How often to you play? - How many hrs a day w/guitar

[bachle7]

How many hours a day do all of you play/practice guitar?

I spend less than an hour everyday, but I've seen someone in the forum who said he played about 12 hours a day.

[jem7vwh]

I guess there's a difference between practicing and playing. *I play about 3-5 hours a day. *I start off with modes and technique, I move into songs I'm learning and then I finish by working on my own material. I was really hoping to step up my practicing this summer-but working full-time has not helped. *I want to practice more like 6 to 8 hours a day-but I'm getting there.

[carlos seo]

I used to play about 5 hours a day. Now, I don't have much time and I've reduced my playing time to 2 hours/day.

[YaYoGakk]

I play a few hours a day. I try to play for an hour before i go to work in the morning although it usually turns out to be closer to a half hour

Alden

[AJ Love]

I advise slowly building up to practising many hours a day

I was playing 3 to 4 hours a day and now I'm up to playing 4 to 5 hours a day...once I get to 5 hours a day consistently I will stay there for a awhile before going for 6

I play 5 or 6 days a week instead of 7 by the way, that works best for me, having a couple days off from the guitar a week prevents burnout, keeps up my enthusiasm and helps prevent tendinitis (which I suffered from in th past)

[Carlo]

For me it depends. *Since it is summer and I have no school, I have more time to play and practice. *Usually, I practice for two hours in the afternoon. *And then, maybe, another 4-5 hours during the late evenings starting at 12 or 1 in the morning (I like to play during those hours ). *

But there are also times when I would go on for days without even picking up the guitar. This happens a lot when I go back to school full-time.

[GuyCool]

You fellas are so lucky to afford that sort of time with the guitar. I think I'm lucky if I get more than a couple of hours, and that's only once or twice a week, with 2-3 hours playing if I'm rehearsing/gigging.
I have to admit that most people I know would consider the amount of time I spend with the guitar excessive-particularly considering the very modest results, and there have been times when I have had to sit and think about how worthwhile all this practice is...
But you guys understand, don't you...?
The bottom line, I think, is put in as many hours as it takes to make you satisfied that you are achieving the most you can, or to put it another way, if you found out you only had limitted time left on Earth, would you be satisfied that you hadn't squandered your time and talent.



Guy

[trouble311]

I play usually 3-4 hours per day, at least 3 of those spent on actual "practice", and then maybe 1 or 2 with my band playing.

[littlegreenman]

no where near enough, that's all I can say, some days, I don't even have time to pick it up at all.

[bob oakman]

This will be a short rant.

I play for about an hour a week. (Not counting things I track for work on rare occasion.) I’m not happy about it. Everyone is passing me up. Take my advice. Never get a good job. It’ll ruin your life.

[AJ Love]

well Bob I hear ya...there IS a traeoff there though: I am making my living right now just from playing the guitar, but I am barely eeking out a living and have to wait a little longer on getting gear together because of that

about the playing many hours per day thang----people should make sure and gradually build up the amount of hours they play---play an hour or two per day and then add an extra half hour every week or two to your daily regimen

there was a time I was playing 8 or 9 hours a day but I had gradually built up to that over the course of time

[MadKeithV]

I'm lucky if I get an hour a day in... and that's not because I don't want to play, but because of my work, and my girlfriend, between which not a lot of time is left over.
I usually pick my axe up around 11o'clock at night, plug it in to my BR-8, and play until I am falling asleep. *It's enough for me to improve my playing still though, as long as that lasts I won't be unhappy with this amount of playing.

I hope that in future I'll have more time for my music though..

[ripl3y]

I have set practice times, which IMHO is the best way to approach it.

4 times a week I practice for 2hrs 30mins in the evenings.

All other time is devoted to my partner and other things.

I work through different things, legato, picking, chordal, speed building and substitute some sessions now and again for other styles and devote 30mins to each section, then have 30mins just to play around with.

Any other free time I get, i.e. the missus goes out with friends/family etc or the odd quiet Sunday afternoon... I usually work on either building the guitar, learning/writing songs or updating the webpage

I stay in all week (I start work early) and just go out to wind down at the weekends, usually with the missus and some friends.

I think it's definatley worth making the time to set yourself a structure/regime, or you find that you just widdle away aimlessley.

Steve

[trouble311]

Good call Ripley....I think I might actually have to start adapting that regimen....being 19 and in a campus town sometimes makes it hard to concentrate, as I'm sure you can all understand....LOL

[Jesse Greenawalt]

I used to do 3 hrs a day in high school & college - I didn't do parties & had no social life, but I had other hobbies. *Now it's an hour or so...

But... I don't know how wise it is to maintain a heavy schedule like 8 hrs a day for a long time. *Sure, if you have the genes for it you'll become a great technician. *But there are lots of those, and many of them are...lacking... in social skills. *There's a lot more out there in the world than a practice room & a metronome... *Like Yngwie - awesome chops that guitar players loved and the other 99% of the population didn't, and he couldn't write lyrics to save his butt.

You need contact with "normal" people to write stuff that "normal" people care about & would want to buy.

Of course, in band situations where practice meets social contact, that's a bit different.

There's also the health aspect. *Be conscious of the risks of tendonitis & CTS, and the fact that if you eat like many musicians & don't break for 1/2 hr. to exercise now & again you'll get a major gut & all the health problems that accompany it... ;-)