My Current Practice Routine
Added 2025-04-26 21:39:17 +0000 UTCHey everyone!
I want to share a little insight into what my current practice routine looks like. Right now, I’m deep in preparation mode for some upcoming shows with Obsidious and Panzerballett w/ special guest Virgil Donati.
My main focus is on getting everything tight and ready for the stage. So that’s my schedule right now:
As a warm-up, I go through difficult parts very slowly to work on accuracy and control.
Metronome work to really lock in my timing on some of the polyrhythm parts.
Targeted practice on the trickier parts of the songs (especially solos, fast transitions and polyrhythms).
Practicing standing up to get used to the stage feeling, guitar positioning, and movement.
Daily full run-throughs of the setlist to build consistency and endurance.
Additional To-Do’s:
Tone checks to make sure everything sounds exactly how I want it on stage.
Set up and fine-tune the guitars I’m bringing (string changes, intonation, action, etc.).
Full gear check to make sure the rack, wireless system, pedals, and all cables are working properly.
Write detailed checklists/packing lists for gear, backup gear, and personal stuff.
Plan travel and logistics (rehearsal info, hotel info, gear transportation, etc.).
Preparing for live shows is a different kind of practice compared to normal technical work: it’s much more about consistency and being able to execute technical precision on stage.
Would be great to know what you are working on right now. Anybody of you playing in an active band? 🎸
And also let me know if you are around at one of the dates so we can meet up in person after the show.
These are the dates:
May 3rd 2025 - DE Munich (with Obsidious)
May 8th 2025 DE – München, Mastermix Studio (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
May 9th 2025 CH – Wil, Gare de Lion (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
May 10th DE 2025 – Stuttgart, Club Zentral (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
May 11th DE 2025 – Oberhausen, Ebertbad (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
May 13th DE 2025 – Bremen, Meisenfrei (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
May 14th DE 2025 – Hamburg, Logo (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
May 15th DE 2025 – Berlin, Maschinenhaus (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
May 17th AT 2025 – Wien, Porgy & Bess (with Panzerballett feat. Virgil Donati)
Have a great weekend!
Comments
Hey, warm-up is usually 20-30 minutes. And for that I pick different parts from the set which I feel needs extra slow practice. Then I start with the first song the most difficult parts, do my metronome work and run through the whole song after checking the parts, then I do the same with the next song and so on. Tone checks and gear checks is just something I do once before a show or a tour because it can cost me a few hours to get it done. But during my practice I also may notice some things I wanna change, so I do that as I'm able to play through the whole set. Because that helps me to realize if I need a different solo tone here or a different clean tone there. In that specific case I don't have goals because I need to focus on the process and start early enough with the practice. I just do as much as I can. Also energy-wise I can't do much more than 4, 5 or 6 hours on one day. Because I feel there is no progress anymore and my muscles need to rest. I have so many guitarist and drummer friends having serious physical problems so I don't wanna risk that. If I feel like I'm not ready for the show yet, I know I need to start practicing even earlier next time. That's the only thing you can really change.
Rafael Trujillo
2025-04-27 23:05:01 +0000 UTCThanks you, it's always great to hear your thoughts on these topics and I agree with you. Of course the most important thing is that you keep playing what you like. It does not necessarily have to be a big goal all the time because that can also be really frustrating sometimes. I'm way less structured in my practice routine when there is no shows or recordings going on.
Rafael Trujillo
2025-04-27 22:42:15 +0000 UTCHi Rafael, thanks for sharing. You have been giving me so much input over the last years with your albums, exercises, descriptions of your practice routines (so structured!) and so forth. I'm still focused on learning Obscura and Obsidious parts and songs and on finding the guitar that is the most suitable for learning them. Right now I'm using the Ibanez AZ 24027 TFF Prestige. I'm not playing in a band anymore so I don't have to practice standing up (Puh...). Since I'm playing for myself the goal is often just to figure out how close I can get to a sound that is satisfying or that in a way could be compared to that on the album. I don't use the metronome a lot (anymore): instead I just "let it happen". I guess it's also a matter of how much time you can spend with your instrument. If I had more time or was a professional I would certainly use your approach/practice routine as a template. So for now I keep listening to your music, listen to parts again and again, e.g. second Guitar Solo of Mortification of the Vulgar Sun. I might never be as fast and precise as you are, but playing that stuff one or the other way is by far more than I could have imagined for myself ten years ago or when I first saw a playthrough of yours, which was the one for Diluvium. You are such an inspiration! Just figuring out if I can make it to a gig of yours...
Thomas Helwig
2025-04-27 19:29:08 +0000 UTCHey Rafael, really cool to see how well structured your prep is! Quick question: How much time are you currently spending on each area (warm-up, metronome work, full run-throughs, tone checks, etc.)? Do you set specific daily or weekly goals for yourself (like "by Friday all solo sections clean at 140 BPM" or more like "let's see how far I can get today")? Would love to hear how you approach time management and goal setting during this phase! Thanks a lot for your input 🙏🏼 See you in Munich on the 8th!
MarcJohann
2025-04-27 17:02:44 +0000 UTCHey Maestro! This is an incredible breakdown and also very validating in a sort of way! As my band has become more and more active (only here on my local scene) and trying to keep sound, tone and performance consistent as possible, I have a fairly similar practice routine. I'm not only working on specific pieces and techniques, thanks to you, that improve my chops on a general basis, but I've also adopted practicing standing up (I remember something about Dimebag Darrell only practicing standing up from a magazine somewhere), rehearsing the setlist multiple times, gear checking at home before rehearsal and shows for tone and sound consistency (for a band with two lead guitar players, I feel like this is crucial if you want to have a fairly even volume or be heard during your solos) and any kind of beforehand logistical items, such as "I need to pick up our singer, so I have to add that travel time in to my planned departing time", etc.
James Cook
2025-04-26 22:03:33 +0000 UTC
