How Much is Enough - A personal Story

There are many different opinions about how much you should practice. My teacher was very specific about what a practice routine entailed. Each exercise was to be played slowly (60 bpm) for a full 5 minutes daily -- without variation --  for 4 weeks. A bit of a slog, actually.

Looking back, I sometimes wonder about that 5-minute criterion. You see, I sometimes found it almost painful to put in the time. The main issue was maintaining focus, which can be a struggle for some of us. So in the end, how much of that 5 minutes was spent really focusing on the job at hand?

5-4-3-2-1
For me there is an odd consistency to the 5-minute formula. Once I get something going, I can usually keep it together for about a minute (see Beginner's Luck). Then it becomes awkward, and I have to spend some time getting it back under control. All goes well until around the 4-minute mark when again I begin to stumble. But I soldier on until the final bell.

OK, let’s sum up
I spent one minute practicing well. I lost it twice. I spent a notable amount of time trying to get it together again. Twice. On top of that, I practiced poorly for 3 or 4 minutes out of the five. Plus I felt like crap. It didn’t always go this way, but it happened often enough that I had to wonder. So I tried lowering the goal post to 3 minutes, which I find is a good length of time for sticking exercises. It’s also about the length of a typical tune (and commercial break), and being able to play something for three minutes without variation will come in handy on the band stand.

Just a Minute
I now find that I can apply what I consider to be proper focus for a lot less than 5 minutes. So I lowered it to three minutes, and then to one, and it seems to be providing good results. For me, one minute a day of focused practice really helps things sink in.

There’s a Caveat
While it’s important that you practice enough, it’s equally important that you not practice too much. Excessive practice or incorrect practice can become too ingrained, often crowding out more creative stuff. It’s also true that beyond a certain point, additional practice achieves very little and it can even do harm to your body.

“I have never believed in practicing too much; it is just as bad as practicing too little!”  - Ascham Heifer

A Rough Guide-line
So, the question is, how much practice is reasonable. Only the individual can decide. Professional players practice for 1 to 2 hours  a day. For youngster, you may be challenged to get them to practice 5 minutes. Still, a 5 minute commitment is better than none and it might lead to a greater interest in practicing. And music lessons and the discipline of practice will yield significant rewards throughout life.