Thomas Lang - How Long Should I Practice Every Day?

Ask Thomas Anything: www.drumchannel.com/askthomas This is the most frequent question I get in regards to practicing: HOW LONG should I practice every day? This video will hopefully help you streamline your practice routine and focus on producing RESULTS rather than just logging hours of semi-serious practice.
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This is a sample lesson from Thomas Lang's new website hosted on Drum Channel, the Thomas Lang Drum Universe!
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Known for his incredible musical skills, Thomas Lang is one of today’s most popular and influential drummers- constantly touring the world as a solo artist, clinician and drum ambassador.
On Thomas Lang’s Drum Universe the master drummer explains and demonstrates the educational system he created and still uses to develop his legendary technique, speed, power, control and 4-way independence.
The open-ended website has hundreds of short, engaging, easy to understand lessons and exercises with more content added on a regular basis.
The world-renowned drummer and educator has recently joined forces with Drum Channel to host “The Thomas Lang Drum Universe” drum school in the Drum Channel Academy. And, as an extra reward for players who make this commitment to improve their drumming, an annual Drum Universe membership now includes a full membership to DrumChannel.com at no additional cost.
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[@mene3337]

- How long should i practice every day? - As Lang as you can.

[@ericking4072]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@minisurfbanana]

🤣🤣🤣

[@singaporeghostclub]

🤣😂

[@dardolanda]

As long as you love me

[@EliPoli64]

hahaaaaaaaaa

[@darkdancer72]

He‘s not only a great drummer and teacher but also a motivator AND philosopher in how you reach your goals in many fields of life. Danke Thomas!

[@hugolafhugolaf]

Thomas is so good, he inspired me to quit drumming.

[@Benjamin_Lees_]

You're like a motivational speaker, but for drums. Exactly what I need

[@danielwiggins5739]

Quality goal orientated focused practice over messin around unfocused practice... mainly!

[@Rondo2ooo]

To the point. Be as efficient as you can.

[@stephenhughes5156]

​@@Rondo2oooI've found that there is benefit in not only setting a minimum practice time/frequency (like a lot of people do), but also a time limit. When you 'only' have 2 hours, you are forced to really be efficient and make the most of your time. Noone advocates being in the gym for 8 hours, so is it considered OK and even desirable to spend that much time on the kit?

[@danielelise7348]

& THAT my friends,is why this insanely brilliant drummer is where he is today,just imagine how many hours HE has put in since he was 5yrs old,it would be unfathomable!

[@bjbjbjFTW]

Ive played for 12 years now, but two years ago I began practicing about 2-3 hours a day. And on weekends even more. It has totally changed my playing and i actually managed to get into the music school I wanted!!

[@AlejandroSifuentes]

Thomas Lang is the MAN! 🥁🤘🏻

[@squirrel8016]

Alejandro Sifuentes he Sure is 🥁🔥💥

[@pethercosta9216]

yea

[@KitCatStudio]

Best simple inspirational video I have ever seen ! Tnx Tomas 🙏🏻

[@wessouza7153]

Thomas Lang deserved a DVD with his knowledge and subtitles in Portuguese. Greetings from Brazil.

[@jerrylehti7230]

3 hours a day for just over 9 years of focused practice , is what i believe it means wow thats real commitment if you can do it

[@peterknispel4020]

Thank you very much for this very enlightening talk on this subject Thomas. I do appreciate it

[@robbyboy03]

Awesome advice Thomas. Always a fan and watching you play is proof of what you say. Thank you.

[@rickymezza7080]

Tomas, I want to thank you for these invaluable advice, thank you for your good disposition, these are very helpful to us, especially to make decisions that will make us better musicians and professionals. Thank you Mr. Tomas. I send you a big hug from Argentina. You are a great musical influence for me and sure for many musicians in the world.

[@kalmah24]

Thank you for this video. It helped inspire me

[@darietto75]

Inspirational as always!

[@bakerg_]

Thomas is so inspiring!

[@tipofelice]

Very intelligent and logical advice from a Master, Premier musician. Thank you Mr. Lang!

[@LuisStick]

Happy birthday Thomas! Great inspiration to me, thanks for your guidance

[@donaldpatterson12]

Amen Thomas. You are exactly correct. Thanks for articulating it so well. Donnie P

[@stuartalexander5094]

Thank you very much. Your way of speaking is very relatable and believable. You have given me a goal. Cheers

[@DanyMeyer]

Great episode! Thanks guys!!! :) It's always good to hear those 10000 hour rule again... :)

[@mattjohner3392]

Excellent Video, Very Inspiring!

[@zvikamark6305]

Great Video and I believe in every word here.

[@YoungL05230]

Thanks so much !!!

[@ruyfeuer2045]

Thanks very much Thomas!!!

[@matthewhill9538]

inspiring! thank you

[@toddlavigne6441]

I'd love to know how much Lang practised in his formative years before he turned pro. One of the greatest drummers on the planet IMO.

[@Ross_On_Drums]

Totally awesome.

[@CosimoKeitaCadore]

Thank you!

[@reginalddavis7578]

Best advice on how long you should practice I’ve heard in a long time!

[@jeffreyappezzato7981]

Here's my story. I started playing in 1982. I practiced every night for two to three hours, mostly noodling (it was a hobby and my parents finally realized it was a way to keep me out of trouble). I completely stopped playing in 1997, and then un-retired in 2018. Here's what I can tell you: The negative - The long layoff caused me to lose a LOT of dexterity, speed, strength, stamina, flexibility, etc. The positives - I gained a new appreciation for drums and drumming; I forgot all of the bad habits I picked up as a teenager (gorilla grip for example); starting from scratch I have been focusing on learning proper techniques (grip, stroke, posture, etc). I have a desire to learn different styles of drumming, and widened my musical tastes (I grew up on Iron Maiden and Zeppelin, and now I am influenced by Tony Williams, Gavin Harrison, etc). TL's point about working F/T is so true. I've spent 20+ years in my profession (architect), and I am still learning how to "practice" it every day. I wish I could have the free time and the energy to practice the drums even if for an hour every night. But I relish the time I do spend behind the kit and I am finding I still am learning something every time I sit down. And I find pleasure in the baby steps I take.

[@borgullet3376]

As basic as a some of this info sounds, it is WAY OVERDUE. The last world class drummer that I can remember to address this topic with this kind of detail was Dave Weckl back in the late 80's. This is GOLD.. Thank you Mr. Lang !

[@VermontPrepper]

Great advice

[@jenko701]

This was your best drumming video .

[@drummerkaspars]

Thomas Lang has always been a great inspiration for me.

[@mrlawilliamsukwarmachine4904]

Even without knowing how good/famous he is, I get a lot of super info even within 30 seconds of his videos.

[@martinlaporte2112]

Best advice ever !!!

[@Christopher-md7tf]

There's no book called "The 10,000 Hour Rule" ;) Gladwell talked about this concept in the other book on the list, "Outliers"

[@cleopatrajones7096]

This book is referenced so much, it turns Gladwell into a prophet. I humbly disagree with the so called 10000 hr rule. I’ve never seen anyone improve by compulsive practice. Including sports and so on. I say this as someone who used to have serious OCD. The love of enjoyment is everything. Not the hours.

[@JulianFernandez]

word. thanks.

[@FanPhys]

Very good advice as always from Mr. Lang. I would add that *what* you practice (or _how_ you practice) is even more important than how long you practice for. I found that I developed most as a musician when I struck a balance between A) repetitive practice and B) intentional application - taking the things you have practiced and meaningfully applying them in a musical context. Practicing textbook stuff alone will make you good at being a technical drummer, but to be a musician you need to practice music, which means developing your own musical voice. Join a band if you're not in one!

[@keithcramer3844]

This man is such a bad ass drummer his 4 way independence is freaking crazy.Thomas drummer Lang.

[@SonicSnakeRecords]

Love Thomas Lang! Monster drummer!

[@davidvelasco4495]

When I need put my shit together about drums, always come here Thanks Thomas!!

[@tommyvasilev5012]

Thank you

[@PozytywnaPrzygodazPasja]

Great!!!

[@badrum7]

Verry good job Mr Lang , I love you men , & good luck

[@baretbedelian]

very motivating

[@giorgilomidze8593]

my brother you are great 😘😎

[@TruthAndMoreTruth]

I've come to learn that organized practice is most important. Even if you spend only a clocked 5 minutes every day on something specific, it's important to include that 5 minutes on that specific thing every day as part of the time you have to practice. And video, which was not really a thing back in the day, is very important. An overhead camera to objectively see how you're really playing is very useful.

[@suminshizzles6951]

20 minutes a day for three days doing paradiddles got me from barely being able to do three, without messing up, to doing it at nearly 90 bpm's for a full minute. Ive been drumming since september. I sucked at paraddidles but decided to suck it up and do them to get better. I did 20 min of triple stroke roll. I am gonna have to look at my doubles now as my weak hand is not up to it.

[@DrumsAndGadgets]

WORD!

[@jonasege9690]

druminator!:) What if you practice your spirit/soul on off days, meditate, listen to records, work on your relationships. That can be heard in your drumming. Music is the expression of love. Live a life filled with love, and express it through music. Learn to be in the now, and express that power, forget about future goals, and numbers that make you play like an empty machine. Yes, you can practice for hours a day if you do it with love, but love is the purpose, not bigger, better, faster! Practice with love leads to more love in the world. Practice with the competition mindset creates more pride and ego in the world:) Have a great day out there and enjoy your practice.

[@RaphaelLandauer1]

Good point. The mindset behind practice is very important.

[@manilichros7595]

That's a very common question

[@user-nf6jl9cg1t]

Thank you flying thomas lang head

[@Mastiff37]

So true. Note that there's something about 10 years in there in addition to the 10,000 hours. Besides, focused "deliberate practice" requires more concentration than people can maintain for more than a few hours at a time anyway, so there's really no way to power through in a couple years. The original source for much of this is in the book "Peak", which is a great read: www.amazon.com/Peak-Robert-Pool-Anders-Ericsson-audiobook/dp/B01F4A98WQ

[@garridoentertainmenttv9615]

In order to practice everyday , you will need motivation and inspiration. When you dont get gigs often or you are not working often is hard to keep that focus! Specially if you have to put food on the table! Sometimes drumming , depending on the level you are, wont pay all the bills.... then you gotta be in a survival mood which kills all the other side of the things. I think as long as you have motivation and inspiration you can put the time, otherwise is difficult. Taxes, bills, car payments, family, food, expenses etc can distract you very easily

[@beatthebieber8449]

In Austria there is the ams easy money

[@tomislavsekerija1957TN]

Very important thing many miss is quality practice time is much more important than amount of it. A-ha moments often happen in short bursts.

[@Akuto420]

It's applicable to every field

[@rAdam1980]

How about you simply play the way you each want to play in order to enjoy playing so practice is playing, how much do you want to play? and to what amplitude do you want to play? Amplitude, in this case, meaning the degree you want to express yourself through the medium of drums. This is up to each of us. First acknowledge what “playing” is for you. Professionalisms are only standardized by those who want to maintain standardized control over others, “under”standing that is one’s choice, but we all stand equal - that is one of the most important basic rules of this world, don’t be fooled! Playing and knowing you are expressing you through playing is the greatest gift we all already attain.

[@carpenterjonathan]

I love drumming. Mostly my practice is to playing along to music. I would say it is at at a good standard. I’ve recently started to go through all the rudiments etc. But at the end of the day, surely it’s all about the music? Thomas is a master & on a completely different level. So totally understand what he is saying.

[@ledgy69]

Practising exercises, rudiments, concepts etc is far more important than jamming along to songs. You can learn a song, but you're only learning a song. If you practice patterns, rudiments and concepts, you can applies these to everything.

[@carpenterjonathan]

Very true. Maybe I’m just getting lazy? Thanks for the advice.

[@elliottmain4226]

ledgy69 What do you mean by concepts

[@ledgy69]

@@elliottmain4226 rhymthic concepts, Polymeters, polyrhythms, metric modulation etc

[@ledgy69]

@@elliottmain4226 those are examples of what I meant by concepts

[@bretdorton]

All of this is common sense. All of this is with life. Practice, practice!!!

[@minisurfbanana]

bret dorton common sense yes hard to do!

[@iblamemyexes199x5]

His head is floating and I can’t unsee it 😂

[@ramadgulwar5534]

I practice 1 hr a day ! In that I practice songs for half hour which I want to improve my speed on! And then half hour straight I practice pad workout!

[@onemoremisfit]

My left hand chronically aches, fatigues and lags. It is not overworked or injured, it just doesn't respond as desired. It does slowly respond, but not at the desired rate. Pushing it for 7 hours per day will not turn the corner in 4 years, it will just burn it out. Once the flesh reaches failure, no further progress is made for that session, and there is no way the flesh can meet a continuous demand of 7 hours in my individual case. In my opinion if you can last 7 hours per day (with say a 1 hour break, 8 hours total, i.e. full time) then you are already an exceptionally gifted individual. Also in my case when I do make gains I will backslide, when I get something I've been working on to smooth out and sound good at performance speed, I will come away from that session thinking I have it down. Then the next day due to fatigue I will struggle all over again and not get it back to speed. Gains only come as a long term trend with short term setbacks if they come at all, like the stock market. I increased my sessions from 1 hour to 2 hours last winter, my hands became fatigued and my feet are having numbness and slight neuropathy. I had to decrease to 30 - 60 minutes per day. But I always practice every day. It is a daily grinding struggle. My single strokes in particular are pathetic, they were better years ago when I practiced less.

[@softwonemusic5204]

Brillant

[@OBGynKenobi]

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. --FDR

[@misfit2022]

I like Gladwell and although I have not read 10,000 hour rule I have read Outliers and remember this discussion in that book too.

[@minisurfbanana]

With this lockdown I started drumming last month and I have practiced in the last 39 days 74 hours and 45 mins...64 hours 42 and 42 mins the last 30 days...14 hours 49 mins the last 7 days...2 hours and 6 mins today. You can add another 15 mins playing to songs daily...another 9 hours. At my rate I’ll reach 10,000 hours in 12 years and 8 months!!! Wow I’ll be 64 by then Lolol I’ll be happy to reach 5,000 hours and be solid behind the kit playing some live gigs. The key I think is to have a daily journal! So you know what you are practicing! Good luck everyone!

[@jamieharr4459]

I would suggest gigging sooner than that. Stage time is twice as valuable as practice time. You can reach your "10,000 hours" skill set quicker.

[@jamieharr4459]

@Square one Levi and then there is the child violin player that will play better than your teacher ever will in his whole life time...I suggest you broaden your understanding of what or who you can become as an artist.

[@locaengland]

Determination! For me there is no effort in practicing because I love it so much.

[@subhajitchowdhury820]

Sir I'm a big fan of yours Sir its my life biggest dream to see you to stand infront of u..

[@the6ig6adwolf]

We talkin bout practice. Not the game, not an actual game but practice.

[@giovanniamore2438]

listen to your body.. he tells you what, and how to do

[@minisurfbanana]

Seemed like at the end he was cut off...I think the problem with most people is “What to practice” “What should I practice” I played guitar for over 30 years and still do but if I take that method to drumming since I’m a beginner basically the three things you work on is...1. Your technique...theory rudiments speed ....2. Learn all types of beats....3. Your musicality...songs gigs jamming

[@akamrblast]

way2workit!

[@bobinilam14]

🎶🎯 .. it's true

[@timothyweakly2496]

I love to give myself 2 to 3hrs each training session. Wish I could everyday but as he said life happens.

[@RockyTop85]

GOAT

[@DavidOakesMusic]

How long should I practice every day if I don't care about being the best of the best f the best - I just want to play healthily and efficiently.

[@joshuajuaire8757]

I practice every chance I get

[@addrumsadamgathercole5875]

The people who put a thumbs down are not dedicated to the craft

[@deportedtocanada8683]

I found by concentrated practice of five to nine hours a day, 45 minutes on, 15 minutes break plus my gigs at night, my body learned faster than my mind did. Interesting. It took years for me to adapt to singer/songwriters. Hey, love.

[@mathieudiatom6856]

The cult of labor... it's an arid path where you run out for mirages ! Like Bodybuilding

[@greggry4883]

Charlie Watts has never fallen victim to this grim cult. I wish I could hear him and Thomas answer that question together.

[@Maddinv90]

i am practice every day minumu 4 hours ore more to 6 hours

[@travisaca]

This is the secret to every profession.

[@edoardozampetti4601]

how long should i pratice every day?? beautiful question... also depends on physical and mental endurance ... it is easy for Thomas to say 3 hours a day ... I am 56 years old I have been studying for about 2 years I have been studying 4th grade Afro \ Cuban \ samba times but on the rudiments and the rolls are back and I started studying them when I was 18-20 years old ... I dedicate to the double stroke roll series of 10-12 repeated minutes but still I haven't reached the fluidity and uniformity of a real double stroke roll with the roll with single strokes I get to the maximum to perform fast sixteenths and no more..studying an hour just for the rudiments for me is heavy ...with independence and musical reading I have no problems a greeting to Thomas and all the drummers Edo

[@boynamedlen]

I like how he's just a floating head when his arms aren't in the shot.

[@wb1065]

Ten thousand hours of practice doing what exactly?I think it could be broken down into as many categories as you can imagine, rudiments to polyrhythms and everything in between. Feet vs hands. Maybe I’m over thinking it but after nearly 40 years of playing and far more than ten thousand hours I’m breaking down and rebuilding my skills only to realize how much work I have to do to finally be satisfied with my abilities. Definitely map out your goals and keep record of achieving them. Always strive to be better and never stop working at it. Happy drumming!

[@buddyrichable1]

Is there any advice out there on overtraining. I sometimes practice until my muscles are exhausted, but from boxing and weight training I know we can overtrain, not giving our muscles a chance to recover between sessions. I’ve never seen someone like Thomas explain how hard they push themselves to make progress.

[@sonoluminescent]

I gave myself tennis elbow by pushing myself too hard in my studio back in January, and I’m still dealing with it. It’s absolutely awful. Imagine basically any arm movement, no matter how slight, causing shooting pain in your arm. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night because of the pain in your arm. Imagine this going on for 4 months with no improvement, and then in the 5th month it gets slightly better. Don’t over strain yourself. Don’t push yourself too hard. Pay attention to your body.

[@jerrylehti7230]

@Spike Flea there can be light days and more intense days , like practice pad things / and drum set days to ease the strain on the body .So yes listen to your body !! We are all different Rock On

[@devonkenny889]

If it was easy.....everyone would be doing it! ✌😉

[@timpricedrums]

Wise words. I have done my 10000 hours (A long time ago) and now have a family and day job. I actually have my own studio now and the opportunity to practice in my own private space with a fully mic’d kit that sounds amazing! Frustratingly, what I now lack is time!! I’d like to know how quickly you lose your skill when you stop practicing regularly. If Virgil Donati didn’t touch a pair of sticks for a year, would he lose some of his coordination and ability, or just physical ability? I often wonder how much of it is neurological training and how much is physical? I guess it’s a combination. On the odd occasion I get quality time on the kit, after a few day’s of practicing for an hour or sometimes much more, I can play things I couldn’t normally and I get a glimpse of what I could be if I had 6 hours a day to develop my skills. It’s very frustrating, but work and family have to come first these days. Anyway... good luck to all the young drummers starting on their journey. Just remember the old cliches... “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and “practice makes perfect” and you won’t go far wrong!! 👍🏻🤘🏻✌🏻

[@Christopher-md7tf]

I don't think you actually ever lose anything that you've really committed to "muscle memory" through practice. You might get rusty and it might take you a little while to re-activate those neuro-pathways after a long time off, but it's all still there. The same kind of goes for muscles, actually. When you lose muscle mass, the cores of the muscle cells are actually still there, that's why it's way easier and faster to re-gain muscle mass that you once had than to gain it the first time. Sadly, the same goes for fat cells 😫😬

[@francoa2197]

@@Christopher-md7tf Right !!

[@davidolson558]

I used to practice over 3 hours a day in my senior year of high school. My advise: wear ear plugs. I have significant hearing loss in my right ear

[@raphapexx7931]

Wise floating head. The best.

[@mghc7]

Always Practice what you can’t play.there is a no time limit.make your hands and feet do things they can’t do to build up muscle memory

[@addrumsadamgathercole5875]

Treat it like a job, every day. Morning tea and lunch break in between

[@davidlanier7006]

Quality, not quantity! Buddy Rich claimed he only practiced an hour or so at one time. He would also go several days and not play at all. Buddy claimed that once you learn the instrument well you don't need to practice hours and hours. He ended up being pretty good at playing the drums wouldn't you say? As someone else mentioned here, you can over train and make no gains. You could even end up hurting yourself by over practicing. It's probably more important to practice the right things the right way than focusing on how many hours you practice.

[@werkzeugmann6224]

Just relax and practice...

[@bluecaptn]

Buddy Rich said he didn’t like practicing and really didn’t. How do you explain this?

[@miguelalfoya2031]

I really need to practice... My drumming sucks... 😆

[@hangmanspark]

I love Tommy Schlaaang

[@chriscursons7778]

I’m a beginner drummer and I have a lot of spare time on my hands. My online tutor says I should practice for a minimum of 3 hours a day . Is that correct ?

[@vincentbuonora8477]

….identify what you need to learn….devote even a small time every day and it adds up….