is there such a thing as practicing too much?

[Vacume]

dont get me wrong i love playing my bass, but theres other stuff i wanna do in my day as well......like is practicing for like 5 hours a day unescesary and unefficient? is practicing for 2 hours a day sufficient enuf for me to become a good bass player?

[vindy500]

mores not gonna hurt, unless you get so sick of it you dont want to play anymore, that would hamper your playing, get out there, make some friends, have a life, enjoy

[Ed Fuqua]

It's not about TIME, it's about CONTENT and CONSISTENCY. No amount of time is going to be sufficient if you aren't practicing material that's going to give you a good foundation in physical approach and understanding.

[Tritonis]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

It's not about TIME, it's about CONTENT and CONSISTENCY. No amount of time is going to be sufficient if you aren't practicing material that's going to give you a good foundation in physical approach and understanding.

Well put.

[allanmac00]

Play different things. Don't just play the same lines in the same key for 5 hours at a time. If you have a balanced routine, an hour day would certainly yield great results.

[EADG mx]

Basically there's a difference between playing and practicing, I think.

[BassChuck]

Always have a goal for each practice session. Know what you want to accomplish and go after it. That way you won't waste time. If you don't have a goal... get a teacher.

[00Funk]

Im looking for a sugar mama, so I can play FULL TIME.

The type of player I wanna be, is not going to happen, working a 9-5.

I would be perfectly content playing bass morning noon and night.

[Snarf]

Of course you can practice too much. You have to maintain perspective about your instrument, and that means spending time away from it. I've found that 2 hours a day is plenty when I'm up at college, and anything from 1-3 hours is great when I'm at home.

[morf]

I'll get bashed and stir the pot, but I dont think you can practice too much. While keeping on practicing when you get bored isnt really necessary, you won't get any worse by doing it, and in the end, you won't level "down" because you do 3 extra hours of noodling, so the more the better.

[IanStephenson]

I wouldn't say theres too much practise (baring physical problems), but I doubt many people can physically and mentally practice 5 hours a day. Chances are they practive for a couple of hours, then start loosing focus and goofing off. Unless you've got some special event coming up, or your circumstances are unique I'd avoid more than a couple of hours as you'll just burn out.

I've known plenty of bands that book 6 hour rehersal sessions (in rehersal rooms they have to pay for!), but when my band turns up for its two hour session they're standing round outside smoking, and when we leave they're still outside, or they've cracked open the beer. Keep it short, know what you want to achieve, get it done and go home.

Also, I doubt (unless your already a pro, in which case why are you asking), you've got time for 5 hours practice a day, every day. Chances are you'll just end up missing practise, or cutting it short, and your routine is out the window.

I'd recommend a regular routine. Half an hour a day is enough to make a SERIOUS difference, provided it's EVERY DAY. Far better to do 30mins every day than 5 hours once a week.

You say you're managing 2 hours a day - if thats every day, and you're working hard then thats A LOT. If it's not every day (or at least regualrly through the week), or your not focused for all of it, I'd consider cutting back(!) to a level you can sustain, and making a commitment to that level of practice. Once you've got the routine working you can always add more time, but little and often is critical.

Ian

[chasfr]

Whatever its other advantages or disadvantages, I think 5+ hours per day of playing is an easy route to repetitive motion injuries or carpal tunnel syndrome. If you're going to play that much, make sure you're using ergonomically correct technique, and do stretches for your fingers and wrists. Wearing one of those splints would really cut into your practice schedule...

Chas

[JimK]

Originally Posted by Snarf

Of course you can practice too much. You have to maintain perspective about your instrument, and that means spending time away from it.

Agree.
Part of being a musician is living life...and then being able to impart those life experieneces thru your instrument.

Now, how 'about a chorus or two of "Kumbaya"?

...and agree with Ed-
Quality time/content vs. quantity of time.
Example 1: A solid 30 minutes on finger independence would be better in the long run vs. 3 hours of noodling.
Example 2: 30 minutes working on something new & unfamiliar is better than 3 hours of noodling away on stuff you already have down.

[morf]

You dont have to necessarily noodle on something you already know or play hard enough to hurt yourself to learn something new. Find a new riff, develop a song around it, that won't take much physical effort and you'll still be learning alot. And you can go hours without getting bored or hurt either.

[Alan Vorse]

I recently began to break up my practice time into 20 minute chunks. Whether I'm doing 1 hour on a weeknight or 5 hours on a Saturday. I'll set a timer, work on something specific, take a 5 minute break, set the timer and move on to something else. It keeps me focused and I can see results.

[Boplicity]

If you must practice five hours a day, protect yourself by putting some of that practice to non-playing. For example, listen to a song over and over. Try to transcribe it. Try to draw an organizational chart of it--intro, verse A, verse B, bridge, chorus, verse C, outro or however the song is organized. Try to figure out the key and chord progression.

That way you are practicing by working on important skills you'll need as a muscian, but you are not even touching your bass. It freshens your mind from what you are doing with your bass but will make you a more complete musician.

[sinophysiker]

OK I've been there recently.

and again these several days I was practising some fast licks from the SLAP IT book and some super fast lick for Pascal Mulot video, I generally played like 4 to 6hours a day. So I hurt my thumb and my middle finger. and hence no bass today and tomorrow.

I figured 3 hours a day is enough, but sometimes i just can't help it.

[steveb98]

Short good focused practice is better than spending a lot of time not getting much done. Also all practice doesn't need to be done with a bass in your hands. I work in things while driving, going to the park, anywhere I can take some time to think about bass, theory, or mentally try to figure out a cool line I just heard. Also spending time listening to good music is part of your practice.

[Correlli]

I think you can practice to much. having said that, I have practiced for up to 12 hours at a time. For me, I learnt all the techniques I want to learn, so now I maintain the skill level I have developed, which requires significantly less time than developing a technique or skill.