Dividing practice time effectively

[MrBorisSpider]

Hello Janek,

It's good to have you here. Seeing as you give solid advice, I'd like to ask what you think would be a good division of time for transcription, working on excercises and just jamming around with backing track (sans bass) or drum machines?

I know you mentioned transcription is the best thing one can do. I read that in an old issue of Bass Player (I believe). I've made tons of improvement from following your advice. However, like you say, too much transcription runs the risk of sounding too much like whoever.

So I ask, how much transcription stuff should one do compared to other things?

Thank you.

[janekbass]

Transcription is the basis for the language you use as any kind of musician. There isn't such a thing as too much transcription, but there is such a thing as only playing the things you transcribe just like the people you transcribed it from.

You might end up transcribing too much of one artist and start sounding like them too much, but you can monitor this pretty easily.

I really don't put a time frame on anything I do, that way I'm not pressured into finishing something, and I'm not disappointed if I don't finish it when I thought I would. I'm relaxed about my shedding, and I only work on things that really inspire me and make me want to learn more.

Some months I'll spend 20 hrs on transcription, others I won't spend a minute on it. It really depends where I'm at with my schedule, where I'm at in the world, and what I'm into playing at that time.

Easy,

Janek