Wood Shedding: Practice Method of the Greats

matta

matta

Cue Snob
Silver Member
Ok, first this isn't specifically about pool nor will I say every great learned this way.


I first heard of "wood shedding" in an interview with Eric Clapton. He refers to a two year stint where he stays at his buddy John's house listening/playing old blues "all day".

Two years of practicing "all day". Now what really amazes me is this was after his time in the Yardbirds. He was already a well respected guitarist in Britain. Yet, within him, there was still a drive to get better. Enough drive to go hide out and practice for two years straight.

All of us want to get better. Some of us want to become the best. Yet, so few realize what is really involved.

Here is Clapton basically getting to an A speed, then hiding out in his buddies house and practicing for two years. A-speed was never enough for Clapton. Being "good" is never enough for the best.

League players may look at the pros and think, "Man, he's blessed with a hell of a stroke." Few look at them and see the decades of work it took to get that stroke. It wasn't blind luck. He wasn't born with it.

He worked at it. He made it happen.

I'm not really sure where I am going with this. I just enjoyed the insight into Clapton's head.
 
I know what your talking about. Ive been trying for 2 years since i got my table. to extracate myself from the pool hall life and leauges that im in, so that way i could just hole up in my house and play for days on end. I tend to spend to much time drinking and b.s.ing when im out and not enough time practicing. Ive been putting in more practice time lately but its still not enough.

when i do get to practice i notice my game jumps up fast. i cant even imagine what would happend if i didnt come out for 2 yrs.

but at the same time playing with others is essential to the game
 
You have to put this woodshedding into context:

Clapton was a junkie. And not a poor one either. (He also had some guitar skill).
 

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TXsouthpaw said:
I know what your talking about. Ive been trying for 2 years since i got my table. to extracate myself from the pool hall life and leauges that im in, so that way i could just hole up in my house and play for days on end. I tend to spend to much time drinking and b.s.ing when im out and not enough time practicing. Ive been putting in more practice time lately but its still not enough.

when i do get to practice i notice my game jumps up fast. i cant even imagine what would happend if i didnt come out for 2 yrs.

but at the same time playing with others is essential to the game
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Yes, this is exactly what I was talking about. For the past year or so, I've been playing far fewer tournaments and gambling far less. The lack gambling probably isn't by choice though. You tend to run out of easy opponents after a while. :)

I've been focused on practicing. Playing drills, working on fundamentals, the break, banking, kicking. REALLY PRACTICING, which is something I've never really done I the past.

Most places you are going to run out of good practice opponents at some point in your rise to the top. Either you will get better than your opponents, or the better ones won't line up with you properly to get a good game.

The best players aren't going to give you a shot at the title, anyhow. They aren't going to practice with you. You really have to be able to do it on your own.
 
Meaning no offense, and I know folks tend to get huffy about this sort of thing,:rolleyes: I was never really a Clapton fan. He's a decent guitarist and singer who's made some good music and has diverse sounds. I have a lot of his albumns more for the music than the musicianship.

Most serious guitar fans put only two at the top of Olympus, Jimi and SRV.

Either one could give Clapton the 6 out and mop the floor with him. :cool:

BUT!! All jousting aside, I see your point about focus and practice.

SRV burst on the scene basically fully grown. We didn't see him develop, evolve or mature like Clapton, he showed up the best and people went "it must be natural, where did this guy come from?!?!?!"

He was freaky intense in his focus from a young age and just kept after it, finding better people to chase, purer influences, better licks, better sound, and yet somehow he always stayed true to the sound without selling out to two handed gimmicks, or effects peddles.

point taken. :ok:
 
dirtypool40 said:
Meaning no offense, and I know folks tend to get huffy about this sort of thing,:rolleyes: I was never really a Clapton fan. He's a decent guitarist and singer who's made some good music and has diverse sounds. I have a lot of his albumns more for the music than the musicianship.

Most serious guitar fans put only two at the top of Olympus, Jimi and SRV.

Either one could give Clapton the 6 out and mop the floor with him. :cool:
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I am in no way trying to say Clapton is the greatest of all time. But, no matter where you stand on the subject, his name comes up often when someone asks, "Who are the best guitarists of all time?"

He at least makes the discussion.

dirtypool40 said:
BUT!! All jousting aside, I see your point about focus and practice.

SRV burst on the scene basically fully grown. We didn't see him develop, evolve or mature like Clapton, he showed up the best and people went "it must be natural, where did this guy come from?!?!?!"

He was freaky intense in his focus from a young age and just kept after it, finding better people to chase, purer influences, better licks, better sound, and yet somehow he always stayed true to the sound without selling out to two handed gimmicks, or effects peddles.

point taken. :ok:
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I really only mentioned Clapton because he used the term "Wood Shedding" and described a practice method I hadn't really considered.

I honestly think he made up the term.

On a side note, this thread has reminded me of that Albert King/SRV live album. I'm going to have to go dig that out of the closet tonight. I remember that being a bad ass album.
 
Let's get to the real point here:wink:

SRV vs Clapton is like comparing a late 60s Corvette to a modern one. Unfair adfantage to the newcomer!
 
Good post and something I need to do more of. Steve Vai supposedly had an 8 hour practice routine he did every day. Now that's dedication!
 
matta said:
I really only mentioned Clapton because he used the term "Wood Shedding" and described a practice method I hadn't really considered.

I honestly think he made up the term.
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Great catch on the term, and the general concept.

But, for the sake of history, "Wood Shedding, woodshedding, woodsheddin', etc." have been terms in use by stage performers -- talking about creatively practicing and expanding their skills in a private setting -- for many years before that interview with Mr. Clapton.

To be clear, the term is not synonymous with "Shedding Wood." It is meant, instead, to imply "Doing it in the woodshed with no audience."

Kinda like the time you spend on that triple-shimmed table in your garage ... if you're lucky enough to have that.
 
axejunkie said:
Good post and something I need to do more of. Steve Vai supposedly had an 8 hour practice routine he did every day. Now that's dedication!
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Vai's practice was more like 10-12. He put out a 30 hour practice routine.

His idea correlates to what many instructors say about practicing billiards.
You need dedicated practice and it needs to be consistent. A routine that is followed and recorded.
Vai's routines are legendary.
 
I first heard the term wood sheddin in about 1956, when I was 13 and read an article in Down Beat about Charlie Parker... "Bird", whom most agree was the best alto sax player ever. (I was going to say best sax player ever but then we'd have to talk about Trane and I don't want to go there :groucho: )
 
JimS said:
I first heard the term wood sheddin in about 1956, when I was 13 and read an article in Down Beat about Charlie Parker... "Bird", whom most agree was the best alto sax player ever. (I was going to say best sax player ever but then we'd have to talk about Trane and I don't want to go there :groucho: )
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It all comes back to the smack!

"See, I think drugs have done some *good* things for us, I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a Favor: go home tonight and take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your cds and burn em. 'Cause you know what? The musicians who've made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years...
Rrrrrrrrrrrrreal ------ high on drugs."
--Bill Hicks
 
abgbum said:
Great catch on the term, and the general concept.

But, for the sake of history, "Wood Shedding, woodshedding, woodsheddin', etc." have been terms in use by stage performers -- talking about creatively practicing and expanding their skills in a private setting -- for many years before that interview with Mr. Clapton.

To be clear, the term is not synonymous with "Shedding Wood." It is meant, instead, to imply "Doing it in the woodshed with no audience."

Kinda like the time you spend on that triple-shimmed table in your garage ... if you're lucky enough to have that.
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Rep for you. I had tried to do some research to find other uses of the term. For once Google was worthless.

Thanks for the clarification. Honestly, that's why I started this thread. I knew some one here would have more information.
 
There is almost no way to become the best at what these people do without being total geekout weirdos that can spend endless amounts of time practicing.

Guitarists:
Eddie Van Halen: Whether you like him or not there is no way in this world to take away what he brought to the table in the late 70's. He deserves his spot on the top of the mountain with any other name you can think of. Edward, to this day, totally geeks out hours upon hours on that guitar. I met him, he's weird. He has almost no social skills. Doesn't really interact with people well. Put a guitar in his hands and he becomes Edward Van Halen the super guitarist. Take it away and he's a weird little guy that you'd probably never give the time of day.

Paul Gilbert: Another super guitarist, as far as technique is concerned, that spends his entire amount of free time with a guitar in his hands.

Steve Vai: He's got a daily 12 hour workout instructional thing out there somewhere. That pretty much says it all. Don't think for a second that at one time he didn't spend entire weekends locked in his room playing the guitar.

I'm not saying that anyone should love the guitarists or hate them. But they are some of the best at what they do. Someone mentioned SRV running circles around Clapton.............I don't see it. Their styles aren't even remotely similar so how can you even draw a comparison. And hey, there aren't too many people on this planet that are bigger SRV fans than me. He's one of my all time favorite guitarists.

I think with Clapton you really wouldn't be able to appreciate what he does unless you actually saw him right in front of your face doing it. First time I saw Van Halen at soundcheck, and actually was within 10 feet of Edward diddling around on his guitar, I was so much more impressed than I ever had been. His playing is perfect. He doesn't miss notes, or hardly misses notes. There is no fret buzz, there are no extra notes being hit when he's running up the neck. Each note is as clear as a bell and as precise as can be..........and really fkking fast, on an acoustic guitar mind you. Not that speed equals a great guitarist though. I'm willing to bet if you saw Clapton up close and personal, and actually play guitar yourself, you'd probably gain a whole new respect for him.
MULLY
 
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frankncali said:
Vai's practice was more like 10-12. He put out a 30 hour practice routine.

His idea correlates to what many instructors say about practicing billiards.
You need dedicated practice and it needs to be consistent. A routine that is followed and recorded.
Vai's routines are legendary.
Click to expand...


Amen. I knew about the 12 hour routine but this is the first I've heard of the 30 hour one. Doesn't surprise me one bit.
MULLY
I bet you get him away from that guitar and he can't even order a Big Mac without looking like a goof.;)
 
matta said:
I really only mentioned Clapton because he used the term "Wood Shedding" and described a practice method I hadn't really considered.

I honestly think he made up the term.
Click to expand...

He didn't make it up. "Woodshedding" has been slang for "practicing" in the music world since long before Clapton was born. It usually refers to individual practice, as in "you need to take your axe and spend some time in the woodshed", or "We sound like crap. Everybody woodshed this number and we'll try it next time".

"Axe" is your instrument, by the way.

Tom
 
Tom M said:
He didn't make it up. "Woodshedding" has been slang for "practicing" in the music world since long before Clapton was born. It usually refers to individual practice, as in "you need to take your axe and spend some time in the woodshed", or "We sound like crap. Everybody woodshed this number and we'll try it next time".

"Axe" is your instrument, by the way.

Tom
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I guess not being a musician, I have been missing this phrase my entire life. As I said in a previous post, I had tried to look it up on Google but didn't have much luck. Ohh well.

Thanks for the info.
 
omitting Jimmy Paige from the discussion of greatest guitarist ever is insane.. he's definitely in the top 5.. in my top 3.

To me, it's Jimi Hendrix and everyone else... Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Paige are equals on my list.
 
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