An Age-Old Question: "How Much Daily Practice is Necessary?"

by Shannon Hamblen

As I teach my students the art of bluegrass fiddle and mandolin, concerned parents often ask me this question: "How long should my child practice each day?"

I often asked myself this question when I was younger. I remember the months before I enrolled at Belmont College (now University) when I would put in five to six hours a day of practicing a difficult piece entitled "Allegro." I was exhausted and to the point of burn-out. Soon after that, a violin teacher told me that quality of daily practice is much more important than quantity of daily practice. It made sense to me. To use an example, I could spend ten hours in the public library, but I would not gain knowledge if I did not open a book while I was in there!

One way you can make your practice time more effective is to concentrate on the specific problem areas instead of always going back to the beginning (or saying to yourself, "Oh, I'm sure I'll get that spot right the next time I go through it").

When I looked at my musical influences, I wondered how many hours they practiced a day. The list was very diverse: Tater Tate, Niccolo Paganini, Sam Bush, Yehudi Menuhin, Mark O'Conner, Chubby Wise, Roy Acuff, Jascha Heifetz, Blaine Sprouse, Isaac Stern, "Fiddlin" John Carson, Kenny Baker,... and a very famous fiddler named Benjamin Kubelsky. Who?! Never heard of him? Oh, yes, you have, for his stage name was Jack Benny! In fact, one reason I took up the fiddle was because, as a young man, I loved to listen and watch old reruns of "The Jack Benny Program" either on radio or television.

Many believe that Jack Benny was a lousy violinist. They say he became a comedian because he could not make it as a musician as he had hoped to be, and for laughs, he would show off his true lack of musical talent on his violin. All o this is totally false! Benny was a very good violinist! The horrible sounds he created on his shows were just a put-on for laughs. In fact, Jack Benny played with many orchestras for special occasions (he even did a duet with pianist Harry S. Truman!).

Before he died at the ripe old age of "39" in 1974, Jack Benny was once asked how many hours he practiced his beloved Stradivarius violin. He answered, "Thirty minutes a day." That way, he said, he always kept from getting rusty, and could still do the other things in life. I can't imagine anyone busier than Jack Benny, can you? If he can make time for 30 minutes of practice, we all can!

So, I tell my students to practice at least 30 minutes a day. If you feel like practicing more after 30 minutes, keep on going!!! But at least put in 30 minutes a day. Don't let mistakes get you down! Experiment with improvisation, spice up your scales with different rhythmic patterns. Make up tuns just for the fun of it! Try figuring out songs you've heard! My teacher taught me to experiment and not be afraid to try something new. You too will have more fun if you let yourself be creative.

We all have busy lives, filled with schedules and deadlines. It's up to you. How fast do you want to get ahead? Thirty minutes is better than zero minutes. Just remember this: a dripping faucet may not look like a flowing deluge, but if it continues at the same pace every day, it will fill any valley!

Popular Country Fiddle and Mandolin instructor Shannon Hamblen has been with Music Arts for several years. When he's not fiddlin' he can be found teaching school for the Cumberland Count school system.