hey, i've got a job that works me 12 hours a day and runs me around all over working me into the ground. i'm also in a band that only practices on the weekends because of schedules.
recently, i've really been inspired to go a little further than being a weekend warrior and really get into developing my skill as a bassist. i've been playing bass for about 7 years but the guitar for about 16. i do know theory quite well but since i'm a guitarist tranferring over to the bass, i kinda lack technique training. i really want to develope my slap bass and finger plucking techniques more, but can't find the time or energy to do so. since my band only practices on the weekends, i kinda feel like i'm going over the same old things over and over and really never getting better, just maintaining. i was wondering if there's any way out of this funk and maybe someone knows of some easy, low energy ways of developing my coordination and dexterity. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

well unfortunately the only way to develope anything is time.

And by the sounds of things you don't have too much of that with your schedule. There is no easy way out, or magical answer that will change your playing. You have to make an effort to work on it within your time frame. It sounds pretty busy for you right now so I'm not sure how much you can get done around your work.

I would suggest taking the bass to work and making an effort to hit at least 20mins on a lunch break. And how serious is your band? can you get them to rehearse every other weekend? and put aside two weekends a month for you to practice on your own?

I'm not quite sure how to go about it, but if you are inspired then i'm sure you'll be able to find 20 mins every day to work on something new. It's very important that in that 20mins you look for something new, and dont' just go over something you already know. You'll not be doing yourself any good or making any progress by re playing something you've played a thousand times.

Good luck!

Easy,

Janek

i face a similar situation like the threadstarter but luckily im better off with 9 hrs of daily work. Still, that only leaves me some precious 1 or 2 hrs nitely after other personal necessary activities like meals and washing up. sometimes i have meetups with buddies and friends and that would effectively mean a rest from practicising for that nite. But no matter how tired I am in those scenarios, I will still practice 5 to 10 mins of scales before i go to sleep. N like you, my band mainly practices together on weekends.

n yes i agree there are no shortcuts. learning music is equivalent to learning a new language. It's all about practising and improvising and "speaking" the language of music as much as you can. I admit im dead tired after work daily. The only thing that keeps me standing straight hanging my bass on my tired shoulders at night is a passion for music, that's all. Nothing new. No shortcuts either.

yeah, i guess i'm just going to have to suck it up and play. i won't quit until i'm as good as you, janek. and then i'll go a little further and get a little better than that. i'll probably fall asleep with my bass around my neck, but that's not all bad, now is it?