Is it possible to practice too much

[Xray66]

Recently I got the urge to try and get back up to the level I was at when I was younger. I've never had any sort of fancy practice methods... When I can't do something right, I basically just keep doing it until my hand gets tired, then stop, then do it again... until I'm sick of it. Works for me.

Recently I noticed my dexterity was getting close to what it was at my peak. I could do about 90% of what I needed to do cleanly. I had been working on some riffs that included quick, acceding, double two finger hammer-ons. I got it to the point where I was pretty much at the speed I needed to be at, but kept going just to make it easier. But... Now, I'm experiencing something odd... All of the sudden, I went from doing it well, to not being able to do it at all. It's like my fingers turned to rubber and just kind of flop around. Almost like it's too easy, and I don't have any control anymore... If that makes any sense. I don't know... Never experienced this before that I recall. Just wondering if anybody has felt something similar. It's kind of like that feeling you get when you stress out a muscle and can't control it anymore.

[Step]

haven't experienced, but I think your last sentence is key. Your hand contains muscles and you may stressed those. maybe see someone qualified? Even another bassist/musician to objectively see if you got worse.

[RedLeg]

yes, look up "law of diminishing returns"
also. avoid "feast or famine" practicing. try to practice something everyday, even if for only 10 min (minus your warmups of course)
thats my 2¢

[hdracer]

Old saying, Practice does not make perfect, Perfect practice makes perfect. When my hands start hurting, I stop & come back to it later with a clear mind & relaxed muscles.

[AcidFripp]

Practice is good.
Hurting yourself is bad.

See, it's like a runner. Say you like to run. Yeah, you need to practice running to be good at it. But sprinting 10 miles when you can barely walk 1 is bad. Really bad.

[fearceol]

I am no expert but IMO you can over do practicing. There is a guy here on TB whose user name is "devine" who has nerve problems in his left hand. He claims it is from too much practice. I'm sure if you PM him, he will give you some advice.

Also, I think regularity, as in every day, is more important than a long session all at once. Another thing is that the intense concentration needed for fruitful practice, reduces by a lot after say one and a half hours. It is advised to take a few hours rest and then return to it. This is best, both from a physical and mental aspect.

If you do want to go ahead with long practice sessions, make sure your technique is good, that you take breaks, and that you warm up with gentle stretches before and after each session.

[halfjackson]

You sure can; it's called tendinitis.

Originally Posted by RedLeg

yes, look up "law of diminishing returns"
also. avoid "feast or famine" practicing. try to practice something everyday, even if for only 10 min (minus your warmups of course)
thats my 2¢

That's some good advice right there.

[Xray66]

Actually, in terms of time, I thought I was doing pretty good with that. About half hour warm up, then maybe an hour working out parts or doing parts I need to improve. Then maybe 1-2 playing whole songs. This is on most days. I never walk away aching or anything like that though.

[R. Laevinus]

You cannot practice too much. I knew a kid in highschool who practiced piano eight hours daily.

For real.

And now he's a pro, raking in the bucks in the classical world.



It is possible, though, to practice wrong. Be sure you don't do that, or no good will come of it. Lots of threads around here on tendonitis, on exhaustion, on bad and good practice routines and regimens. Search a couple of keywords and you'll have more information than you ever wanted.

[AcidFripp]

Originally Posted by R. Laevinus

You cannot practice too much. I knew a kid in highschool who practiced piano eight hours daily.

For real.

And now he's a pro, raking in the bucks in the classical world.

Piano also doesn't require ou to lank your fingers around a fretboard, stretching them absurdly all the time.

[Absentia]

Yes, my hands hurt like hell today.


You can also burn yourself out.

[R. Laevinus]

Originally Posted by AcidFripp

Piano also doesn't require ou to lank your fingers around a fretboard, stretching them absurdly all the time.

Around a fretboard? No.

But to play classical piano on a pro level, you better believe there is some serious stretching going on. I do a little keyboard on the side - I'd say that I'm roughly equal in ability to a kid who's had maybe a month of classical training. And I stretch more on that puppy every time i play than I've ever had to do on bass.

[aledeville]

Is it mainly a physical problem? Then I would check your technique, maybe change something like the height of the bass (the bass hanging too low gives me pain in the wrists).

Or is it a mental problem?
I know that when motivation sinks - which can happen quite easily when you practise too much - almost every part of your body is affected, that means also the motor nerves for example.

It sounded like you don't know why you weren't able to play the riffs you played with almost no effort the day before. When there is pain, the problem is clear.

So, how is it?

[AcidFripp]

Originally Posted by R. Laevinus

Around a fretboard? No.

But to play classical piano on a pro level, you better believe there is some serious stretching going on. I do a little keyboard on the side - I'd say that I'm roughly equal in ability to a kid who's had maybe a month of classical training. And I stretch more on that puppy every time i play than I've ever had to do on bass.

Hmm, I guess you're right.
In any case, overdoing the practice to the point of hurting your hand is detrimental to your health.

[plangentmusic]

It's more about consistency.

And practicing things that are inspiring. You can play scales 9 hours a day and at the end of a year you'll be really good at playing scales.

[HolmeBass]

I don't think you can practice too much, but despite that perhaps you should give that particular exercise a rest for a few days. Work on something else in your practice regimen, maybe something more cerebral and less physically challenging like chord inversions or other theory, or maybe get the structure of a few new tunes you want to learn down (leaving any particularly challenging riffs for later work). Then when you come back to this stuff it will probably be slamming.

[SuperTbass]

Anything in this world can be overdone. Too much water will kill you. The body has the ability to adapt to what you throw at it, but only if you do so incrementally. Too much manual labor and you will end up with blisters. Just the right amount and you will develop a callus. As with any skill, you will see better results from frequent short bursts of practice as compared with long bouts. Just like if you were to practice a tennis serve, would you be better off practicing until your arm feels like a limp noodle, or going out daily and stopping while you still feel fresh.

If you feel fatigued, you have probably done too much.

The running analogy is apropos.

[schmittzil]

I get terrible blisters from pops so I only practice maybe an hour a day....Thats only slap though.

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by R. Laevinus

You cannot practice too much.

However you qualify the statement, it qualifies in my mind as perhaps one of the most incorrect and unfortunately wrong-headed notions I've ever read on Talk Bass. You need to take breaks from practicing not only for physical reasons but also mental ones.

Instead of "knowing" someone who did that (practicing 8 hours a day, though not the "big bucks pro" end result, necessarily) and drawing damaging, if convenient summarizations of that situation, take it from someone who actually did that. Me.

[mpdd]

at a certain point i think that my basses start to feel weird and cumbersome and i know to put it down and to work on a drawing or to play with my dog