How to make every practice session MORE FUN!

Demonstrating a genuine practice session workflow starting with rhythm playing and building into improvisation. I begin with a solid rock tone, enjoying a good rhythm bar - something I can groove on effortlessly. The power of one note and its higher octave becomes apparent when jamming in A, finding that A note on the B string and exploring its potential.

The fundamental skill here is jamming over one chord rather than getting caught up in 12-bar blues progressions. I demonstrate transposing riffs between tunings - taking a riff in drop D and figuring out how to play it in E (moving up two frets since those notes are now tuned two frets higher). This is a crucial skill for working with different tunings.

Using my loop pedal, I layer the rhythm riff and then ask for suggestions on what to play next - demonstrating how to think through soloing choices. When someone suggests E minor pentatonic, I start with shape one, adding bends. Moving to shape two (the "Hendrix position") gives access to those classic "Voodoo Child" sounds. The higher octave position offers more control and sustain for certain phrases.

Playing over a single riff is actually easier than playing over chord progressions. I demonstrate this with several classic riffs, using D minor pentatonic including the blues note (the flat fifth that adds that bluesy tension). The key is trying to play the melody rather than just running scales.

Call and response is a crucial technique that ensures you're having fun as a guitar player - playing a phrase, leaving space, then answering it. This conversational approach to soloing is what makes improvisation musical rather than just technical exercise.

Double stops - playing two strings together in a blocky style - are demonstrated through Chuck Berry-style licks. A power chord is essentially a double stop. These are perfect for adding punch when playing minor pentatonic; just play the thinnest two strings together for something that hits harder. There's also an oriental-sounding double stop pattern that works over minor pentatonic but sounds bluesy when you give it the right rhythm.

The session demonstrates how jamming over simple riffs, using loop pedals, applying call-and-response phrasing, and incorporating double stops creates a complete practice approach that's both musical and fun.