I recommend the Boss DB-90. You can play triplets (the basis of swing feel) and quarter notes at the same time, and control how loud each one is.

Boss Db-90

I have had productive 6-8 hour days, but that is only possible, I think, if one takes breaks and clears the mind.
I would take a lunch and dinner break, and also some 15 minute “time-out” breaks to do something mindless like play pinball. Bonne chance!

If you practice with your fingers, no amount of practice will ever be enough. If you practice with your mind, a few hours a day should be sufficient. When I’m preparing a repertoire, though, it seems to average out to 4 hrs a day.

Collin has good points above. I’ve been periodically frustrated, feeling like my work didn’t show in my playing, then all of a sudden, months later, it shows up. It’s like we need time to process it, more than just a week or a month. Also, I’ve found that some of the greatest difficulty in the Level 7s comes with the 16th note syncopations. I have had adult students who grew up playing a lot, but not playing a lot of syncopation. If this was not a large part of your musical diet when you were learning, you have become “hard wired” in a way that just takes a little more time to unravel! Also, please make sure to practice initially in segments, and that when you get a segment you’ve been working on correct, force yourself to get it correct 5 more times IN A ROW. Enjoy!

If you watch some of the great musicians of all time, they are keeping time with their foot in some way, although it’s far from being a requirement. Collin’s suggestions above are good. Also, if you feel overloaded mentally while playing all of a sudden, try stopping the foot for a second until you feel in control again. Sometimes it can develop a mind of its own, interfering with what you’re trying to play.

Copy the bass and snare drum pattern from the original tune, and program it as a loop in your sequencer. Hi-hat is also very important, so if you can get the three of them sitting where they were originally recorded rhythmically, that should work. If the pattern changes, pick the most used variation and make a 4-bar loop. Use some toms for fills if you want to add to it.