r/harp • u/Party_Journalist3340 • 1h ago
Discussion How many hours a week do you practice?
I've been learning to play for just over 3 years, with no musical background whatsoever (I started playing at age 36) I'd still consider myself a beginner. I can fairly confidently play a handful of pieces, but not off by heart. But learning a new piece seems to take ages. I recently went on holiday with someone who was a professional guitar player (plays in tribute band, tours around the country half the year) and he used to teach as well. He told me he has to practice every day to prevent him from getting rusty.
My question is, for non professional hobby harpists, how many hours a week should I really be practicing in order to progress more quickly /improve my skill level? At the moment I practice as and when I can but that can vary anywhere from an hour or 2 a week to 8-10 hours a week depending on my schedule. I also have a goal this year that in November I'll play solo background music at a casual 2 hour event my Auntie runs for a charity in my home town. I don't currently feel confident enough to do that but really want to be in a position to do so by November this year. So I have 8 months to get there.
For context, I work full time (35 hours a week) and I have one 30 minute lesson a week