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Professionals- How much did you practice?


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ATrumpetBrony
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dumb question here:
For those of you who managed 4-8 hours a day - was that wehile you were studying/obtaining a degree? Had a day job to keep the wallet from getting too thin while "free time" was spent in the practice room?
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kevin_soda
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PH wrote:
(or read TH).


I do this too but I find it usually just takes me down the rabbit hole and I get distracted...
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BradJones
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 1:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I imagine it's much more about how you practice rather than how long you practice.
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halfgreek12
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 7:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Clifford Brown talks about his practice time at 4:05:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Mnglpysuo

Steve
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tim_wolf
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I either read or heard on a video that Malcolm McNab never practiced more than two hours a day. Interesting.
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Bill Ortiz
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Generally 3 to 4 hours a day, and I don't practice on gig days. During this time I rest as much as I play.
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Proteus
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You might be interested to read Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" - particularly the section where he talks about the music school(s) surveying their students.

[SPOILER ALERT =>] The gist of the book is that even once-in-a-lifetime phenoms like the Beatles, Bill Gates, etc. are of course the product of their incredible personal hard work...but also their era, circumstances, luck/timing and their support system of family, friends, etc.

He analyses a number of professions and profiles a number of people, and concludes (with general agreement) that on average, it takes 10,000 hours of serious study (practice, in our case) to become an expert.

Young musicians all start by doing the same amount of practicing (30-45 minutes a few times/week) but by age 14-15 the ones that eventually go on to be exceptionalplayers are already up to at least 2 hours a day every day, and by age 20-22 are hitting 4-6 hours/day...by which time they're closing on the 10,000 hours figure.

Fascinating book, well written and an easy read.
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EBjazz
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nonsense Eliminator wrote:


A couple of things stand out. First of all, in general, the jazz players practiced more -- often a lot more. I don't know why this is,


Jazz players practice more because they need to learn to improvise. I probably spent as much time practicing improv as practicing straight trumpet stuff, sometimes 4-8 hours per day. There is some overlap in practice between the two disciplines, but improv practice can take it's toll on your chops if you are not in good form. You really need to get your choruses in to get good at jazz. This is one of the reasons many trumpet players can't improvise well, even at the pro level.

Eb
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homecookin
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nonsense Eliminator wrote:
There is a very interesting book by Louis Davidson called "Trumpet Profiles." He sent questionnaires to many prominent players of the time, in various genres -- Dizzy, Maynard, Herseth, Vacchiano, André, Dokshitzer, and plenty of others.

A couple of things stand out. First of all, in general, the jazz players practiced more -- often a lot more. I don't know why this is, but most of the classical players said something like 3 hours a day, and most of them practiced in short chunks, about 20-30 minutes a session. That's where I was as a student -- 2.5 to 3.5 hours a day, usually in half-hour sessions.


I agree, Trumpet Profiles is a very interesting
read. I think it's true that jazz players practice more
than legit players.
You have to learn to work your way through
chord changes and you have to learn
hundreds of tunes.
Takes a lot of time in the woodshed.
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rufflicks
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So… I wasted a great deal of time in the practice room. The benefit of this was I developed endurance. This came in handy later doing 9-10 sets a day 6 days a week.

If I had to do it over again: I would structure things so it was shorter 30-40 min sessions with 1 or 2 aspects/disciplines being covered each session. If you play 2 sessions every 3 hours you will always be fresh. In this way you can easily be fresh playing for 4-4.5 hours a day. I would use a combination of disciplines within the context of each exercise, scales as written then as intervals, tongued, slurred and in variations extending them to the outer reaches of my range. Same with chords and arpeggios. I would work on etudes and solos a bit more intensely. I would tear them apart bar by bar, play them from the last 2 notes then adding the note or bar before and then the next bar before. Learn them this way, you know them forever. This would leave more time for learning changes and developing harmonic knowledge. I would write down everything I needed/wanted to practice and develop a schedule and adhere to that schedule. I would hang with my musician buddies just a bit less cause I have things to study… like piano, harmony and listening/transcription. (I would have no friends… the kind you wake up next too; way too time intensive). I would gig as much as I could and go to jam sessions. I would go hear live music played by great musicians. I would sleep with classical music playing softly in the background and dream big.

Best, Jon
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Ed Kennedy
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike Sailors wrote:
At least 4 hours a day when I was in college, outside of ensembles and other playing commitments. Nowadays I try to get 2 hours in per day.


What he said.
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dbacon
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DB

Last edited by dbacon on Sun Jun 19, 2022 10:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
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jazz_trpt
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Practice?

When I was on the road I might be lucky enough to get 30-45 minutes in with a mute in the hotel room (at one point I think I was practicing out of one of PH's books!)...with a little warmup at the venue. Sometimes really no time to practice at all when you were doing a show a night in different cities for weeks solid. I was more concerned with making sure that I was giving the MD exactly what they needed/expected for every show.

That said I was probably spending a couple of hours a day transcribing solos (on the bus w no horn).

I think it's very possible to get a lot done in a relatively short amount of time, if your practice is focused and you have a good feel for the play/rest ratio.

Nowadays my playing has to take a back seat to my day job, so I play as little as I can get away with and still be able to "make the gig."

BTW, that "Trumpet Profiles" book is quite interesting, if you can score a copy.
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JVL
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rufflicks wrote:
So… I wasted a great deal of time in the practice room. The benefit of this was I developed endurance. This came in handy later doing 9-10 sets a day 6 days a week.

If I had to do it over again: I would structure things so it was shorter 30-40 min sessions with 1 or 2 aspects/disciplines being covered each session. If you play 2 sessions every 3 hours you will always be fresh. In this way you can easily be fresh playing for 4-4.5 hours a day. I would use a combination of disciplines within the context of each exercise, scales as written then as intervals, tongued, slurred and in variations extending them to the outer reaches of my range. Same with chords and arpeggios. I would work on etudes and solos a bit more intensely. I would tear them apart bar by bar, play them from the last 2 notes then adding the note or bar before and then the next bar before. Learn them this way, you know them forever. This would leave more time for learning changes and developing harmonic knowledge. I would write down everything I needed/wanted to practice and develop a schedule and adhere to that schedule. I would hang with my musician buddies just a bit less cause I have things to study… like piano, harmony and listening/transcription. (I would have no friends… the kind you wake up next too; way too time intensive). I would gig as much as I could and go to jam sessions. I would go hear live music played by great musicians. I would sleep with classical music playing softly in the background and dream big.

Best, Jon



I agree totally with you Jon (and bravo and many thanks for your videos )
Once, i practiced only in front of my teacher....Then i practiced, not enough...After i practiced a lot...but not in the smarter way, nor the best material...
Now, after 40 years, i know a little bit
Best
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Bflatman
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am a new kid on the block but I make money from the instrument.

I am uneducated and untaught but I think I understand what you are asking and I have a perspective and a contribution.

First I practiced and still practice between 3 hours and 10 hours a day. But much of that is resting.

All practice is good in my opinion, musicality develops even when technical boundaries are not being pushed. Much of my practice is not technical it is heart playing. I cannot describe it another way.

Playing from the heart with emotion is about communicating with the audience and this can be very powerful. I believe it is in itself a practice. Technical practice alone leads to great proficiency and skill. Playing from the heart needs to be practiced to do it well like anything else that we do.

Play brilliantly and you capture their mind. Play from the heart and you capture their heart and soul.

Everything I practice is practiced from the heart. When I play a humble scale I receive a round of applause.

I am not speaking about whisper tones or a technical trick or technique but of turning off the mind and turning on the feelings.
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homecookin
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Proteus wrote:
You might be interested to read Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" - particularly the section where he talks about the music school(s) surveying their students.

[SPOILER ALERT =>] The gist of the book is that even once-in-a-lifetime phenoms like the Beatles, Bill Gates, etc. are of course the product of their incredible personal hard work...but also their era, circumstances, luck/timing and their support system of family, friends, etc.

He analyses a number of professions and profiles a number of people, and concludes (with general agreement) that on average, it takes 10,000 hours of serious study (practice, in our case) to become an expert.

Young musicians all start by doing the same amount of practicing (30-45 minutes a few times/week) but by age 14-15 the ones that eventually go on to be exceptionalplayers are already up to at least 2 hours a day every day, and by age 20-22 are hitting 4-6 hours/day...by which time they're closing on the 10,000 hours figure.

Fascinating book, well written and an easy read.



Well, I'm not so sure about the 10,000 hours deal
in any discipline.
Especially in music and trumpet playing.
Everyone knows, or should know, that it's
the quality of your practice that is important,
not the amount of time you put in.
It's really easy to be analytical and
come up with a number such as 10,000
hours.
But what does that really mean ?
Instead of thinking about 10,000 hours,
it's better to think about... how to practice,
what to practice, and when to practice.
Consistent intelligent practice is the key.
It's certainly possible for someone to practice
10,000 hours and never achieve artistry.
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