Jazz musicians practise up to 15hours a day???

BrandonBass · #1 07-06-2006, 01:44 PM

My friend told me that....and I would like to think hes BSing. But hes those serious type of guy who knows his stuff....like 15hours is crazy man

superbassman2000 · #2 07-06-2006, 01:47 PM

i remember that either steve vai or joe satriani (or both maybe) used to practice that much...

mksolid · #3 07-06-2006, 01:49 PM

I'm sure that some people have practiced that much, but what I think you'll find out is that if you are a working musician - as in maybe you play in a band or 2 and also teach music for a living, your life tends to incorporate practice automatically. I am a hobbyist, but I have several friends who make their living from music and "hanging out" for them involves doing some different activities like bowling, film, or whatever, but in between those times they just pull out some instruments and jam. You can easily see how the "practice time allotted" in each day can add up by living this life.

paintballjunkie · #4 07-06-2006, 01:57 PM

15 hours a day would leave them 9 hours to to work and sleep. i don't see how anyone could do that daily.

godspeed68 · #5 07-06-2006, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paintballjunkie

15 hours a day would leave them 9 hours to to work and sleep. i don't see how anyone could do that daily.

gigging is work.

tOm

fretless Bob · #6 07-06-2006, 02:14 PM

i read an interview with Alain Caron once saying that when he was younger he would practise 12 hours a day, when im at college i will probably play about 4 hours in the day and then do 1 or 2 hours practise when i get home and if i have a gig or something maybe more.

as was said earlier it all mounts up, but in all fairness i think anything past 4 or 5 practise a day is just counter productive, excluding gigs of course

i'd love to be able to sit down and practise for like 5 hours straight without getting a headache.

Dave

DWBass · #7 07-06-2006, 02:19 PM

I know for a fact, when I was a teenager, I must have practiced at least 8 hours a day! No way I could do that now! 15 hours is a bit much but hey, look at the skills some of those cats have! I'm sure they sleep with their instruments!

Ed Fuqua · #8 07-06-2006, 02:21 PM

There are guys that practice pretty much anytime they're not sleeping or gigging. And you do have folks like Sal Mosca who have just taken time out of gigging to spend all their time practicing. Dave Liebman says (and I believe it as well) that anybody who wants to play this music seriously has to, at one time in their development, spend 6-8 hours a day practicing. On the other hand, you talk to guys like Kenny Barron or Mulgrew Miller and they bemoan the fact that they are too busy to practice much.

But rather than speculate about what other people are doing or not doing, it may serve you and your friend better to concentrate on what YOU are doing. Are you practicing every day consistently? Are you working on things in a consistent, focused and progressive manner? Are you working at continually deepening your understanding and physical approach? Are you working on training your ear to hear with clarity and understanding?

Doing the above an hour a day improves your musicianship. Doing the above two hours a day improves your musicianship faster than 1 hour, 3 hours a day better than two and so on.

But 1 hour a day EVERY day, is better than pulling 15 hours a couple of times a month. Consistency, focus, progressive (step by step); those are the important things.

superbassman2000 · #9 07-06-2006, 02:30 PM

i also think that the 15 hour a day practice regimen is during college for these guys, and i think that it can be done, because those amazing musicians go to college for a music major, so classes count as practice, and then in between classes, practice, and then after dinner practice...then go to bed...the guys may not have had a major social life, but look where they are now

fretless Bob · #10 07-06-2006, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

i also think that the 15 hour a day practice regimen is during college for these guys, and i think that it can be done, because those amazing musicians go to college for a music major, so classes count as practice, and then in between classes, practice, and then after dinner practice...then go to bed...the guys may not have had a major social life, but look where they are now

there is time for a social life when they are famous i guess

Dave

Clay_Bass · #11 07-06-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

i also think that the 15 hour a day practice regimen is during college for these guys, and i think that it can be done, because those amazing musicians go to college for a music major, so classes count as practice, and then in between classes, practice, and then after dinner practice...then go to bed...the guys may not have had a major social life, but look where they are now

Yeah. everyone whos famous now will tell you the kids who went to school and played gigs during undergrad work are the ones who are unknow. The ones who get famous and play with big name acts are the ones who practiced every possible second they had instead of playing gigs. Youll have enough on your plate with private lessons class work(compositions transcribing etc) that a heavy gigging schedule may actually hurt your college experience. When I go to college I sure will be trying for 15 a day.

perfektspace6 · #12 07-06-2006, 03:41 PM

at the height of my "bassness" in my teens and early 20's I played 4-6 a day. Not coincidentally, I became very good in that time period. Now I only play about an hour a day and even that's tough to make room for. However, I still continue to improve. Those extra hours early on can make help you break through walls early on in your playing. 15 hours a day? That could burn you out. Everyone needs a break from even the most enjoyable of things.

John Webb · #13 07-06-2006, 03:47 PM

............Steve Bailey tells us he practiced 12 hrs a day when younger........15 hrs prolly a bit much but.......who's counting after 12.........simple message is:
they eat, sleep, play bass..........
Peace,
jpw

WesC · #14 07-06-2006, 04:00 PM

When I was at Berklee College I used to practice nearly that much every day... until I started gigging too much. It really helped at the time. I made more progress in those years than all the years before I went there.

Now I'm just finessing everything I leanred while there. A few hours a day a couple of times a week is all I can manage nowadays.
Sometimes I really miss those days... the clarity of focus, the uttery lack of distraction, and the massive leaps in skill I would make.

QuintrKD · #15 07-06-2006, 04:17 PM

Such a comment brings new meaning to the phrase "starving musician"!

jive1 · #16 07-06-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clay_Bass

Yeah. everyone whos famous now will tell you the kids who went to school and played gigs during undergrad work are the ones who are unknow. The ones who get famous and play with big name acts are the ones who practiced every possible second they had instead of playing gigs.

I find the opposite to be true. The guys who played gigs were able to build better networks and relationships and land better and better jobs. Maybe they didn't have the best chops and knowledge in the world, but they were doing it and making things happen. On the other hand, the guys who practiced alone in their rehearsal space tended to be guys with incredible chops and knowledge that had hard time landing gigs.

There's a number of music school drop-outs that did well afterwards. There's also a number of famous musicians that never finished high-school, or even attended music school. Count Basie, Ray Charles, and Duke Ellington didn't even finish high school, but they sure gigged a lot.

There is no formula.

Quote:

Youll have enough on your plate with private lessons class work(compositions transcribing etc) that a heavy gigging schedule may actually hurt your college experience. When I go to college I sure will be trying for 15 a day.

In college, I had way more time and energy to devote towards music and endeavors. If college is to be any preparation for the future, then use it as a time to apply what you've learned in class at gigs. Music is one of the few fields of study that lets you apply what you've learned in real life situations quickly. Not many physics undergrads get to touch a nuclear reactor, but a freshman bassist can land a gig with a good band. Don't discount gigging as a means to improve as a musician.

College is also a place to meet people, network, and build bridges. Jamming with your fellow musicians is one way to build relationships that will help you in the future.

Poop-Loops · #17 07-06-2006, 04:34 PM

Depends on what you consider practice, I guess.

What DO they consider practice? Someone mentioned gigging. Does that include driving to and from, and loading and unloading?

Bathroom breaks? Eating?

JimK · #18 07-06-2006, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Depends on what you consider practice, I guess.

What DO they consider practice? Someone mentioned gigging. Does that include driving to and from, and loading and unloading?

Bathroom breaks? Eating?

One can 'practice' while doing all of that...I know many may disagree but one can 'practice' away from their instrument.
Stuck in traffic? Tap out some polyrhythms, conceive a groove in your head, mentally transcribe the Pop tune on the radio, etc.

The guys I know around here that play Jazz seem to play out more with others vs. shedding 15 hours a day. No doubt they paid some dues at some point in their developement, though.
Anyway, it's about qualirty of time not quantity of time.

JimK · #19 07-06-2006, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jive1

I find the opposite to be true. The guys who played gigs were able to build better networks and relationships and land better and better jobs. Maybe they didn't have the best chops and knowledge in the world, but they were doing it and making things happen. On the other hand, the guys who practiced alone in their rehearsal space tended to be guys with incredible chops and knowledge that had hard time landing gigs.

I agree with you...FME, also.
It's 'who you know' & nobody knows you if you're stuck in the shed 15 hours/day.

James Hart · #20 07-06-2006, 05:40 PM

I 'play' about 4 hours daily. I try to make it at least 1/3 practice... but I enjoy 'playing' and that's what I mostly do

When I was younger, I'd practice 6-8 hours a day. morning before school, during lunch and study halls, after school, after supper, etc. When my bass wasn't in hand I'd be stretching and tapping rhythms, etc