So what are the "must" haves?

 

• What does a good warm-up have to include?
• Are there any simple songs which are a simple and fun way to get things moving? (i.e songs with minimal chords, simple fingering, etc')
• How long does your warm-up take?

 

Exercise routine:

• What are the essential exercises that must be done every time (perhaps as part of the warm-up?)
• What exercises should be done less often

After playing:

• What's the best way to finish a playing session?

Cheers!

 

Warm-up - I'm doing exactly what John Petrucci shows in his Rock Discipline. It takes me few minutes (I'm usually watching some Metric or Metallica live performances, while warm-uping). My english comes to limit here, I have no idea how to name the streches in this language.

After warm-up, I'm playing few easy songs (you can check some beginner class songs from our Championship), 20 minutes or so (usually in Nonstop Play, passing on too complex/fast/difficult ones). After few easy songs, then comes more difficult ones, and so on.

 

I'm mostly playing songs, that's good way to improve your skills, though it's smart to complete some lessons, spend some time with Guitarcade. You can play different mini-game each day, giving it few playtroughs. I heard about getting 90% on a lesson before going to another.

I did quite a few lessons to start with the guitar, learning some basic techniques and chords. Anytime you see some weird technique, that's probably the moment to return to doing lessons (or at least trying to find out what that symbol means).

 

The best way to finish? Playing an awesome song! :) Doing warm-up again should be ok, you could relief (?) some tension, that's usually good thing to end any kind of exercise.

Sometimes i warm up, sometimes not, but when i warm up i do this:

• First of all, stretching the hands is something important, also massage your fingers to get a good blood flow on them
• Then when i did that, i play some scales or some exercises on the guitar, after that, what i do is play easy songs and then jump to the hardest ones
• This is good because your hands/fingers are more flexible and it's good to play tricky solos or parts. I highly recommend to do this every day before you start to play!