How many hours a day do you practice?

[Sclorch]

Recently I've switched up from practicing maybe an hour a day, to seven or eight, I've improved so much, I realized that it takes me a good half hour to get properly warmed up, then I get better and better the longer I play, thats probly why when I was only playing an hour a day, I was not progressing very fast, how many hours a day do you guys practice?

[joshers]

all day, i hum in my head, i type on the keyboard and i play the guitar whenever i feel like it.

[Lava_Monster]

I am sure it doesn't matter how much we practice, because you can practice for 24 hours straight, but do everything wrong and not help yourself out at all.

However, if you really wanna know. It's prolly a good 2 to 4 hours during the week and a lot more during the weekend. That is for a real practice. rest of the time i'm just messing around.

[Hamberg]

about 12 hours.

[alucard0941]

I forgot if I practive of not, but I just play guitar for like 2 or 3 hours a day... :confused:

[Lori_B]

Take it from someone who now suffers from carpel tunnel... 7-12 hours a day??? You should really limit how much time you spend playing. It might take years but all that heavy playing will get ya at some point. And let me tell you, there is nothing sadder than a person who loves guitar to not be able to play anymore. I weeped when I found out I had it, nearly went in for surgery and decided that I was going to play til my hand fell off rather than go under the knife... Thankfully it eased up after several months in a brace with no playing but if I play now more than 2 hours a day I am swelled up and numb for a week. I think a better idea would be less time but more effective practicing. A good warm-up to get limber and focused and then work on something that challenges you a bit. Then when you go back to stuff you were playing it has the influence of what challenged you and you play it with more ease and flare.

Take care of those hands... you'll have them for a lifetime.

[Sclorch]

wow 12 hours a day, someone with more free time on their hands than me :eek:


How long were you playing before you got CT? And how many hours a day were you practicing? I feel for you :(

[paradyme]

Not enough! it seems as though I never have quite enough hours to work on all of the things I feel like I should.

[chucklivesoninmyheart]

Sorry to hear about your CT lori...how old are you?

Warming up is very important.

oh,yeah,I play like and hour or two a day.

[Lori_B]

I'm 36 and have been playing since I was about 9. I've been having problems for a couple of years but just kinda was a weekness in my grip and a cramp in my palm near my wrist.. then whamo, about a year or so ago I was going nutz playing "Classical Gas" and all the sudden my entire hand felt like 1000 bee stings and stayed that way for several months... I opted outta surgery because after talking to several people (guitar players) that once you get the surgery you might as well hang up ever playing again.... I think the same thing happened to Willie Nelson some time ago (side note, I always thought it was cool how he strummed a classical). From what I understand, he got surgury and still hasn't really recovered.

[Hamberg]

wow 12 hours a day, someone with more free time on their hands than me :eek:


How long were you playing before you got CT? And how many hours a day were you practicing? I feel for you :(

I dont sleep very much; i dont have CT. If my wrist starts getting weird I usually take like a month off or something.

[Cookie monster]

about 12 hours.


you monster

[alucard0941]

about 12 hours.
yet, you still average 12 posts per day on this forum...

[Re2point0]

alucard0941 - yet, you still average 12 posts per day on this forum...

he's a pretty dedicated player it sounds like.

I find it good to practice on and off during the day.

i usually practice from 1 hour to 2 hours at a time. and prolly about 3 different times a day

5 hours when I have practice with my band on saturdays

[chucklivesoninmyheart]

After warming up(I consider myself warmed up when I can alternate pick chromatic runs at 120bpm cleanly with some ease)Its way too easy to just play my favorite riffs and licks instead of actually 'learning' something new or working towards a goal.

There is a HUGE difference between practice and playing.I can PLAY for many hours,but can only concentrate on specific efforts for an hour or two.Its taxing on the body and mind to try to 'hardwire' anything new to memory/muscle memory.

[Re2point0]

Today 08:44 PM
chucklivesoninmyheart After warming up(I consider myself warmed up when I can alternate pick chromatic runs at 120bpm cleanly with some ease)Its way too easy to just play my favorite riffs and licks instead of actually 'learning' something new or working towards a goal.

There is a HUGE difference between practice and playing.I can PLAY for many hours,but can only concentrate on specific efforts for an hour or two.Its taxing on the body and mind to try to 'hardwire' anything new to memory/muscle memory.

Good point man

i agree completely. Its a breeze to play the stuff my origional band plays, but that merely because I wrote it.

[Akira]

My college time table makes things arkward for me (being as I have lessons all over the place). But from Monday to Saturday I practice on average for about 3 hours a day, on Sundays, usually around 7-8 hours.

[Pantallica1]

I usually "play" less than an hour during the week. Working and college prevent me from having the time to play more. If I got the time on the weekends I try to play for a couple of hours and get in a good hour of practice.

[English Enigma]

3 hours a day but more in one go, broken up in 20 mintue breaks

[koRn_freAk]

It depends on my mood, but normally 2-6 hours

[Guitarro777]

I was doing 8 hours but I got the flu for a week and after that I slowed down down to like 4 to 6 hours. I'd stay up till 1:00 am practicing So I've been lazy. Anyway what matters is practicing right, not just playing as much as you can. I'll probably pick it up again soon. :)

[ronman007]

i'm like joshers i type all day and i just can't play that much like half hour a day. 7-10 hours a day how in the **** is there school, job, hum, just be careful though easy does it. :)

[jeffhx]

i reckon 3 hrs every weekday, and even more come the weekend... i just looovee playing

[DeadInMagazines]

I usually happy if I get three and a half in on weekdays. During this winter break I've had a couple times that I've played six hours in one day.

[rockonn91]

hmmm.... 84 hours.

im going to stick with that.

[1st_leutenant]

i play my guitar about 10-14 hours, but thats mostly cuz i play for 2 church services,and 1 youth group well somwat of a youth group parents like to stay to
most ppl we had in our chourch was like 140-160 ppl just for my youth sevice is more

[jimnkristy]

You guys are nuts. My wife would kill me if I played that much. Im on and off my ibanez rg total maybe 2 hours a day. Now for me its just a hobby. I like to make **** up as I go and free play. But to play for 6, 8, 12 hours. Man you guys must not have a job, family, life... :mad: Crazy.

[paulharbosky]

I practice at least 4-5 hrs a day with a maximum being 14 hrs in one day.
Yea I have a job and a life but it doesnt involve much sleep. lol

[damaged]

about 5-12 hours, im on school holidays atm ;) I dont time and i dont spend all day "practicing" for of improisation which is kinda messed up 5-6 hours of straight improv is kinda crazed :D

[Akira]

You guys are nuts. My wife would kill me if I played that much. Im on and off my ibanez rg total maybe 2 hours a day. Now for me its just a hobby. I like to make **** up as I go and free play. But to play for 6, 8, 12 hours. Man you guys must not have a job, family, life... :mad: Crazy.

As I always say:

It's not how long you practise for, it's what you do when you do practise.

Also, I think there is such a thing as over practising. I believe that sometimes your brain needs some time to absorb things.

[String Fumbler]

I play every day, 1-2 hours. I only practice about 4 times a week. Thus the String Fumbler user name, eh? By practicing I mean a real regimen where I am actually trying to learn something new. You may laugh at this, but check out Mel Bay.com they have some great advice on "Life in the Woodshed"

[metallica_rocks]

:o Lol Since i'm completely new to the bass (not even a week yet lol) I practice about 6 to 8 hours a day, But the sad thing is i'm still getting no where lol o well...hopefully i will improve w/ time ^_^

[ren]

As I always say:

It's not how long you practise for, it's what you do when you do practise.

Also, I think there is such a thing as over practising. I believe that sometimes your brain needs some time to absorb things.

Amen to that man.... I was wondering whether anyone was gonna say it... I practice 2 hours a day during the week, and then take the weekends off. I'm gigging now, so have 1 or 2 performances I prepare for, but no real practice.

I wonder what happens to the guy who practices 12 hours a day and either breaks his hands or turns out not to 'make it' for whatever reason. He sure as hell didn't have time for school with all that guitar practice so I guess he has the choice of working at a gas station, or McDonalds.... what a choice! :eek:

Seriously, there may not be much more to life than playing guitar, but there is more.... It's good to be dedicated, but obsessive is not so cool

[Akira]

I wonder what happens to the guy who practices 12 hours a day and either breaks his hands or turns out not to 'make it' for whatever reason. He sure as hell didn't have time for school with all that guitar practice so I guess he has the choice of working at a gas station, or McDonalds.... what a choice! :eek:

Seriously, there may not be much more to life than playing guitar, but there is more.... It's good to be dedicated, but obsessive is not so cool

Yeah, I believe there has to be a balance struck somewhere.

[DeadInMagazines]

I don't think playing 5 horus a day is too much.