Everyday Practice or Take a Break?

[Dr. Cheese]

I finally got the rythmn of the concluding vamp of River People. I can finally put it all together. This will be the first Jaco composition I have learned from beginning to end instead of a few riffs here and there.

What really gets me is that often I play a piece better if I don’t play it for a day or two. Anyone else like this?

 

[fearceol]

Totally agree. Going at things tooth and nail for hours on end is counter productive. I have always found that little and often is the best option. Taking a total break for a day or so, now and then is also a good thing IMO.

Congratulations on nailing your project.

 

[two fingers]

A few weeks ago I was doing a show. A friend got up to jam. He called a song I hadn't played in 20 years. I had made a couple tiny mistakes on songs I had just learned. I nailed note-for-note the song I hadn't played in 20 years. So..... yes?

 

[BassChuck]

As you learn, remember to learn how you learn. There are some days when the body and mind say, 'this isn't happening right now'. Know that feeling. Save your time and go do something else.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I try to pick up the bass every day. Some days I play longer, sometimes I just play a few scales or songs. But yes, practicing hard every day can burn you out.

 

[Goatrope]

Yes, I always benefit from a little break. I learn best when I practice in short bursts. If I’m learning something difficult, I do better after having slept on it. Long, intense sessions don’t do it for me.

Could be age. Could be wisdom.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Way back in 1985, I was in a band and we were making a demo tape. It was early in the morning and we kept screwing up a ballad. Finally, me and another member said it is 3:45 and we have to work in a few hours and we left. The rest of the had to leave even though they did not want to. The next evening, we got the song right on the first take.

 

[petrus61]

There’s something to be said for taking a step back sometimes and like Doc, I’ll often return to a piece with a fresh approach that puts it over the top.

 

[Skeezix]

Frustration is not your friend.
Mistakes tend to snowball.

​

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Frustration is not your friend.
Mistakes tend to snowball.

​

Thread!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I think for me practice can be broken down into two categories: exercises that condition muscle and your mind like scales and arpeggios; and simples etudes; plus intonation drills for fretless; the second are compositions. Learning compositions can be draining and should not be overdone because of diminishing returns.

 

[RichardW]

I do the NY Times crosswords several times a week. There have been many times when I've put down a puzzle in frustration, only to come back some time later and have the answers practically flow out of my pen.

Same thing with bass. If you're hitting a wall, come back later.

 

[TheReceder]

I think about practicing everyday...

 

[Bunk McNulty]

From Mr. Wiki:

Incubation is one of the four proposed stages of creativity, which are preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification.[1] Incubation is defined as a process of unconscious recombination of thought elements that were stimulated through conscious work at one point in time, resulting in novel Invalid Link Removed at some later point in time.[2] Incubation is related to intuition and insight in that it is the unconscious part of a process whereby an intuition may become validated as an insight. Incubation substantially increases the odds of solving a problem, and benefits from long incubation periods with low cognitive workloads.[3]

The experience of leaving a problem for a period of time and then finding that the difficulty evaporates on returning to the problem, or, even more striking, that the solution "comes out of the blue" when thinking about something else, is widespread. Many guides to effective thinking and problem solving advise the reader to set problems aside for a time.

 

[SmokinJoe992]

When I am learning a part that is given me trouble sometimes working on something else for even 15 minutes and then coming back to it helps, and sometimes you need to leave it alone for a day or two.

 

[lfmn16]

I finally got the rythmn of the concluding vamp of River People. I can finally put it all together. This will be the first Jaco composition I have learned from beginning to end instead of a few riffs here and there.

What really gets me is that often play a piece better if I don’t play it for a day or two. Anyone else like this?

I've been like this since high school; practice until it starts getting worse, take a day off the piece come back and it's exponentially better. I practice every day, just not the same things.

 

[BOOG]

I finally got the rythmn of the concluding vamp of River People. I can finally put it all together. This will be the first Jaco composition I have learned from beginning to end instead of a few riffs here and there.

What really gets me is that often play a piece better if I don’t play it for a day or two. Anyone else like this?

yes, I definitely have to walk away from it and either work on something else or flat out take a break. I feel guilty if I don't touch my bass for a day but sometimes, not touching it for two or three days brings me back refreshed and looser and ready to find the groove I couldn't before. Also, it helps me to just study it academically for a couple of days before trying it practically.
btw... as always, nice playing. you've got solid chops!

 

[74hc]

I call my procrastination of daily practice "taking a break". I do have two back to back rehearsals tonight.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I've found that walking away and coming back to it later works for almost anything I do. I have beat my head against a wall for hours with no success and come back later to find the answer right in front of me. Like in a previous post, frustration can defeat you, so best to walk away.

 

[B-Lo]

I think about practicing everyday...

Definitely this for me. Life has a funny way of ensuring I don't practice everyday even though I may think about it.