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Everyday Practice or Take a Break?

#22
I do most of my practicing in my head. By the time I get to picking up my instrument, I find that I've already got at least 50% of a song laid out and it's just a matter of reminding my fingers where to go, and getting the nuances and any musical pylons out of the way. I recognize that this method may not work for everyone but it's something to consider; I've never had much success in sitting there, trying to force myself to concentrate on parts. Internalizing the song first has always worked better.

EDIT: It's probably worth pointing out that my job is a session musician, and I'm generally not trying to learn Jaco-type stuff.
 
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#23
A practice session is a practice session - "but there be good n' bad" as the pirates used to say.

There are those times when I'll plug in, sit down, pop open the book or whatever and…to borrow a phrase from a friend of mine's 7-year old daughter:"That is sooooo not gonna happen."

When it's one of those days, I just shut it all down, put the bass back on the stand, and go do something else. As one of my bass teachers said: Tired is stupid. Angry is stupid. Frustrated is stupid. If your head is being stupid - then put it down and walk away. Let yourself recharge and give yourself some time to rediscover the magic. Don't force it and it'll always come back.

Last night I sat down with my new fretless. Up until last night I couldn't play a note wrong on it if I wanted to. But last night my intonation was godawful and my touch was completely off. Made that beautiful bass sound like total junk. However, I knew from previous experience the best thing I can do when a bass turns on me and I can't get it back in five or ten minutes is to bag it for the rest of the night. So I did.

I'm sure that whatever the problem I was having last night will have sorted itself out by next time and I'll start moving forward again.
 
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#25
I will practice and "work" if I have some recording coming up. Weak performance on recording can haunt one forever, and excellent execution and expression can be timeless. If I am trying to add something super technical (like a crazy will with super fast tapping), I will practice it till right. Aside from that I dont estress much. I been playing for like 20y at this point, my sabor is what it is.
 
#27
Contrary to some here, i come from a classical violin university music background. Super competitive, technical skill must be flawless with the most challenging music, etc. Practicing PROPERLY for hours on end every day is the only way to compete in that case.... and it is not counterproductive... it really does work.

But practicing rules must be followed... such as, only play your music, ir small part of your song, as fast as you can play it absolutely perfectly, and then play it like that dozens of times and then move on. Every day or two you will be able to speed up the perfect playing of each section a tiny bit. That's how to build technical skill, accuracy, and various skills on your instrument, as well as learning to play music you previously weren't comfortable with.

For most rock playing that isn't strictly necessary, but it depends on your personal and professional goals for your musical career, and what the competition is like.

And yes... take breaks or you'll get sloppy and practice it wrong over and over, effectively teaching yourself to play it wrong.
 
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#29
The only practice I really feel compelled to do every day is finding the notes' actual centers on fretless fingerboards, both upright and EBG. If I don't, I find that this adage rings true: "Miss one day of practice and you know it. Miss two days and your bandmates know it. Miss three days and everybody knows it."
 
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#31
I find that doing "mental reps" and listening to the pieces is important when learning new material for a concert, especially for counting and feeling any syncopated parts, and working out fingerings for complicated passages or less common keys. I typically take the day off from playing after lesson and rehearsal, now both on Mondays. Lets the creaky parts rest a bit and is a good mental reps day.
 
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#33
Like anything else, you need a break. I remember one day when I couldn't get the handlebar pod back together on my motorcycle after lubing the cables. Spent an hour on it. WTH?! Done it a million times. Walked away and came back later, and it just slipped right into place. (Unless it was the handlebar gnomes? I thought I heard giggling over in the corner).

Or like when I was trying to get my acoustic guitar chops back up to speed after buying a new guitar. Played every day for a full hour or more for nearly a month. Then I missed about a week-and-a-half. Oh crap, I thought. But no, when I came back I played better than ever.
 
#34
Daily practice with 45 to 50 minutes on each "concept" for total of three to three and a halfish hours a day 24/7/365! Can you say ... addiction! :-D I've got an instructor so that make it easy to know what to work on. Which means I don't waist a lot of time on what to do. Joe says you only need 100 minutes a day, but everyday. (To be honest that's only for the last two and half years that I've played bass and been taking lessons. So when I've got five years in the bank on that schedule, I'll check back!)
 
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#35
fishdreams said:
I try to practice every day if I can even if only for 10 mins. That said, I may be practicing different things from day to day. I do find it refreshing to study repertoire off and on (certainly not the same piece say-in-day-out).
Click to expand...

Same here, practice every day, never the same stuff. Of course the setlist is important but if I hear a song on the radio I'll probably give it a go and write it up in the evening
 
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#36
Dr. Cheese said:


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?
Click to expand...

Years ago a friend and I had this same discussion, about how it seems as if you play better after an extended break. I said, utilizing that theory never playing would make you the best in the world...;)
 
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#37
I teach a science class on the brain and we learned that the brain, during rest, will take what you have learned and like a computer will "defragment" it and more efficiently store and hardwire this knowledge. I think this might explain learning something and then taking a break. Learning right before sleep will also enhance your learning.

I encountered this recently when learning a Led Zep song. I spent hours on the fast chorus part in Ramble On for several days in a row (spring break and bored) and just couldn't master it. My brain and my fingers couldn't get it to sound right no matter how long I practiced. Then I took a break for two days. On the first try back my playing was much better than any of the times before. Still not perfect though ;)

I
 
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#38
dkelley said:
Contrary to some here, i come from a classical violin university music background. Super competitive, technical skill must be flawless with the most challenging music, etc. Practicing PROPERLY for hours on end every day is the only way to compete in that case.... and it is not counterproductive... it really does work.

But practicing rules must be followed... such as, only play your music, ir small part of your song, as fast as you can play it absolutely perfectly, and then play it like that dozens of times and then move on. Every day or two you will be able to speed up the perfect playing of each section a tiny bit. That's how to build technical skill, accuracy, and various skills on your instrument, as well as learning to play music you previously weren't comfortable with.

For most rock playing that isn't strictly necessary, but it depends on your personal and professional goals for your musical career, and what the competition is like.

And yes... take breaks or you'll get sloppy and practice it wrong over and over, effectively teaching yourself to play it wrong.
Click to expand...
This is how I was taught (errr,trained) as a kid.

At that time, it was not a prudent approach to my learning/interest. It burned me out, bummed me out and cast me out because I was "not doing what it took to be good enough".

Ahh, the good old days :bawl: That prescribed approach by my teachers and parents was counterproductive to gaining and maintaining the enthusiasm of an adolescent.

Flash forward 35 years and approaching 50 years old and I would gladly accept that approach if it weren't for a career and family that demands and deserves a fair and significant amount of time and energy. And no, I am not very interested in playing orchestral music and seldom work on learning any of it. I learn and play what I'm interested in listening to.

I will say, now that my old man has retired and gotten back into music after being away since college years, he religiously practices everyday, three hours per day and is involved with two projects at any one time and also the occasional invitation to solo or duet with piano accompaniment. Yeah, he's semi pro level and doesn't get paid a nickel for any of it. But, he's damn good.

My point is, at a competitive level and as a "working" (paid or not) musician you better have that drive and determination to "be the best" (which is never a true statement because,there's always going to be someone better) or you will lose gigs and sessions and concert chairs. To be a musician and enjoy doing it, and have others (band mates) enjoy being around you doing it, taking a break is not a bad idea.
 
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