how many hours do you practice?

dirtdobber113 · #1 05-11-2011, 01:51 AM

I have found that I practice almost three to four hours a day. Sometimes more if I have time. Only since picking back up a few tears ago. I didn't practice this much when I was young. Just wondering how long you guys practice.

tylerwylie · #2 05-11-2011, 02:05 AM

2-3 hours on weekdays of actual 'practice' where I warm up, do some scales and runs, play a few songs, think of random chord progressions and different ways to play them, then work on technique with fretting and 3 finger picking then cool down with scales. Bandmates have seen a noticeable improvement in my consistency and smoothness while playing. I play mostly progressive metal type stuff.

On weekends, I'll add a couple hours and also picking up the bass randomly throughout the day to play a few things.

8 months ago, I didn't have a practice routine and just learned songs via tabs but had been playing for a few years or so, probably around 4. Learned a lot of Tool and Opeth and Yes which probably helped a ton. I've progressed more in the past 8 months then I did before that, the spark was seeing a bass teacher's ad in the building where I work and I decided you know what I'll go for it.

xxjazzbassist · #3 05-11-2011, 02:13 AM

3-4 hours a day with time split 75% of time on Upright bass and 25% on electric. Though generally i practice more electric when i get new music for jazz groups i play in

AshdownMad · #4 05-11-2011, 02:36 AM

Usually practice 2hrs a day on av.

Have 3 band practices a week which are 2hrs 3 hrs n 6hrs more or less.
So quite a heavy routine but I'm lucky as 2 be able to practice with my bands a hell of a lot! It's more fun.

sound of bass · #5 05-11-2011, 02:54 AM

2-3 hours a day for me, sometimes more depending on work schedule, but sorry to say no real, set routine, just whatever I feel like at the time. But during those hours I'll run through several songs on the setlist, then just generally make sounds, riffs, etc. to try and create a new line for a new song. Not much time for other studies.

Elrend · #6 05-11-2011, 02:59 AM

Monday: 4 hours
Tuesday: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Wednesday: 6 hours and 30 minutes
Thursday: 4 hours
Friday: 6 hours

about 23 hours a week.

jabsys · #7 05-11-2011, 03:53 AM

I don't have a set routine, I just pick up the bass when I feel like it which generally ends up anywhere between 1-3 hours a day.

Soul Power · #8 05-11-2011, 07:01 PM

Practice means getting BETTER at something.
So let me ask all the people that say two hours or longer, how long ca you sit down and be completely focused?
Every minute after that focus is not practice but "playing".

Josiah668 · #9 05-11-2011, 07:06 PM

Very, very rarely. Most of the time, I only pick up the bass when I'm specifically working on something, which is mostly at work these days.

I play more guitar at home than I do bass, and even at that, it's probably an hour a week or less.

Billnc · #10 05-11-2011, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul Power

Practice means getting BETTER at something.
So let me ask all the people that say two hours or longer, how long ca you sit down and be completely focused?
Every minute after that focus is not practice but "playing".

I can do an hour, but I practice in 30 minute blocks (changed from 20 minutes) I'll do what I can, on days I am off I try to get six hours in. The 30 minute blocks are usually done as follows,
Reading on bass (two blocks, I'm working on really getting that together)

30 Minutes Chord melody guitar
30 Minutes reading guitar
30 minutes single string work on guitar
30 minutes soloing on bass

Then work on band stuff on either instrument.
No' playing' at all, I get those demons out on stage. If I start losing focus I'll take a ten minute break. I'm all about getting the hours in, this is my job, but if the focus is not there I take a break.

Spaldo · #11 05-11-2011, 09:42 PM

I'm ALWAYS practicing, even when the bass is not in my hands...

Here's some examples....fingering LH patterns on my arm, practicing RH techniques on my knuckles, and humming patterns into my phone and learning them on the bass after work

...but i can never wait to get home each day!

Soul Power · #12 05-11-2011, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billnc

I can do an hour, but I practice in 30 minute blocks (changed from 20 minutes) I'll do what I can, on days I am off I try to get six hours in. The 30 minute blocks are usually done as follows,
Reading on bass (two blocks, I'm working on really getting that together)

30 Minutes Chord melody guitar
30 Minutes reading guitar
30 minutes single string work on guitar
30 minutes soloing on bass

Then work on band stuff on either instrument.
No' playing' at all, I get those demons out on stage. If I start losing focus I'll take a ten minute break. I'm all about getting the hours in, this is my job, but if the focus is not there I take a break.

That's how you do it. I just had to post that because in a music program you commonly hear "I practice 6 hours nonstop everyday!", but their playing reveals many blindspots. Luckily I live in a supportive household that realizes this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.

^^^ And to spade, hell yes-----I do a few things similar to that-----In the middle of class I'm whisper-whistling major scales for ear training, or thinking about one particular key and doing various mental gymnastics (visualizing a fretboard in my head and "lighting" up all the notes within that key, or arpeggiating starting from the lowest note in the key moving all the way up).
Live eat and breathe it.

LIONFURY · #13 05-12-2011, 09:38 AM

1-2 hours a day

TripleDouble · #14 05-12-2011, 09:42 AM

A couple hours a day, in 10 to 30 minute chunks. Sometimes less, sometimes much much more, like 5-10 hours if im in the zone. And sometimes it's strict skills practice, sometimes a more creative approach. So final answer is 'it depends'

Billnc · #15 05-12-2011, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul Power

That's how you do it. I just had to post that because in a music program you commonly hear "I practice 6 hours nonstop everyday!", but their playing reveals many blindspots. Luckily I live in a supportive household that realizes this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.

^^^ And to spade, hell yes-----I do a few things similar to that-----In the middle of class I'm whisper-whistling major scales for ear training, or thinking about one particular key and doing various mental gymnastics (visualizing a fretboard in my head and "lighting" up all the notes within that key, or arpeggiating starting from the lowest note in the key moving all the way up).
Live eat and breathe it.

Another thing I've been doing (I don't know how well it crosses over to music) is spend a few weeks on the weak area. I've taken a break from working on walking bass lines for a couple weeks. That block of time has been replaced with reading. If I hit a plateau reading I'll give up a block and move to an extra block of soloing or something. When I get back to walking, it'll be fresh again. I'm certainly not going to forget how to walk, and do it all the time gigging anyway. Sort of the 'school approach' I look at it as an intensive semester of my own making.