Practice Routine For Intermediate Level 2

This practice routine ties together all the techniques from Intermediate Electric Level 2, with specific song recommendations that demonstrate each skill. The three priority songs are "Heartbreak Hotel," "Do I Wanna Know," and "Wonderful Tonight," each chosen to reinforce particular techniques while being musically satisfying to play.

Heartbreak Hotel

Elvis's "Heartbreak Hotel" is built on double stops and string bending, making it the perfect song to apply your new bending technique. The riff is simple but expressive, and getting it to sound right requires good intonation on your bends. This song is a benchmark for whether your bending technique is developing properly.

Do I Wanna Know

Arctic Monkeys' "Do I Wanna Know" is ideal for developing hammer-ons, slides, and pinky finger strength. The riff moves between positions and requires the pinky to play accurately under pressure. It's also a great test of whether you can maintain clean technique while moving across the fretboard at moderate speed.

Wonderful Tonight

Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" is the most advanced song of the three, with intricate phrasing that requires mastery of vibrato, bending, and rhythmic feel. Getting all the details right - the subtle bends, the vibrato placement, the timing - is what grade three proficiency is about. It's not just about playing the right notes, but playing them with the right feel.

Warm-Up Routine

Start your practice session with the three-note pattern at a comfortable tempo, then gradually increase the speed. This warms up your fingers while reinforcing the pattern that appears in so many solos. Working through different BPM settings (using the halving trick from earlier lessons) builds speed without frustration.

Scale Extension Practice

Practice scale extensions while being aware of octaves. When you play an F chord, for example, notice where the F root notes appear within your scale shapes. This octave awareness helps you navigate the fretboard more intelligently.

Additional Song Recommendations

"Californication" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "The Hindu Times" by Oasis, and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana all use techniques from this level. Each song emphasizes different skills, so working through multiple songs gives you well-rounded development.

Johnny Cash Rhythm

Don't neglect rhythm guitar. Johnny Cash's style of playing full chords with picked root notes builds your rhythm technique while keeping you grounded in foundational skills. Alternating between lead and rhythm practice prevents you from becoming one-dimensional.

Hallelujah Fingerpicking

Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" introduces fingerpicking patterns that complement your lead guitar development. Fingerpicking requires independence between the thumb and fingers, which translates into better overall hand control.

Separating Techniques

Work on individual techniques in isolation before combining them. Practice bending without vibrato until the bends are in tune, then add vibrato. Practice hammer-ons without slides, then combine them. This modular approach builds solid technique that doesn't crumble when you try to put everything together.