Hours of practice

trmpt_plyr · 07-03-2009, 02:07 PM

How many hours of practice is recommended every day? Is it okay to go over?

DanZ_FL · 07-03-2009, 02:26 PM

Twenty four is ideal, but most of us have to settle for something less.

Seriously though, I think a couple of hours of practice -- not counting ensemble, etc. -- is a good target for someone dedicated to being the best they can possibly be. More is good, as long as you can keep your focus and not push yourself into playing with bad habits (too much pressure, poor airflow, etc.).

I'm not a teacher though. This is just my personal opinion. When I was in college at IU, the best players I knew would routinely try to get three hours a day in.

Vulgano Brother · 07-03-2009, 03:16 PM

Some teachers (in Europe and USA) advise not practicing more than 1.5 hours a day, to insure sufficient recovery time. However, guys that practice six or more hours are not uncommon--Maurice Andre, Doc Severinsen....(even Vulganion occasion). The key is "common sense," which seems to be something most of us give up when we take up trumpet!

rowuk · 07-03-2009, 03:33 PM

I separate PRACTICE and PLAYING.
I do not normally PRACTICE more than 2 hours per day. My concentration for learning new things or perfecting what I have is pretty much limited to that.

On days like today, tomorrow and Sunday, playing rehearsals and concerts can add up to 5 hours or more.

One concentrated hour is more advantageous than 4 hours of "face time".

Veldkamp · 07-03-2009, 04:19 PM

That depends on your endurance and level of concentration. Don't practice if you have sore lips or a lack of concentration, that doesn't work.

Here some practicing tips from Wynton"

Wynton Marsalis on Practicing Collaborator’s Corner

Bob Grier · 07-03-2009, 11:11 PM

It's not so much what you do but how and when you do it. Hours of just chop time will not bring any improvement. I suggest a good private teacher who can show you the right material for you and show you how to work with it. So much of the time i end up showing my students " do it like this or make it sound like this". You can't get that by just reading about it.

ComeBackKid · 07-04-2009, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Grier

It's not so much what you do but how and when you do it. Hours of just chop time will not bring any improvement.

As a comeback player, I need a lot of guidance in this area. So, I need to know more about why "just chop time will not bring any improvement". If I use a basketball analogy, I realize that I must practice freethrows, dribbling, passing, setting picks, etc. but at the same time, scrimmages build stamina and improve cardiovascular condition so why does not "chop time" build chops even though it may not improve a specific task as much? I must admit that after 15-20 minutes of long tones, slurs, and other basics, I just want to play some tunes. Must I stay away from that?
Thanks.

bigtiny · 07-04-2009, 02:13 PM

Practice time, like everything else about playing the trumpet is highly subjective. =

However, there are some common sense guidelines that might help:

-when practicing, always rest as much as you practice. That is, if you practice an etude for 10 minutes, rest for 10 minutes.

-never continue practice if your chops are unresponsive, or hurting.

-number of hours of practice != playing better. Practice smartly. John McLauglin once remarked in an interview how he practiced a couple of hours a day and that he had observed players who practiced 6-8 hours a day. "However, during those hours they never really stopped and corrected problems or did anything to improve, they just kept playing through a huge regimen with no real improvement." Practicing is about efficiency.

-it's better to practice a little bit most days, than to practice several hours on one or two days.

-organize your practice sessions. Figure out topics to practice and decide before hand how much time you can spend on each one (the idea is NOT to insure that you spend huge amounts of time on each subject, but to organize your practice beforehand). Keep a practice log and review it at the end of the week, then make adjustments as needed. For example, you might come up with something like this:

Warmup - 10 minutes

Technique - Arbans pp42-43 - 15 minutes
Arbans pp123-124 - 15 minutes
Clifford Brown solo - 15 minutes

Etudes - Bosquet #9 - 10 minutes
Jazz etude #7 - 10 minutes

That's a pretty good spread of work in an hour and change.

-if you're short on practice time, alternate different practice topics between practice sessions. Don't try to cover everything on the same day.

Hope this helps,

bigtiny

Bob Grier · 07-04-2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigtiny

Practice time, like everything else about playing the trumpet is highly subjective. =

However, there are some common sense guidelines that might help:

-when practicing, always rest as much as you practice. That is, if you practice an etude for 10 minutes, rest for 10 minutes.

-never continue practice if your chops are unresponsive, or hurting.

-number of hours of practice != playing better. Practice smartly. John McLauglin once remarked in an interview how he practiced a couple of hours a day and that he had observed players who practiced 6-8 hours a day. "However, during those hours they never really stopped and corrected problems or did anything to improve, they just kept playing through a huge regimen with no real improvement." Practicing is about efficiency.

-it's better to practice a little bit most days, than to practice several hours on one or two days.

-organize your practice sessions. Figure out topics to practice and decide before hand how much time you can spend on each one (the idea is NOT to insure that you spend huge amounts of time on each subject, but to organize your practice beforehand). Keep a practice log and review it at the end of the week, then make adjustments as needed. For example, you might come up with something like this:

Warmup - 10 minutes

Technique - Arbans pp42-43 - 15 minutes
Arbans pp123-124 - 15 minutes
Clifford Brown solo - 15 minutes

Etudes - Bosquet #9 - 10 minutes
Jazz etude #7 - 10 minutes

That's a pretty good spread of work in an hour and change.

-if you're short on practice time, alternate different practice topics between practice sessions. Don't try to cover everything on the same day.

Hope this helps,

bigtiny

Bingo, while just a lot of chop time will let you play longer, it won't help you play better. To improve you have to work on improving the specific skills needed to play.

Markie · 07-04-2009, 10:55 PM

You might want to read Wynton Marsalis' Practice Routines & Tips which can be found on the web. I think it can be found on O.J.'s trumpet page.
Hope this helps

07-03-2009, 02:07 PM	#1
trmpt_plyr Pianissimo User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: US Posts: 82	Hours of practice How many hours of practice is recommended every day? Is it okay to go over?

07-03-2009, 02:26 PM	#2
DanZ_FL Pianissimo User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 51	Re: Hours of practice Twenty four is ideal, but most of us have to settle for something less. Seriously though, I think a couple of hours of practice -- not counting ensemble, etc. -- is a good target for someone dedicated to being the best they can possibly be. More is good, as long as you can keep your focus and not push yourself into playing with bad habits (too much pressure, poor airflow, etc.). I'm not a teacher though. This is just my personal opinion. When I was in college at IU, the best players I knew would routinely try to get three hours a day in.

07-03-2009, 03:16 PM	#3
Vulgano Brother Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Parts Unknown Posts: 4,223	Re: Hours of practice Some teachers (in Europe and USA) advise not practicing more than 1.5 hours a day, to insure sufficient recovery time. However, guys that practice six or more hours are not uncommon--Maurice Andre, Doc Severinsen....(even Vulganion occasion). The key is "common sense," which seems to be something most of us give up when we take up trumpet! __________________ "A tool good enough to be so used and not too good" C.S. Lewis That Hideous Strength www.letsbuildhope.org

07-03-2009, 03:33 PM	#4
rowuk Moderator Utimate User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 7,205	Re: Hours of practice I separate PRACTICE and PLAYING. I do not normally PRACTICE more than 2 hours per day. My concentration for learning new things or perfecting what I have is pretty much limited to that. On days like today, tomorrow and Sunday, playing rehearsals and concerts can add up to 5 hours or more. One concentrated hour is more advantageous than 4 hours of "face time". __________________ Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

07-03-2009, 04:19 PM	#5
Veldkamp Piano User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 427	Re: Hours of practice That depends on your endurance and level of concentration. Don't practice if you have sore lips or a lack of concentration, that doesn't work. Here some practicing tips from Wynton" Wynton Marsalis on Practicing Collaborator’s Corner __________________ www.erikveldkamp.com http://trumpetkings.blogspot.com

07-03-2009, 11:11 PM	#6
Bob Grier Mezzo Forte User Join Date: May 2007 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 743	Re: Hours of practice It's not so much what you do but how and when you do it. Hours of just chop time will not bring any improvement. I suggest a good private teacher who can show you the right material for you and show you how to work with it. So much of the time i end up showing my students " do it like this or make it sound like this". You can't get that by just reading about it. __________________ Bob Grier, An Old Pro Web Cam trumpet & jazz improvisation lessons bgrierjr@triad.rr.com Schilke B5 GB bell NY Bach ML 37GB Bb 1949 Benge 7X 1985 Conn 22B 1940s King Liberty Silversonic 1975 King Master Model Siversonic cornet 1975 1985 Bach C L 229GB 25A 1985 Bach D ML 239 1985 Bach Eb ML 239 1967 Martin C ML rose brass bell 1985 Selmer Paris Picc with Osmun A pipe & Blackburn Bb pipe 1975 Getzen Eterna Flugelhorn 1985 Yamaha YFH 635T Flugelhorn

07-04-2009, 02:13 PM	#8
bigtiny Piano User Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 443	Re: Hours of practice Practice time, like everything else about playing the trumpet is highly subjective. = However, there are some common sense guidelines that might help: -when practicing, always rest as much as you practice. That is, if you practice an etude for 10 minutes, rest for 10 minutes. -never continue practice if your chops are unresponsive, or hurting. -number of hours of practice != playing better. Practice smartly. John McLauglin once remarked in an interview how he practiced a couple of hours a day and that he had observed players who practiced 6-8 hours a day. "However, during those hours they never really stopped and corrected problems or did anything to improve, they just kept playing through a huge regimen with no real improvement." Practicing is about efficiency. -it's better to practice a little bit most days, than to practice several hours on one or two days. -organize your practice sessions. Figure out topics to practice and decide before hand how much time you can spend on each one (the idea is NOT to insure that you spend huge amounts of time on each subject, but to organize your practice beforehand). Keep a practice log and review it at the end of the week, then make adjustments as needed. For example, you might come up with something like this: Warmup - 10 minutes Technique - Arbans pp42-43 - 15 minutes Arbans pp123-124 - 15 minutes Clifford Brown solo - 15 minutes Etudes - Bosquet #9 - 10 minutes Jazz etude #7 - 10 minutes That's a pretty good spread of work in an hour and change. -if you're short on practice time, alternate different practice topics between practice sessions. Don't try to cover everything on the same day. Hope this helps, bigtiny

07-04-2009, 10:55 PM	#10
Markie Mezzo Forte User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Clarksburg, WV Posts: 704	Re: Hours of practice You might want to read Wynton Marsalis' Practice Routines & Tips which can be found on the web. I think it can be found on O.J.'s trumpet page. Hope this helps

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