Double Bass PRACTICING

[mcnaire2004]

From a physiological standpoint, practicing an instrument and practicing a sport are entirely different endeavors.

Playing football, say, requires one to learn to perform a skill while physically exhausted, as would happen in a game situation. So a coach tiring out the players before practicing the skill is appropriate.

Playing one's instrument requires learning fine coordination between the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. When those systems tire, our bodies recruit different or larger muscles than those we are trying to develop. Once that happens, we are no longer making progress in learning to play a particular passage properly.

Our bodies can learn over time to increase the endurance of the neuro-muscular link, but once our play starts to get at all sloppy during practice it is fruitless to continue.

From this standpoint, it is better to practice more often for shorter periods of time.

Tom

I can't disagree with you, you basically spoke the truth.

But, when you get tired, you don't have to play on like normal. Maybe you can slow things down since you are tired, then focus hard to be "perfect" at that slower speed. I think if we can do that than we would all improve.

I would have no problem stopping for a few minutes and going again to build endurance. Maybe do a combination of the two, or just one or another.

 

[moopants]

I've learned the hard way that if you don't practice enough, you lose your touch. At one time, I was practicing about 8 hours a day for three days, if any of you have heard of All-State. Well, I learned to play difficult passages that I never even thought I could play. I always played them even after that, but once I stopped, I learned I can't do it anymore. So, I when I practice, I always practice old things and new things so I never lose my touch. If there is something I never want to forget, I incorporate it in my practice. Also, I'm a bit weak on playing in the thumb position, so I play multi-octave scales to practice it, and sometimes I try to take anything I play an octave up in the thumb position and play it slow. Basically I just practice what I know I can't do.

 

[Stan Haskins]

Does anyone have any advise for working aults/folks with families about maintaining a practice schedule with limited time? Recently, due to work obligations, my students' concerts, and the family, I haven't been able to maintain my regular two hours or so of practice daily. I'm afraid I'll see my technique start to backslide.

What do you do if you can only afford 15 minutes or a half hour at a time?

Thanks.

 

[thedbassist]

Even if its only 30 minutes, its very beneficial to you. Just make sure that you're focused and don't have many distractions to make the most of your available practice time. Well, thats my opinion anyway

 

[damonsmith]

Does anyone have any advise for working aults/folks with families about maintaining a practice schedule with limited time? Recently, due to work obligations, my students' concerts, and the family, I haven't been able to maintain my regular two hours or so of practice daily. I'm afraid I'll see my technique start to backslide.

What do you do if you can only afford 15 minutes or a half hour at a time?

Thanks.

I would do each major and minor scale and a couple etudes, and then work on something really meaty like the Bach suites. Take your time, learn a hard phrase each day, and you can measure your progress well.

I did the 12 majors around the circle of 4ths and the minors chromatically ( I use to do it every day for years, and it slowly got phased out) as part of my warm up before a gig Friday and my Intonation was way better than usual on the gig.

 

[damonsmith]

Oh, and when you are relying on short practice sessions really try to never skip days.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Lots have said it before me but it's true that 10 minutes of highly focused practice a day will see more real improvement than two hours of playing scales thinking about football. Up until recently I've been working 60+ hours a week and the half hour I got in in most mornings really maintained things. I also very much agree that it becomes extra important as Ray Brown (and damonsmith) said to "never stop practicing".

jeff