Practice!

[Shebulba]

Fellow drummers and percussionists!

I study classical percussion at college, and I also play drumset, world percussion and trumpet. My problem is that I'm having trouble finding time to practice on allt hese instruments. Remeber that classical percussion is a lot of instruments...

Is there anyone that have some tips on how to plan practice time so that I can practice allt hese instruments as much as passble? Anyone having similar troubles and have found a good soulition? Or is there someone that just have some tips or want to discuss this?

Thanks!

[inthpktplayer]

I would just say it takes a lot of organizational skills to juggle that many demands on your time. Plan, organize, focus and assess how it's working out for you. At some point you may need to prioritize and make some choices. Good Luck.

[8beat]

There aren't enough hours in the day for me to do everything that I want to do. I pick something that is important and practice that. Other things wait.

[signia fan]

I have considered cloning myself and experimenting in time travel.

[SpazApproved]

If you're that busy get a day by day planner with hour increments and try to schedule in your entire day along with time for practicing... Good luck

[JRS1988]

I'm not able to respond at length right now, but I will as soon as I can.
I was a performance major 30+ years ago, and had to deal with organizing my practice schedule and juggle the rest of life.
I'll reply again soon.

[imperialstar15]

You just have to organize hour by hour, minute by minute. For this purpose a planner would be a really good idea. That way you can schedule what you should be practicing, when, and for how long on weekly basis. With this you can also prioritize what needs to be practiced and schedule more time for that instrument over the others.

[JRS1988]

Unfortunately , there is no easy solution. There's only so many hours in the day. Good practice habits need to be learned early. I wasn't very organized until I was into my third year. I was all over the place for the longest time, and that created a lot of anxiety in me. I felt mentally stronger and more confident after I started planning my practice. I wish there was an easy solution. You have to pay attention to your weakest area(s) and make weekly even daily assessments on what needs to be your emphasis in practice. Be honest with yourself.

You definitely have to schedule your practice time, and stick to it, otherwise something will get ignored and then you'll fall behind. I loved playing drum set and marimba, and I loved playing in the percussion ensembles, but I wasn't always prepared for my weekly lessons. I learned the hard way that you can't just practice what you want, you have to cover all the areas you're required to,because the professors will be able to tell where you are taking short cuts. Also, I feel it's disrespectful to your teachers if you are not prepared for your weekly lessons.

Only you know what is your weakest area is and you need to address that and make that the most important area for your practice time. Week to week though, something other than your weakest area might need to be the primary focus. You have to prioritize. You need to make those kinds of assessments each week. If you're well organized you'll feel more confident than if you're just practicing with no plan of action.

At some schools, during your third year you are allowed to make one instrument your emphasis. We could choose from timpani, drum set, vibraphone, marimba, or snare drum/orchestral percussion. Does your school have a similar program? If so, then your practice life will get easier, because you'll be able to focus on one or two areas.

You need to have some recreation time too, because otherwise you'll burn out and you'll miss out on the social aspects of being in music school.
You also have to sleep. Try to get good rest. When you're young you think you can get away with going all night but it isnt good for your body.

[kay-gee]

I can't even imagine that stress. I love coming home every evening and taking my dogs for a walk on the beach! Good Luck!

all the best...

[Eric Anderson]

Look it from this point of view:

Percussionists use sticks, mallets, pedals, and hands to play the different percussion instruments. Design four different routines (or schedules) to follow... one that is stick technique oriented, one that is mallet technique oriented, one that is pedal technique oriented, and the last that hand technique oriented. Now you only have four "instruments" to practice instead of 27.

I focused on improving my stick technique for a year or more. Throughout that time, I saw constant improvement in my playing regardless of the instruments beneath the sticks or the situation. Pedal technique is now getting a lot of love because of all the live shows my band is playing.

Hope it helps

[signia fan]

My weak spot and I bet many drummers, is my ability to stay focused on one thing. Personally, my mind is good with sort of repetitive riff things that do not require a lot of mental mathematics. But when I get into more complex things that require a concentration of multiple limb dexterity things, like I don't know what to use as an example, but maybe an inverted para diddle hand pattern and reading kick and hi hat patterns incorporating all the possible placements, so it would require more thought other than just repeating a simple physical short pattern. That is where my brain can only take short doses, any longer my brain seems to melt and my ability to concentrate falls apart. After a good rest, I can come back fresh and things are easier again. Some players I think have a much longer concentration time than others. Myself, I can practice two to three hours straight, but when I get into the complex math stuff, I do not last more than 15-20 minutes.