Does practicing become useless after a certain period of time?

AmazingGracePlayer · #1 07-11-2007, 04:54 PM

I was playing my guitar today for about hours straight. And my hand started to hurt much more near the end than when I first started, and I had some trouble playing what I could play somewhat smoothly when I first started...

I don't mean to ask if practice is useless after I become a pro. What I want to ask is let's say, if I practice the bass or guitar two hours straight, do I get much more out of the first hour than the second?

IanStephenson · #2 07-11-2007, 05:22 PM

Yes...

An hour of hard work is more productive than an all day session of mucking around. I don't do rehersals more than 2 hours at a stretch.

Ian

CamMcIntyre · #3 07-11-2007, 06:48 PM

I agree, however i think the limit depends on the person.

I forget if it's the book "Power Practicing" or a Carol Kaye book that i've got [i've read quite a bit from both] that talks about breaking practice down into smaller chunks so that you absorb the most. For me, i practice until my mind starts to wander. Once my mind starts wandering-i know it's time for me to take a break and do something else for a bit.

tplyons · #4 07-11-2007, 07:18 PM

Practice? I wish I had that kind of concentration.

AdlerAugen · #5 07-11-2007, 07:45 PM

it becomes pointless as soon as you can no longer maintain concentration.

Sorax · #6 07-11-2007, 08:11 PM

And that's when you take a break. Some people have a strict routine and I think that's cool. Personally I write a list each day of what I have to practice, and work on each one with a rough guideline of 30 minutes, or until my concentration starts to waver. ie right now lol. then i'll take a break... make some tea, have a snack, take a walk around the block whatever. practice is only practice if you're actually giving your full attention and you're actually practicing.. not playing what you already know.

bassist15 · #7 07-11-2007, 09:58 PM

I have a small routine that im doing now that I haev started taking lessons. I can only take then once a month so my teacher gives me a group of things to work on so I practice those things and then I try to work out a song or something. Practice sight reading or something. I think if you only do the same thing for the same amount of time it is certainly going to get boring .

905 · #8 07-13-2007, 05:41 PM

I got an 'Essential Bass Playing' or whatever; basically says break stuff into 15 minutes per exercise.

For example, if I want to practice an A minor scale... I do that for 15 minutes, then a B pentatonic or whatever for 15 minutes.

My point is, 15 minutes of concentrated exercise is much better than 4 hours of mindless doodling.

Both would be best

steve66 · #9 07-13-2007, 06:22 PM

I guess that depends on what your practicing

I am the most productive when I break my practice into 15 minute sessions. I take a 5 minute break after each session.

I find for me that I cannot go for hours without sometime to regroup. It is a waste of time.

I think the key to practicing effectively is having a plan and a goal and workin on a few different things at once.

I find it is much easier for me to come back and start with a fresh prospective on something that I have been working on.

AmazingGracePlayer · #10 07-14-2007, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve66

I guess that depends on what your practicing

I am the most productive when I break my practice into 15 minute sessions. I take a 5 minute break after each session.

I find for me that I cannot go for hours without sometime to regroup. It is a waste of time.

I think the key to practicing effectively is having a plan and a goal and workin on a few different things at once.

I find it is much easier for me to come back and start with a fresh prospective on something that I have been working on.

I think the key to practicing is know when to give up

Ibanezzer · #11 07-15-2007, 08:22 PM

Depends... Practicing and exploring are different.

I see my playing times as mutiple categories:
Practicing: Scales, Technique, Working w/ Metronome on Stuff, Learning New Styles and Such.

Exploring: (The largest chunk of my time), plain old messign around finding new styles and randomly making up stuff that sounds cool to me. It took me a while to know enough about bass and of the various techniques to get to the point where my "exploration" was beneficial. Now I see this as my most creative time, its where ideas for songs are born and its the time that I play that makes me feel happiest when playing bass. Playing the band material is cool and all but you can only practice the same set of songs so many times before you just don't want to hear them much anymore.

Required Time: Working up on material for song w/ my present band to be ready for the next rehearsal

Of all this, If I have only time for one category, I choose the exploration category. I know the band material somewhat comfortably and we don't have shows lined up or anythign so I see my time exploring on my own beneficial to my abilities and my mind's well being as time well spent. I don't practice scales and technique nearly enough but I get bored with them very quickly so forcing myself to work on those becomes wasted time, the learning will come to me when I am ready and there is just so much one can learn given the various amounts of time we all have.

Bruce Lindfield · #12 07-16-2007, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmazingGracePlayer

I was playing my guitar today for about hours straight. And my hand started to hurt much more near the end than when I first started, and I had some trouble playing what I could play somewhat smoothly when I first started...

I don't mean to ask if practice is useless after I become a pro. What I want to ask is let's say, if I practice the bass or guitar two hours straight, do I get much more out of the first hour than the second?

You just need to focus your practice more!

The best advice from Jazz pros I heard was : never practice what you can play - only practice what you can't yet play!