How many hours do people practice?

[Bassbooksbikes]

As the title says. I'm managing around 9o mins on a week day, split into 2 lots of 45 mins approx. A little longer at the weekend. Does prepping for a gig, up the auntie? 

[Geek99]

90 minutes ?
luxury!

I’m lucky to get that in a month … which explains my attainment level 

 

do it until your attention wanders 

[itu]

Long ago it was 3 h/d, but nowadays maybe 6 h/week. Not much, should be more. 

[Bagman]

I get approx 12-15 hours each week

 

I have designated time each day 

 

my life is pretty much meaningless if I can't get bass time because I am a grumpy ass without it 

[Bassbooksbikes]

1 hour ago, Bagman said:

I get approx 12-15 hours each week

 

I have designated time each day 

 

my life is pretty much meaningless if I can't get bass time because I am a grumpy ass without it 

😀😀😀😀😀

[HeadlessBassist]

When I was teaching full time in Gloucestershire/Wiltshire (80 hours per week) I literally had no time to do any personal practice, but I was playing all the time in people's lessons. Useful for keeping your skills up!

 

Now I'm semi retired, I'm off and at home for five days a week, so I have been literally been playing my Basses (and Cello, DB, Violin, etc) at every opportunity. These days, I usually manage about 1-2 hours a day, whether I'm working on something technical for a recording session, or gig, or just noodling and setting up instruments. I've really enjoyed learning new stuff for the Duo recently. Playing along to the backing tracks is great fun. I don't really look at the Live Multi-Tribute Show stuff, as it's all really easy and I've been playing it for seven years. Also, I learned "Dean Town" by Vulfpeck the other week - still have to read it, though. It's too random to commit fully to memory, unless you wrote it like Joe Dart & co.

 

It reminds me of when I was playing at the peak of my ability at about 22 years old when I was principal DB in the Britten Pears Orchestra - we were all that good because we were playing for up to 15 hours a day!

 

Practice doesn't make perfect - but it does make significantly better!  🤔

Edited August 24 by HeadlessBassist

[RhysP]

I try to practice at least once every five years, even if I don't need it.

[RhysP]

21 hours ago, Bassbooksbikes said:

As the title says. I'm managing around 9o mins on a week day, split into 2 lots of 45 mins approx. A little longer at the weekend. Does prepping for a gig, up the auntie? 

I'd get a lot more practicing done if I wasn't too busy upping my auntie.

[chris_b]

In the beginning, every waking hour. Now, never, unless I have to work up a set for a gig.

[Reggaebass]

I’m not in any bands anymore but do a bit of studio work occasionally, I still play pretty much every day, I’ve always got new songs I’m learning or working on improving my techniques or trying to learn more theory, I think it keeps the mind ticking over, I don’t feel right if I’m not doing something 

[Bassbooksbikes]

7 hours ago, RhysP said:

I'd get a lot more practicing done if I wasn't too busy upping my auntie.

F ING auto text. But she never complains. 

[Geek99]

7 hours ago, RhysP said:

I'd get a lot more practicing done if I wasn't too busy upping my auntie.

I already did so on your behalf 

the egg whisk was a surprise …

[BigRedX]

Practice for the sake of practicing? I think I stopped once I was able to string a series of chords together on the guitar without having to stop strumming - about 50 years ago.

 

Since then I only practice if I come up with a part that that my fingers can't do reliably and repeatably, or so I can play our songs whilst also moving about on stage.

[paul_5]

Up to about 30 minutes a night most nights when the wife and tater tots are in bed.

[Rosie C]

A few years back when I was still improving and doing grades it was an hour most evenings but I got to a place where I'm happy with my skill level and now I'll spend an hour ahead of a gig or recording session, and if there's a new tune to learn I'll set aside some time. 

[Bassbooksbikes]

I hope I get to be as good as you guys one day. Being playing for about 2 months, about an hour a day. Can just about pluck a major and minor chord, slowly. 

[Geek99]

Chords…chords … 🧐

what strange language is this that you speak?
 

Are you sure that you’re not some guitarist-infiltrator? Obviously the mental acuity that we are used to here as bass players will expose a guitard very quickly. As would a simple reading/writing test 

Edited 11 hours ago by Geek99

[itu]

Chords? You really need to know chords. This chart for three strings is very old, I did it with a matrix printer and the letters are a bit misleading, but: 

 

v = diminished 

m = minor 

d = major 

y = augmented 

sus4 = 7sus4 

 

 

It also helps to understand that there are several ways to write chords: 

 

minor, min, m, - 

maj, ^ 

+5, #5 

-5, b5 

dim, ° 

and so on. Play and listen to them on a daily basis. 

[floFC]

48 minutes ago, itu said:

v = diminished 

m = minor 

d = major 

y = augmented 

sus4 = 7sus4 

Why oh why?

[itu]

4 hours ago, floFC said:

Why oh why?

That was so looong ago. Please fix them, if necessary. 

[JapanAxe]

Probably at least 2 hours per day, but I am retired and either a member of, or dep with, a ridiculous number of bands.

 

Not many days go by that I’m not practising something or other, and sometimes I spend pretty much the whole day at it. I recently worked out that I was working on learning some 65 songs:

- 15 jazz or similar numbers on guitar for a one-off charity gig;

- 32 rockabilly and country songs (again on guitar) for a first rehearsal / audition - now joined that band!

- 18 West Coast rock numbers on bass for a theatre tribute dep.