How much do you guys practice ?

[Ale]

Hello !

I was sitting here thinking about practicing , and started to wonder how much other players really practice ..
While not on tour I practice at least 4 hours every day , but i also think its very important to practice with other people.
So , how often and how much do you practice ?
Of course , this depends on if you are a Pro , Study , ambitions and so on .
And what do you guys practice ?
And whats your definition of practicing , just fooling around playing songs or systematical practicing scales , harmonics and so on ?

Take care ,
Ale

[Snarf]

Generally go for 2 hours daily, switching every day between double bass and slab. I'm at Berklee, so I'm studying, with pro ambitions.

I don't really practice scales, just play them to warm up. I already know them, I don't need to spend any real time on them. Practicing on upright means a LOT of walking and blowing over changes at all different speeds. On electric, it's some of that, as well as "groove training," and reading.

[Nipper]

Everyday, at least 2 hours. We all take a CD home to learn songs, rehearse once a week. I am 47, been doing this loooong time and still need all the practice I can get.

[Ale]

Yeah Snarf , i do pretty much the same , warm up with scales , then reading and fingertecnique and other stuff.
I usualy start of with 2 hours EB , than i switch to DB for some hours .

[mike phillips]

2 hours every day. weekends even more practice time. i practice the songs im learnin. songs i know and theory. i have been playin for a little over a year and im 43.

[McHack]

I practice every day, which could range from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.

I rehearse once a week... 2-3 hour blocks.

[fish slapper]

I'm a hobby player that plays electric in a rock band and DB in a jazz quartet. Since I've only been at the DB a year, that gets the vast majority of my practice time. I aim for an hour a day, but count band rehearsals as good enough for that day. I do about 20 minutes of warm up on a gig day.

As my teacher says, "I miss one day of practice; I notice. I miss two; the band notices. Three and everybody notices."

[bassbully43]

Just about everyday from 1-3 hours depending on the wife ,chores etc. Band practice is every Friday for 4 hours and gigs 1-3 a months 4 hours. I mostly go over our songs or songs to learn by CD with a tascam bass trainer or boombox.

[Poop-Loops]

Where's the "not enough" option?

I try to get in an hour a day, but I get bored VERY easily (especially since I'm not learning anything fascinating right now). So I split up my time to 2 or 3 shorter periods. Sometimes one of those periods ends up missing...

[Siggy_Bass]

SInce I go to a musicacademy (or atleast sort of ) I play about 5-6 hours a day actually.. or maybe more, hard to keep track on really

[velvetkevorkian]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Where's the "not enough" option?

So true
edit- true for me that is, not aimed at you at all Poop-Loops!

[00Funk]

Right now, 7 hrs a day. I want to slap as good as Stanley Clarke

In my 20's and 30's I hardly practiced at all. Being a dope feind and all.

At age 45 I have to hurry if Im going to be good.

I hear Stanley use to practce 7 hrs a day when he first started

[Marcus]

Everyday... but in short durations. I simply do not have the time to shed for a solid amount of time between school, work, and so on.

[fryBASS]

my "practice" is kinda weird. its not really "practice." i dont like sit down in a room and just play bass for like 2 hrs or something. what i do is, go on the computer ( have an amp right next to it), just do stuff on that, and inbetween games/posting stuff/ waiting stuff to load, i just play stuff, either what i'm listening to, or just whatever. this can go on for many hours at a time (yeah, who needs the outdoors! ).

sometimes i dont even play it, i just keep it sitting in my lap while i do stuff. its kind of a habbit now come to think of it... "oh i'm going on the computer *pulls out bass* "
for instance, right now i have my bass out, just sitting in my lap, while i type. then when i'm done with this, i'll go back and keep on playing "The Ol Diamondback Sturgeon - Primus" cuz thats what's playing right now.

anyone else kinda like that?

[Peter Squire]

+1 Not Enough.

Couple of times a week. Sometimes more.

[RLT]

Five seems about right. But, I'm retired so I do it for fun. Playing helps me to relax.

[ras1983]

probably just over an hour a day... i mainly do technical excersises in that practice session. any playing along to songs or jamming with bands is not included in that hour for me. thats done at another time.

[patrickj]

about 2-3 hours a day, but broken up all over the day (itunes -> pod -> bass all connected)

[Nojja]

Well, I sit by the computer with the EB in my lap for the most.
Then i surf and everything i do with the computaaah.

And i always gets hooked on playing tabs for half an hour.
Then i surf a little bit more.
Play, surf, Play,
Play while im surfing.
Starting to play to a song i just heard.
I never ever, just sits with the bass and starts to play, cuz i mean i dont have any books with notes or tablatures.
So iTunes and bassmasta is my friends.

[markjazzbassist]

i practice for 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. this does not include gigs. if i have a gig or practice, that just counts as bonus practice.

i spend a lot of time practicing, but i have been noticing that it has been paying off lately.