How much do you practice; how much could you practice?

[Dr. Cheese]

Great players practice, a lot. I think the most tired myth is the gifted player. Many of us are gifted, how many of us put in the time to near our potential? Lately, I have been getting an hour in when it is too late to be most effective. I am not teaching for about eight weeks. I could practice 4 hours a day when I am wide awake and still research and write. I am about to put this phone down and hit the shed.

 

[Reedt2000]

I don't get to shed anywhere near as much as when I was younger. Part of why I play in a couple bands is to insure I play regularly and at least maintain a lot of what I've got.

 

[eJake]

We could all practice more... Fwiw to me it comes down to how much one wants to get better at the things that they're not good at. Do u want to hit your gig and hold it down like you been doing? Or you want to be a bad mof@#&er?

 

[foal30]

I can practise less if what I practise is good practise

 

[fearceol]

I can practise less if what I practise is good practise

This. ^^^

Short but regular periods of focused and constructive practice is better than longer bouts of "casual" practice. Little and often is the key.

 

[BassChuck]

Practice enough to feed your talent, not your OCD.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

I've always played in good ole boy bands or at church. How much do I practice? Understand I'm 83 years old.

Depends on the song. I get the song list for Sunday's service sometime during the week. I'll pull the fake chord sheet music on those songs - we all keep our sheet music at home - and then look them over and if we have played them several times in the past I'll move on. If there is one or two I have not played in awhile I'll put the sheet music on the stand and play along to a video of those songs. So I practice what needs practicing.

We practice an hour before service each Sunday going over all seven songs we will be using.

Used to play in a Country band where we played the same 35-40 songs over and over and had been doing that once a week at different places for 15 plus years. No one practiced we just warmed up and got going.

First and second Tuesday we played here in town, third Tuesday we went to Lindale, forth Tuesday found us in Quitman and if there was a 5th Tuesday we were in Grand Saline.

After 15 years, the excitement did go away... Now days I only play Sundays at church.

 

[DWBass]

I don't practice enough. I mainly grab my bass when I'm learning a song. I'll work on it until it's embedded in my brain. As for scales and such, I don't practice them anymore.

 

[Groove Master]

Practicing is the key but you have to know what you want to practice. Fix some goals. 4 hours a day for 8 weeks can really make a difference to reach a new level of playing.

 

[JRA]

at 68: my practice is intended to maintain what i have...have left! YMMV

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Great players practice, a lot. I think the most tired myth is the gifted player. Many of us are gifted, how many of us put in the time to near our potential? Lately, I have been getting an hour in when it is too late to be most effective. I am not teaching for about eight weeks. I could practice 4 hours a day when I am wide awake and still research and write. I am about to put this phone down and hit the shed.

I dont know about "practice" for say, but I play a couple hours a day.

 

[kesslari]

I have several other major life commitments which limit the amount of practice I can get. On a good day I get an hour.
With that said, I'm pretty focused about what I practice, and I get a lot out of the time that I have.

 

[FunkHead]

I practice 2 hours each day. It’s all I can squeeze in

 

[Luciferiad]

I try to practice an hour or two at least 3 days a week, and I could (and should) practice way more. I am...easily distracted.

 

[RustyAxe]

Great players practice, a lot. I think the most tired myth is the gifted player. Many of us are gifted, how many of us put in the time to near our potential? Lately, I have been getting an hour in when it is too late to be most effective. I am not teaching for about eight weeks. I could practice 4 hours a day when I am wide awake and still research and write. I am about to put this phone down and hit the shed.

I'm gigging pretty regularly (tonight and tomorrow night, for instance) with different bands. Been playing since 1967. I don't "practice" really ... I learn new songs.

 

[MrLenny1]

1.) Not enough
2) Not enough

 

[jdthebassman]

I get 3 to 4 hours a day the rest of the time I practice in my head.

 

[IamGroot]

I try for 4 hours a day on BG, building repertoire, some sight reading and ear training. Biggest obstacle is the internet temptation esp. TB. Studying theory on the side. Playing guitar. Should be playing DB but I am not.

 

[lz4005]

I've always played in good ole boy bands or at church. How much do I practice? Understand I'm 83 years old.

Depends on the song. I get the song list for Sunday's service sometime during the week. I'll pull the fake chord sheet music on those songs - we all keep our sheet music at home - and then look them over and if we have played them several times in the past I'll move on. If there is one or two I have not played in awhile I'll put the sheet music on the stand and play along to a video of those songs. So I practice what needs practicing.

We practice an hour before service each Sunday going over all seven songs we will be using.

Used to play in a Country band where we played the same 35-40 songs over and over and had been doing that once a week at different places for 15 plus years. No one practiced we just warmed up and got going.

First and second Tuesday we played here in town, third Tuesday we went to Lindale, forth Tuesday found us in Quitman and if there was a 5th Tuesday we were in Grand Saline.

After 15 years, the excitement did go away... Now days I only play Sundays at church.

There's a difference between practice, rehearsal and learning songs. None of the above is practice.

 

[Big Heavy Bass]

I don't practice as much or in the same way that I used to when I was younger.

I try to have my bass in my hands for at least an hour a day..that doesn't always work out but where as when I was younger if I wasn't moving my fingers I didn't think I was "practicing"..now I have a much broader picture. For instance I spent about thirty minutes this morning watching a youtube video on diminished scales from which I learned quite a bit..I also have an ear training app on my phone that I do during the day. I spent some time on equipment issues this morning.....I've come to learn that I can improve as a musician even when I'm not "playing" my bass.