Interesting discussion as a lot of people have their own secret sauce. I'll add mine. . Practice at least five minutes a day. Doing it often is more importan

Interesting discussion as a lot of people have their own secret sauce. I'll add mine. . Practice at least five minutes a day. Doing it often is more important than rare, longer sessions. OTOH, Paul Desmond claimed to never practice because it made him play too fast. Go figure. . One way to slow down a song for learning is simply to divide the speed by two. That keeps the clock more locked in. . Learning tunes is valuable. Reading is useful but can also be a crutch. Playing songs you actually know frees up brain power for playing. . Lessons aren't particularly valuable. Time in harness is. . Backing tracks make really good metronomes. . The only use of a computer I would bother with, aside from as a playback device, is software that slows down without changing pitch. Transcribe! is useful. . On that note, transcribing will greatly improve your ear. . Don't get too involved with gear porn websites. . Playing with other people is a good thing. . Record yourself. It keeps you honest. . There are industries out there devoted to selling equipment, magic software, instruments, video lessons. Ignore them. . Time matters more than notes. . School band programs have limited value. They are mostly setup to deal with large numbers simultaneously and to impress parents. Use at your peril.