How often do you guys play?

Shit, you guys have a lot of time on your hands (literally). I play maybe an hour a month at best. When I jam with the "band" I practice for about 15-30min the day before and we'll play together for about 3-5 hours.

When I first got serious about drumming I practiced almost every day, but it wasn't until I started playing with others that I started get noticeably better. Hence my solo practice rebellion.
 
One band I play in rehearses for 3 or more hours every Monday evening, sometimes well past midnight. The other band I play in rehearses for two hours on Wednesdays and once or twice a month on Sundays.

A lot of times unless I have something very specific I need to work on, I'm lucky if I practice for 1/2 hour a day on my own, unless I get the itch. For example, one band I need to learn an original song very quickly and get up to speed. But I can't until the guitar player records it and gives me a rough copy with lyrics. After that, I can really study it and come up with something that fits.
 
I try to practice an hour a day. Sometimes it's not easy after a 10-11 hour day of work/commute.....but I try.

One band with whom I play practices from 2-6:30 on Sundays, and the other practices one night a week from 5:30-8
 
I maintain a minimum of 3 hours per day; 1/2 hour of double stroke rolls, 1/2 hour of the free hand technique, 1 hour of double kick at 70bpm, 15 of what my drum teacher gives me to work on, 1/2 hour of doing the Benny Greb Language of Drumming exercises.

Ahhh to not have to work. Yet. lol.

Also I love to play along to some of my favorite CD's after all that is done.

-Jonathan

EDIT:Oh yeah, I somehow forgot my one paying job as the drummer at some weird New Thought church....
 
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15-18 hours with gigs
zero rehersals
never even set drums up outside of gigs/usually under a bus or in a truck
 
lets see... I practice from 1 to 3 hours when I'm in my dorm room, I just got a Roland TD4 so I have the option to practice. Before thatit was like... 15 to 20 minutes on the pad before I was bored out of my mind. I've improved greatly over the last two weeks with this set in my room. When I'm back home it's an hour to two hours... 3 hours a week with my band and then I might jam with 2 other groups. I gig once a month.
 
i used to practice at least an hour per day if not more. now that im a full time college student i barely have any time. i might practice for 2 hours per WEEK. AAHHH!! its horrible i know, but when you have to take them apart and set them up every time your motivation declines. not to mention the silencing pads and tiny set, which blow.
 
remember its not how many hors in a day you play, but the fact you play every day! I play every day, work on the normal stuff, then do something I have having trouble with, and end with something I cannot do. usually about 2 hours. i will skip a day here and there. obviously at rehearsals I practice, and at gigs. been that way since I was 2 years old or about 29 years ago. yikes!
 
I'm a highschool student but I manage to get about two hours in everyday. Not including musical activities away from the kit (like composing songs, school orchestra and jazz band, sight reading, etc.).
 
Now a days, I only play during rehearsals and gigs. I get in about 5 hours every Saturday during rehearsals. We usually start playing at 7:00pm and finish up around 1:00am. I play gigs about once a month or less.

That's it except for some pad work when the wife is away...
 
I did two hours tonight...I think I need more to build up stamina; I tire with a fast song and lag behind the beat. I am not sure if adding more hours would help or wipe me out! I assume this is like running on a treadmill...you get better over time!
 
Everytime that I can and when I'm done with my responsibilites, first. As soon as I get on the throne, I unleash my passion for drumming!!!
 
Hey Crew,

I'm "addicted" to drums, so I do anywhere between 1-4 hours a day, some weekend days as much as 6 hours, which is about all my neighbors can stand without calling cops!
It's kinda cut into my workout nights, as I'm only doing 3 nights a week on the weights, one to 2 hrs at a time, and I only spar Monday nights for an hour or 2 at best.

I spar with a "younger pup" (32 years old) and can usually wear him out, but lately he's gaining ground on me, which I find a bit unsettling. Oh well- he can't play drums!


Old age is getting a "tooth and claw" fight from me--I''l die when I need the rest!

Cheers,
C.P.
 
For my first 5 years or so it was 3 hours each evening during weekdays and between 3 and 12 hours on the kit on weekends (not counting pad and carpet play when it was too early or late to play).

My neighbours suffered terribly. Dad had to ply one of them with beer to keep him from exploding. Another interrupted my practice with screaming and crying (how inconsiderate of her!). Looking back, I was such a selfish, obsessive psycho

These days ... all I do on the kit is a 3-hour band practice each week and the occasional extra practice or gig. Pads - anywhere between 5 mins and a couple of hours a day. I'd love to come home and being able to get on the kit and play but I live in a flat, and at least I don't upset neighbours any more :)
 
Pollyanna said:
For my first 5 years or so it was 3 hours each evening during weekdays and between 3 and 12 hours on the kit on weekends (not counting pad and carpet play when it was too early or late to play).

My neighbours suffered terribly. Dad had to ply one of them with beer to keep him from exploding. Another interrupted my practice with screaming and crying (how inconsiderate of her!). Looking back, I was such a selfish, obsessive psycho

These days ... all I do on the kit is a 3-hour band practice each week and the occasional extra practice or gig. Pads - anywhere between 5 mins and a couple of hours a day. I'd love to come home and being able to get on the kit and play but I live in a flat, and at least I don't upset neighbours any more :)
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I remember when I had my acoustic drums at home, and played them on weekdays. People from miles away would hear the drums, and the neighbours didnt complain once! I think they appreciated me moving them to the studio and buying electric drums to play at home, though.
 
Thaard said:
I remember when I had my acoustic drums at home, and played them on weekdays. People from miles away would hear the drums, and the neighbours didnt complain once! I think they appreciated me moving them to the studio and buying electric drums to play at home, though.
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Must be that famed stoical Scandinavian personality :)

When I was around 17yo a band I'd joined (actually bullied into) hired a scout hall for its first practice. By the third song some idiot banged on the door with a council ranger in tow, who had an attack dog on a leash. True!

We were just playing Stones covers, FFS - it wasn't like we were getting in people's faces or presenting a threat to national security! This man lived right across a wide valley from the hall and must have been itching for a chance like this to enliven his dull pension days. If I ever turn out like that please shoot me.
 
mrchattr said:
An hour a day is honestly nothing...most high school musicians spend like 50 minutes a day in orchestra or concert band, then two and a half or three hours in marching band, and maybe an extra hour in jazz band, and if they have their own band, two or three hours a week there.

When I was in high school, I had a practice schedule that was roughly 8 hours a day M-S, then 4 or 6 on Sunday. I would take days off, of course. It was rare.

An average band that plays out (by themselves, not in multi-band shows) is going to play three or four hours of music, and needs to be able to do it without getting tired and losing steam, so you have to have chops built up from hours of practice to do that.
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how the hell did you get 8hours of practice time a day in highschool! im at school from 9 till 4......an hr and a half kit practice, then study from 7 until 10...then maybe half an hr or so on the pad on my legs , something like that....oh, when i leave school in the summer i'm doing an 8hour a day job on the kit! Then off doing music in college so should have good time there, i have to to make up for the lost time, but i try and make it efficiant
 
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