You don't have an option small enough. I rarely practice.
What I do frequently do is rehearse, for gigs, which is very different.
What I do frequently do is rehearse, for gigs, which is very different.
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Poll: how many days a week do you practice?
- Thread starter 13bass
- Start date
I differentiate practice from playing for enjoyment. If you want to consider recreational play as adding to one's overall competence, then I practice about 5 days a week.
If one only considers practice to include learning and/or improving for performance or a band meet, I'd estimate about 3 days a week.
If one only considers practice to include learning and/or improving for performance or a band meet, I'd estimate about 3 days a week.
It's pretty rare that I don't practice every day. Mind you, while I do run some scales most days most of my "practice" is playing along with songs to just keep them in my head (i'm really good at forgetting chord progressions) while trying some different leading lines or fills.
By rehearse, do you mean that you only play your bass while others are playing with you? In my mind, rehearsal is what the band does together, but practice also includes, but isn't limited to, the stuff I do with the bass when I'm by myself. So for me, prepping for a show on my own is practice. Getting the band together to play that material is rehearsal, but it's also practice. Playing a show is also both practice and rehearsal, especially if there's not much audience
When I was a young hippie it was every day. 40 years later I do nothing that could be honestly called practice.
I practice rarely. I rehearse infrequently. I record when I'm inspired to. I noodle when I feel like it.
Most of my productive time dedicated to music is spent simply listening to it and absorbing it so that I can twist it around and make something creative out of that experience when it's called for.
It seems to work for me. YMMV.
Most of my productive time dedicated to music is spent simply listening to it and absorbing it so that I can twist it around and make something creative out of that experience when it's called for.
It seems to work for me. YMMV.
Between bands, nascent bands, recording projects, and trying out different pedal combos, I never "practice", but I play nearly every day.
But I never practice because, as all y'all know, I'm perfect, and my momma tells me so.
But I never practice because, as all y'all know, I'm perfect, and my momma tells me so.
That's plenty of practice. In my 20's I was playing out 4-5 nights a week and I never touched my bass otherwise, but all that playing sure was good practice. The only time we rehearsed was when we wanted to add a new song to our repertoire.Between bands, nascent bands, recording projects, and trying out different pedal combos, I never "practice", but I play nearly every day.
But I never practice because, as all y'all know, I'm perfect, and my momma tells me so.
At one of the master's classes I attended years ago the presenter said that you should practice as often as you eat. One of the other students asked him; "what hobbies do you have?". After a long pause he said 'I had a dog once'.
6 days a week. 1 hr in AM reading notation and studying theory and 2hrs in PM working on scales, technique, rythm and new tunes.
You got it. I tend not to play very much otherwise. If my band was bringing in unfamiliar material that I'd never heard before, I'd practice that, but we don't...so I don't. If I've heard it I can play it, and with an average of 5-6 gigs per month plus the occasional rehearsal, I get more than enough playing time as it is.
Used to practice a lot when I was a kid, of course, but if you learn what you're practicing you lose the need to practice a lot after a while.
Probably about 15 to 20 minutes in a day, once or twice a week. Sometimes less than that. I could never sit there and run scales and modes for hours on end, it would drive me nuts. I know enough to play with my Tom Petty tribute, and I can play a bunch of 70s classic rock songs, and that's good enough for me right now.
About 60 to 90 minutes a day, 5 to 6 days a week.
My practice routine is 5 to 10 minutes of fingering practice (major minor scales and modes, up and down the neck). This is the "warm up" session. Then reading and play etudes for 30 minutes or so. Lastly, I learn new song or play along with my band's songs list for another 30 minutes or so.
I work from home, so I can practice any time I want to but I only practice during lunch hour or after the market is closed.
My practice routine is 5 to 10 minutes of fingering practice (major minor scales and modes, up and down the neck). This is the "warm up" session. Then reading and play etudes for 30 minutes or so. Lastly, I learn new song or play along with my band's songs list for another 30 minutes or so.
I work from home, so I can practice any time I want to but I only practice during lunch hour or after the market is closed.
My problem right now is laying in bed trying to sleep but instead going through the modes, cycles and chord progressions I'm learning.
Some days I think I will pass on practice but come 3PM I drift back to my office and put in my two hours. I feel guilty if I don't practice.
Some days I think I will pass on practice but come 3PM I drift back to my office and put in my two hours. I feel guilty if I don't practice.
I try to play every day, but I haven’t sat down for a structured practice in a LONG time. I have some projects coming up, so I’ll be working harder this year than last year.
