in a song you know

Improvisation / Creativity (5 min)

  • Jam over backing track (vary keys each session)
  • Experiment with new chord voicings or rhythm patterns

15 min Quick Bass Session

Warm-up (3 min)

  • Finger exercises: 1-2-3-4 pattern on all strings
  • Left/right hand coordination drills

Technique (5 min)

  • Scales: Major scale, 1 position
  • Fingerstyle vs. pick practice (alternate each day)

Groove Practice (7 min)

  • 1 bass line from current song at 65% speed
  • Focus on locking with the kick drum

30 min Standard Bass Practice

Warm-up (5 min)

  • Finger independence drills (spiders, chromatic runs)
  • Open string ringing exercises
  • Fret hand muting technique

Technique (10 min)

  • Scales: Major, minor, blues scale (2 positions)
  • Arpeggios: Root-3rd-5th patterns
  • Slap/pop fundamentals (thumb technique, string muting)

Groove / Song Practice (12 min)

  • Play along with 2 songs (focus on timing, not perfection)
  • Isolate 1 difficult section: loop at 50%, build to 75%
  • Work on dynamics: play soft verses, loud choruses

Rhythm / Timing (3 min)

  • Metronome practice: lock to click on beats 2 and 4
  • Syncopation exercises

60 min Deep Bass Practice

Warm-up (10 min)

  • Finger stretches and fretting hand exercises
  • Chromatic scale: all strings, multiple octaves
  • Muting drills: palm muting, fret-hand muting
  • Right hand technique: fingerstyle consistency, pick attack

Technique Deep Dive (20 min)

  • Scales: All 5 positions of major/minor, shift between them
  • Arpeggios: Major, minor, dominant 7th, minor 7th
  • Walking bass lines: create lines over II-V-I progression
  • Slap technique: thumb pops, double-thumb, ghost notes
  • Harmonics: natural harmonics at 12th, 7th, 5th frets

Groove / Song Practice (20 min)

  • Song 1: Full playthrough with metronome or backing track
  • Song 2: Isolate chorus/bridge, work at 50-65% speed
  • Song 3: Learn a new bass line by ear (no tabs)
  • Progressive speed training: 3 reps at 50%, 3 at 60%, 3 at 70%

Timing / Groove (5 min)

  • Metronome on 2 and 4: play roots on 1 and 3
  • Odd time signatures: practice in 5/4 or 7/8

Improvisation / Creativity (5 min)

  • Jam over drum loop or backing track
  • Create your own walking bass line in a new key

15 min Quick Piano Session

Warm-up (3 min)

  • Finger stretches and wrist rotations
  • Hanon exercises: first 5 exercises

Technique (5 min)

  • Scales: C major, 2 octaves hands together
  • Arpeggios: C major triad, root position

Piece Practice (7 min)

  • 1 difficult measure from current piece
  • Hands separate first, then together at 50% speed

30 min Standard Piano Practice

Warm-up (5 min)

  • Hanon exercises: first 10 exercises
  • Finger independence drills (Czerny-style)
  • Chord progressions: I-IV-V-I in C major

Technique (10 min)

  • Scales: 2 major scales, 2 octaves hands together
  • Arpeggios: major and minor triads in 2 keys
  • Sight-reading: 1 easy piece, no stopping

Piece Practice (12 min)

  • Piece 1: Full run-through, mark difficult sections
  • Piece 2: Hands separate for 4 bars, then hands together at 60%
  • Loop problem areas 10 times before moving on

Musicality (3 min)

  • Play 1 section with dynamics (pp to ff)
  • Experiment with pedal timing

60 min Deep Piano Practice

Warm-up (10 min)

  • Finger stretches, wrist circles, arm shakes
  • Hanon exercises: #1-20, focus on evenness
  • Chord voicings: inversions of major/minor/7th chords
  • 5-finger patterns in all 12 keys

Technique Deep Dive (20 min)

  • Scales: All major scales, 2 octaves hands together
  • Arpeggios: Major, minor, diminished, augmented (all keys)
  • Sight-reading: 2-3 pieces at moderate difficulty
  • Octave exercises: strengthen pinky-thumb connection
  • Two-hand independence drills: LH chords, RH melody

Piece Practice (20 min)

  • Piece 1: Full playthrough, record yourself
  • Piece 2: Isolate 8-bar section, hands separate at 40%
  • Piece 3: Memory practice (play without sheet music)
  • Progressive training: 3 reps at 50%, 3 at 60%, 3 at 75%
  • Pedal technique: mark pedal points, practice cleanly

Musicality / Expression (5 min)

  • Dynamics: play one phrase from ppp to fff
  • Rubato: experiment with tempo flexibility
  • Articulation: staccato, legato, accents

Improvisation / Creativity (5 min)

  • Improvise over a 12-bar blues progression
  • Reharmonize a simple melody with jazz chords

15 min Quick Drum Session

Warm-up (3 min)

  • Stick control: single strokes on pad (RLRL)
  • Wrist rotations and arm stretches

Rudiments (5 min)

  • Single paradiddles (RLRR LRLL)
  • Double strokes (RRLL)

Groove Practice (7 min)

  • 1 beat from a song you're learning
  • Start slow (60 BPM), build to 80 BPM

30 min Standard Drum Practice

Warm-up (5 min)

  • Stick control on pad: singles, doubles, paradiddles
  • Foot exercises: single pedal 8th notes, 16ths
  • 4-limb independence: RH steady 8ths, add bass on 1 and 3

Rudiments / Technique (10 min)

  • Rudiments: paradiddles, flams, drags (metronome 80-100 BPM)
  • Roll development: single stroke roll, double stroke roll
  • Accent patterns: 4-stroke accents (>RLR >LRL)

Groove / Song Practice (12 min)

  • Song 1: Play along with track, focus on dynamics
  • Song 2: Isolate chorus fill, practice at 50% speed
  • Work on ghost notes in snare patterns

Timing (3 min)

  • Metronome: click on 2 and 4, you play on 1 and 3
  • Internalize tempo: play for 30s, stop click, keep going

60 min Deep Drum Practice

Warm-up (10 min)

  • Stick control: singles, doubles, paradiddles (pad + kit)
  • Moeller technique drills for whip motion
  • Foot technique: heel-up, heel-down, slide technique
  • 4-limb coordination: ostinato patterns

Rudiments / Technique (20 min)

  • All 40 rudiments: focus on 5 different ones each session
  • Flams: flam taps, flamacues, flam paradiddles
  • Rolls: buzz roll, double stroke roll, open roll
  • Accent exercises: move accents through 16th note patterns
  • Linear patterns: no two limbs hit at same time (bass-snare-tom)

Groove / Song Practice (20 min)

  • Song 1: Full playthrough with recording
  • Song 2: Isolate difficult fill or transition, 50% speed
  • Song 3: Chart a new song (write your own notation)
  • Progressive training: 5 reps at 50%, 5 at 65%, 5 at 80%
  • Dynamics: play verse soft (ghost notes), chorus loud

Timing / Independence (5 min)

  • Metronome displacement: click on 1, then 2, then 3, then 4
  • Polyrhythms: 3 over 4, 5 over 4

Improvisation / Creativity (5 min)

  • Drum solo over metronome (vary dynamics and textures)
  • Create a new groove combining two genres (rock + funk)

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