-
Experiencing live music is essential. Call it the necessary complement to time in the practice room. It's one of the reasons to pick a city that has an active live music scene if you're serious about your own music.
Originally Posted by kris
I lived in a city where there was regular music at the highest level. I was surprised that despite the huge number of music students, there WASN'T a large presence of students in the clubs. Those that were there though, they were the names and faces that became the players to watch.
I moved to a city that doesn't have a live music presence of jazz on a regular basis. There may be people here who practice music, there's even a jam that one can attend, but I don't hear the sense of revelation and personal expression that comes AFTER a lot of practice. ...they've gone to NY as soon as they could. They play there and they certainly don't count the hours.
-
11-30-2024 09:17 AM
-
You can also practice away from the instrument, i.e., visualize the fretboard, how you'd play a phrase on it, and how it will sound. This can produce faster progress than only practicing with the instrument in hand because it requires greater focus.
Studies with athletes demonstrated that those whose practice routine was partly this sort of mental visualization advanced faster - sometimes much faster - than those who only engaged in physical practice of their sport.
-
I think that if you are serious about music you will have had long days practicing and playing maybe you still do?
There was a period when I did 8 hours a day of pure playing.
This included practicing for my classical guitar exams, practicing my own stuff, rehearsing for duo gigs, duo gigs, teaching.....
-
I think I can sincerely and honestly say that my love of music and guitar is unlimited, while my physical body is not! + I'm 65 years old... hence my goal, nowdays, is 4 hours each and every day, for as long as I'm able to sustain it. It's still a dream (I know I won't be able to do it, for about a year and I'll spare you the details about the reasons for thats). As of now I (very!) rarely get a chance to do it... though whenever I can, I divide it into two sessions of two hours each, setting the timer on my phone on 2 hours and interrupting it every time I am disrupted by some other task or necessity... that way I'm sure that, at the end of the day, I've actually practiced for 4 full hours. Not always easy to stay "loyal" to that program because, same as Kris, I usually tend to work on something and not drop it until I've got it completely and confidently under my fingers.
Also, as soon as I've learned, say, a tune and can perform it still at a very slow tempo, I video-record it, so in case I for get it I can go back to it and revise/relearn it, also being able to see where exactly every finger falls on the fretboard. When I learn something new, I usually take quite a bit of time figuring out the most convenient fingerings (so many different options on guitar!) the ones that make it the easiest and most "ergonomic" for my fingers and body to play that material, later on, at normal (or fast) tempo.
-
I have never had a set practice routine or practiced for long hours. I practice only what I’m going to use on a gig or what I’m interested in learning.
I never work on technique except to learn a specific thing that I can’t do.
I always play at least an hour a day just for my own pleasure.
After a while, all this adds up.
-
I've never practiced more than 7 hours per day. After that, fatigue sets in and it stops being productive. Plus, pushing too hard can lead to real pain, especially in the wrists and shoulders. Some turn to Pharmacy B2B meds for relief, but honestly, good posture and breaks are better long-term.
Last edited by Eugle; 06-05-2025 at 05:47 AM.
-
Back when I was 21..met a guitarist who was about my skill equal at the time..we know lots of blues and rock stuff.
then we found a chord melody version of Bluesette..with a chord for every note..
Ok so we set up a daily practice to learn the tune and name all the chords we used.
It took us the better part of two weeks..and yes there were some 8 hr days..
ahh youth..your invincible..strong..and dumb..
These days I work on new stuff for about an hour during the day and practice old stuff. tech and tunes for about 2 hrs at night..(late..when its very quiet)
have been on this routine for many years.
Also..I have found it very relaxing not to put any pressure on your self to achieve a goal..I just slow way down..breath..and play one note at a time until this settles in.
I retain my practice results much better..
-
I would like to get back to practicing for long hours but I need to sort out my oversleeping issue
hard to follow through with so much sleep
-
I have written out a daily practice routine, but it's more a reminder to keep me on track(ish).
-
Unfortunately, since the gigs dried up post covid, I only pick up the guitar when I want to learn a tune and that's rare - there's just not much I'm interested in learning anymore and with no outlet for the music, I have no desire to prepare for non existent gigs. Lately, it's been more about fooling with home recording simple (and beautiful) Irish and Scottish folk tunes on acoustic guitar. I've also discovered that all the years I spent playing theater productions messed with any creativity I once had; these days, I'm more comfortable reading charts which helps more when the red light comes on and my 80 yr old brain starts wandering.
-
My son bought a 70's MSA D10 classic in white mica the other day and is just finishing up having torn down the changers and rods for a full cleaning/lube as well as repairing the electrical connections. I'm pretty pumped for him. I helped him out showing him how to restring. I told him he can either become a priest or a steel guitar player so he bought the steel, lol. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
-
I thought about buying another one but there's no work so don't want to spend the $$$. Get him a copy of the Winnie Winston book - it pretty much explains it all. I wish him luck. Originally Posted by DawgBone
-
Thanks Skip and copy that, I'll look for that book. There are four or five world class players around Austin he can probably talk to about lessons. It's gonna be good for him. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
-
12 Hour Practice - Thoughts?
Nutjob territory, my friend.
Or in Coltrane's case you become a saint
-
Thought I'd drop a little update on my current practice routine since this thread got a little steam again!
Currentely I do 10 hours on weekdays and 4 hours on the weekend (work). I'm able to get all this done healthily once everything else is balanced (diet, sleep, exercise, free time). It takes a hell of a lot of planning each week but the improvements are significant. I'm lucky enough to be in a situation where I have the time to do all of this so I want to take advantage of it.
I'll try keep it up the rest of the summer before college starts back up and let you guys know whats up!
-
I've often pondered on how the greats (and no doubt many folks we've never heard of) ever found time to play ten to twelve hours a day. Even now I'm retired I can only consistently play for three or four a day because there's so much other stuff to do. And when I was younger there was work, and before that school. How anyone could find such time and still pay the bills and sleep is beyond me. But they did, and I think it made a big difference.
One of my favourite players in any genre is the late Peter Huttlinger. He said in an interview with guitar.com:
Guitar.com: The reason I brought up the course thing, I imagine you probably put in some time where you sat down in the beginning and just did flat out exercises, especially with your right hand.
Huttlinger: Yeah, absolutely. Like any guitar player of any note, I spent many years of 10 to 12 hours a day with a guitar in my hand.
It's that casual "like any guitar player of note". But I think he's right. In music that demands technical virtuosity then this is what you need to do at some point in your life. Then you can cut back to just four or five hours...
-
Food for thought...
(19) Practicing 9 hours/day? Don't do that! #neuroscience #music - YouTube
-
I'm thinking she's speaking for all instruments, Originally Posted by James W
but wondering if her instrument is the triangle.
-
That's awesome. My only suggestion is take at least one day per week off, with only light playing or just a good warm up that day. If you can't put the guitar down then just take a day of "fun" playing i.e like maybe improvising over some material and just cutting loose without regard to lesson work. Originally Posted by beetlejockey
Thought I'd drop a little update on my current practice routine since this thread got a little steam again!
Currentely I do 10 hours on weekdays and 4 hours on the weekend (work). I'm able to get all this done healthily once everything else is balanced (diet, sleep, exercise, free time). It takes a hell of a lot of planning each week but the improvements are significant. I'm lucky enough to be in a situation where I have the time to do all of this so I want to take advantage of it.
I'll try keep it up the rest of the summer before college starts back up and let you guys know whats up!
But your hands need a little rest once in a while and it's good to let your brain process the information you are uptaking at a very high rate with the intense sessions. Just having a day or two per week as a respite will help you in that regard. This is great though. My biggest leaps and bounds were when I could get 6 hours per day or more in everyday. If you can stick it through summer it will pay off in a big way, then you can look back with the satisfaction you didn't waste any time. Just set a date where "hey, i'm taking a week off from heavy duty practice at this point" as a reward for your diligence. Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!
-
Thanks!! I've got a week off planned already, I'm heading to London with another jazz guitar friend of mine to see John Scofield. Usually the weekend acts as my phsyical/mental break since my work is, very fortunately, a lot of sitting around and relaxing haha. Thanks for your advice! Originally Posted by DawgBone
-
I heard about the 3-5 minute interval thing before. If I were to take science at its word then Charlie Parker and John Coltrane were doing it wrong. My question is what is the ideal practice/break time one should strive for. Science says to take breaks but for how long and when I'm left in the dark Originally Posted by James W
-
Yeah that clip wasn't the whole story, definitely, and people differ. Originally Posted by jazznylon
I'm not sure if it's science but I heard from Ant Law that so long as you take short breaks of between 5 and 10 minutes every half hour or so you can practice all day if you like.
Generally I personally like to practice for an hour, take a short break then do another hour and so on. Sometimes I find it hard to put the guitar down! But the important thing is to take regular breaks - what isn't mentioned in the video I posted above is that you can practice for hours every day if you do take regular breaks... It's not an either/or thing...
-
It wouldn't really be something for me... Practicing and studying for so many hours straight feels a bit too intense. I totally respect the dedication, but I prefer more relaxed learning methods. That's why I lean towards online options like with pearson vue — you can set your own pace and study when it feels right. No need to stress yourself out trying to keep up with a rigid schedule. It just makes the whole process more manageable and less overwhelming.
Last edited by benhatchins; 06-21-2025 at 10:40 AM.
-
Charlie Parker was an exception to all rules, don't you think? Isn't that why he became who he was? Originally Posted by beetlejockey
I've been reading a lot of Bird, Trane and Gilmore interviews and anecdotes and by all accounts they practiced crazy hours.
Has anyone here ever practiced this much over a long period of time? I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts as it seems almost unattainable to me if I'm being honest. 7-8 Hours is the most I can get in a day and that's really pushing it. Is it even beneficial past a certain amount of hours? Thanks!
I didn't start until I was 57, I'm 70 now, have about 60 little gigs year so I'm a Jazz Guitar addict for sure. :-) I start almost every day playing for about 3 hours but it can go on and on if I go down a Rabbit Hole! I usualy pick the guitar back up later in the day for an hour or two. I couldn't front these combo's if I didn't practice this way. But honestly, some days, life gets in the way. Ha Ha!
-
Hm. I remember that once a friend showed me a bracelet that looked very interesting. Carved from aluminium,
a bit rugged and kinda messy, but so many curious details in it. I wanted to have it just because it looked awesome... as a thing. Not jewelry.
He said a prisoner made it.
Go to prison, and practice for 16 hours/day! Heh
Reply With Quote
Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
Today, 05:20 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos