treadmill Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Not only am I a newbie, Im a newbie who doesn't play. I have a tool, and my first lesson is a couple of weeks away, all paid up, so now I have a reason to practise and start watching youtube beginner lessons. But already I find myself engrossed in it all, spending too much time at work trawling every website that moves, and listening more intently to the bass line of everything on my ipod. Some thoughts about how much practise is good, and how much is too much would be welcome. Cheers Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Welcome to the forum I don't believe there are any hard or fast rules regarding practice. I try to play a few times a week maybe totalling 4-6 hours, plus once a week (2 hours) with the band and gigs on top of that. Play when you can. I think you can practice too much - you need rest in between! I would say that playing with other musicians will help you improve your playing so much more than solo practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 (edited) Hi and welcome Congratulations - you're just about to start having some enormous fun. As regards how long and how often you should practice - well, over time, that's entirely up to you. I've heard of some pro's practising 8-10 hrs a day! I'm [i]not[/i] a pro; I do an hour or two, maybe every other day. Everybody's different and there's no set rule. Whatever works for you. I'd discuss this with your tutor, but suggest you consider that you'll be using certain muscles in a new way, and it's easy to damage them if you practice too long and too hard in the first month or two. Any hint of pain - give it a rest for a while and see how things go. Make sure you've got a decent, well-supporting chair and sit upright. If you're practising standing up, make sure your bass isn't hung too low - it can force you into crabbing your wrist round the neck and could give you carpal tunnel syndrome over time. And mind your back. You'll soon notice that you've got 8 lbs of wood and metal round your neck! Get tips on posture; strap adjustment for optimium bass height and neck angle; hand positioning etc from your tutor. If they can't advise you on stuff like this (and they really should be able to), post on here and someone will be along to help. Enjoy the forum! Edited August 27, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadmill Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 Thanks for the replies chaps. I did notice my elbow getting a bit achey after an hour or so last night. Think my finger strength in my left hand needs working on. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 (edited) [quote name='treadmill' post='583232' date='Aug 28 2009, 09:26 AM']Thanks for the replies chaps. I did notice my elbow getting a bit achey after an hour or so last night. Think my finger strength in my left hand needs working on.[/quote] Don't worry - you don't necessarily need fingertips of steel and the grip of a car crusher for this bass malarkey. Over time, your hand will 'learn' how to fret the strings with minimal effort. Pain sometimes comes from gripping too hard - happens to me when I gig - I get emotionally excited and my hand starts to hurt about 10 mins in. So I just relax, mentally and physically, and the problem goes away. Get your tutor to check the action / relief / nut height on your bass's neck to ensure the strings aren't set too high. That helps. Edited August 28, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 Welcome! What everyone else said! Most of all - enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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