# Major goals accomplished, or massive gains? **URL:** https://forum.troygrady.com/t/major-goals-accomplished-or-massive-gains/32178 **Category:** Playing Technique **Created:** [June 25, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/major-goals-accomplished-or-massive-gains/32178 "2020-06-25T20:35:30Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 15
### Author: ![LuckyMojo](https://forum.troygrady.com/user_avatar/forum.troygrady.com/luckymojo/32/2218_2.png) [@LuckyMojo](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/LuckyMojo) #### Post date: [June 26, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/major-goals-accomplished-or-massive-gains/32178/15 "2020-06-26T18:27:51Z")
I posted a guide to goal-based practice a while back in another thread: [Effectivity of practice](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/effectivity-of-practice/30491/5) If i were to diagnose you over the internet (a very imprecise science), I’d probably suggest a lack of clear outcomes in your practice sessions. You mentioned EJ pentatonic 5s patterns - that’s a useful starting point as a goal. How would you analyze your process of practicing this type of technique? Have you tried the following: - Descending 5s in 1 position - Ascending 5s in 1 position - Descending 5s in 2 positions - Ascending 5s in 2 positions - Descending and Ascending 5s in 5 positions - Mixed 5s over blues progressions - Mixed 5s through key changes (circle of 5ths progression) Are there particular exercises you find easy, any that are difficult? Are you practicing the difficult things until they’re mastered? Are you reviewing techniques periodically to make sure they’re still usable in a performance situation? A lot of this structured, organized approach to practice is meant to force a type of discipline that may not be intuitive for you. This is a reality of high level musicianship. We can’t expect to play like Eric Johnson or Yngwie Malmsteen if we don’t work like they work. The material is all available to achieve results, but it’s not going to do the work for you. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/major-goals-accomplished-or-massive-gains/32178)._