Off Topic A personal question: How long is it?

[adouglas]

HA! Made you look!

The question is, when woodshedding, learning new stuff on your own, or just generally hacking around by yourself, how long do you play?

I'm messing around with some new folks in a side project so I've got homework. Just put in 90 minutes straight of focus and concentration and I sense that playing more would just be an exercise in diminishing returns.

So I'm going to sit back, relax, commune with the dog and admire the Big Al and the Bongo sitting across the room for awhile.

No purpose in the question really, just curious.

 

[Drmckool]

Depending on my workload between 30 minutes and 3 hours. If i have to learn something i'll run it until I have it down, but usually i just work on technique and have fun until i get bored.

 

[JayDawg]

Depends on the song for me. Some songs, I simply struggle learning them for no apparent reason. Others, I pick up right away. My ear used to be a lot better than it is now. But it is fun playing and learning new songs.

 

[Holdsg]

When I was first learning (about 2 yrs ago) I actually tabbed out for myself every new song I learned. Took a while, but I felt I learned each nuance in the song that way. Fast-forward 2 years, and now I just write the root of the chord out on the lyrics sheet and I'm good, that takes about 10-15 minutes per song. Then another 10-15 to get most of the fancy bits/fills, etc, so, roughly 30 minutes to learn each new song (but a lifetime to perfect them).

 

[KevinM]

I get bored with hacking around pretty quick. I'll work on a technique for a few minutes until I smooth it out and then save it for later.

When preparing to play I do whatever I need to be solidly prepared. I've spent several hours on one song when I needed to but if we're playing songs I already know I'll just brush up on 'em. If I wear the songs out during practice I don't have as much passion during the real set.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

When learning songs, I'll usually play along with the recordings for about 30 minutes, 45 tops---then call it quits. I'll come back to it the next day. It works for me to let the songs roll around in my subconscious and then come back to them---this seems to make them easier to learn.

Once I know the tunes, I'll practice for about 30 minutes, skipping to the next song when I've played enough to know I've got it down. And I don't practice daily, that's for sure.

If I've got to learn a song in a different key from the recording, I'll pitch-shift the song using Audacity, the free audio editor. Audacity does a good job of shifting pitch without altering tempo; the vocal sounds lousy, but that isn't important when I'm learning the bass line.

 

[MattOfSweden]

30min per song max, total no more than 90min - indeed diminishing returns after that. More than once I've more or less sucked day one and then nailed it when returning the next day. I always start out with a playalong, then breaking it down into parts and charting it in some form - the mental aspects of charting also helps me getting things to stick.

 

[nurnay]

If I've got to learn a song in a different key from the recording, I'll pitch-shift the song using Audacity, the free audio editor. Audacity does a good job of shifting pitch without altering tempo; the vocal sounds lousy, but that isn't important when I'm learning the bass line.

I do the same. One of my bands is notorious for playing everything in different keys to help the vocalists.

As for working on songs, if I notice I'm not getting anywhere, I move on for a while and come back later. I try to not spend more than 30 minutes on any one song, it starts to become a grind. A lot of times after taking a break from a song I find a new way of approaching it, whether it be fingering, tempo, whatever, and it helps.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

If I am learning songs, it really depends on the song and how faithful to the original I want to be. If I want to do note-for-note, I'll transcribe it in standard music notation (no TAB!) working in one, two, or four bar bits at a time, looping them on a Tascam Trainer. It depends on how long I can keep focus; but not usually more that 45 minutes in one shot.

Once I transcribe the whole tune, which could be done in one practice session or over a few days, I will learn it by reading it. Depending on the difficulty of the part, I can transcribe them in little patterns but not necessarily read the whole thing straight through - so I do that. Once that is done, I try and commit it to memory.

If the song is really easy, I'll just learn it by ear and sometimes I can do that with one listen.

 

[Aussie Mark]

If I'm learning new songs, 90 mins to 2 hours is the limit of my concentration. I can usually nut out around 8-10 cover tunes in that timeframe.

 

[blauer]

as a band-less, non-gigging hack, woodshedding constitutes the majority of my time with the bass lately. 60-90 minutes a day does the trick- my "serenity now" coping mechanism...

 

[Rick Auricchio]

One of my bands is notorious for playing everything in different keys to help the vocalists.

In my opinion, that's the right thing to do so that the vocalist sounds better and is more comfortable. We've all heard a vocalist strain in the wrong key and sound poor, when all that was needed was a transposition.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

If the song is really easy, I'll just learn it by ear and sometimes I can do that with one listen.

That's all I can do, since I don't read standard notation (and tab is worse!) If I don't have a chord sheet, I'll just learn by ear. My ear is good enough that all I need is one pitch reference and I can hear the changes from there. I usually just think of the relative chord numbers at that point (e.g. I-IV-V).

I've even learned songs while driving, just assuming a key and memorizing the relative changes. Once I get to the bass, I just need to find the root and I'm usually all set.

 

[adouglas]

I do the same. One of my bands is notorious for playing everything in different keys to help the vocalists.

The very best reason to play a 5-string.

Also the Right Thing to Do.

 

[jlepre]

60 minutes. Anything more would just be silly...

 

[Holdsg]

The very best reason to play a 5-string.

Also the Right Thing to Do.

A very close friend growing up was Wilfred's son, Billy. He plays guitar and sings in a country/CR cover band. Just thought I'd share my brush with fame.

 

[keko]

My band play wedding & party set list typical for my region where I live, so that's mostly pop, rock, country and folk stuff from my region + some international standards!

Most of that songs are pretty simple so I practice new songs through PC sound card in the mix with mp3 player software through headphones and usually need to repeat each song 3 times, ...that means 10-15 minutes per song!

The same is when practice whole band together in drummer's garage, a few times each song is enough for us!

 

[fly]

7-1/2 "..........just sayin'........

 

[tkarter]

I have to hear it in my head then I just play it. I hear chords not scales.

tk

 

[LawDaddy]

Actually a good question. Last year, I worked up (on guitar) a Johnny Cash/Patsy Cline tribute act, and a '70's funk casino band. Probably maxed out at two hours per day, but was pretty consistent in getting the time in. Takes a lot of discipline to get it all down.