How do the best musicians manage to play somtimes over 10 hours a day without injury?

[Ganky]

To get better we need to practice, and probably almost all the great musicians practised vast amounts each day, with Hendrix and Frusciante doing days of 15 hours, and likewise with Lester Young and many a classical folk.

Many people have the motivation and lust to want to play for these periods of time but are limited by physical factors, such as tendonitis and so on. Does this mean to be as successful and skilled as these musicians you have to just be the lucky one who has motivation and no physical limitations?

My question is how do people play for even 3 hours a day, days or months on end nevermind 15 hours a day! I find myself unable to play 3+ hours after having played that amount for 2 weeks before, even with rest days hmph.

Withdrawal symptoms and bass cravings aahh. Hope someone can enlighten me.

Ganky

[PBass101]

They started very young and their bodies got used to the movements, hence they didn't/wouldn't/probably won't develope a lot of the problems that older fellas with day jobs go through.

[20db pad]

During the course of playing an instrument that much, a player will develop methods and approaches that get the maximum amount of return for the minimum amount of effort. In the physical effort side of things, this economy of motion allows for long periods of woodshedding without getting tired.

On the mental side of things, there's always things to explore and stuff to perfect. As with many other things in life, the more you know reveals that there's more that you don't know, which is an attractive concept to those who are seekers and explorers. The thrill of discovery also is a big motivator. I've met musicians from 70-80 years old who still have trouble putting the instrument down, which is a big inspiration in and of itself.

[Jazzdogg]

We've all heard the expression "practice makes perfect," but you have to practice correctly for it to work, i.e., practicing the right things with the right technique will produce superior results, but practicing the wrong things or using incorrect technique produces ingrained bad habits and repetitive strain injuries.

[Ganky]

Hmm thanks guys, I'm going to get a teacher to check up on my technique.

Pbass I don't agree with you , some of the best have started when they were in their early twenties or late teens.

[xzzy]

You have to be careful taking advice from a teacher. They can have bad habits too.

Only you can identify what your body is saying, and make adjustments to keep it happy. An instructor will probably explain what the ideal technique is, but it's up to you to fine tune it so you can live with it.

The best general advice is, find a way to play with your arms and hands as close to a neutral position as you can. If this involves adjusting the instrument position, so be it. Better to not look cool than be playing in agony.

[NickyBass]

I used to play 10 hours + a day in college. Good technique is a must. Economy of motion.

[Rudreax]

Yup. good technique is the way. Know how your body works and understand how to get to most without hurting yourself.

[swojo]

On of the things I have found is like any other physical activity, stretching and conditioning go a long way towards building up stamina. I find that if I don't stretch my fingers and forearms before playing, they cramp up quickly and hurt the next day. Another thing to look for is positioning. My guitar player band mate is fast as blazes but found that the corner of a Les Paul would press into his forearm, restricting bloodflow? and causing lots of pain. He switched to SG's with a beveled edge and said it made a huge difference. Like it was said earlier, listen to your body to find what works for you...

[tmart937]

Originally Posted by Ganky

Hendrix and Frusciante doing days of 15 hours,

One word

Heroine

[illmusician]

Originally Posted by Ganky

Many people have the motivation and lust to want to play for these periods of time but are limited by physical factors, such as tendonitis and so on. Does this mean to be as successful and skilled as these musicians you have to just be the lucky one who has motivation and no physical limitations?

My question is how do people play for even 3 hours a day, days or months on end nevermind 15 hours a day! I find myself unable to play 3+ hours after having played that amount for 2 weeks before, even with rest days hmph.

Withdrawal symptoms and bass cravings aahh. Hope someone can enlighten me.

Ganky

As you said before if you can find a teacher to show you more technique, then fantastic. Mainly try and stretch before during and after you practice or play. Stretch your hands, wrists, massage your forearms, stretch your arms/ triceps, shoulders, and lower back. Do you warm up in this manner? Are you sitting when practicing or do you walk around? Where is you bass on your body. Not getting into a strap position argument. Clinically a double strap on you chest is best for support. are you looking down at music, or raise the music up so your looking out. What do you eat before hand or in general, crap food = crap body. are you practicing at full strength? Sleep... all things to consider.

[quote=tmart937;One word

Heroine [/QUOTE]

Drugs don't=practice that is so juvenile. Suggesting that is silly, It only helps doodling that sound great at the time, and forgetting stuff.

[BassChuck]

Build up to that kind of time. Don't just start a 10 hour a day schedule. Listen to your body... if it hurts, stop. Rest is important as is pacing.

[megadan]

good question. I've struggled with the same concept. My mind wants to (and has) advanced far beyond my physical playing skills. I just can't be playing 2, 3, 4 hours a day, every day, without doing serious damage to my body.

I have little muscle mass, and I've spent all my money on basses, so I can't afford to go to the gym or eat properly. I know that sounds like a joke, but it's not.
The thought that my physical body (a thing I've always regarded as useless and cumbersome compared to the mind) is holding me back from achieving my dreams is very frustrating, to the point of depression.

Nothing I can do meets the goals of what I want to hear in my head; I think it will be time to just quit music all together soon, before I drive myself mad.

My god, how I would trade it all for a new pair of arms.

[dougjwray]

You also have to keep in mind that genetics play a part. Few, if any, basketball players have been able to glide as far as Julius Erving and Michael Jordan. Similarly, some musicians are born with the coordination necessary to get their two hands to work together with more precision than most of us will ever be able to achieve.
Aside from that...
1) Learn proper posture (including the wrists, elbows, shoulders, back...)
2) Always try to stay relaxed. In one lesson that I had with Jaco Pastorius, he stressed that his unbelievable (to me) stamina was due to the fact that his hands were always as relaxed as possible. You can actually make energetic sounding music without expending lots of physical energy.
3) Start slowly. Work up to lengthy playing sessions.

[Grayson C.]

I'm sorry but playing 10 hours a day is pretty sad. Assuming you sleep for 8, that leaves 6 hours to study/go to work/spend time with your kids(wife,family,etc.).

My dad's cousin's son (guess my second cousin) is a phenominal guitarist who practices about 10 hours a day. Unfortunately, he has no job, no girlfriend, and has been doing this since he was 13 (he's in his late 20's now) so he never devloped social skills and became emotionally and socially stunted.

In short, practicing that much turned him into a ******. He doesn't even have the social skills to join a band and put his skills to use. But he knows how to play guitar!

Good trade.

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by Grayson C.

I'm sorry but playing 10 hours a day is pretty sad. Assuming you sleep for 8, that leaves 6 hours to study/go to work/spend time with your kids(wife,family,etc.).

My dad's cousin's son (guess my second cousin) is a phenominal guitarist who practices about 10 hours a day. Unfortunately, he has no job, no girlfriend, and has been doing this since he was 13 (he's in his late 20's now) so he never devloped social skills and became emotionally and socially stunted.

In short, practicing that much turned him into a ******. He doesn't even have the social skills to join a band and put his skills to use. But he knows how to play guitar!

Good trade.

That explains the thousands of no-talent zeros who've become rich and famous because they "know the right people" and can schmooze like crazy!

[p0werslav3]

I think the truely "great" musicians are born with a gift the rest of us mortals will sadly never achieve no matter how much we practice.

[TOOL460002]

i play bass, but im not a pro.

i exercise, but am not an olympian.

we are not built equally, but there are so many phenomenal musicians that i think our hands and forearms are pretty close. for example, i bet my hands are closer to yours than my respiratory and cardiac system are similar to lance armstrong.

technique is key, but youre not going to jump from two hours a day to ten. baby steps, baby steps.

also, a lot of pros get better once they have giant tours, and all day to just play music, and not hold down another job, or go to school.

[Anonymatt]

Eh. Most things in life--that don't involve women--are simply engineering problems.

[pretaanluxis]

Make sure your bass is setup properly and make sure your hands are super relaxed at all times. Take lots of breaks while practicing long sessions too.

And Frusciante only did 15 hours a day on drugs, nowdays he sticks to 7 hrs.