Bad habits you had to unlearn

[longfinger]

As a bassists, valuing pitch over rhythm. (playing pop, jazz, blues etc)

[Tupac]

Wrapping your thumb around the neck is not a bad habit. It's caused me less pain than classical position, that's for sure.

[Ric5]

Bad habits you had to unlearn

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Slaping ...

Also thinking about theory instead of playing ...

stringing my bass with flats ...

Playing 4 string basses ...

[Rockin Mike]

Buying basses I couldn't really afford.

[Sethbass]

Bad habit#1-RH thumb on pick up...
#2 practicing material only in my comfort zone.
#3 accepting premise that i am subpar bass player
There are undoubtably many many more but i really want 2013 to be a year that i step up and get out to PLAY!!

[Rockin Mike]

What's wrong with RH thumb on pickup?

[Sethbass]

@Rockin Mike first, with the RH thumb on pickup.. It is bad posture IM(not professional)O
2nd it is bad for the pick up.. I have had to have my pick up uninstalled and refitted because it puts too much pressure on the pick up and stripped out the screw holes.

[jov]

For me, playing while sitting on chair, because when it comes to the gig i feel uncomfortable standing up while playing, maybe practicing bass while standing need some practice too, to know what position you are comfortable at the gig. sounds weird but its true for me.

[microsample]

Excessive, reflexive use of the pentatonic scale.

Not knowing the names of the notes I was hitting. Learning the fretboard is not something you just do once and you're done -- it's an ongoing process that has to be performed many times over, from many different perspectives. I have been doing a lot of work with fixed-do solfege recently and I cannot imagine ever really "knowing" the fretboard without this tool.

Related: not learning the entire length of the fretboard from day one. My first teacher told me, "there's no money past the seventh fret"; although it might be a sound guideline for playing in an ensemble, it is bad advice for solo playing, practice and overall musicianship. That advice alone set me back a decade or so. I have also been working with the "unitar" concept from Mick Goodrick's "The Advancing Guitarist," which has been really helpful in getting more "horizontal" and "diagonal" perspectives on playing.

[RDUB]

I have a list:

Not using the pinky on my left hand. You can play SO MUCH CLEANER AND FASTER.
Gripping the neck too hard. DITTO.
Happy face eq. Only sounds neat in your bedroom.

I fixed all of those pretty early in my playing career. That said, these are some of the most prevalent things I've come across over the years with students.

[zfunkman]

I played with a pick my first few years. Then I finally just threw the pick away and never looked back. AHHHH quite liberating!

[microsample]

Also:

Playing things without singing them first -- voice and ear come first now.

Just learning the bassline to songs. AFAIC this is gets you a C+ at best. The path to real musicianship on the bass is learning melody, harmony, rhythm...all the parts to a song.

+1 on smiley face EQ -- I think I read on here somewhere, "just 'cuz it's the bass doesn't mean you have to turn up the bass." Also, not making certain my tone is perfect before jams and gigs; a lot of times I would plug in and start playing thinking I was already "good enough for government work." Big mistake.

Playing the instrument while it was out of tune. Never do this, even (especially) in your bedroom.