Practice time help?

[Fassa Albrecht]

How do all TBers go about using their practice time. Any help to help me organise my own practice time would be a help too.

[ryco]

HOW TO PRACTICE
by DAVID LIEBMAN
One major point to remember concerns the avoidance of attempting to accomplish too
many goals while practicing. The mind cannot easily digest more than one or two major points at
the same time and still be effective. Always be very clear as to what you are practicing a particular
exercise for.

HOW TO PRACTICE IMPROVISATION
by JERRY COKER
Given below is an example of a schedule that may help you to organize your practice
time. This schedule is based on a seventy-five minute period (1 hr., 15 min.), but it could be
changed proportionately to fit a shorter or longer period or modified to allow time to take up
instrumental studies (long tones, dexterity exercises for the fingers, range studies, reading, etc.).
A DAILY PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Topic Sequence Minutes Spent
1) A SLOW MELODY (tune) 5
2) SCALES AND PATTERNS 15
3) PATTERN APPLICATION 10
4) IMPROVISATION EXERCISE 5
5) TRANSCRIBED SOLO 15
6) SPECIAL DISCIPLINES 10
7) LEARN A TUNE 15
TOTAL 75
A new set of melodies, patterns, exercises, transcribed solos, disciplines, and tunes should
be taken up each week. Such a turnover in materials will help insure a steady rate of progress.
Items 3 through 7 should be played with recorded accompaniment. "SPECIAL DISCIPLINES"
refers to studies aimed at resolving weakness in areas such as playing fast tempos, time-feeling,
use of all rhythmic levels, building intensity, or cultivating a melodic sense. The learning of a
tune should encompass melody, chord progression, appropriate ingredients, and familiarization
with the most significant recordings of the tune (the listening is done at another time, however).

http://www.jazzbooks.com/jazzhandbook/Default.htm

[meev991]

down to a science!!!

[DocBop]

The key to practice is once you make your list of topic then work on every topic everyday. A few minutes a day everyday is far better than a lot of time a couple days a week. Also a keeping a practice journal or log is good to to track tempos and keys. Somethings you would be able to finish in 5-10 minutes and with a log easy to pickup where you left off the next day.

[lomo]

I find it easier to organize my practice time weekly, rather than daily. Overall I spend about 25% on scales and arpeggios-trying to use inversions and varied patterns as much as possible, as well as plaing diagonally across the neck, 25% on rt hand technique/feel (eg- now I'm working on the 3-finger Entwistle method) , 35% learning/perfecting tunes, and 15% free flow of whatever the #$^& I feel like. At first I really had to do these separately, but now (after 5 years) I'm usually combining multiple elements. For eg-I'll slap my scales in 3rds and then palm mute/thumb pluck 'em in 4ths. I'm a hobbyist and it's all about fun for me. I have notably left out reading (which I can do in a miserable, slow way if forced at gunpoint) and transcription-both of these would make me better, but I hate 'em both. If I was earning my bacon on Bass, however, I'd be doing these (and shedding more).

[Fontaine]

no can really tell you HOW to practice, just do what feels natural to yourself, if you think your not spending enough time on one part of your playing then focus a bit more on that...

[rhythmchanges]

@ Earl
I sorta get where you're going with that, but I really disagree. Maybe you are an inwardly organized soul who can innately focus on the proper goals for appropriate durations, but I think most of us are better off with a plan. Practice consistently, practice diligently, and know where you are and where you're headed. Did I mention 'consistently?'

[BassChuck]

Originally Posted by rhythmchanges

@ Earl
I sorta get where you're going with that, but I really disagree. Maybe you are an inwardly organized soul who can innately focus on the proper goals for appropriate durations, but I think most of us are better off with a plan. Practice consistently, practice diligently, and know where you are and where you're headed. Did I mention 'consistently?'

+1

You have to have a plan. No matter if you communicate that idea with others or not, you have to have a plan, otherwise you'll eventually succumb to playing the same things over and over. Its a thin and difficult line to walk, but practice time has to be a combination of challenging your playing and doing things that make you feel good about playing. If you aren't careful, you'll just spend more and more time on the 'feeling good' part.

At least that's the way it is for me. I have to have a short and long range goal.

[Charling]

Originally Posted by BassChuck

+1

You have to have a plan. No matter if you communicate that idea with others or not, you have to have a plan, otherwise you'll eventually succumb to playing the same things over and over. Its a thin and difficult line to walk, but practice time has to be a combination of challenging your playing and doing things that make you feel good about playing. If you aren't careful, you'll just spend more and more time on the 'feeling good' part.

At least that's the way it is for me. I have to have a short and long range goal.

+1 +1

you need to identify a collection of areas you want to nurture and plan how to do this, if you just sat down and though 'what cant I do' every day and worked through ideas bit by bit you would be progressing slow as hell. you may get there in the end, but knowing what and why you are practicing, and having a plan for covering a single idea and learning to use it in all areas of music, will allow you too progress at a reasonable pace