How Much Time Do You Actually Play Bass?

Dr. Cheese · #1 05-14-2007, 10:00 AM

Lately, I am doing good to get in a half an hour late at night after the kids are in bed. That is not counting rehearsals with the choir. When I think about how little time I actually spend playing, it really makes me question buying anymore gear since I really don't play the two basses I currently own that much.

Anybody else want to comment on their amount of playing time?

terrelli721 · #2 05-14-2007, 10:02 AM

Being a firefighter with a lot of downtime. I would say usually about 4 hours or so a day, broken up into little 1 hour periods.

BassChuck · #3 05-14-2007, 10:16 AM

Now that I'm in a band I practice as much as I can. Pretty much 2-3 hours a day. I take it to school (I teach) and play during lunch hour and before school. I do a lot at home.

Lately I've been wanting to play mostly fretless, so thats what I practice, the fretted basses only come out at gigs. I've found that the frettless practice really helps the fretted playing, mostly in terms of finger technique and fret noise.

SteveC · #4 05-14-2007, 10:45 AM

I can get about 30 - 60 minutes in when my wife is getting the baby ready for bed. It doesn't happen every night, but a few nights a week.

I'm in 2 bands that practice when we need to and can. We'd like to do more, but wife, kids, work, etc. take a lot of time.

Because of the amount I gig (anywhere from 2 - 6 times a month) and church a couple Sunday's a month, I have really thinned out my gear. I am fortunate to play almost every gig with some kind of PA, so I just use a combo amp for monitoring and for small stand alone gigs. I have one bass that works for everything I do - fretted 5. I also have a PodXT that I toy around with, a couple Boss pedals, and a nice Radial JDI for a DI. I have found that for almost all my gigs, this is plenty. There are gigs every once in a while that make me think I need more, but I get by for now. I can't justify a big rig for 5% of our gigs when what I have gets me by for the other 95% of them.

Sarbecue Boss · #5 05-14-2007, 11:23 AM

my practice schedule varies because of my job, but without counting 3-4 hour rehearsals with a death metal band 2-3 times a week, I average 2-3 hours a day

dave64o · #6 05-14-2007, 12:12 PM

If I spent half the time I spend surfing TB actually practicing instead of surfing ....

I've been busy with a lot of other things in the last month or so and I haven't had much time to practice at all. Before that I was getting about 30-45 minutes about 4 times a week.

markjazzbassist · #7 05-14-2007, 01:09 PM

about 2-3 hours a day 6 days a week.

Dr. Cheese · #8 05-15-2007, 09:33 AM

I got my half hour in again last night. One way I get some extra time in is to take my basses to work, and play then at lunch time at a local store where I do a fair amount of business.

brianrost · #9 05-15-2007, 10:44 AM

These days I am out 2-4 nights a week gigging.

On off nights sometimes I get an hour or two of practice time in, but more often I don't (time spent with family instead).

Right now I'm shedding two CDs of tunes for some upcoming gigs with a new (for me) band so I've been putting in 2-3 hours a night when I'm home but that's just a temporary crunch.

Yngwie 4String · #10 05-15-2007, 10:51 AM

When Im not at work Im playing, and I even take it and play without amplification during breaks.

Mojo-Man · #11 05-15-2007, 06:05 PM

About and hr. a day.

labgnat · #12 05-15-2007, 06:23 PM

haven't been playing bass since i got a new guitar. don't play more than an hour tho cause of wrist aches.

mike phillips · #13 05-15-2007, 06:24 PM

2 hours a day. alot more on weekends

Yvon · #14 05-15-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike phillips

2 hours a day. alot more on weekends

about the same here.
1 to 2 hours a day and on the week end a lot more, sometimes up to 10 hours if I'm working on something.

CamMcIntyre · #15 05-16-2007, 04:12 PM

It varies quite a bit for me. During the school year [i'm a music major] i get right around 3 hours a day during the week if i have a full class load & work that day. If it's a light day, more.

Now that i'm in Summer-it has varied depending on when i wake up. I've played for as much as 8 hours and as little as 1 hour. I need to setup a routine so that i can be efficient. I plan on including piano, ear training, and practice on both basses into it. Essentially-i'd like to setup my own "music camp" schedule for myself.

**j-raj** · #16 05-17-2007, 10:57 AM

well yesterday nearly 13 hours... Had to shed most of an album in the morning for a Hip-hop studio session... had a 4 hour studio gig, came home and learnt some country tunes and had a 3 hour rehearsal later that evening...

...on most days, anywhere between 4-6 hours daily (rehearsal,studio or gig permitting).

Chad.mundt · #17 05-19-2007, 12:23 AM

I practice 2 - 5 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week, depending on mood, schedule, pressures, etc.

That doesn't count rehearsals (3+ 5 days a week), classes, teaching lessons, getting lessons, gigs, etc.

Who here actually PRACTICES, which to me means focusing entirely on improving something that you are playing, as opposed to just playing/watching TV and calling it practice.

tycobb73 · #18 05-19-2007, 06:12 AM

After the kid goes to bed and the wife hops in the shower I put my bass through my basstrainer with headphones learning covers about an hour a day.

BillyB_from_LZ · #19 05-21-2007, 07:46 PM

My back has been pretty sucky since November so I play about 30 minutes a week...maybe. Sad, very sad.

Sucky back kept me away from the GTG at Lakland last Saturday, away from the Lane Baldwin/Eden clinic at a local Sam Ash last month and the second Bx3 show a few months ago. Sucky backs suck!!!

ryco · #20 05-21-2007, 08:13 PM

I hardly practice at all anymore.

Usually 1+ hrs in the morning before work and weekends - basically everyday

On weekends and days off I get in another hour in the afternoon

I don't take my bass on vacation or trips anymore

For myself I don't count gigs, rehearsals or jamming as practice. But that don't mean you can't.