Do you play everyday?

[BrunoBass]

I play when the band are rehearsing or gigging, and I play at home if I have a new song to learn. And that's it. It'd be nice to have the time to play every day but life stuff and other musical endeavours preclude that.

[mingsta]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1467579082' post='3084689']
I play when the band are rehearsing or gigging, and I play at home if I have a new song to learn. And that's it. It'd be nice to have the time to play every day but life stuff and other musical endeavours preclude that.
[/quote]

What he said!

I'm in a cover's band so it's pretty robotic...learn new songs...rehearse...perform. The payback is the gigging and being in a tight, well drilled unit. If there's a quiet spot then I'll have a break for a few weeks and not play, but always mindful that you need to be fit enough to play for 2-3 hours and I'll do plenty of exercises in the lead up to the next batch of rehearsals/gigs.

I'd love to be able to spend more time learning and creating, but I just don't have the time so focus what time I do have on the thing that I get the most enjoyment out of ie gigging.

[discreet]

It's unusual if a day passes and I don't play bass for somewhere between three and four hours. We do lots of gigs and play at least two long sets at each, but we don't rehearse as a band as much as I'd like to. People have other life-based things they need to do, apparently. I've never understood it myself.

Edited July 3, 2016 by discreet

[luckydog]

Seems I'm in the minority that seldom opens a bass case at home unless there is something specific to work on. I wouldn't advocate this, don't know how I get away with it really but it seems to have little effect. Think all the wiring upstairs is permanent by now, arms and fingers strong.

LD

[RockfordStone]

i normally do something, even if it is just noodling to give my fingers a practice, I havent for the last month tho really, as i don't have a bass in my house currently

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='mingsta' timestamp='1467579858' post='3084697']

I'm in a cover's band so it's pretty robotic...learn new songs...rehearse...perform. The payback is the gigging and being in a tight, well drilled unit. If there's a quiet spot then I'll have a break for a few weeks and not play, but always mindful that you need to be fit enough to play for 2-3 hours and I'll do plenty of exercises in the lead up to the next batch of rehearsals/gigs.


[/quote]

This about sums it up for me. I still regard myself as a beginner but have been gigging more or less from the start. The need to be on top of new material means a real treadmill of learning song after song, and given bands only lasting a couple of years there's plenty of that. I keep promising myself I'll do some structured practice and develop my music theory but the need to learn next weeks songs always gets in the way. I know this is probably short sighted but I also know it's a shambles when the bassist doesn't have the song down.

If I ease up in a break between gigs then a 2-3 hour set is bloody hard on stamina for fingers. Inevitably that always seems to come on a double gig weekend.

So I practice pretty much every day, usually at least an hour.

On the other hand I get really fed up turning up to rehearsals when other band members haven't practised. It just seems disrespectful to other band members and to any potential audience. Even with musicians way better than me a lack of practice shows.

[KevB]

Definitely not, in fact if at all possible I make an effort not to play the day after I've gigged the night before. It's good to have a break. If I know I've got a period with few gigs and/or rehearsals then I try to put a bit of time aside so I don't get rusty but this would probably still leave whole days without me playing a note. I notice when I've been away on hols that I get a bit off after a long period so I know I need to keep it up to some extent but not every day.

[CamdenRob]

I hardly ever play at home... Only when I have something to learn / parts to write or I need to commit something to memory before a rehearsal / gig. Quite regularly go a week or so without picking up the bass if I've no rehearsals / gigs.

[LiamPodmore]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1467575799' post='3084669']
I'm probably unusual in that while I'm still interested in guitars & basses I don't actually play them anymore.
[/quote]

I'm the same. My main bass has been out of operation for 4-6 weeks now and i haven't even bothered fixing it yet. Had a dabble on my acoustic guitar over the weekend, but i can go months at a time without touching them.

Edited July 4, 2016 by LiamPodmore

[lowhand_mike]

the only time i get to play is when we rehearse unfortunately i just dont have the time with life just getting in the way. so thats every 2 weeks for 4 hours but thats just practising our set list or learning new songs. if we have new songs i will try and squeeze time at home to learn them so i'm ready for practise. Would love to have a hour everyday to actually learn the theory but it doesnt seem to affect my playing in our covers band.

[Oopsdabassist]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1467538154' post='3084300']
I think there is a big difference between "playing" every day, and [i]practicing[/i] every day. How the time is used is very important. Some people spend maybe hours noodling around or practicing stuff they already know. IMO a half an hour to an hour spent on intense and focused practice, say twice a week ( though regularity is best...i.e. everyday) is more beneficial than an hour every day simply messing around on the bass.

It's the quality...not the quantity.


As for my self, I practice every day generally. I concentrate on practicing what I consider to be my weak points, as well as learning new songs for my covers band.
[/quote]

Totally off topic, but I love your avatar name...a County Clare man perchance?

[Oopsdabassist]

Aaaand back ON topic... not daily but probably 3-4 times a week, usually for at least half an hour, and mainly to keep fingers flexible and calluses topped up, plus learning of new songs as and when.

[joey1234]

I play everyday, but it's a fight between normal guitar and bass. Whilst the kids are still awake I generally play guitar (they like to dance about to the music) and then when they go to bed and the wife wants to watch tele I will just noodle on the bass as it is a quiet instrument. I don't really learn songs, I generally write my own. However I bought a bass guitar book with lots of J.S.Bach compositions in it and I try and learn them, I thought I was progressing nicely on one of them, then I listened to someone play it on youtube and I felt like binning my bass, the guy played the same tune I was playing at like quadruple the tempo ;(

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='joey1234' timestamp='1467625212' post='3084884']
...then I listened to someone play it on youtube and I felt like binning my bass, the guy played the same tune I was playing at like quadruple the tempo ;(
[/quote]

Don't worry about it... Youtube is full of people playing stuff as quickly as possible regardless of whether it sounds s**t...

Edited July 4, 2016 by CamdenRob

[blue]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1467581269' post='3084706']
It's unusual if a day passes and I don't play bass for somewhere between three and four hours. We do lots of gigs and play at least two long sets at each, but we don't rehearse as a band as much as I'd like to. People have other life-based things they need to do, apparently. I've never understood it myself.
[/quote]

Me either.

Blue

[discreet]

[quote name='joey1234' timestamp='1467625212' post='3084884']
I bought a bass guitar book with lots of J.S.Bach compositions in it and I try and learn them, I thought I was progressing nicely on one of them, then I listened to someone play it on youtube and I felt like binning my bass, the guy played the same tune I was playing at like quadruple the tempo ;(
[/quote]

That probably means he was playing it wrong. Fast playing doesn't mean good playing, especially on bass guitar. Restraint and good taste is where it's at. Though he wasn't exactly restrained, you can't get much more tasteful than J S Bach, it's true.

There are some good bass players on YouTube - but a hell of a lot more who are not so good. Don't compare yourself with them, you're not in competition with anyone else. Play to your strengths. I'm influenced by Bach, but I don't let the fact that I can't play much of his work get me down. I'm not in a J S Bach cover band. He didn't write too many pieces specifically for electric bass, anyway.

Edited July 4, 2016 by discreet

[Dan Dare]

I keep a bass and a guitar on stands in my lounge. Will pick them up and play them even if only for 5 minutes at some point every day.

[Coilte]

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1467624401' post='3084873']
Totally off topic, but I love your avatar name...a County Clare man perchance?
[/quote]

Thanks. No...I'm from Dublin. I have being using Irish words as avatar names and passwords for a long time.

I just thought "Coilte" had a nice ring to it.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Coilte

[Bobthedog]

I would say 13 days out of 14 I play for at least 30 mins a day. I would love to do much more but weekdays is very time compressed.

[Machines]

I probably do about 1.5 hours a week in 2 nights. Other than that I may pick one up for 30 seconds when passing but that might be it. If i have stuff to learn for a band this increases significantly.

[Oopsdabassist]

Aha and there was me thinking it was the Gaelic translation for Quilty

http://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Quilty,+Co.+Clare,+Ireland/@52.784068,-9.4593492,11.99z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x485ae2976e64dd0f:0xa00c7a9973183b0!8m2!3d52.8172567!4d-9.4559219?hl=en

[Ghost_Bass]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1467623637' post='3084862']
I hardly ever play at home... Only when I have something to learn / parts to write or I need to commit something to memory before a rehearsal / gig. Quite regularly go a week or so without picking up the bass if I've no rehearsals / gigs.
[/quote]

This defines me. With a day job, family, house and other responsabilities to take care i only pick the bass to learn parts for rehearsalls or remember tricky parts before gigs. Sometimes when i walk by my bass wall i pick up a bass and have a quick noodle with it but that doesn't count as practise. I had a lot more time available when i first started learning bass and lived at my parent's house...

I allways try to learn my parts before rehearsalls though but it has been a few occasions when i really couldn't find the time to do it. If i was a professional musician i guess i would look at this in a diferent angle and try to practise every day.

[DaytonaRik]

Playing bass is just one of my hobbies/pastimes along with cycling, running, snowboarding and myriad of other thigs. Think Lizzy play pretty much a locked set and I can't recall the last time I rehearsed, apart from this Saturday with a dep drummer for an upcoming gig (drummer is criminally brilliant!) - I play along with a track I fancy learning once in a while but that's about it.

That said, as I'm about to form a new rock covers band to run alongside TL I suspect that this approach may need some more thought!

[Musicman20]

I wish I had that kind of time! Career and keeping in shape keeps me away from instruments at the moment.

[bassbiscuits]

Unless i'm particularly learning some new songs, i barely play between one gig/practice and the next.

Kids/job seems to be the main reason!