Playing Time

Hey, Ive been playing for around 18 months, for at least 2 hours a day, usually 3 thought. So what i wana know is what would happen if i missed a day? or if i only played for an hour a day? I mean if never done that so would i be slower, or doesnt it make a difference? or dya have to be real good to notice missing practice time?

aXL

You would notice it the day after for a minute or so, as your fingers would be a bit slower on the uptake, but only missing a day occaisionally isn't going to really affect your playing though. If it takes you two months to get up to a certain tempo with an exercise, and you stop playing it and lose the tempo, it will only take you half the time(if that) to get back up to speed. However, it is better to practise every day for one hour than once every three days for three hours. Consistency is more important than volume generally, as it keeps your fingers supple and constantly improving.

Originally posted by Bardsley
. . . it keeps your fingers supple . . .

LOL . . .

I'm not really into this whole "speed and technique" thing, but when you've only been playing a year or two, missing practice can set you back quite a bit. I don't think missing a day is going to matter, but putting it down for a week would be a bad thing.

Originally posted by Axl_Rose
So what i wana know is what would happen if i missed a day?
aXL

You might explode in a purple puff and the only thing remaining from you would be a greenish ball of slime...
Or maybe nothing might happen...

I practice pretty strictly but I have a problem missing time, usually because I'm travelling or something, you know... stuff comes up right? Like recently I broke strings on my Ibanez and had difficulty with the lo-trs system. It took me almost a week to get it back into it's original shape! And yes, my speed declined noticeably, but it took maybe 6 hours or so (spread out over a couple days) to get my speed back to where it was. So missing time isn't the end of the world, you can always get it back.

The amount of solid, good technique you have will judge how long it takes to get it back after you go on haitus for a while. And sometimes breaks can be good (I'm actually faster now, after that break).

But missing a day? That's nothing, I wouldn't worry about it.

It was discussed before, but I have had breaks that lasted weeks and I have played better after those breaks! So practicing without some days off isn't that great...
(By the way, Satch, a reference in technique for most people here, takes a MONTH off the guitar after a tour)