Practice Routine - Level 5 Int Elec

The 40-Minute Routine

This is your practice blueprint for Level 5. The goal at this stage isn't just to learn more exercises — it's to start sounding like a musician.

That means cleaner phrasing, stronger rhythm, more confident improvisation, and learning to play through mistakes rather than stopping every time one happens.

Consistency four days a week will do more for your playing than a two-hour Sunday session every couple of weeks. Here's exactly how I want you to spend your time.

Warm-Up — 5 mins

• X's up the fretboard (Joe Satriani exercise) — finger independence, pinky strength, alternate picking

• Work lower toward the nut as you improve — that's where the stretch challenge is

• 3-finger hammer-on and pull-off combinations: 3-2-1, 4-3-1, 4-3-2, and any combo using the little finger

Chromatic Exercise — 5 mins

• 2-octave chromatic exercise — alternate picking, even timing, pinky accuracy

• Run it ascending and descending, from different starting frets

• Use it as a progress tracker — come back to it weekly and measure your improvement

Pentatonic Superhighway — 10 mins

• Split between E minor and A minor pentatonic superhighways

• Practise full ascending and descending shapes

• Focus on one long diagonal shape across the neck — not separate boxes

• Work on sliding transitions between positions

Scale Work — 10 mins

• Natural minor scale (shape 1) — two octaves up and down, name the scale degrees as you go

• Improvise over an A minor backing track using only natural minor notes — no retreating to the pentatonic

• Major scale (shape 1) — four clean repetitions without a mistake before moving on

Bend Intonation — 10 mins

• Use a tuner

• Play the target note first, then bend up to it and check the tuner

• Whole-step bends, bend and release, holding bends steady — all must be in tune

• Out-of-tune bends are the biggest thing separating intermediate players from players who sound good

Theory and Ear Training Bonus — 5–10 mins

• Identify intervals within the major scale: root, major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, major 6th, major 7th, octave

• Bounce between the root, using it as an anchor, and any other interval to hear it in context

• Sing them if you can

• Intervals connect scales, chords, and melodies — the more familiar they sound, the faster everything clicks