How Many Hours a Day Should I Practice?

**brwnhornet59** · 03-21-2012, 02:10 PM

How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice? | The Bulletproof Musician

This has to be one of the best articles I have ever seen on practice routines and our habits, approach's and results...I see myself in a lot of this article. I hope this helps you as well.

What are your thoughts?

**eddy b.** · 03-21-2012, 02:27 PM

Yes all very good stuff...but even then I want to play and practice 1000 hours a day ya know what I mean I just cant get enough of that stuff....

**Franklin52** · 03-21-2012, 02:55 PM

Great article, thanks, so now i can spend much more time here.

**SeedsOfMusic** · 03-21-2012, 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by brwnhornet59

How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice? | The Bulletproof Musician

This has to be one of the best articles I have ever seen on practice routines and our habits, approach's and results...I see myself in a lot of this article. I hope this helps you as well.

What are your thoughts?

I second that. That is one great article. You can check it out again to see the comment I left on it, but basically I say it's all about attention. We all know how to walk, but until you put your full attention on walking differently you'll still have the same old strut.

You should check out the pareto principle and learn to apply it to practicing. I also wrote an article about it on my site.

**richard vandyne** · 03-21-2012, 04:38 PM

one of the things i really like about this forum and the participants is that at any time you are going to find the answers to any problems you have.Today i am just browsing in between practising and i run across a great article that will definatly help me with my practice routine. hornet -- i don,t know where you come up with these things but thank god you do. this is an article about violinists and is of great help to any musician. thanks again and again.

**pierre richard** · 03-21-2012, 04:49 PM

a great article hornet...

I will read it again and again to absorb the ideas/thoughts and philospohy in in it..

time on the instrument...pierre

**JonnyPac** · 03-21-2012, 05:01 PM

Thanks for posting! Really great!

**fep** · 03-21-2012, 05:30 PM

Good stuff.

I'd add that 'to do lists' and recording yourself often are very useful and fit right in with these concepts.

What I've noticed that one of the main things that separate me from really good jazz musicians is: Repertoire and Vocabulary. These players have a crazy large repertoire, literally a thousand songs or more.

So the question is,

How do I effectively incorporate my main goals of 'Repertoire and Vocabulary' into my practice?

And, how does that change the advice given in the article?

There is really an argument for quantity over quality. 1,000 almost correctly played tunes is much better for your jazz education and your ear than a dozen super polished, flashy, show off tunes. This is something that is a big difference between practicing for jazz vs. practicing for classical.

**brwnhornet59** · 03-21-2012, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by pierre richard

a great article hornet...

I will read it again and again to absorb the ideas/thoughts and philospohy in in it..

time on the instrument...pierre

You and me both!!!

Originally Posted by fep

Good stuff.
What I've noticed that one of the main things that separate me from really good jazz musicians is: Repertoire and Vocabulary. *These players have a crazy large repertoire, literally a thousand songs or more.

So the question is,

*How do I effectively incorporate my main goals of 'Repertoire and Vocabulary' into my practice? *

And, how does that change the advice given in the article?

A good question Frank. I think that we should put this to the test. I am learning just like you...

I am glad that everyone is digging it. Poke around a little in there, I found a few other cool tidbits. Also a friend on f/b posted this book. It looks to be very rewarding...

About The Book The Talent Code

Tell me what you think?

**bako** · 03-22-2012, 12:26 AM

Intelligent, organized, efficient practice sounds great and I take inspiration from the article to revaluate what I do
and make improvements.

However.....how is practice defined? Is it inclusive or independent of playing music, writing music, learning repertoire, studying theory, listening, etc.? If you play a 4 hour gig should you take the day off?

My first jobs as a young adult involved activities of minimal inspiration and enjoyment for 8 hours a day.
Why would I not be willing to offer the same time and energy to music which I love?

**oldane** · 03-23-2012, 09:47 AM

Good article. As someone who has a non musical full time (sometimes more than that) job and a marriage which also must be tended, I very much like the idea of "practice smarter, nor harder". Not because of laziness, but to get the most out of the limited time I have for practice.

**mr. beaumont** · 03-23-2012, 09:51 AM

I like this article...I break my real practice sessions into very small focused chunks--15 to 20 minutes max, I think.

I kinda think I have the whole adult ADD thing (had it as a kid too, they didn't call it anything but being a "daydreamer" back then though) so I need to focus hard and take frequent breaks.

Things usually "click" for me at very non-practice related times...I might be walking the dog, or taking a shower, and suddenly it's like "OH! THAT'S WHY MELODIC MINOR WORKS THERE!"

**dmorash** · 03-23-2012, 11:01 AM

Great article. I remember reading in a saxophone book about maximizing practice time by basically only working on things that are beyond you, thereby not wasting time on things which you can already do. Cool concept. Jazz musicians still need to know a lot of tunes which for me requires a lot of reviewing.

On another note I bought the PDF book by the same author on Centering and it is very interesting. It deals with getting in the zone to perform, dealing with nerves etc.

**brwnhornet59** · 03-23-2012, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by dmorash

On another note I bought the PDF book by the same author on Centering and it is very interesting. It deals with getting in the zone to perform, dealing with nerves etc.

Would you post a link to that book please? I would like to give it a once over...

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I like this article...I break my real practice sessions into very small focused chunks--15 to 20 minutes max, I think.

I kinda think I have the whole adult ADD thing (had it as a kid too, they didn't call it anything but being a "daydreamer" back then though) so I need to focus hard and take frequent breaks.

Things usually "click" for me at very non-practice related times...I might be walking the dog, or taking a shower, and suddenly it's like "OH! THAT'S WHY MELODIC MINOR WORKS THERE!"

I am the same way. Smaller focused sessions are always much more productive than long drawn out ones..for me.

As some wise person said.....Practice does not make perfect...Perfect practice makes perfect!!!

**dmorash** · 03-23-2012, 12:57 PM

[quote=brwnhornet59;213405]Would you post a link to that book please? I would like to give it a once over...

Of course.

Products and Courses | The Bulletproof Musician

I'm working through some of it now, I hope it produces good results.

**monk** · 03-23-2012, 12:57 PM

This post deserves an award. Thank you brwnhornet59. Mindfulness is at the core of most Eastern philosophies and religions but is not something we are exposed to here in the West.

Focus and concentration are not innate but are skills that must be acquired through practice.

**brwnhornet59** · 03-23-2012, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by dmorash

Of course.

Products and Courses | The Bulletproof Musician

I'm working through some of it now, I hope it produces good results.

Thank you sir!! Keep us posted.

Originally Posted by monk

This post deserves an award. Thank you brwnhornet59. Mindfulness is at the core of most Eastern philosophies and religions but is not something we are exposed to here in the West.

Focus and concentration are not innate but are skills that must be acquired through practice.

You are most welcome.

We are all dealing with the same issues on one side of the spectrum or the other!!!