ChopsDrums, guitar & bass · practice guide
Getting back into playing after a long break: a 12-week comeback plan
You pick the instrument back up after a few years, play the riff or groove you used to know, and it's mostly there, until your fingers ache after ten minutes or a fill you used to play falls apart. That's normal. Coming back works best as a plan: start small, rebuild your hands, then add new material one piece at a time.
This guide gives you a 12-week comeback plan that works for drums, guitar and bass, a 20-minute session you can use on most days, and what to change for each instrument.
The short version: play 10–20 minutes on most days for the first two weeks, using material you already know at slow tempos. Pick one song and one exercise as your benchmark and test them in week 1. Add only one new thing per week after that. Re-test at week 12.
Why coming back is different from starting out
A returning player usually remembers more than their hands can play. You know the chord shapes, the rudiments or the bass lines, but your fingertips have lost their calluses, your forearms tire sooner, and your timing feels a little loose. The risk is doing too much too soon because the music is still in your head.
The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) notes that a sudden increase in playing load is a common trigger for injury in musicians, including when they return after time off, and recommends building playing time back up gradually. Its return-to-play guidance only moves you up a step after several days with no pain. The plan below follows the same idea: increase one thing at a time.
Before your first session
- Check your gear. Old guitar and bass strings are usually dull and hard to keep in tune: replace them and tune up. Drummers: check heads, sticks and throne height. An old instrument that fights you makes a comeback harder than it needs to be.
- Get a metronome app. Any free one works. Timing is one of the first things to drift during a break.
- Pick one benchmark song. Something you used to play, or a simpler song you'd like to play now. You'll record it in week 1 and again in week 12.
- Pick one benchmark exercise. Drums: the 8th-note rock beat or single strokes. Guitar: one-minute changes between two chords. Bass: even 8th notes with alternating fingers on one string. You'll track the top tempo you can play cleanly for 60 seconds.
- Decide on your minutes. Choose a session length you can keep on a busy day. Fifteen minutes you actually play beats an hour you keep postponing.
- Drummers: hearing protection. If you play an acoustic kit, wear it from the first session.
Week 1: find your baseline
Use the first week to find out where you are, not to prove you've still got it. By the end of the week, write down three things:
- Top clean tempo for your benchmark exercise, held for a full minute.
- A phone recording of your benchmark song, or the section you can play. Don't listen back critically yet; just keep it.
- Where it breaks. The first spot in the song where you stumble. That spot becomes your first practice target.
The 12-week comeback plan
Each phase builds on the one before it. If your hands are sore the next day, stay in the current phase for another week. There's no prize for moving on early.
| Weeks | Phase | Sessions | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Wake up | 10–20 min, most days | Familiar material only: warm-up, one basic technique exercise, one easy song. Slow tempos. Stop while it still feels good. Set your baseline at the end of week 1. |
| Weeks 3–6 | Rebuild | 20–30 min, 4–6 days | Add one new thing per week: a slightly faster tempo, a new groove or chord change, or a longer song section. Metronome on for every technique block. |
| Weeks 7–10 | Stretch | 20–45 min, 4–6 days | Learn something new, not just old material: a new song, a new rudiment, scale shape or bass line. One or two longer sessions a week if your hands are fine the next day. |
| Weeks 11–12 | Prove it | Your normal session length | Re-test the week 1 baseline: same exercise, same song, same recording setup. Compare, then pick the goal for your next 12 weeks. |
“One new thing per week” matters most. When playing starts to feel good again, it's tempting to bring back speed, long sessions and hard material all at once, and that's when wrists and fingers complain.
A 20-minute comeback session
Use this on most days in weeks 1–6. It works for any of the three instruments; the next section says what to put in each block.
| Block | Min | What to play |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 3 | Slow, easy playing on familiar material: single strokes on a pad, a chromatic 1-2-3-4 on guitar, or slow i-m alternation on bass. |
| Technique | 5 | One exercise with the metronome at a tempo you can play cleanly for a full minute. Rudiments on drums, chord changes on guitar, plucking evenness or muting on bass. |
| Time and groove | 6 | A basic groove, strum pattern or root-fifth line with a click or drum loop. Four rounds of about a minute, with short rests. |
| Benchmark song | 5 | Your comeback song, or the one section of it you're working on. Slow it down if you need to. |
| Log | 1 | Write down your top clean tempo, the minutes you played and one word for how your hands felt. |
| Total | 20 |
Raise the tempo 4–5 BPM only after a full clean minute. If it gets sloppy, drop back 10 BPM. Slower and steady is progress.
Getting back into drums
- Start on a practice pad. Singles and doubles at 60–70 BPM with a loose grip, letting the stick rebound. It's quiet, and it shows you quickly which hand has gone rusty.
- One groove, with a click. The basic 8th-note rock beat is enough for the first weeks. Aim for steady time, not speed.
- Play along to slower songs first. Songs you know well and that sit at a medium tempo show your time without wearing you out.
- Bring fills back last. Fills are where rust shows. Practice three bars of groove and one bar of a simple fill, landing on beat 1.
- Watch your weaker hand. If one hand lags, give it an extra minute of slow single strokes in the warm-up.
For full session tables, see the drum practice routine.
Getting back into guitar
- Expect sore fingertips. Calluses take time to come back. Several short sessions are kinder to them than one long one. Press just hard enough for a clean note.
- Chord changes before songs. Count how many clean changes you can make between two chords in one minute. It's a quick, honest benchmark.
- Strum with a metronome at 60–70 BPM. Keep the strumming hand moving even if a chord change is late.
- Leave bends and fast lead playing for later. Bending in tune needs finger strength and calluses. Bring it back once fretting no longer hurts.
- Relearn one song properly instead of playing fragments of ten.
For full session tables, see the guitar practice routine.
Getting back into bass
- Rebuild your plucking hand. Even 8th notes alternating index and middle fingers (or even down-strokes with a pick), quarter notes at 60 BPM first.
- Start mid-neck. Wide stretches near the nut are hardest on a returning fretting hand. Work around the 5th to 7th frets first.
- Lock in with a drum loop. Roots, then root-fifth patterns at 70–85 BPM, aiming to land exactly with the kick drum.
- Muting and note length. Only the note you want should ring. This often slips during a break and it's what makes a groove sound tight.
- Refresh note names on the E and A strings, so you can find any root quickly again.
For full session tables, see the bass practice routine.
What to track
Keep it to a few numbers you can write down in under a minute:
- Top clean tempo on your benchmark exercise, held for 60 seconds.
- Minutes played and days played this week.
- How your hands felt the next day: fine, a bit tired, or sore. This tells you whether to move to the next phase.
- Benchmark song: did you get through your target section without stopping? Yes or no.
Re-test the benchmark at week 6 and week 12 with the same setup as week 1. Comparing recordings shows progress that's hard to feel day to day.
Common comeback mistakes
- Starting with your old hardest piece. It shows you what you've lost, then stops you. Start with something easy and build.
- Marathon sessions in week 1. A long session that leaves you sore for days costs more practice than it gives.
- Buying gear instead of practicing. New strings or sticks help. A new rig doesn't replace sessions.
- Changing the goal every few days. Stay on the same material for at least a week, so you can see the tempo move.
- Comparing yourself to your old self. Compare this week to week 1 instead.
- Playing through pain. Tired muscles are normal. Sharp or lasting pain, numbness or tingling means stop and rest, and get it checked if it doesn't settle.
A sample first week
Want to see what a week of short sessions looks like day by day? The sample Week 1 guitar plan is written for a beginner or returning guitarist at 20 minutes a day. There are also sample weeks for drums and bass.
Getting back into playing: FAQ
How long should practice sessions be when getting back into playing?
Start shorter than you think: 10 to 20 minutes on most days for the first two weeks, then build toward 20 to 30. Short, regular sessions let your hands, wrists and fingertips adapt. Add time only when you feel fine the next day, not just during the session.
Should I start again from the beginning?
Not completely. Most returning players keep more knowledge than hand strength, so start with easy material you used to know and play it slowly. Use week 1 to find out where things break down, then work on those spots instead of re-doing everything from lesson one.
How long does it take to get my playing back?
It depends on how long you were away, how far you got and how often you play now. Familiar material often comes back sooner than speed, stamina and calluses. Don't judge it day to day: compare your week 1 baseline with a re-test at week 6 and week 12.
Should I practice every day?
Most days is better than one long weekend session. Four to six short sessions a week is a realistic target for most adults. A rest day is fine, especially in the first weeks when fingertips and forearms are still adapting.
My fingertips or wrists hurt. Is that normal?
Some fingertip tenderness on guitar or bass is normal while calluses come back, and some muscle tiredness is normal on drums. Sharp, lasting or worsening pain, numbness or tingling is not: stop, rest, and see a health professional if it doesn't settle.
Should I take lessons when coming back?
If you can, one or a few lessons early on are a good investment. A teacher can spot grip, posture and tension habits you can't see yourself. A weekly plan then covers what to practice between lessons.