How much do you practice?

[WishIwasfinnish]

Hey, I just felt like getting a general sense of how much people actually practice/play daily. Practice is probably the most important thing in improving, and it all depends on where you want to be musically, but I just wanted to ask you all how serious you are about practice, what kind of style you like to play most (shred/djent/djazz/whatever) and how much you play a day. Thanks

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

There have been a million threads on the amount people practice a day, use the search dude!

 

[rug]

4-5 nights of band practice (between 2 bands) per week at 2-3 hours a time, and anywhere from 2-10 hours of individual practice on the other days, depending on how hungover I am. I usually spend my individual practice working on speed picking and legato within a single key, and learning Dimebag Darrell licks.

 

[brutalwizard]

well i used to practice 3-5 hours a day, now its mostly learning and writing cause i can basically play anything i want to if i sit down and learn it.

mod edit: Don't complain about rep.

 

[WishIwasfinnish]

sorry Stealthtastic, please have mercy, and thanks to the others for your responses

 

[gilsontsang]

When I have time I'll practice until I'm exhausted. I guess I'm in the time of my life where guitar is really important to me.

 

[mikemueller2112]

The only way you'll be any good at guitar is if you practice for 221 minutes a day, with two 8 minute break periods - one of which you may jerk off for extra picking hand power, this is optional.

 

[Naren]

The only way you will ever get better at guitar is by officially becoming Finnish.

I just got my Finnish passport last week. And, since then I've been playing guitar about 30 minutes to an hour every day, except on band practice days where it's more like 3-5 hours in that day. If I've got something else going on, it might be more than that.

I wouldn't really consider any of it "practice," since it's just me playing guitar. But that's practice too, I guess.

 

[Explorer]

@ the OP - Are you trying to get a sense of what worked for others, or are you looking for suggestions regarding what kind of practice is most effective?

 

[Shrikkanth]

I usually only practice the stuff I write so I can record it well. When I have ideas, I practice hours on end and when I don't, I don't practice. Keeps it feeling less like I chore I think.

 

[Wretched]

Sadly hardly ever. I run my own business so am usually totally consumed by that. I've turned into one of those guys who try and seek out new toys or other things that'll spark my interest enough to outweigh my desire to work and actually play for an hour a day or so... Just bought a bass, so that's my latest bent. Let's see how long that lasts.

 

[EdgeC]

As much as I can. Which equates to minimum 1 hour up to 12 hours. But this all depends on the purpose. If im working on a new technique i'll work it into my normal practice routine. But if i'm filling in for a band or about to record/play a show i'll put in whatever time it takes to nail everything.

 

[guitareben]

All free time at home is either playing guitar (Practice sounds like i don't want to do it), eating, or sleeping. Which equates too, on a free day (holiday/weekend), 10 hours. On a school day, a good 4 - 6 hours.

And yea, i try not to call it practising, because the idea of it is that it is fun, so most of the idea i'm having fun on the guitar (playing stuff, learning new stuff, jamming, etc), and practice kinda sounds like i'm putting myself through something which i don't want to do (i do that sometimes though), like metronome scale practising >.<

 

[Aaron]

The only way you'll be any good at guitar is if you practice for 221 minutes a day, with two 8 minute break periods - one of which you may jerk off for extra picking hand power, this is optional.

That is what i do, it really helps for alternate picking.But jokes aside, i usually play for a couple hours every other day, somtimes i need caffine or a strong drink to really get me going, and trying to decide which guitar i want to play gets frustrating, if i had the means to record i would be playing everyday but for now i dont.

 

[cronux]

wow... seeing how much you guys practice makes me sad :/

4 hours per week band practice and, if I make the time, one hour a day maby. Work and other s*it just take up my time. I would like to change that but I think that that won't change soon. In that one hour I try to improvise by playing along with a backing track, write songs for the band in Guitar Pro and learn different scales. Working on legato mostly.

 

[JPMike]

2-3 hours a day without any lesson, I might take or anything.

 

[Dan]

If and when i guess. I spend a lot of time tracking guitars for other bands so i get a lot of practise in that way i supporse

 

[Icecold]

I use to practice 4-8 hours back in high school. nowadays I go for about an hour with a metronome or Superior Drummer holding down a tempo. I've learned that a good focused practice gets me further than just hammer away aimlessly.

 

[chronocide]

I don't really pick up a guitar unless I'm writing, recording or rehearsing. Sometimes I doodle a little sitting about at night, but not often.

I had my fill of practicing when I was doing my music degree.

 

[eurolove]

its the summer holidays for me, so i try to get about 10hrs one day then the next day around 4hrs then back to 10 and the cycle repeats. i am on a mission to remove all my technical playing limitations completely.