how many hours practise a day would you say is best?

fretless Bob · #1 07-08-2006, 08:51 AM

hey Janek

there is a thread over in one of the other forums about practising 14 hours a day, i seriously think this is a bit much, i mean that doesnt leave much time in the day for anything else right

i personally always work towards doing somewhere between 3-5 a day, but then sometimes i might only get in two, so what do you think is best, or maybe a better way to say that is what works best for you.

i also find that doing it in 30 minute bites works best for me, otherwise i start to stare at that spot on the wall

got any tips for cramming in those extra hours without overworking yourself?

cheers

Dave

janekbass · #2 07-08-2006, 09:45 AM

Well practice time is a very personal thing as I'm sure you're aware. What works for one person doesn't always work for the next. My practice time has evolved over the years and changed depending on what I'm working on. I have definitely spent up to 12,13 and 14 hours a day shedding, but haven't done that for a few years now. It's more of a maintenance job for me as far as technique goes these days. And my practice time is more about transcribing new solos, working on learning whatever music I have to play at the time, writing and many other things that make up my musical life.

Depending on how long you've been playing, and how far you want to take your playing should really decide how much you are practicing. You have to put in a sizeable amount of work in the beginning and make sure you're practicing relaxed, with a good technique, and making sure everything you do is musical and not just robotic scale practice.

I don't sleep too much sometimes. That's one option, but doesn't work for everyone. I'm working on Bass, Gutiar, Piano, Trumpet as well as having a production company, being on the road 7 months of the year, and trying to have a life too. It's kind of an extreme example, but it does show that it's possible if you really want to do it.

Also, don't forget these few points about practicing:

1. if you only have 30mins you are going to be more productive by working on something you don't know rather than going over some excercise you've worked on a thousand times before.

2. Figure out what it is you want from your playing, your music, and therefor your practice time. The soonner you can make a direction for yourself to go in, the more productive you're going to be with your music. If you want to be a metal bass player for instance, you might want to work more on Pick technique than on ii-iv-i cadences. Focus is everything.

3. With the bass, as with most instruments, be really concious about your set up. How your amp sounds, how much tone you're producing from your fingers, how old your strings are, whether your action is comfortable to play, string spacing, string tension, posture while practicing. People tend to get sloppy with things that aren't imediately connected with their fingers, and then wonder why the stuff doesn't sound as great on the gig as it did in the practice room. Getting your bass set up to the point where it's most comfortable will help your racticing more than you could imagine. Also working with the amp and getting "YOUR" sound is super important.

My personal feeling on sound is that you should make it all with the fingers and the bass, and not with the amp. I have a power amp and a pre amp in my rig. Class A pre amp which is flat and then tons of juice from the power amp so all the sound comes from my fingers and the bass, and not some amp builders idea of what EQ should sound like. Kind of off the main subject there, but it's all very connected.

I hope that covers it all.

Easy,

Janek

fretless Bob · #3 07-08-2006, 10:05 AM

thanks for the quick reply,

i did spend about six hours a day last year for about three months and i think that is maybe that longest time i have sustained that kind of routine,

so would you be of the thinking that all great players have spent some time in their life practising up to 8-10 hours a day?

cheers

Dave

janekbass · #4 07-08-2006, 10:09 AM

for sure. and not just practicing for hours every day, but playing gigs as much as possible too. Jaco used to play 7 sets a night every night of the week. Lots of great musicians that you love and respect, and that have an incredible sound, great consistency etc, will have played tons of gigs as well as shedding for hours too.

fretless Bob · #5 07-08-2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janekbass

for sure. and not just practicing for hours every day, but playing gigs as much as possible too. Jaco used to play 7 sets a night every night of the week. Lots of great musicians that you love and respect, and that have an incredible sound, great consistency etc, will have played tons of gigs as well as shedding for hours too.

well im glad to hear it from one of the horses mouth so to speak.

i guess i got some work to do.

cheers Janek, by the way you still doing that Europe tour with Mike Stern?

Dave

janekbass · #6 07-08-2006, 10:25 AM

Im not sure what the european situation with Stern is right now. Anthony might do some and I might do some, won't find out for a few weeks yet. I'm going to be down in Venezuela with Stern in January, and maybe even some stuff in the States in september. It will all be posted on my myspace page as soon as it's confirmed. I'm going to be in Poland, Iceland and Hungary in September for Fender doing some clinics and shows, and then I'll be back doing my own tour in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and the UK from the 29th of Oct to the 19th of Nov.

Easy,

Janek

fretless Bob · #7 07-08-2006, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janekbass

Im not sure what the european situation with Stern is right now. Anthony might do some and I might do some, won't find out for a few weeks yet. I'm going to be down in Venezuela with Stern in January, and maybe even some stuff in the States in september. It will all be posted on my myspace page as soon as it's confirmed. I'm going to be in Poland, Iceland and Hungary in September for Fender doing some clinics and shows, and then I'll be back doing my own tour in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and the UK from the 29th of Oct to the 19th of Nov.

Easy,

Janek

cool, il definetly be along for your show in the UK, any chance of you playing at Ronnie's?

Dave

janekbass · #8 07-08-2006, 01:25 PM

No idea about Ronnie's. Without a booking agent, manager, or major label deal it's almost impossible to get in there. I'm not a big enough draw on my own without having a band full of super stars, so it might be a while before I headline that joint. I've played there many times as a sideman, but it'll be a minute til I'm back leading a band there.

fretless Bob · #9 07-08-2006, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janekbass

No idea about Ronnie's. Without a booking agent, manager, or major label deal it's almost impossible to get in there. I'm not a big enough draw on my own without having a band full of super stars, so it might be a while before I headline that joint. I've played there many times as a sideman, but it'll be a minute til I'm back leading a band there.

well i definetely will be at your UK show/s

thanks for the advice

Dave

Bruce Lindfield · #10 07-09-2006, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janekbass

My practice time has evolved over the years and changed depending on what I'm working on. I have definitely spent up to 12,13 and 14 hours a day shedding, but haven't done that for a few years now.

In the other thread in question, Ed Fuqua mentioned how most of the Jazz 'greats', will have at some time in their lives, practiced for about 14-15 hours a day to get deeper into the music ....I think this is now worrying some of the younger/less-experienced TalkBass members, who are envisaging a life where they do nothing else but practice !!

fretless Bob · #11 07-09-2006, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

In the other thread in question, Ed Fuqua mentioned how most of the Jazz 'greats', will have at some time in their lives, practiced for about 14-15 hours a day to get deeper into the music ....I think this is now worrying some of the younger/less-experienced TalkBass members, who are envisaging a life where they do nothing else but practice !!

well i guess i am one of the younger ones, thats why i asked Janek, all i wanted to know was if it was an exageration or not.

so now i know that some time in my life i have to practise that much, who knows when i will do it.

Dave

janekbass · #12 07-09-2006, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

In the other thread in question, Ed Fuqua mentioned how most of the Jazz 'greats', will have at some time in their lives, practiced for about 14-15 hours a day to get deeper into the music ....I think this is now worrying some of the younger/less-experienced TalkBass members, who are envisaging a life where they do nothing else but practice !!

And so it should. there's no point sugar coating it and putting a rose tinted lense on what is a reality. I hope it does inspire some people to dig deep into the music and work hard for their art.

It all does really depend on your goals and what you set yourself to do.

Bruce Lindfield · #13 07-09-2006, 10:43 AM

Yes - John Coltrane was mentioned in that thread and if your goal is to get to that kind of level, then there's no getting round the fact that at some point you won't be doing anything else but music and a few hours for sleep!

Joe Nerve · #14 07-09-2006, 11:09 AM

I wanted to plug into this thread for inspiration.

Over the next month and a half I have no excuse to not woodshed like crazy. I've never spent a 14 hour day alone with my bass, but damn - I can't even start to think where that would bring my playing if I even did it just a handful of times in the days to come.

I play live constantly and the practice on stage seems like time and a half in comparison with practice in the house. I've been jamming a lot more live, doing songs onstage that I never played before, and playing with different drummers - which I think all add enormously to my technique, confidence, and ability to make mistakes look like I meant it

.

In the house I definitely need to up my commitment. I go days sometimes without playing aside from my time on the toilet (I quit magazines), my in house time per day averages about an hour, and I may get a 3 or 4 hour day in once a week.

Oh yeah - and welcome Janek. I used to hang round here lots in the past, but just visit occasionally these days. I believe I may have seen you playing at NAMM this year. Thanks for making my head spin, if you're who I think you are.