I'm a bedroom guitar player - professional student - spend a lot of time with the instrument noodling, learning little things, not enough time mastering songs for performance. I know what kind of player I am - please no advice on this point. In all fairness, I have learned quite a few songs all the way through - I have the capability, but never had or made the time to practice them regularly to keep them from fading. Work and family had higher priorities. I call myself a "professional student" lol I do enjoy what I do with the instrument, and still want to improve.

That said, along with songs - I do work on exercises to help improve my playing, ear, and musicianship.

One exercise I'm working on currently and have stayed with for quite a few weeks (btw - I'm recently retired):

1.) staying with one major scale (I chose E) and fluently learning the notes from top to bottom in all major (e.g. CAGED) positions. You can also look at this as learning the E scale in all it's modes, starting with the sixth string, index finger on root.

2.) learning to play the triads and their inversions in E on 3 consecutive strings, both up the neck and also within, say 5 frets.

Now I had worked on some of these things in the past, but never within one key with an emphasis on memorizing the shapes and connecting the positions within a single key - instead I learned these things piece-meal with less thoroughness, frequently learning one or 2 of the major fingerings and moving them around the neck changing keys, rather than all across the neck in one key.

This is a really tall order for a beginner, but definitely doable by someone that has played for a few years. Maybe there are beginners out there that can do this, and I just didn't have the discipline and foresight to do this.

I wish I had done this years earlier, I feel like it would have pushed me forward faster.

Please share whether
1.) you see this as a worthwhile exercise and why or why not
2.) whether you have mastered this,
and most importantly
3.) Are there any exercises you are currently working on that you wish you had focused on years earlier, that I might consider next ?

Happy practicing.

BB/RB 2025
Windows 10