How long can you get away with not playing at all and still retaining your chops?

[Charles]

Just a thought I had today.

I go to a very competitive private school, and between staying on top of my studies and remaining competitive in athletics, I find little time or energy to pursue new areas on the guitar. I attempt to squeeze in about forty minutes a day, but even that's a struggle.

So my question to you all is, what's the bare minimum you guys can get away with playing guitar and RETAINING YOUR CHOPS AND FLUENCY**? Granted, I know it varies sporadically from person to person (pianist Vlad Horowitz said that if he didn't practice for a day he knew it, two and his wife knew it, and three and his audience knew it. By contrast, Shawn Lane would not play for months, instead writing on piano, and his super human chops would stay just that. Super human.)

**Just clarifying my definition of retaining chops and fluency: After a 20-30 minute thorough warm up, you are pretty much able to play at the peak of your technical abilities without much problem.

Charles

 

[xiphoscesar]

i went once i think 2-3 weeks

 

[Winspear]

**Just clarifying my definition of retaining chops and fluency: After a 20-30 minute thorough warm up, you are pretty much able to play at the peak of your technical abilities without much problem.

I'd say 3 weeks.

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

I think the longest I've been away from my guitar was two weeks, when I was in Europe. When I got back, I could still play like I could before, but it felt like somebody else was playing. I looked at my fingers on the fretboard and pretty much stared.

 

[troyguitar]

When I was having wrist problems I quit playing for awhile, maybe 6-8 weeks of zero playing and very little after that. If anything, my playing was better when I picked it back up. These days I have mostly solved the wrist issues though (hint: computer games are bad) and I play 3-5 times a week with my band.

 

[concertjunkie]

My guitar teacher told me this story that was very inspirational when I went to LA to see Opeth recently (without my guitar for 6-7days)
I dont know the names and its accuracy will be off par, but the message is still there

An great Chinese pianist was arrested for 20 years (I dont recall the reason), and after getting out of jail, was still able to make masterpieces and play like he didnt skiip a beat. A king or some higher authority who put him into jail found out about this and asked him how he could play so well without touching his instrument for so long. His response? "I practiced every day, in my head"

I spent time on my trip, even without a guitar, just listening to some things i wrote and put on my ipod and mentally playing for at least an hour, and reading those Steve Vai Little Black Dots articles, to prepare myself mentally. And when i came back, i definitely noticed i didnt feel so weird like other times i dont play for a few days. Mental preparation is just as important, it seems, as the physical practice

 

[jymellis]

i quit for a little over ten years. im still getting back into it. unfortunately i can only play about 3-4 days a week. and the amount of time is varied. i cant go 5 minutes without loosing a bit of my touch (or lack there of) now . i have to pratice on practicing lol.

 

[daveycrockett]

i was laid up with medical problems in 07 for about six months i couldn't even hold a guitar and i would write new parts in my head running them over and over until i would dream about them. just devoting that much thought to it made it seem like no time had passed when i could play again, it was a little long as far as retaining chops but it gave me some perspective and kinda showed me how much it really meant to me

 

[Deadseen]

About 3-5 days and then my technique starts falling apart.

 

[synrgy]

I stopped playing for about 4 years and when I came back to it I felt better than I did before I stopped. Go figure.

 

[Charles]

About 3-5 days and then my technique starts falling apart.

Me too, pretty much...

I hear all these posts about people quitting for ages and coming back with their technique perfectly in touch. Is nobody else in the same boat as me and this guy?

 

[SnowfaLL]

You will come back and things wont feel as solid, but it only takes afew weeks to get back into shape.

I quit guitar all last year pretty much, from June 2009 to about February 2010, I picked up my guitar about once or twice.. Granted, I was playing bass the whole time so my fretting hand was still kinda in shape, but fingerpicking so my actual picking was really sloppy.

Point is, it wont be hard to come back after, may take afew weeks but it'll be fine.

 

[wannabguitarist]

I stopped for about 4 months last year and I can honestly say it didn't harm my playing that much. I was slower (and I still am) when I picked it back up but because I was starting back up after a long break I was far more aware of little issues with my technique that I never noticed before. I also had a bunch of new ideas because coming back after the break make me approach the guitar slightly differently.

 

[synrgy]

but because I was starting back up after a long break I was far more aware of little issues with my technique that I never noticed before. I also had a bunch of new ideas because coming back after the break make me approach the guitar slightly differently.

Pretty much sums up my experience.

 

[Origin]

True enough, I've found that not playing for a day or two (either from necessity ie work or just doing other shit) made me almost more creative and better when I came back. Probably all in my head

 

[Trespass]

On guitar I can go about two days; going back to the guitar feels refreshing, and no loss of chops. After that, it becomes exponentially iffy as days go by.

On piano, however, I recently traveled to see family last Easter weekend. I left mid Friday and returned Monday night. I didn't play for 2.5 days. My playing has yet to recover, and I have several auditions within a few days of today. Directly before Easter, I was incredibly "on-the-ball", but started receiving varying degrees of pain in my wrists.

 

[avenger]

True enough, I've found that not playing for a day or two (either from necessity ie work or just doing other shit) made me almost more creative and better when I came back. Probably all in my head

I actually think this works. If I am in a rut or cant seem to get anything going I will take a day or 2 off. When I pick it back up I feel refreshed and usally I feel improvement within the next few days.

 

[xiphoscesar]

i heard muhammad put the guitar down for 4 years and picked it back up and started writing

 

[darbdavys]

My guitar teacher told me this story that was very inspirational when I went to LA to see Opeth recently (without my guitar for 6-7days)
I dont know the names and its accuracy will be off par, but the message is still there

An great Chinese pianist was arrested for 20 years (I dont recall the reason), and after getting out of jail, was still able to make masterpieces and play like he didnt skiip a beat. A king or some higher authority who put him into jail found out about this and asked him how he could play so well without touching his instrument for so long. His response? "I practiced every day, in my head"

I spent time on my trip, even without a guitar, just listening to some things i wrote and put on my ipod and mentally playing for at least an hour, and reading those Steve Vai Little Black Dots articles, to prepare myself mentally. And when i came back, i definitely noticed i didnt feel so weird like other times i dont play for a few days. Mental preparation is just as important, it seems, as the physical practice

If that would be the case, I'd be as good as Tosin Abasi

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

I don't have any chops, therefore I have no issue with losing chops