Whats your guess?
BTW, this article says it takes 10,000 hrs to learn to play sax.
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BTW, this article says it takes 10,000 hrs to learn to play sax.
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How many hours to learn bass?
- Thread starter IamGroot
- Start date
Learn to what level? I've been playing for decades and I'm still learning.
Good question. It depends on the person, the type of music and the level they are trying to achieve. Doesn't take long to get into some easier tunes but if you want to learn how to read and be able to play in a professional setting you need to have dedication and put in lots of hours every week.
10,000 hours is 3.5 years if you practice 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. I think it's a bit too much.
My son plays sax and practiced about 12 hours a week. After 2 years he played his first tour, he didn't have to do more than a few songs that featured the sax but he could read competently but now needs to get into a band that plays regularly to develop further.
I think that in 5 or 6 years he'll become very competent and would be able to fit into any gig with ease but you never stop learning. I've been playing over 40 years, still practice daily and still find some stuff challenging.
Tunes that I've done before though are like auto pilot because I've played them enough to internalize them.
10,000 hours is 3.5 years if you practice 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. I think it's a bit too much.
My son plays sax and practiced about 12 hours a week. After 2 years he played his first tour, he didn't have to do more than a few songs that featured the sax but he could read competently but now needs to get into a band that plays regularly to develop further.
I think that in 5 or 6 years he'll become very competent and would be able to fit into any gig with ease but you never stop learning. I've been playing over 40 years, still practice daily and still find some stuff challenging.
Tunes that I've done before though are like auto pilot because I've played them enough to internalize them.
Bingo... I can better estimate the number of hours it takes, after I'm 6' under.
Wait a sec...
I started in 1966. Last week I learned something new.
For the record , I was able to play in a band after a couple of weeks. I had a few months of guitar before that. I am still nowhere near mastering either instrument.
For the record , I was able to play in a band after a couple of weeks. I had a few months of guitar before that. I am still nowhere near mastering either instrument.
I started in '64, so I've now got it nailed, those extra 2 years made all the difference...I started in 1966. Last week I learned something new.
For the record , I was able to play in a band after a couple of weeks. I had a few months of guitar before that. I am still nowhere near mastering either instrument.
Part of the great beauty of music is that it's inexhaustibly deep. The longer I play, the more I realize how much I don't know, despite learning more everyday. How long to proficiency is individual.
FWIW, the 10,000 hour “rule” is bunk. And I like a lot of Gladwell’s stuff.
As always, the answer is: “it depends”.
For example, I taught myself how to play pedal steel guitar and was gigging on it a few months after starting. But I had 35 or so years of playing a bunch of other instruments under my belt when I started that. Don’t think it would have been as quick to learn if I didn’t have that foundation.
But it’ll take a lifetime of playing pedal steel before I get “real good” at it.
As always, the answer is: “it depends”.
For example, I taught myself how to play pedal steel guitar and was gigging on it a few months after starting. But I had 35 or so years of playing a bunch of other instruments under my belt when I started that. Don’t think it would have been as quick to learn if I didn’t have that foundation.
But it’ll take a lifetime of playing pedal steel before I get “real good” at it.
10,000 hours is approx 5 years if you do 8 hours a day 5 days a week with some time off. Just like work.
There is a general rule of thumb that for most new endeavors, it takes the average person 5 years to gain a level of proficiency. That's for proficiency, not greatness. (That's a generalization of course. Some take less, some take much more, and greatness can take a lifetime)
There is a general rule of thumb that for most new endeavors, it takes the average person 5 years to gain a level of proficiency. That's for proficiency, not greatness. (That's a generalization of course. Some take less, some take much more, and greatness can take a lifetime)
I learned all of Zeppelin II in about 2 weeks. That was over 40 years ago. Today I am still learning and improving.
I am going to say I averaged about 30 hours per week playing time over the last 42 years or so.
So 30 X 42 X 52 = 65,520 hours and I still suck in many ways.
I bet with the right teacher you could become world-class in a few hundred hours or less.
I am going to say I averaged about 30 hours per week playing time over the last 42 years or so.
So 30 X 42 X 52 = 65,520 hours and I still suck in many ways.
I bet with the right teacher you could become world-class in a few hundred hours or less.
I have been playing over 60 yrs, maybe 25 years in bass.I started in 1966. Last week I learned something new.
For the record , I was able to play in a band after a couple of weeks. I had a few months of guitar before that. I am still nowhere near mastering either instrument.
Bach shows me something new every day.
How many hours to learn bass? All of them.
About an hour and a half! That should cover it!
- Oct 18, 2012
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Everybody is different. I have a friend who started playing guitar in the late 1970s. He took lessons and practiced more than any other musician I knew at that time. He never got good enough to play in a band, not even a garage band. I picked up guitar and bass very quickly. It seemed to come naturally and I was gigging in less than a year.
I've always compared learning an instrument to being an athlete. Not in terms of strength and endurance, but in the sense that they both require commitment, dedication and practice. However, if being a great athlete was just a matter of practice, we could all play in the NHL, NFL, MLB or NBA. Same is true for being proficient on an instrument. If it was just a matter of practice, we could all be a virtuoso. The fact is that you must also have some natural ability. A good teacher and practice will help develop your natural ability but if you do not have some level of natural ability, it will be difficult to improve.
If you are not enjoying playing, don't do it. You will only get frustrated. Find something else. Maybe you're not a good bass player but you might be a great drummer, keyboard player or sax player. In the case of my friend, he went to school to become a sound engineer and got involved in mixing and producing. We are all good at something. Sometimes, we are not good at the things we enjoy doing or the things wish we could do.
I've always compared learning an instrument to being an athlete. Not in terms of strength and endurance, but in the sense that they both require commitment, dedication and practice. However, if being a great athlete was just a matter of practice, we could all play in the NHL, NFL, MLB or NBA. Same is true for being proficient on an instrument. If it was just a matter of practice, we could all be a virtuoso. The fact is that you must also have some natural ability. A good teacher and practice will help develop your natural ability but if you do not have some level of natural ability, it will be difficult to improve.
If you are not enjoying playing, don't do it. You will only get frustrated. Find something else. Maybe you're not a good bass player but you might be a great drummer, keyboard player or sax player. In the case of my friend, he went to school to become a sound engineer and got involved in mixing and producing. We are all good at something. Sometimes, we are not good at the things we enjoy doing or the things wish we could do.
It depends on how much time you waste tooling around on Talkbass.
- Jan 26, 2014
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Been working on Led Zeppelin II for over 25 years off and on and still refining it. I think I've finally nailed "The Lemon Song" and 'Heartbreaker".
And the more I know, the less I understand.
