How Much Should You Practice Your Instrument?

When it comes to practicing your instrument, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact time you should spend to reach your ultimate goal as a musician, or what effective practicing for musicians looks like. How long should you practice something a day? An hour? Two hours? Well, it depends!

Many times we have subconscious goals as musicians. We may assume that after four years of playing the piano, we’ll be virtuosic. Or maybe we think that after playing for just a year, we’ll finally be able to play our favorite piece of music. Either way, the first step in nailing down your practice time is to set an end goal. What kind of musician do you want to be?

Now, let’s look at a few different time frames and how they’ll impact your skill long term.

1 – 2 Hours/Week (10 – 20 Minutes/Day)

More than likely, if you’re practicing 1-2 hours a week, you’re probably not practicing every day. After all, what can you accomplish in 10-20 minutes? Because it’s incredibly hard to make any progress with 1-2 hours a week, this time frame leaves musicians unlikely to stick with their instrument over time. The lack of growth tends to make musicians feel as if they aren’t talented or capable when the reality is that they need to up their practice time!

3 – 4 Hours/Week (20 – 40 Minutes/Day)

Daily practice is essential when it comes to practicing music. Routine and repetition make your practices stick in the long run. Many beginning students or young musicians will start with 30 minutes a day because it isn’t a massive commitment. However, after a proper warm-up, there is not much time left to make any significant accomplishments.

Warming up prevents serious injury, builds up strength, and improvs overall skill and fluency.

Your warm-up will likely take up half of your practice time, if not more. You’ll then be rushing to get through your pieces, shoving information into your short-term memory, and not allowing for anything to take hold. These short practices actually hurt you later on because you have to continue to practice the same sections over and over again.

7 Hours/Week (1 Hour/Day)

Let’s face it, many musicians lead hectic lives, and it’s tough to fit practice time into each day. If this is you, we recommend that you try to get at least one hour of practice per day. This is the minimum amount of time that must be spent in order to see a change in your abilities over time. You will be able to get a decent warm-up in (10-15 minutes) and tackle a few pieces of music. But this is where having a goal becomes important.

If you’re practicing for an hour a day, it’s safe to say you value music and understand the importance of practicing. And while an hour a day will earn you progress, it won’t necessarily be fast. The longer you practice each day, the sooner you will see your skills developing. Shorter practice sessions will result in more physical days before you reach your end goal.

10 – 15 Hours/Week (1.5 – 2 Hours/Day) – RECOMMENDED

We recommend spending 1.5-2 hours a day practicing, as it is a great amount of time to thoroughly warm up and make true accomplishments in each practice session. These are the practices you walk away from and already feel better than when you went in. You will see yourself progressing and developing at a very steady rate over time. In 1.5- 2 hours, depending on how many pieces you’re currently studying, you should be able to dedicate a fair amount of time to each. This window of time is also perfect for creating a relaxed environment.

Many times, effective practicing for musicians can be overwhelming, especially if you have a private teacher. It’s easy to focus on all you have to do and how little time you have to do it. 1.5-2 hour practice sessions allow you to relax and spend the amount of time you need on your warm-ups and pieces of music. Ultimately, this relaxed mindset will create more focus and digestion of the material in front of you and will be far more impactful in the long run.

20 – 30 Hours/Week (3-4 Hours/Day)

We are now heading into virtuosic territory! 3-4 hours a day is pretty significant and is usually practiced by musicians who are serious about becoming virtuosic players or making a living with their craft. At this point, you will be making sacrifices for your instrument, and so again, having a goal is very important. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not wanting to be a virtuosic musician. For many, music is a hobby or something on the side, and so you shouldn’t feel discouraged if you can’t dedicate 4 hours a day to practicing.

However, if you are on the train to virtuosic town, this is your starting place for effective practicing for musicians. While you can knock out the entire 3-4 hours in one sitting, this amount of time can also be broken up into a couple of sessions a day. For example, you might like to practice one piece in the morning and a different piece in the afternoon. Just keep in mind that if there are hours between practice sessions, you will have to warm up again to ensure a healthy rehearsal.

30+ Hours/Week (5+ Hours/Day)

If you’re practicing for over 5 hours a day, we can assume you’re the next Bach or Beethoven! This allotment of time is for top-tier musicians looking to leave an absolute legacy. Examples of these kinds of musicians include world-renown pianist, Lang Lang, who practiced 4-6 hours a day starting at age six, and a founding father of music, Franz Liszt, who practiced 8-14 hours a day. While this seems crazy to most, there are a select few that have chosen this life, and we’re thankful for them!

We wanted to give you a tangible chart to sum up the article.

Frequently Asked Questions About Practice Time

Effective practicing for musicians varies depending on the type of instrument played, the talent of the musician, and the overall goals of the musician. Do you want to nail a solo for your high school band concert, for example? Or is it a long-term goal to join a symphony and gain a sustainable income from your music? How long should you practice something a day to be “good” at it? Depending on your current skill level and long-term ambitions, your practice time should be tailored to your lifestyle.

Where Can I Practice Playing an Instrument?

Try to practice in your home, or at least in your room, if you have an instrument that can be taken home. Most high schools and all colleges with a music program will have practice rooms available to students for dedicated rehearsal time. If access to these rooms is limited, a classroom, auditorium, or other space with permission is a great alternative.

The “when” of effective practicing for musicians your instrument is sometimes just as important, if not more important, than the “where”. If you live in a dorm, with roommates, or in an apartment building, don’t play your drumset or trumpet late into the night. An instrument such as a flute or electric guitar with headphones may be more forgivable at odd hours, but your neighbors will likely be irritated if you cannot find a time for your practice hours that allows them to enjoy a normal night’s sleep.

What Happens When You Don’t Practice Your Instrument?

Over time, if you go for days or weeks without practicing, you will begin to lose what you previously learned. This is why it’s best to practice every day if possible. If you quit an instrument and then pick it back up years later, you may feel “rusty” or like you’re learning it for the first time. This is because the practice involves muscle memory as well as technique — and sometimes, in the case of larger instruments, a good deal of athleticism and strength.

Is It OK To Miss One Day of Practice?

In general, yes. Don’t stress yourself out trying to practice at the exact same time for the same amount of time every day. Taking one day off every now and then can be helpful to those studying to be career musicians. For those who want to be proficient but not necessarily virtuosic, it can be beneficial to take one day off a week to rest, socialize, and take care of other obligations.

More Practice Tips

If your most urgent questions concern how long you should practice something a day, you should first figure out what your goal is regarding your instrument and your relationship with music. If you wish to become a highly qualified amateur musician who does not plan to look for professional gigs, you won’t need to practice as much as someone who wants to go pro. You may find that an effective practice routine for your goals starts with one hour a day for six days a week with a break on the weekend. This will allow you to gauge your current skill level and better understand the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

Work your way up slowly and add more hours throughout the week. You may remember to practice if you stick to a schedule, and it’s good to spread out your practice hours so that you fill as many days as possible; however, don’t be too hard on yourself to make a perfect practice schedule. Fitting in 15 minutes on Monday mornings and three hours on Saturday afternoons is better than not practicing at all. Remember, if you’re learning, increasing in skill, and having fun, you’re probably doing something right!