Generally speaking, how much drumming practice do you guys put in?

[Electrode]

This can be per day/week/month/year/whatever, depends what quantity of practice you put in.

I generally practice weekly for about an hour-and-a-half at a time. However, on school holidays (I'm 16 going on 17), I generally put in about four or five hours weekly.

What about you guys?

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"HEY! Is that my donkey you're coveting?!"

[szvook]

[suuntov]

less than 1 hour a day :-(

[mcconaghy]

Are we talking practice practice, or playing altogether? I practice about 2-3 hours daily, but am behind the V's a good 7-8 hours daily, if not I'm fiddling around in my studio. I have a lot of time on my hands, and a lot of toys to play with.

Stu

[Alicks]

Originally posted by mcconaghy:
I practice about 2-3 hours daily, but am behind the V's a good 7-8 hours daily, if not I'm fiddling around in my studio. I have a lot of time on my hands, and a lot of toys to play with.

Stu

You lucky,lucky bugger.
I get about 5 hours a week in a good week.

[Reverend Poppy]

Weekends are actually tougher for me than weekdays. I work from home, but my wife is very demanding with my time on the weekends.

Weekdays: 7:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Only about 1/2 hour each session.

Weekends: As much as I can possibly squeeze in. Usually amounts to about 3 hours.

Since I just joined a band, ALL of this time is spent learning and practicing music. None of it is spent on technique. I long for the day I can get back to working on technique.

Band rehearsals: Tues 7-9, Thurs 7-9, Sat 5-9 (all times p.m.).

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Reverend Poppy

[Steveo the Devo]

I was once at a drum clinic with Simon Phillips where someone asked this exact same question of him. The answer came back 'Around about 9 hours on average'. The questioner then clarified the question '9 hours per week?' There was some nervous laughter in the room and Simon replied 'No, that is 9 hours per day'.
Oh to have that much time on my hands!
In answer to your question, about 1 hour a day on weekdays and usually a couple of hours a day on weekends. Not including any gigs, which don't really count as practice (in my books).

[Cyberjam]

Originally posted by Electrode:
This can be per day/week/month/year/whatever, depends what quantity of practice you put in.

I usually play at least 15 hours a week. I have a full time job from Mon to Fri. On Saturdays I am prone to playing all day. Sundays are usually another 4 or 5 hours.

[Marc.]

Practice?

Practice?

We don' need no steeenking practice!

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-~

[puttenvr]

I never practice. Only sometimes play around with a drumpad and my module, but never study paraddidles or something. I play with my band once a week and that's enough. If I could practice a lot I would be a better drummer. Sure.

When I hear professional drummers do their clinics it's kinda boring for me in a way. Only a few are interesting. Olways have a on my face when I hear them say that they study 6 hours a day. I don't care. Live is good so for me.

[Electrode]

Reading all your replies (thanks, guys!), I seem to have caused a little confusion over what exactly 'practice' means. Well, if we want to go on what my personal idea of practice is, then I count playing on V-drum patterns, solo rudiment practice etc. etc. as practice.

As far as I'm concerned, everything you do on the drums is practice. No session goes by (for me anyway) in which I don't learn something I didn't know before, whether it is rudiment-practice or messing with patterns or just trying (!) to re-create something cool I heard another drummer do.

Unfortunately since I don't have my V-drums yet (I'm getting them on the 19th of June, as stated enough times on this board) all my practice is either with backing CDs or just rudiment practice, on a Pearl Masters Custom acoustic kit at my church (it's not mine!). By all means, if you want to know what the acoustic kit consists of, then ask me, but remember this board is about drum practice, not kit components!!

Anyway, once I do get my V-drums, I will be doing at least an hour to an hour-and-a-half's practice per day, not per week, since I will have my own kit at home! YAY!!

Hope this clears the air a bit...

[Reverend Poppy]

When I hear professional drummers do their clinics it's kinda boring for me in a way. Only a few are interesting.

You're obviously going to the wrong clinics. Most of the clinics I've been to have included at least 20 minutes of watching the clinitian play. Regardless of what they have to say, watching Dennis Chambers, Rod Morgenstein, Will Calhoun, and Tommy Aldridge play is far from boring.

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Reverend Poppy

[zekedrum]

I agree with you electrode anytime you set down behind a kit you are getting better. As the same for watching another drummer live or in clinic you can learn something from everybody. Buddy Rich said practice till you are tired of practicing if it is 5 minutes or 5 hrs. you should practice only when you are interested not because you feel like you should. Most people who get bored at clinics usually only means that the drumming is over there head or they feel they don't need to learn because they will never use half the stuff he is playing. I have never understood this thinking because if they know they don't enjoy clinics and get bored why do they go to them time after time, just don't go stay at home. I went to a David Garibaldi clinic and I was talking to a friend of mine after the clinic and I asked how he liked it and he said he didn't do anything he could'nt do plus he did'nt use a double pedal, that too me is just is just a stupid statement. Anyway practice as long as you are into it and try to practice with a metronone with the Vdrums you have a click with different types of sounds plus pretty cool loops to play with. You said you play in church so practicing with loops is sometime you will need down the road .I tour and record with a Contemporary Christian group and most of the groups I have played for use tracks live with a live band so a click track live is a must. Anyway there is always room for inprovement and there is always someone better than you are so just keep learning you will never know it all.

[mcconaghy]

Garibaldi didn't do anything? Man, that guy is the funkiest man on drums alive! Did you check your friend's pulse to see if he wasn't one of the Undead?
Whoever went to the see Billy Hart in April was in for a treat, he is fantastic, solid groover, great sound and feel, but won't appeal to the double-pedal-flashy-drum-fill-mania fans.

Happy father's Day to all you dads out there!

Stu

[R27789]

I only practise about 40mins to an hour on weekdays and about 1-2hrs per day on weekends. However, before I got married last year June, I used to put in an average 2hrs per day and 4hrs per day weekends. But it's not just how many hours you put in, but also what you practise that counts. I think my practise now for 30mins is as effective as my 3hr practises some years ago, because I know what to practise now.

I just don't understand drummers who don't like drum clinics or drum solos. I heard a drummer say that Terry Bozzio, etc have good technique but none of their solos are ever musical. I hate this guy. I know that playing drums to tunes, or playing through sequencers, or playing a song with step sequencers for eg does enhance a drum solo, however, drum solos by themselves are musical as well. I still can "hear" Terry Bozzio's solo stuff in my head and in my heard so don't tell me that's just technique going on in my head?? Can it last for years in my head if it's just technique??? ?!!!!!!!

Fon.