Solo practice: proportion of what do you do

[Silas Martinez]

I spend about 50-60% of my time ear training - learning songs by ear. I have software that helps with this, and analyzes songs (mp3s) for chord centers and changes, that I use sparingly, when its something fairly busy and I'm not sure where to start - but I don't use tabs. I'll slow things down to like half speed, before I'll search up a tab. To each his own, but I feel that I learn a lot more by listening closely to what is being played, and figuring out how to play it back, comfortably, with fingerings that are more natural to me.

The remaining 40-50% of my time is split working on theory, modes, chords/arpeggios, reading, and pure technique practice, for speed, strength, stamina, and dexterity.

When I'm studying audition pieces or learning new material, I spend more time on the by ear part - those percentages are highly variable - but I do always try to reserve at least a little time for learning the 'why' behind the 'how'.

[Montsegour]

Ignore all the "Don't Learn tabs!" replies. I'm starting to believe they don't recall how they started. Your can't cover songs by your ear when you are just starting with no previous knowledge, atleast I couldn't.
"Don't Learn tabs!" - Look, people said to me the same thing and I improved like 0% in the first year of my bassplaying ( mainly couse i had no one to show me anything and i was totaly vs tabs that were easiest to learn )
Yes i still say Learn your scales, theory aso aso, but, get your self a guitar pro, tabs, etc it helps alot for every song, eventualy you won't need it anymore.
I started with NO "ear"/hearing I remmember playing things that have no resemblance to the song and thinkin "Wow i'm getting it" and by playing by tabs i first sow my mistakes and then after 2 years i started "evolving" my ear couse it on it own went from that 0% to atleast 5% of hearing, so i could start from something. But at that time i can say i had a nice tehniq that i got by covering milion of songs.
I'm still a noob though, but hack, i'd be much worse without tabs i swear in it!

[BassChuck]

Well, count me in with the NO TABS school of thought. If you really are a rock bottom beginner, get a teacher, not tabs. If you start with TABS how do you know when to stop? (when do you take the training wheels off?) BTW, if you know enough to know the TABS are wrong, you know enough that you shouldn't be using them.

I agree with Pacman, get off the TABS. Spend the same amount of time learning to read music and working on ear training. Its not that hard.

Playing music poorly is a fools task and there are many out there proving it daily. Ignorance supported by philosophy is no way to live.

[Transmission]

I spend about 15mins here and there a day playing tabs..I really really need to sort it out