The Howard Roberts Superchops method involves a regimented practice routine of 30 minutes or more six days a week.
You can break your practice into three workouts. Take a break between each workout -- get up stretch, meditate, visualize, refocus.
For each workout, record a rhythm track of chords on the beat, letting them sustain. Then play over your backing track only with eighth notes at a speed where you will not make mistakes. No phrasing -- just one note for every eight beats in a bar.
The first of the three workouts would be playing over one chord. Find all the relevant arpeggios and practice them on different parts of the neck, strictly with eighth notes. Record your work and tempo progress.
After a break where you get up and refocus, perhaps even visualize how you would like to play, record and play over a backing track with two chords. Finally create a four bar sequence such as a 2-5-1 and play arpeggios over that. Do this workout six days a week for 20 weeks.
In developing your three backing tracks, devise your last backing track first; e.g.
A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13
This is a major 2-5-1 with sub-dominant substitution Bb13 -- the 'money' chord. The Bb13 is a tri-tone sub of the two chord with a G in it. Since that is the most 'unique' chord, arpeggiating over this chord will be the focus of your FIRST vamp backing track.
Bb7 / % /
For the second backing track, add another chord to contrast the Bb13, but move out of the Gma7 key center so when you come to the final progression you will have you shift your focus back again, e.g. the SECOND vamp backing track might be:
C-7 / Bb13
The THIRD and final backing track will be the original 2-5-1 you have been aspiring to:
A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13
What arpeggios to play
Bb7 / % /
Bb7
C-7 / Bb7
C-7
Bb7
A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13
A-7
D7
Gma7
Bb13
You can break your practice into three workouts. Take a break between each workout -- get up stretch, meditate, visualize, refocus.
For each workout, record a rhythm track of chords on the beat, letting them sustain. Then play over your backing track only with eighth notes at a speed where you will not make mistakes. No phrasing -- just one note for every eight beats in a bar.
The first of the three workouts would be playing over one chord. Find all the relevant arpeggios and practice them on different parts of the neck, strictly with eighth notes. Record your work and tempo progress.
After a break where you get up and refocus, perhaps even visualize how you would like to play, record and play over a backing track with two chords. Finally create a four bar sequence such as a 2-5-1 and play arpeggios over that. Do this workout six days a week for 20 weeks.
In developing your three backing tracks, devise your last backing track first; e.g.
A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13
This is a major 2-5-1 with sub-dominant substitution Bb13 -- the 'money' chord. The Bb13 is a tri-tone sub of the two chord with a G in it. Since that is the most 'unique' chord, arpeggiating over this chord will be the focus of your FIRST vamp backing track.
Bb7 / % /
For the second backing track, add another chord to contrast the Bb13, but move out of the Gma7 key center so when you come to the final progression you will have you shift your focus back again, e.g. the SECOND vamp backing track might be:
C-7 / Bb13
The THIRD and final backing track will be the original 2-5-1 you have been aspiring to:
A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13
What arpeggios to play
Bb7 / % /
Bb7
- Bb7 arpeggio
- Bb7 with a 9
- D-7b5
- Bb Mixolydian
- B Melodic Minor
- Bb Altered
- Eb Harmonic Minor
- Bb Lydian b7
- Bb Major Pentatonic (R, 9, 3, 5, 13)
- Eb Major Pentatonic (R, 9, 3, 5, 13)
C-7 / Bb7
C-7
- EbMa7
- G-7
- C-7
Bb7
- Bb7
- D-7b5
- F-7
A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13
A-7
- A-7
- A Dorian
D7
- D7
- C-7
- D Mixolydian
Gma7
- Gma7
- B-7
- G Ionian
Bb13
- Bb7
- F-7
- Bb Mixolydian
- F Melodic Minor
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