Optimum practice time as a band

Take the time you need to get ready for a competition, and add half an hour

Treat each practise as a dry run for competition, the extra will toughen you mentally and physically

Should be nearer 2 hours than 3

cheers

Gotta agree wi Gordy here Reid. 3 hrs seems a bit much and could be counter productive, our band nights are pretty intense. No breaks 'n hammer it out from 8-10, sometimes 10-30. Next day I feel absolutely drained ( pre contest ), but as Gordy stated, this is a good prep, both mentally and physically.

However, if yer first hour was on PC ironing out wee things or for the PM to emphasise certain phrasings or breaks, then yeah...Ok, but not 3 hrs solid blowing.

Good call guys. I guess people were getting burnt out with all the practicing. Now practices are closer to the 90min to 2 hour mark. I think that is a good amount of time to get the most out of a practice.

lol, Our band practice normally lasts about an hour... start at 8 finish by about half 9 but about half an hour banter. obviously the banter is fazed out as the season gets closer and then its prety much an hour and a half on pipes. Personally I think that is fine, no point in chasing shadows, once the pipes are set, go through the tunes for about 45 mins to an hour then thats pretty much it. Its more enjoyable if you dont over do it at practice. I know some bands will probably take longer than others to get the pipes set but really I wouldn't be bothering too much with that until nearer the start of the season. Get the tunes off and the sound will follow.

3 hours is indeed a bit much. 2 hours seems a bit more reasonable.
Remember that "band practice" should be that - a time when the band as a whole practices together.
A PM spending an hour tuning up individuals pipes is not "band practice" but "pipe corp practice".
Arrive at your "band practice" ready for such and you will find that 1 hour could well be ample.

One other thought about a 3 hour practise,

If your P/M wants to blow for three hours, tell him his pipes are far too F'n easy!!

Gordy88 wrote:One other thought about a 3 hour practise,

If your P/M wants to blow for three hours, tell him his pipes are far too F'n easy!!
, or too flat. Migh be he needs 3 hrs da get 'em up da pitch.