You get home from a long day at work, and you’re exhausted. You know you probably can’t process much more information for the day but you you still want to practice/play… What do you play?
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What Do You Practice When You’re Exhausted After Work?
- Thread starter Matthew_84
- Start date
After hard work I practice noodling in front of tv
I did for years a law study in the evening after working hours. What I noticed that it important to have a regular schedule. I started always at 8 and continued to 9.30, whatever my mood or energy level was.
It works for me also with bass (but I do not have to practice 90 minutes each day, 30 minutes is the minimum). For me it is important to have different things to learn.
It works for me also with bass (but I do not have to practice 90 minutes each day, 30 minutes is the minimum). For me it is important to have different things to learn.
I don't have a lot of experience (yet), but after an exhausting day at work, I usually play for 15~20 minutes after dinner, just to train my hand flexibility and try not to stop my learning rhythm too much.
Me too. Play along with anything that comes on the telly. Or just noodle fills and make something up.
I’d practice something that is easy and creative. For me right now, I’m practicing rhythm patterns (from the Latin Bass Book) and trying to come up with nice, hypnotic grooves. I should be practicing my reading, but my head isn’t in it right now.
Once you find it, share your routine or approach back with us.
Once you find it, share your routine or approach back with us.
I practice putting my head on a pillow and closing my eyes.
If you work ten hours a day starting VERY early,you don't practice anything but sleep.
I practice,if at all,on the weekend.
If you work ten hours a day starting VERY early,you don't practice anything but sleep.
I practice,if at all,on the weekend.
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Biggest problem is getting your head there to actually practice, not just noodle around, although noodling a bit can help me get there. Usually, at the end of the day, I play along some tracks on iReal Pro or the tubez, stuff that the band is rehearising, something easy to get in the groove of it all. If I get there, I can start some real practice and maybe write some stuff. If I don't, well, at least I played a bit that day. I try not to put too much pressure on it, as long as I'm making some progress, slow as it may be, I'm good.
I would practice opening cans of beer.
I hope you get some good advice. When I had a job, I was a truck driver, so I had no sights set on playing when I got home.
I hope you get some good advice. When I had a job, I was a truck driver, so I had no sights set on playing when I got home.
I find this is biggest thing. The hardest part for me is deciding to crawl off the couch go to your practice room, strap on your bass, and start. Once I’m tuned up, plugged in, and have everything ready, playing is a breeze. I just kinda have to force myself to start.
What I’ve mostly been doing is just warming up with some scales, and gauging my attentiveness. If I’m okay, I’ll work on something (learning to read; work on really studying/memorizing a scale, arpeggio, or the chord tones of a certain progression; some technique, etc). If I feel like I’m a little cloudy, then just grab one of my music folders on my PC and shuffle the tunes and just try to play along. I won’t stop the music or stress out so much about getting it, but just trying to play along and play something that sounds okay and I’ll have a bit of fun with it.
I've tried getting into the habit of practicing a bit after work, but I work 12 hour shifts, and it's just not very productive I find. What's worked for me is getting up half an hour earlier (5am in my case) and getting half an hour of practice in then. I get much more out of my practice time, and I actually find getting out of bed easier, since I'm about to do something I really like.
I also find practicing new song's after work less productive but if I need to learn tunes for rehearsal I try to give 30-45min a day.[M-F]
I am at my best and most productive on weekend
I am at my best and most productive on weekend
I practice early in the AM through headphones, it is 5:55am right now.
I’ve been playing for 29 years and I’ll be honest here… I haven’t “practiced” in the last 20. When I get home, IF I have the strength and drive to play, I’ll open up itunes or YouTube and just play a few tunes I know. Then I’ll learn one I don’t know. Sometimes I choose an easy song to learn, but not always lol. It’s fun (for me) to mix it up with easy and difficult. I stay away from impossible stuff when it’s after work.
Lately I’ve been working on Stream of Consciousness by Dream Theater and Islands in the Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Both are very fun and I find A LOT of enjoyment in playing as precisely as possible something many struggle with especially on easy stuff. Give Yours If You Want It by Rascal Flatts a go. Easy, but rather difficult to play super cleanly and it’s a ton of fun imo.
Lately I’ve been working on Stream of Consciousness by Dream Theater and Islands in the Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Both are very fun and I find A LOT of enjoyment in playing as precisely as possible something many struggle with especially on easy stuff. Give Yours If You Want It by Rascal Flatts a go. Easy, but rather difficult to play super cleanly and it’s a ton of fun imo.
One thing to add. For the last few years, I’ve been playing through my PC using headphones and sitting in an office chair to play. Basically my least preferred way to play (through headphones, not an amp; and sitting, not standing).
i was struggling to start playing today but realized how much I’d rather stand at least, so I unravelled the cables a bit more and stood to play. I still played through the headphones tonight but standing to play made it a much more enjoyable experience (I like to bop around as I play as it helps connect me to what I’m playing and seems to make my playing more fluid).
If any one of you have a similar setup and struggle to start playing at night, try changing it up a bit. Cheers
i was struggling to start playing today but realized how much I’d rather stand at least, so I unravelled the cables a bit more and stood to play. I still played through the headphones tonight but standing to play made it a much more enjoyable experience (I like to bop around as I play as it helps connect me to what I’m playing and seems to make my playing more fluid).
If any one of you have a similar setup and struggle to start playing at night, try changing it up a bit. Cheers
I do this too, but I have a bass in my hands. Been doing this for decades. Bass is always by the side of the bed, if I wake up.
Patterns. I really like playing patterns, don’t have to think too much about them, and I feel that any amount of playing patterns makes me a better player.
Scales, modes, pentatonic scales, all kinds of chords in all keys all over fretboard, cycle of fourths in each key using diatonic chords, different patterns in blues progressions in all keys . . .
There was a time when I would get the "waking state inspiration"
A musical line would pop into my mind.
I would bolt up and grab the bass before I forgot it.
A hack I found was getting up 2 hrs early just to practice, after being exhausted from work I just sleep 2 hrs early 
Can't follow It these days though
Discipline and making something else priority isn't easy for a grown up that's working.
Can't follow It these days though
Discipline and making something else priority isn't easy for a grown up that's working.Yep, but all I do is reach over in the dark and pull the bass over and lay back down flat. If there is ever a gig where you have to lay flat on the floor, I will kill it.
