| Self-evaluation of progress can be a difficult thing to do sometimes. However, IMO in the earlier stages when you first start playing, it's easier to notice because so much of the challenge is in the "physical" aspect of being able to get around the neck and jam along with the records. So from a physical aspect, I'd say keep challenging yourself to play songs that you might consider a little difficult. Slow things down as much as you need to. If you can't play it up to tempo for now, then don't worry about it. Of course, keep practicing other things in the meantime. You'll probably find that 6 months later when you return to the thing that was causing you difficulty, you may very well be able to play it with ease. Then you'll know that you've made some progress!
Also, it's important to work on the theoretical aspects of music (which you said you're also working on) so that you understand how and WHY these basslines work and so that you can come up with your own. This kind of progress takes more time as you need to internalize your understanding of theory to a point where you can apply it in your playing so that it's automatic.
Also, to add, ear training is another good way of gauging your progress. If you're not doing so already, I'd recommend you to start figuring out the bass parts yourself. When I started playing, transcriptions weren't as readily available as they are today, so it forced me to sit down with my CD player and really work stuff out. Again, there were times when I just couldn't hear the lines. But the more you do it, the better your ear will become, and the more experience and theoretical knowledge you have, you'll be able to identify what you're hearing easily.
Last edited by Funkturnal : 05-20-2010 at 09:22 PM.
Reason: additional comments
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