How many hours per week do you practice?

[Freddels]

There are truly very few "masters" in the world. I would reserve the term "master" to the virtuosos and not just every really good player. I'm sure we all know some local players that have been playing for 20+ yrs and they're still not very good, don't know much theory, can't really hear the difference b/w a major and minor chord, etc. Just b/c they've been playing all those years, doesn't make them any better. Many have been "practicing" the wrong stuff or what I refer to as just wanking. Just holding your instrument and/or moving your fingers is good for having the comfort level with the instrument but just moving your fingers doesn't get you anywhere really. I'm guilty of it myself as I start out with the intention of practicing something difficult and the next thing you know I'm just playing something that sounds good. I try to work on new stuff in short 10 or 15 minute spurts as the mind does get tired.

As far as improvisational jazz performance/rehearsal . . . it's still a performance and you'll be playing only the stuff that already under your fingers and in your mind. The players still work this stuff out before they perform.

Everyone can rationalize and make excuses as to what they practice and how long they practice and then it comes down to the "good enough" barrier. They don't push themselves any further b/c in their mind they are "good enough".

If you want to consider yourself a "master" or "half-master" then all the power to you. I would consider people like Charlie Parker, Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, and Yo Yo Ma (to name a few) to be "masters".

 

[jasper383]

The Beatles story in that book is worth the price of the book alone. By the time they left Germany for good, they had probably spent 10,000 hours gigging, not just rehearsing. And their gigs were in front of very tough German sailors, who had lots of requests. They were lethal, and knew better than maybe any other band at the time what worked.

 

[Oldtoe]

I have Ed's books and DVDs. So, myah.

 

[cyoungnashville]

this is something i struggle with constantly. my problem is that i dont really appreciate my ability to play the bass. its not what i set out to do , or be, it is just in fact, "what i was". i started out on guitar, mostly because it was louder, had a whammy bar, boxes to be stomped, and eddie just always seemed to get a little more camera time, and better looking music video props than mike anthony ya digg? but the whole time i was growing up, learning how to play chords, and beginning to "solo", i noticed while practicing one day, what really moved me was all the mystery, and emotion of the SONG that seemed to really be established by the rhythm section, more specifically, the bass and drums. while im sitting in my room trying to pick up on some stupid hair metal solo, it literally dawned on me, out of the blue one day.... i f^ckin hate this. i turned off all distortion, delay, reverb, switched to the neck position on my strat, dimed the bass knob on my acoustic 360 head, and started played what really moved me, and was always distracting my ear from "hearing" the solo...... the BASS LINE!!! finally.... magic fun was had. when i saw my dad (who was a badass bass player) a few days later, i said "i think im really a bass player dad." he replied in his typically sensitive manner with, "no sh!t dumbass. thank god you finally figured it out on your own before i had to break it to you. get in the car." he drove me to skips music, bought me a new bass, and i never looked back. i was in a band literally the next day, and found that not only did it make perfect sense to me, but... i could just play. so i never practiced. or appreciated it. really what i have slaved over for the last 20+ years is songwriting. all the "practice" i got as a bass player, was trying to come up with my own bass part for whatever new tune i had just written, and was trying to capture on tape. my first recording studio was 2 boomboxes, where i wold ping pong tracks while i overdubbed the instruments live with a cheesy little mic. drums were me thumping on the bass or an acoustic guitar, hahah. this is the crossroads im currently at though. after all this time of trying to be the worlds greatest songwriter, im still totally amateur. meaning... i get lucky from time to time, but im not consistent. however, my bass playing is what has paved my way in life, what everyone has locked on to as my "thing", and what has mostly payed my bills for the last 10-15 years, with a bit of publishing income here and there. i now sit in my room while practicing songwriting and think...... maybe i should be practicing the bass???? i guess im still trying to figure this one out, fellas..

 

[Mabongohogany]

How many hours per week do you practice?

Probably not enough (too much time on Forums & stuff, GF likes to be whined/dined, told how pretty she is...)

Gotta work at day job.

No Master am I, but I'm happy with what I'm doin'!

 

[tkarter]

Practicing messes up my creativeness. I read a lot of music and let the notes stick in my brain.
tk

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Practicing messes up my creativeness.

I've read a lot of people that actually believe that. When has gaining knowledge been a bad thing?

I know where I am at as a player and what kind of work I would need to invest to be good and I am at peace with the fact that I am just a hobby player. My problem is I've always liked to play, but never really enjoyed practicing (real practice, that is).

 

[tkarter]

I hate playing along with a CD. Or guitar players that think they play like the CD.

tk

 

[AnthonyD]

Hate to hear "it's good enough"...


I'm just saying...

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

really what i have slaved over for the last 20+ years is songwriting. all the "practice" i got as a bass player, was trying to come up with my own bass part for whatever new tune i had just written, and was trying to capture on tape.

Do you find song writing is something that you can practice?

And that was another thing I was thinking about with some of your other great posts: how much pressure is it to have to come up with something creative on the spot in the studio? It sounds like there is no room to have an off day.

 

[bovinehost]

Do you find song writing is something that you can practice?

Craig and I were talking about this a while back. I wrote constantly in the late 80s, early 90s, and I can see now that things got better along the way. It's a muscle; use it or it atrophies. And using it makes it stronger, more agile, and it takes less effort to get the result you want.

I can barely write my name NOW, of course.

 

[Alvabass]

When I became obessed with practicing back in the early nineties, I spent at least three hours a day (much more on the gig-free weekends) practicing every single day of the week. I sacredly followed that routine during approximately two years until I entered the university to get my music diploma studying double bass. Five years studying that instrument at least two hours a day. After I graduated, I started working as a teacher almost immediately and my practice routine screwed up . Right now I can't say I have a practice routine. Barely do it when classes are active, but every vacation I try to reach a new, different goal on the bass guitar. BTW, while I truly love the double bass, I'm definitely an electric bass player at heart.

 

[cyoungnashville]

I don't believe the rehearsal and performance time counts. The practice time refers to working on new material and not going over the same stuff that you can already play.

i dont agree with this. there is not one thing that i can currently play, that i couldnt play much better given enough time and repetition. stevie ray vaughn was an amazing guitar player. one of my favorites in fact. i really think what makes him so great is his comfort level with what he is playing. he doesnt have to think, his only job is to be IN THAT MOMENT without thinking. this is not a slam at all, cause this doesnt bother me, but, if you have heard one stevie ray solo, then you have heard 5 or 6 of the next songs solos too. he borrowed quite a bit from himself, and clearly had "phrases" that he worked up that could be accessed anytime, in just about any song. thats the beauty of leaving the 3rd out of the scale i reckon, haha.

I personally believe that thinking or dreaming about playing should count. Adds at least 8 hours a day for me...

you are right on target with this statement. it does count, and i can prove this. without a doubt, the one single thing that has ultimately made me a better bass player (and i mean by leaps and bounds), was, every minute i ever spent playing the drums. every minute i ever spent playing the drums, was simultaneously helping me understand my role and responsibility as a bass player from a really important angle. to this day, the moment i am played a song that im about to play bass on, the first step to writing the bass part, is writing a drum part in my own head. i dont care if the drummer plays it or not. although he better come up w something better if he doesnt wanna hear what i came up with. not all are fond of this help. i have had jerry morrotta throwing chairs, sticks, cussing and screaming at me after treating him to some of my killer drum suggestions, hahaha. it pisses him off bad, but i dont care. i work for the song, not his ego (we are really good friends by the way). writing bassparts for my own songs is a solid second best thing. i really believe that my time as a writer, and resulting feel for building up a powerful, appropriate song structure / melodic support / hooks, that all work towards driving the message of the tune all the way home (if possible, and / or warranted), is my greatest strength as a bass player, so putting drums at 1st place should tell you how important it is. learning piano / guitar is tied for a 3rd.


really, i have to say that all the most important things i learned about bass, happened no where near a bass. after all, isnt the rest just scales?? boring!!! give me an artist that technically can barely play or sing, but when he opens his mouth he becomes emotional conduit and uses 2 or 3 chords and what little bit of voice god gave him to reach deep into his convictions and with the greatest ease uses such a simple vehicle to transport me to another time, place, dimension, anyday over a technically brilliant flawless execution of a lame uninspired meaningless concept, even if he is the only person in the world fast enough to play it on the 24 string bass. to that i say... thank god. if i dont ever want to suffer that two handed pile of 64th note bass crap again, merely avoiding you assures it.

 

[tkarter]

When I play I leave out most of those notes. Heck a bass line can be prefect playing roots. LOL

I was told once you never hurt a bass line leaving notes out.

Just be there at the right time.

A metronome is my friend as I find counting to be the most needed study.

I especially love it when a drummer uses a metronome. ON time works.

But I am only a hack at bass playing.

tk

 

[sloshep]

Wow, after reading Craig's thoughts on this leaves me with only one conclusion. This is why he is a pro and I am not. When you travel for a living it can be tough to find time to even play. I try to stop by the local GC when traveling to at least get some finger time on a bass. My practice times vary so much I don't know how to even answer.

I think its important to practice. I also think the type of practice depends on natural talent and skill level.

 

[Kirby]

Many of the great jazz players had hooks they used and adapted over and over, listen to Paul Chambers or Ray Brown. If you are not into jazz, listen to how Geddy plays and his phrasing. Like Craig said, some of the best constantly borrow from themselves. In regard to this playing in a group setting does count as practice time in my book because you are working on muscle memory and your ear if you are concentrating. You are learning dynamics and how to place yourself in a mix too which are valuable tools to have. With all of this being said I am usually in the 12-15 hr range per week, but I am not playing with a steady group at this time.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Craig, funny you should mention drums, because when I think of original ideas (songs, basslines, etc...), I almost always hear the drums first.

 

[MattOfSweden]

Play with my bands (rock, blues & jazz in three different constellations) about 8-12 hrs a week (2-3 rehearsals), and play at home an average 1-2h every day. So about 20hrs a week. Don't do much focused exercises though, technically I have the skills I need (and I'm very far from a bass wiz), but rather focus on finding grooves and lines that complement songs. Play quite a lot with spotify when noodling around at home, have a monster playlist that's set on random.

 

[strummer]

I practice far too little, and the worst thing (maybe) is I hardly ever practice jack-off playing, but just try to make each note sound better...

 

[Freddels]

Originally Posted by Freddels
I don't believe the rehearsal and performance time counts. The practice time refers to working on new material and not going over the same stuff that you can already play.

i dont agree with this. there is not one thing that i can currently play, that i couldnt play much better given enough time and repetition. stevie ray vaughn was an amazing guitar player. one of my favorites in fact. i really think what makes him so great is his comfort level with what he is playing. he doesnt have to think, his only job is to be IN THAT MOMENT without thinking. this is not a slam at all, cause this doesnt bother me, but, if you have heard one stevie ray solo, then you have heard 5 or 6 of the next songs solos too. he borrowed quite a bit from himself, and clearly had "phrases" that he worked up that could be accessed anytime, in just about any song. thats the beauty of leaving the 3rd out of the scale i reckon, haha.

I'm not saying not to practice things until you can play them really well but playing the same C major scale, same fingerings for it or playing mustang sally over and over for the millionth time is not going to get you to the "master" level. You have to learn new scales, new arpeggios, new songs, etc. to help you "master" your instrument.

Let's look at it another way. Let's say that there's a kid that really good in math and after about the 8th grade he cannot continue his schooling (for whatever reason). However, he's still really good at 8th grade math and practices it all the time. In fact, he can do any 8th grade math problem faster than any other student. Now, will this person be considered a "master" mathematician? I don't think so.