How I Did 2 Hours Music Practice a Day for 2 Years (With a Day Job)

These strategies allowed me to do 2 hours of music practice before work every morning for more than 2 years. Result: more progress in 6 months than in 5 or more years previously.
► Join Practice Multiplier to go deeper: playinthezone.com/practice-mu...
WATCH NEXT: How to practice music efficiently - • How To Practice Music ...
-- LINKS --
► FREE E-BOOK: Discover the 9 key mindsets that all the great musicians share. And learn how to develop them yourself. playinthezone.com/unshakeable...
IN-DEPTH TRAINING. Do you want to take your music to the next level? If so, I’ve got courses that show you how to make your practice more effective and how to upgrade your inner game as a musician. These two areas are some of the best ways to get significant progress from relatively small investments of time and effort.
Check out the courses here: playinthezone.com/courses/
--
Drop by my website for articles and free email tips:
playinthezone.com/
Say hi on social media!
Facebook: / playinthezoneofficial
Twitter: / playinthezone
__________
If you like this video, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, & SHARE!

[@PlayInTheZone]

► Check out my Practice Multiplier course if you want to go deeper: playinthezone.com/practice-multiplier/

[@rafaelgomez1989]

● " FOR WHAT YOU PRACTICE IN PRIVATE, YOU'LL BE REWARDED IN PUBLIC "

[@annebomba]

This is great. I have experimented with practice routines all my life, ranging from not ever practicing but only playing, to practicing 8 hours a day. Just now I devised a practice routine of 2 hours. 30 min rhythm training, 30 min singing and 1 hour piano (I'm a singer-songwriter). You inspired me to really stick to it every day first thing in the morning. On average I only practice the full routine 3 out of 7 days I think. I could really relate to the way you explained this, in a calm and introverted way. Grtzz!

[@PlayInTheZone]

So glad you found this useful, Anne. 2 hours per day worked really well for me. And I've seen several of the top musicians of various eras say that they reckon 4 hours is usually the absolute maximum for really productive practice. Particularly glad to see you've got some dedicated rhythm training in there. Rhythm is so important!

[@bagpiperbruce]

Ive been practicing an average of 1,5 hours a day consistently since i started playing in october 2021. Im definately improving at a much faster rate than my other band members. Im logging every practice minute i play and have a set plan for every practice sessions with short managable phases each session. I also have a professional coach who i see on a weekly basis. I upload my videos about every 10 practice hours or so on my youtube channel if you want to see it :) Ive been watching your videos pretty much daily and enjoy them! Im learning a lot, thank you so much for making them!

[@Magerramus]

what is your practice routine for 1.5 hours ?

[@vantasties]

Found this by chance...just what I was looking for!

[@user-jh6bx9ed4d]

I practice from 8.00 to 9.30 or sometimes 10.00 am Monday to Friday, and often do more during the afternoon. I love the sound of my cello and don't have a problem practicing on it. I divide my practice time into slots for scales (etc), studies and whatever music is coming up.

[@Persun_McPersonson]

Good to hear you have a consistent and enjoyable practice routine. Though 9.30 and 9:30 mean two different things.

[@qu14torze82]

Hi from France! Thank you Mark for this great advice! Being consistent, shortening or dividing the practice, taking breaks... to avoid boredom and - for those like me - also avoid losing focus after 15-20 minutes.

[@kayvtv]

good info!

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad you liked it, Kay. Which bit did you find the most useful?

[@davidhenry4845]

Fantastic information thank you so much!

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad it was helpful!

[@harryhughes2957]

Excellent guidance which really helps.. Thank you

[@PlayInTheZone]

You're most welcome, Harry!

[@AC5SH]

Great advice. Thank you. Tim O

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad it was helpful, Tim!

[@crystallifecoaching4822]

I find so much value from your KZbin videos and online course. Subscribed and Sharing.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Awesome, thank you!

[@mgandersson8679]

There is nothing that can outperform deliberate intention. Great points.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed this.

[@davidadelaide]

Thanks Mark for all the useful tips throughout your videos, I play classical guitar and over the years have done the opposite to all your suggestions and I have struggled time and time again. There’s no time like the present to change my ways with a new outlook. Thanks for the renewed motivation.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Good stuff, David! It's never too late to change.

[@baindon719]

Thanks Mark

[@PlayInTheZone]

You're welcome! Really glad you found it helpful.

[@timwhistler5882]

Cheers Mark.ive been struggling to do any practice lately.A combination of your email+ watching a 'short' +watching you tube videos has really helped.tomorrow I will begin tomorrow morning!!

[@PlayInTheZone]

Fantastic, Tim! Hope it goes well.

[@stradtman123]

All said VERY reminiscent of a 2010 to 2012 first thing in morning daily DVD physical fitness regimen. Up at 4 am & struggling to push the "play" button by 4:30. Worked approximately as intended every day. Had a breakfast cashier job I had to report to on time. Things set up & ready to go etc. Level of coincidence my experience & your talking points this video ~ very very spooky

[@johnpomerleau9307]

Thank you. It is helpful the well you have it broken down into a step-by-step process. This breaks it into small manageable chunks. Also the notion of preparing ahead of time specifically on that practice session and doing it for a specific time with a timer, and leaving with the feeling of unfinished business provides motivation for next time. These steps reminds me Of a book I recently finished called Atomic Habits by James Clear. Brilliant work Mark keep up the good work keep the videos coming.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Really glad it was helpful, John. Atomic Habits is a great book, but this video is referring to a time long before it was published 😉

[@josephfigliuolo7286]

I used to play during my lunch hour at work. It made a huge improvement, 5 days a week, nearly an hour per day. New job, new instrument. Less practice at lunch, but now I play at home more. I have stopped watching fiction and replace that "past-time" with "playing" and or practicing one of my three favourite instruments.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Sounds like you've got an excellent system there, Joseph.

[@davidhenry4845]

Thank you so much for this video I'm not a musician but I'm using your words to inspire me to

[@davidhenry4845]

Accomplish the things I want to accomplish. I think you're great thanks for the videos

[@PlayInTheZone]

You're welcome.

[@rodericwalter2862]

I think the marathon practice sessions did my career in - this way of preparing made me more sensitive to rejection, frustrated at learning some recitals too slow, and left me wanting for more skill for the time I was putting in. I am learning to introduce all the proper human elements. The brain will only focus for so long.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Definitely. Planning in good length breaks was a vital part of what made this work for me. If I'd tried to do 2 hours in one go it would have been a disaster...

[@Havanacuba1985]

That was great I have just started doing this, but I have a mug of weak coffee and a ginger biscuit first ,then practice 1 thing for 20 minutes ,then some cereals and practice again etc , I have just got to fine tune it now ,I’m getting a book Sunday to plan some main things to work on. I think while I have my coffee I may watch a video of someone playing who Inspires me , eg Slash , I usually have a 10 minute break between practice chunks and have discovered an app for learning notes on the fretboard by heart ,so that will be useful to play between

[@PlayInTheZone]

Sounds like a good setup, Paul.

[@georgereis7813]

This is great information Mark! I'm still pretty new to music - about a year into it. I'm thinking that I can divide my practice time into three areas: fundamentals, improvisation, and songs. But even with that, I could probably fill all my time with any one of those. So then I'm thinking that having some differences based on the day of the week. For example, On M, W, F I can work on long tones and articulations for the fundamentals. On T, TH, S I can work on scales, chords/arpeggios, and rhythm for the fundamentals. Does this make sense as an approach?

[@PlayInTheZone]

Sure. It's definitely possible to schedule different topics depending on the day of the week. It can be a great way to avoid shrinking each topic down to the bare minimum just so you can fit it in every day.

[@Rich-cq4gz]

Thanks Mark makes complete sense, how do you control the noise issue? Do you use headphones?

[@PlayInTheZone]

Hi Richard. Yes, I spent a long time playing almost everything through headphones. Definitely an advantage of the electric guitar if noise is an issue. I would much have preferred to play "normally", but the benefits of getting the practice in massively outweighed the inconvenience.

[@alejandromedina2349]

I practice every day in quite a similar way! I would add that having a diary is a usual advice that works for many, but not for me. However, using a structured and clear log, with checklists and reporting features..that is me! So I began to use Trello (a free kanban app) as a way to record my practice. My plan is always evolving, and it is in the 26th version, which seems like a lot of change, but it is not. As I progress, the knowledge of my faults and also my skills improve, so naturally that changes my approach and drills a little bit each time.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Great stuff, Alejandro! It's definitely important to discover what works for YOU rather than just blindly adopting what works for someone else. (Though the underlying fundamentals need tot be there regardless of how you adapt them to your specific prefereence)

[@landear8]

what instrument do you play Mark? good ideas. I seem to love to practice mostly in the evening. I keep my flute out on the stand most of the time throughout the day and play some scales or a song off and on during the day. I need to be more consistent. you are inspirational. thank you Mark

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad you enjoyed it, Carolyn. Guitar is my main instrument and I mostly play jazz.

[@sueabel2530]

This is really good advice and I would love to do it. However, I play saxophone and don't like playing early as I worry about family and neighbours being disturbed. Do you have any tips for how I could practice while they are still in bed please?

[@PlayInTheZone]

I'm not sure whether there's anything you can do to reduce the sound when you practice to acceptable levels. Maybe other sax players can comment. Other things I would suggest are: * Mental practice (e.g. visualising how you'd play something without actually playing it) * Work on rhythm and time feel (e.g. tapping feet, tapping fingers, clapping hands etc to really hear and internalise rhythms. I try and do a lot of this regardless. Can be done with and without a metronome) I'm sure there are other possibilities

[@Mickferndalespeedy]

1/4 ?hour of piano in the morning 1/4 ?hour at night. Its not much but its bearing fruit.

[@PlayInTheZone]

You can make great progress with a relatively small amount of practice if you're doing the right things in the right way. Keep it up!

[@craigsproston7378]

I think all your videos are motivating and informational. I teach children from the age of 7 to 18. Could you make a video on how to incorporate everything you have said in this and previous videoed. For example strategis on how to help a 10 year old decide for themselves what their goals are. One of the difficulties many of my fellow musicians struggle with is getting young people to practise regularly. Sometimes I feel they are simply not mature enough to think the way you suggest even though what you say is correct. What I would really like from you therefore is how can I encourage my pupils to think about setting goals, the why question, etc rather than me dictating what they play?

[@PlayInTheZone]

So glad you're enjoying these videos, Craig. So far, though, I have much more experience working with adults than with children. I'd love to get onto some lessons specifically aimed at kids at some point. But I'm afraid they're not at the top of the list right now.